Netflix

The terrors of Netflix

| cgkinnett

Over the last couple of weeks I have spent a serious amount of time watching new and new-ish horror films with the Netflix brand stamped across the title’s thumbnail. With a seemingly endless network of films, and more constantly being suggested to you, I began to wonder how much of this content was actually worth watching. As viewers we don’t really have the ability to have insight into the performance of Netflix titles like you do with TV’s Nielsen ratings and the movie’s with their box office. Because of this, viewers must rely on the 97% match for “what you might like” offered up by Netflix’s algorithms.

Some of these suggestions are great. But some of them are really not. In addition to the titles that the program suggests to you “because you watched x” there is also the option to see what is Trending on Netflix. Sometimes I wonder, however, how much of what is trending is trending because Netflix wants it to trend? For example, the films that I will be detailing below are a mixture of those that I searched on my own or had recommended to me by friends along with those that Netflix suggested or said were trending. One of the trending ones in particular was my least favorite of all the titles I watched.

To start things off, I tried watching the new installment in the Jeepers Creepers series. When I first heard that there was not only going to be a new film but two new films I was filled mostly with hesitation. Why bring new life to something that was so well done the first time and still well done the second? Leave that tale be, I say. The fist two are incredibly creepy films that didn’t need any follow up. Sure, the way that the second film ends leaves it open for a follow up…or maybe it was just a creepy cliffhanger that should’ve been left hanging. Jeepers Creepers 3 is supposed to take place after the events of the first and before the second. However, very quickly into the movie, events occur which mess with the original narrative’s timeline. We know at the end of one, the Creeper goes back to his lair to skin Darry. So it does not make sense when he shows up very quickly into 3. Also, his truck can all of a sudden drive and defend itself? There are a bunch of little things to knit pick minutes in to the film. Additionally, the dialogue is TERRIBLE. Three’s premise is that the surviving cops and a task force of “Creeper hunters” band together to stop the monster. There is also a subplot in which the Creeper is believed to be heading somewhere specific to retrieve a body part that was stolen from it during it’s last spree. How do we know about this plot? Gaylen Brandon’s son was killed by the Creeper but not before he buried a piece of it on his family’s farm…his ghost or some schizophrenic vision is what illuminates her to the Creeper’s return.  Full disclosure, I maybe made it 45 minutes in to the 100 minute run time.

If you’re a fan of the first two, don’t bother with this new addition in Jeepers Creepers 3. 

Next on the docket was The Ritual which was suggested to me by a coworker who shares my taste in film. Holy cow what a well done film! We are with a group of friends who have recently suffered a loss of one of their own. Every year they go on holiday together in Sweden and this one looks like its shaping out to be the last one. Their friendships are devolving after the traumatic event which led to their friend’s death. After paying tribute to the fallen comrade, the group decides to cut through a giant forest to get back to the city/hotel where they’re staying. This short cut will save them time as one of them is injured and the rest are exhausted. WHEN HAS A SHORT CUT THROUGH THE WOODS EVER BEEN A GOOD IDEA?!?! However, without them going into said woods, there would be no movie because that is where all the terrifying action takes place. When it becomes clear that they are not going to make it back by nightfall, the group serendipitously stumbles upon a creepy Baba Yaga type cabin which they deem a perfectly  suitable place to spend the night. This even after they discover a strange human shaped statue praying at an alter in the upstairs of the cabin. Unsurprisingly, none of them sleeps well and things definitely go bump in the night. As the film progresses we are given shadowy glimpses of a creature which seems to be hunting them. This holding back of the big bad makes their experience all the more scary. It never comes in to plain sight and frequently you are left questioning whether something just happened or if it was all in the character’s mind. The lore we learn about this creature of the forest is very interesting and ancient and by the end of the film you are as horrified about what has happened as any reasonable person should be. The Ritual is a very well done film with mad props to the monster and also to the ending.

You should most assuredly watch this movie.

