Just Saw "Bank Of Dave"...And I Think You Should Too

 My wife and I came across a delightful little film the other day. It's called Bank of Dave, and it was wonderful. 

There was a time, many years ago, when I used to keep up with films and which ones were being released, which ones were worth seeing, and which ones to avoid. Of course, back then in "The Dark Ages," there were far fewer films in existence, at least, the ones we heard about. It was easier back then.

Bank of Dave is a story loosely (and I stress, loosely...) based on a true story. The main character is a man named Dave Fishwick who had the idea of starting a financial institution in England. Pretty much everything else in the film is, shall we say, embellishments.

But I don't care.

It's a great little film.

Dave is one of the good guys. He lives in a small Northern England town and when you're a good guy in a small town, you help out others. Dave went above and beyond, to the point where the idea of him opening a bank seemed the next logical step.

To an naive (or ignorant...) American, you'd think if someone wanted to open up a bank, you do it. Apparently, that's not how things work in England. No, you have to submit a formal request and based on history from the past one-hundred and fifty years, their answer will be..."No."

There's not been a new bank approved in England for a century and a half. That alone is prime material for a story. And a story they made.

If you're interested, you can find Bank of Dave on Netflix. It's not flashy, there's no car chases or bomb threats or gratuitous scenes of the flesh...just a basic little story you ought to check out. I'm glad we did.

Newest "Stranger Things" Season...And Its Delicious Details

There's a well-known phrase that's been around for a long time, "The Devil's in the Details." I think that's an apt saying to describe the latest season on Netflix's Stranger Things. 

The details...they're fantastic.

Of course, for the viewers in my geographical area, the details surrounding Salt Lake City and our predominant religion have been wonderful. Unlike other major media series shown recently that highlight the ideosyncrasies of the religion, it feels like the creators at least tried to get the people right. I'd say they did a pretty good job...so far. I haven't finished the series--I've got two episodes to go. 

I've enjoyed this--and the previous three--seasons for the same reasons. The creators seem to have an understanding what the show means to its fans. They nailed the D&D culture of that time. They nailed those of us who played D&D during that time. The music, all the little things. 

Watching Episode 7, something caught my eye...the closed captioning of a scene. If you're familiar with the show, you know what a Demogorgon is, and if you know what it is, you can imagine (if you haven't seen the show, yet...) the scene is not for the faint of heart. It was grizzly, violent, flat-out gross. And the closed caption conveyed that gore in three little words.

Before I watched the series, I read a lot of critiques. Season 4, for many, was dark...very dark. They were right. It is. And as long as they keep nailing the small things, there's more than the devil in those details.

 

The Secret...Of Netflix's "The Crown"

 I'm a fan...not an obsessed fan, but I've watched the show off and on, here and there. My wife's watching the series again and I'm remembering parts that I've seen and seeing episodes I missed. The Crown is a Netflix series going strong after several years. The setup is intriguing--several actors play the key characters portraying the royals at different times.

Many have written about the series, critics, bloggers, those on social media. Many have much more knowledge on the royal family, history, even how television shows are made. My opinion here is that of an amateur and not obsessed fan. Here's what I believe is one of the show's secrets.

Protect the Queen.

I suppose watching the dirt on the rich, famous, and powerful is a favorite pastime of many, as evidenced by the show's success. If you are familiar with the show, the Queen seems to be immune from the harsh criticism that everyone else must endure. People cheat on each other, we see their despicable acts played out...

Except for the Queen. 

It's possible I haven't seen all the episodes and they've cut up the Queen--if so, I haven't seen it. In the newest episodes, they are merciless portraying Charles, Diana, and especially Margaret, among others. Was the Queen a terrible person during the same time? I couldn't tell you.

There's another thing I've noticed. When I watch the show to me the Queen represents England. She always overcomes, she always perseveres, she survives. As goes the Queen, so goes England.

Of course, these are just basic and simple thoughts, not too deep. 

Long live the Queen.

Netflix's "The Social Dilemma"...Frighteningly Enlightening

 I heard about this documentary a few days ago. I had time to watch it today.

I wish I had watched it a few days ago.

In fact, I wish I had watched it--or known about this stuff--years ago.

Netflix's The Social Dilemma casts light on how social media works, how it operates, and--as if it's a living breathing life form--how it survives and thrives.

It's terrifying.

I think we all know that we're being tracked. We're being recorded. We're being spied upon. Even the most non-conspiracy theorist acknowledges this. Our technology allows this to happen--only to what degree could be in question. Whistleblowers have proven the government has access to all this data. But, where and how did they get it?

Social media has helped.

The Social Dilemma doesn't necessarily dwell on how the information is gathered, but focuses more on why. And once you know the "why," the rest is human nature and A.I. taking its natural course. The film is a series of interviews from people who helped build Facebook, Google, Instagram, Pinterest, and other sites. They explain how the data is used to increase our addiction to their sights. Even though I've suspected what the site do and how they operate, I learned a lot about other things going on behind the scenes.

My wife pointed out something--she watched it, too. Netflix uses some of the same methods to get us addicted to their site...darn binge-ible shows!

Watch the show. You'll never look at your phone the same again.

Netflix...The Little Things Make A Big Difference...At Least, To Me

Like billions of other people, I'm utilizing the incredible modern technology known as streaming over the weekend. And like billions of other people, we subscribe to Netflix, arguably, the most popular streaming service available.

I don't know who is in charge there at Netflix, or who is responsible for the little things, but one thing I noticed the other day is their hold function. I know that's a strange thing to acknowledge, or even notice, but the other day my wife and I were watching, The Stranger, a limited-series based on a Harlan Coben novel. It's the third Harlan Cobin series we've watched. We paused the episode to do something and after a moment, information came up on the paused screen.

