Physical Media

Back in February, I canceled my Amazon Prime account, not entirely on purpose. In short, I was miffed about their new policy of ad insertions in Prime videos, so I used the site's chat feature to ask whether I would be given a refund if I canceled early. The representative interpreted this as a request to cancel, which they carried out immediately and refunded a prorated amount. (Please allow 3-5 business days for your refund.) I, a bit shocked but still miffed, accepted the serendipitous cancelation.

While this was largely agreeable, a minor problem arose. My wife and I had been watching Northern Exposure on Prime video. Neither of us had watched the series in broadcast, so this was our first viewing, and we were only a few episodes in to season 3 when our service abruptly ended. We wanted to continue our adventures in Cicely, so I did something I'd never done before. I borrowed a DVD from the library.

Specifically, I borrowed the DVDs for seasons 3 and 4 of the show. I opened the plastic clamshell case. The first silvery disc slid from its sleeve and slipped into the player. A familiar soft whirring emanated from the drive, followed by a quiet shriek as it sought out the Alaskan stories stamped into the disc. Miraculously, it worked. After some unskippable studio logos and the FBI warning (thankfully no ads), The Northern Exposure theme began to play over a menu homepage that may as well have been a Geocities webpage. The selection icon was in the shape of a moose. A sense of nostalgic anachronism came over me.

Overall, I've enjoyed the experience. There's a certain intentionality to the DVD that etherified datastreams can't replicate. The video quality is far more consistent. The cost is free (besides taxes). I won't become a physical media nut, but I rekindled my appreciation for it, reconnected with the library, and dropped Amazon. Maybe you can too.

Review 'Sisu' (2022)

A barebones revenge plot supercharged by the senselessness of mechanized war provides fanciful violence tempered by gruesome carnage. Writer/director Jalmari Helander skillfully lets loose the unbridled rage of Aatami Korpi (played by Jorma Tommila) on film's natural enemy: uncomplicated, irredeemable Nazi scum.

Hints of a deeper backstory, perhaps apocryphal, offer a relief against Tommila's furious stare that transforms an otherwise mute one-dimensional character into one of flesh, blood, and legend.

Aksel Hennie has the screen presence to give his portrayal of an SS officer enough nihilistic verve to want to see him snuffed out.

The film, nearly unfairly, employs an adorable dog for melodrama, but the dog is reportedly the lead actor's own and the film doesn't get too carried away (also the dog is adorable).

An efficient warmachine that slays.

Rated: liked.

Review 'Eyes Wide Shut'

Turn-of-the-century kink reaches anticlimax decades later. I watched the film on New Years Eve before it left Netflix. Delightfully, it is a Christmas movie by 'Die Hard' rules. The film shows some wonderfully composed shots from the watchmaker Kubrick, but suffers from poor acting by its stars.

Kidman falls flat while Cruise flits between suave and morose. The two combine to create awkward interpersonal scenes that the movie asks us to overlook. The nudity is tame today and the sex is oddly stilted, but surely stirred in 1999. In one scene Cruise's character observes two naked women eat each other out on a pool table, a superficially arousing sight – except that both women wear masks, so what are we seeing? Taken with scenes of Kidman and Cruise's remarkable lack of chemistry, the movie presents an antiseptic libido in marriage and in kink.

The sex cult, while not the point despite what any marketing copy may have said, limply exits the film in a forgettable scene of dialogue between Cruise's character and his wealthy buddy.

Conceptually, the movie works, but without strong leads, the movie lacks any verve. An intricate watch that ticks.

Rated: liked.