Next up: The Hallow. This title has been recommended to me by Netflix many times and I have always skipped over it…not really sure why. I am glad I did finally watch it however because it was a really interesting movie. They took old Irish fae lore and tied it in with present science and deforestation. A family moves to a small town in Northern Ireland where the husband has been assigned to examine the trees and surrounding wildlife in an area that is set to be leveled. At first, the warnings from neighbors are ignored and brushed aside. Oh you silly country folk, believing in your fairy tales is the general vibe we get from Adam and Clare as they settle into their new home. However, very quickly, they realize that these warnings really should have been taken seriously especially because there is a baby present! At least for the baby’s sake take precaution, I beg of you! It is almost as though Adam and Clare have never listened to an episode of the Lore podcast. Fae are known to cause mischief and are also known for baby swapping a la leaving you a changeling that looks like your babe but isn’t. Putting aside their ignorance of folk lore, the two main characters (there are really only a couple of characters) try to defend their home and themselves. The Hallow is a tale of what happens when you disrespect culture and history. The fae creatures are interestingly constructed and eerie in the same sense that the original Evil Dead had a creepy woods. One look is all you need to know it is haunted. How they make out in the end is well constructed if not predictable. However, despite the film’s predictability, it is still a compelling man vs. nature story.

If you’re looking for something haunting, this is it.

After The Hallow I dove into Netflix’s new adaptation of The Mist. This is another one that I was hesitant about. While I have not read the book I do adore the film which came out in 2007. A decade later, I did not believe that there needed to be another version of the story. I mean, all you have to do is say, “that ending though!” (no pun intended) to sum up the grace of that film. That being said, I became addicted to this show. There is something to be said for books (especially horror and thriller titles) being made in to series as opposed to films.  With the extended medium of a show, the writers and creators are able to have so much more space to develop stories and cultivate real, human encounters. I wouldn’t say this should be the new norm, however, it certainly does help with exposition and character bonds. The show was able to deal with some interesting issues that I don’t think would have been able to be appropriately conveyed in the span of one film. Because of this, we get to know the characters on the show a little more deeply. Nature and it’s self-correcting course is a big theme as is religion and judgement. In this iteration, however, we also deal with rape and a girl’s inability to remember what exactly happened to her the day before the mist started. Because of this, several of our narrators are unreliable, causing even more intrigue. While this aspect certainly adds to the suspense, there is a lot of victim blaming and slut shaming regarding two of the female leads which made me incredibly uncomfortable. Aside from that, the primary makeup of the story is the same: a mist rolls in to town, people are trapped where they are when it comes (in this case a mall and a church provide the primary settings), and a family is separated. Alex and Eve Copeland are stuck in the mall while Kevin tries everything in his power to reach them. Risking going into the mist himself, Kevin is able to assemble a ragtag band of fellows whose aim is to get to the mall. Alternitavely, their neighbor, Mrs. Raven is stuck in the church with a bunch of believers. It is interesting to me that this iteration took more of a natural selection take as opposed to a god is judging us take (made so well known in 2007 by Marcia Gay Harden). There is also, as before, a mysterious military base to which is alluded several times. Do they have something to do with this? Are they going to come save the townspeople? As the season ends, we have just as many questions as we did to start with only a couple of answers having been gleaned along the way. While the writing and story structure is sometimes lacking, I think that is made up for in the intrigue created by Stephen King with the original concept. We shall see what season two brings.

A nice show to binge during a rainy day.

Finally and most recently in my horror viewing I watched Veronica. Many of you will have heard about this title from Twitter in conjuncture with swears of it being the absolute most terrifying movie ever. To those I say, calm the eff down. While Veronica is a beautifully well done movie and maintains its 90’s style impeccably, it is more thoughtful than horrific. Veronica and two of her friends use a ouija board to reach out to her deceased father during an eclipse. Does she reach her dead parent? Nope! But something else slips out of the ether instead and follows her home where it terrorizes Veronica and her younger siblings. This film is largely made up of child actors and they are so on point with their reactions and facial expressions. While there are a couple of truly spooky moments, I was much more captivated by the children and the setting than with the story. The lighting, music, and acting are so on par…plus its a Mexican film and because of this we get more of the show don’t tell evident in most horror and lacking in American produced films. Unlike movies of it’s kind (Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Conjuring, and Insidious), Veronica doesn’t have the parent calling for help, Veronica tries to deal with this on her own, creating tragedy and suspense all at the same time. I can understand why it scared people. There is a particular scene in which the thing that is haunting Veronica appears after a wardrobe door is closed (classic move) and begins a slow walk towards her. That was creepy af. There is another scene in which Veronica sees through a window something that is happening in the other side of the house (think wrap around building like when Maggie Grace’s character can see the kidnappers in Taken) and because we have such an affinity with her young siblings, we as the viewer are as freaked out as she is!

If you scare easily, watch Veronica with a friend. If you don’t scare easily, watch it by yourself with the lights off! Either way, you should watch Veronica because of it’s haunting effect.

Taking all of this in to account, I would say that I gravitate towards horror films that are made in or set in foreign countries. While this is something that I already knew about myself, it seems to be proven as somewhat of an informer in what will be a better film. There are creepy crawlies much more terrifying in other countries. I think this is because America is still so relatively new. For example, the creature that haunts the forest in The Ritual is thought to be centuries old and the fae in Ireland are just as ancient.

There are so many films and series on Netflix that this exercise could be kept up for years and a viewer would still not be able to watch them all. That being said, these films are a good place to start. Next on my list is Re:Mind which is a Japanese horror series set at a dinner table. Eleven high school aged girls have a secret and they are trapped at said table, which carries upon it torture traps and devices, until they can piece together why. It seems equal parts Saw and Memento.

What are you excited to watch? Let me know in the comments below!

Another 13 Reasons Why Post

| cgkinnett

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Spoilers abound below. You’ve been warned.

Two years ago I came across Thirteen Reasons Why whilst in a deep dive of the YAL shelves of my neighborhood library. In fact, it was the topic of my fourth blog post ever! Over the past few weeks there have been blog posts and think pieces a plenty about the new Netflix adaptation which coincides nicely with the book’s 10th anniversary. For years, this book has been a controversial work. It is a tale that sticks with you; a heavy realization that everything you do has an impact on those around you. In 2012 the book made the ALA’s list in their annual Top Ten Most Banned Books list for reasons stating: drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group. “These are not topics suitable for young readers” they say. Bullshit, lovelies. Those are topics our young ones are exposed to at earlier and earlier ages. The heart of this tale holds messages which are incredibly important for this generation to learn: compassion, empathy, responsibility, awareness. This is a super important work in both mediums, each of which portray Hannah Baker’s story in different ways.

For fans of the book, I think it is incredibly useful to go into watching the show with a conscious forethought, recognizing that these are separate creations in two different mediums. You have a 288 page book versus a 13 hour TV drama. Those aren’t really equal or comparable so thinking of them as such from the beginning is not going to do you any good. However, this is a good thing!

The book gives you Clay and Hannah and Tony. That’s pretty much it. There is some dialogue between others and you see people around as Clay visits all the spots on the map but that is it. Why no other characters? There’s no time. Clay binge listens to these tapes in one night. Primary difference right off the bat. There is a heightened tension as he speeds through these awful recollections and you learn along with him all of the truly unfortunate events that befell this girl. You realize slowly, along with Clay, what was passing through Hannah’s mind. He becomes consumed with them going from one tape to another just as you assume he would be when presented with this situation. Digesting it all while constantly being ready for the next tape to be yours. We are presented with Hannah’s tapes and Clay’s immediate reaction to them and during them. Alternatively, in the show, our experience is stretched out for at least two weeks. In this time, we are able to see a much much broader picture. What these tapes have sparked from his classmates, how Hannah’s parents are coping, and even providing time for a case to be built which (surprise!) Clay’s mom is lawyering for! There is a whole world that is created in this visual depiction. It creates a 3D image, a broader depiction showing the ripples of Hannah’s death. We are given more time for Clay to take in what he’s hearing and actually show a bit of resistance and perturbedness (that’s not a word) at what all of his fellow classmates have done. Which brings us to the next point: he takes it to his peers. Clay wants to hold them accountable for their actions but they say that some of these tellings are out of proportion or didn’t even happen or are versions of their own truths.  In some cases they are denied out right or maybe not remembered at first. In the book we are feeling directly from Hannah how she experienced these events and how they impacted her whereas in the show we are informed by others as well. I think this is why it is okay for these two to differ so much because it perfectly illustrates how different perspectives are valuable.

However, and this is a big however, not all of this fleshed out world is great. What follows are thoughts purely on the TV show. So many great things about this show from the astounding amount of diversity (in race and relationships) to a realness brought with the very human reaction you see from Hannah’s parents to the more full narrative we see from all the other characters. But there isn’t really a base for them from the source material outside of what we hear on the tapes. So these characters were developed largely by show creator Brian Yorkey and it’s not that he does a bad job, its just that many of them felt too extreme. From Justin’s wanting to literally put together a plan to kill Clay to Courtney’s blind eye to rape there are things that some of these characters say that have you going, “umm what?!” Not all of the time but definitely a notable amount. To go into a side rant about these “umm what” moments, let’s take Tony for example. ROCK CLIMBING?!?! Ummmm Whaaat?! There were so many prolonged encounters that involved Tony just popping up places and being Jiminy Cricket (or as Clay puts it, Unhelpful Yoda). Clay could’ve easily listened to these tapes two per episode and we could’ve cut things wayyyy down.

In addition to the extension of the characters there is an extension (as already mentioned) to the story. In reading, our experience stops when the tapes do. In viewing, we see Hannah’s end. We were told 10 years ago that she “swallowed a bunch of pills” however today’s method is different and much more detailed. Today we see Hannah slit her wrists; we see her parents find her after she has bled out in the tub. It is a heart wrenching scene. It is a striking step beyond the tapes. Even further still we hear Hannah narrate these tapes with so much emotion in her voice. Katherine Langford does an amazing job at making all the feelings feel. She’s telling the story as she knows it, how she has felt it. This adds so much to the story.

With all of the differences of the show and even the non differences, Jay Asher is fully on board with how the show depicts his story. At the top of this piece I listed all of the reasons the ALA cited as to why the book was placed on the Banned List, one of which was that it was inappropriate for it’s intended demographic. This show and this book depict a reality that parents and others might not want to deal with. But bullying and suicide rates are a very real thing.  As Asher said in an interview recently, “that raw and honest approach was my first big decision I had to make when writing the book, and the writers of the series felt the same way. These things happen, and to give respect to the people they do happen to, it felt wrong to hold back. It needs to be uncomfortable to read or watch. If it’s not, and we pull away, it felt like the story would only contribute to that problem of not truthfully tackling these things. We’re already good at avoiding uncomfortable subjects, and that needs to change.”

Read this book. Watch this show. Be conscious of how you treat others.

Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press

| cgkinnett

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Hey there, lovelies! As reported last week, SXSW was in full swing and my Film badge was being put to full use. Now that the festival is over and I’ve had time to reflect on everything I saw over the course of the week, I realized that what I watched more than anything else was documentaries. There were so many of them and on such a wide range of topics. Out of all that I saw, I think that the most interesting and the most relevant by far was Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press. Award winning investigative documentarian Brian Knappenberger, known for The Internet’s Own Boy and We Are Legion helmed the project. The thumbnail photo for Nobody Speaks shows Hulk Hogan who is, admittedly, not someone whom I would want to watch a documentary about. However, do not let this deter you for there is something much bigger about this film and what it represents for the free press in our country.

In 2012 Gawker Media published a sex tape of Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) and Heather Clem. Apparently, Clem’s husband likes to film her with other men and watch it back. To each their own, ya know. Anyway, upon the posting of this video, Hogan sued Gawker for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional harm, among other things. The back and forth shown through court clips and interviews with Gawker editors shows how crazy this case was. In the end, Hogan ended up winning and was awarded $31 million which was roughly $100 million less than what the jury had come back with. Gawker did not have this kind of money and filed for bankruptcy last year.

What’s the big deal, you ask? Well, as the story unfolds, we learn that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel helped fund the case against Gawker. The site had published several unflattering stories about Thiel over the years and he had built up a grudge against the media outlet. He poured millions of dollars into Hogan’s defense allegedly without Hogan knowing who he was or why he was doing it. What is utterly terrifying about this is that there was a man who had a grudge against a digital print outlet, who used his resources to his advantage, and took a step into the legal world that until now no one else had done. This opens up the opportunity for other private citizens and/or corporations to do the same, meaning that if there is a magazine, newspaper, any sort of periodical that prints something that someone doesn’t like there is now precedent for them to take it upon themselves to facilitate a take down.

In addition to the Bollea v. Gawker case, Nobody Speaks also shines a light on the purchasing of one of Nevada’s most notable newspapers, the Las Vegas Review Journal, by the Adelson family. While you might not know the name off hand, the Adelsons are big in the gaming world and are apparently quite corrupt and shady (shocker, I know). The reporters and staff of LVRJ were told that their paper had been bought but not by whom. Good idea…try to hide something from a whole newspaper staff. The reporters start digging and soon unearth the truth of their acquisition. Penning an expose on the matter, they go to print without a green light and then many of them resign, principles and ethics still intact.

What brings these two storylines together, you ask? Apparently there is a connection between Thiel and the Adelson family: they both make huge contributions to the Republican party and most recently, Donald Trump. The significance of this is that Trump is very publicly against mainstream media and honest reporting of any kind and these two stories are instances where men saw an opportunity to influence/shut down a media organization whose ideals they didn’t agree with. While there is enough material for both of these stories to stand on their own, for they are both majorly important, they are tied together with what seemed like a hasty Trump through line. I say hasty because there was video of rallies and press conferences that are incredibly recent. Like since he’s been in office recent.

Towards the end of the film we begin seeing, through still images and voiced over short video clips, the ties that all of these men have with each other. This sort of made the ultimate message about how things lead back to Trump. I think the doc could have been a lot stronger if they had stuck to highlighting these terrifying cases and how they can potentially effect our future. This is my only complaint.

Netflix has reportedly purchased the film however when you search the title you’re not able to click on the result. I don’t know if that just means it is not yet available or what. Whatever the case, you should find a way to watch this documentary. It is incredibly important and impatiently relevant.

 

 

 

 

Late to the table: Arrested Development

| cgkinnett

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Upon scrolling through Netflix’s recommended section, I was repeatedly receiving Arrested Development as a suggestion. I had always heard great things about the original series…it was popular while I was in high school but I never got around to watching it. There is no question, now that I have viewed the series in its entirety that I don’t agree with the small masses that make up the cult following of the show. This entry though is specifically about season four. The “Netflix season” if you will. This season is also something that I had heard about …however nothing really good. At first, I must admit, I was in the same camp. The sets were slightly awkward as the show had been off the air for seven years. The dialogue was slightly off as if the writers and the actors took a bit to adjust back into their character’s grooves despite Mitchell Hurwitz (most recently he produced Lady Dynamite which you NEED TO SEE) returning to help co-write a majority of the episodes.

After tearing through the first three seasons in two weeks, I was hesitant after three or four episodes of season four. However, I couldn’t not finish it after all the time I had already invested. So, I soldiered onward and found that I ended it with a new found appreciation.

The Netflix season is structured differently than that of the original run. While there is still the premise of a show being shot about the family (complete with Ron Howard’s narration and the characters being aware of the cameras) there is one central storyline that unfolds and we see each character’s perspective; their side of the events. This creates a very interesting theme set around how each of their actions has impacts, sometimes unknown, on other people’s part in the story. It showed the interworkings of this family whom we have come to hold dear for reasons unexplainable. They are, after all, lying, cheating, connivers. What makes this way of storytelling even more interesting is that there are so many players involved and because of that so many avenues to explore. Including George Sr.’s twin there are 10 members of the Bluth family.

Picking up the storyline where it was left, we dive into the whole family being held in a police station after the events of season three’s finale. Lucille had tried to steal the Queen Mary, George Sr. had just been cleared of treason charges, Michael and George Michael had returned from their once again failed attempt to leave the family to their troubles, and many other pieces of the puzzle. Without explaining all of them: know that they were all there at this station. We bounce back and forth between the events here in the station and what comes after them with the understanding that it has been five years (not seven) in Bluth reality.

The through line slowly unfolds like like a bloom in the spring and each episode is labeled/assigned to a specific character. In doing this, you know that most of the episode is going to be dedicated to that character and the small degrees of separation between each person’s tale. It really becomes fascinating how something you do, it might be something small and insignificant to you, might effect someone else in a big way. It also serves to illustrate the seemingly isolated lives these characters live in that their actions so immediately impact each other. This way of unfolding highlights a couple of other points as well: those who don’t seem to have too much overlay (ex. Buster and George Michael) are brought together in the culminating scene of the tale (the night of Cinco de Quatro), and, while it is always insisted that “family is first” by the Bluths, each is in their own little world. While this is a fact we already knew from the original run, this sort of individual attention of their lives seems to showcase it even more.

Outside of the interesting approach to storytelling, the reoccuring guests that appear over the course of the season really help give it a new feel despite old events occasionally being brought back up. There are familiar faces: Henry Winkler reprises his role as the Bluth family lawyer and is as incompetent ever, Gene Parmesan played by Martin Mull (the scenes where Lucille is surprised by his appearances make the whole show for me), and Kitty Sanchez the stage five clinger played to perfection by Judy Greer, and Liza Minnelli as the most unlucky neighbor Lucille 2. Then there are newcomers that bring even more charm and crazy to the table: Terry Crews as Herbert Love running for a seat in the House and Isla Fisher as Rebel Alley (an illegitimate daughter of Ron Howard). z1y2yyw

All of these elements: the story and how it unfolds, the characters new and old, and the awkwardness of the show in general made for what I found to be an enjoyable conclusion to our window into the lives of the Bluths. Again, all that being said, I totally understand where all the hate came from in reviews. I was really happy that I saw it through and didn’t give up.

What I take away from this experience is that even though Netflix Netflixed the season (made it shinier and a bit off), it worked. Now if only the same could be said for season two of Kimmy Schmidt.

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