I know the above picture's not the best quality, but to me, it looked like Netflix could have taken that paused imaged and used it as an advertisement for the show (which, is exactly what it is...). Of course, not all pauses yield good pictures, but the majority of the time I do this with Netflix, I get a shot worthy of an ad.

It's the little things.

I know Netflix doesn't want us to pause their entertainment--they want us to sit, watch the entire episode, not move, until the show is done, then watch the next nine episodes until the series is complete. Then, they want you to start another series w/o leaving your chair. But, next time you're enjoying/watching a Netflix show, check out the picture when you hit pause. Chances are, it's going to look good enough to represent the entire show.

I know, I know...it's a strange thing to acknowledge, or even notice...

But the show was titled, The Stranger.

Revisiting An Absolutely Amazing Film..."Raiders Of The Lost Ark"

Growing up, my youth centered around certain things, riding bikes with friends, hiking in the mountain in my backyard, swimming and hanging out in the Penny Arcade at Lagoon all summer long.

And then there were movies.

It's almost hard to believe that the only way to watch movies for me growing up was in the theater. And if you missed it in the theater, you had to wait--literally years--for that film to be shown on one of three television networks, and if you weren't home sitting in front of the TV, you'd miss it. There were no such things as a way to record a movie. You saw it in the theater or on TV and that was it. No other options.

I feel like a great-grandfather talking about nickel candy at the soda bar in the drug store.

These memories came back to me today as I re-watched one of my favorite movies ever, Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's quite simply a masterpiece. I admit--I don't see a lot of films nowadays so I can't with any authority say, "they don't make films like Raiders anymore," but I'll say it anyway. They don't make films like Raiders anymore.

I snapped a picture halfway through the film for this post. I could have included hundreds of pictures from the movie--it's full of scene after scene that invoke memories. The casting was marvelous. The writing--brilliant. And it just looks unlike many of the films that come out now. It's still a joy to watch and take in.

Fast forward to today. In thirty-eight short years I'm sitting in front of a TV using Bluetooth to beam a signal from my iPad to Chromecast to play the movie from Netflix. I can literally watch thousands of films, tens of thousands of TV shows, and millions of videos any time I want. Some shows are good, but most are not, and very few if any rise to the level of the film I saw today. It's like Dickens wrote, "it was the best of times; it was the worst of times," entertainment-ly speaking.

Each year there's a new crop of films. I'm sure there'll be some good ones, but I can always count on Raiders for movie-experiencing enjoyment.

The Best Part Of "Stranger Things 2"...Is The Dance At The Very End

Much has been written about Netflix's original series Stranger Things 2, and it's predecessor, Stranger Things. And for good reason--they're impressive on many levels. Most of the reviews and comments about both seasons have been positive. Of course, there's always a few who disagree. They think the stories are weak, and the effects are just okay.

Me?

I loved them both! 

The main reason I loved them is not because of the effects, or the stories lines between the adults--for me the draw was always the four friends, jr. high-aged kids facing unimaginable adventures while trying to understand the crazy world they're growing into--with or without the monsters. I relate to them because in real life, I was them, only for me I was their age not in the mid 1980s, but a few years earlier. Back then I hung out with my friends at arcades, I played D & D with those same friends in the basements of our homes, all while trying to understand life as soon-to-be-adults.

That's why, out of all the cool parts of Season One and Season Two, the part I liked the best was the last ten minutes or so of Season Two, Chapter Nine: The Gate. In the episode all the baddies were sent back to Hell, or wherever they came from, and the kids let their hair down (or up...) at the school dance, the Hawkins Middle School Snow Dance '84.

The set up is fantastic. We see the kids preparing for the big event, getting ready, trying out lines in front of the mirror. We see the nerves, the anxiety, the anticipation. We cheer for their successes and our hearts hurt to experience their failures. It was all too real, too many memories. Let's just say it struck really close to home.

When my friends and I roamed the mean streets of Farmington, Utah on our Schwinns, we did the things those kids did, albeit with less profanity, and without the monsters, portals into other dimensions, evils scientists, government cover-ups, and telekinetic-powered girls. But if we could, we would have had the courage to fight evil as they did. Or even enjoy a jr. high school dance. That's why I liked it so much, especially, the very very end.

All photos taken without permission from Netflix

"Meet The Patels"...A Wonderful Little Documentary!

I came home the other night and the first thing my wife said to me was, "I just saw the greatest little movie on Netflix."

Okay, I'll bite. She then went on to tell me about a film called, Meet the Patels, a documentary about one man and his mission to find a spouse. You may be thinking, "That's been done to death," and in some respects, you're right. But this film is more than a simple "boy seeks girl, boy pursues girl, girl catches boy" story. 

The title, Meet the Patels is appropriate for many reasons. Ravi Patel and his sister Geeta introduce us to a culture that's both American and Indian. The siblings have lived their entire lives in America. Their parents immigrated before they were born. The children live in both cultures, growing up as Americans, but retaining many of the customs of their parents.

As Ravi's 30th birthday approaches, the pressure to find a wife and get married only increases. We learn through the film much of Indian culture, how children find spouses both in India and America. I found if fascinating. And the pace of the film kept us rooting for the film's main character. Will he succeed? Will the cultural differences prove too strong to produce a happy ending?

It's a stylistic film with interviews, animation, and handicam shots that were endearing. I will not give away the ending, only to say that by the end of the film, we have (at least, a little bit...) see what it's like to grow up in such a family-centered existence. It's not flashy, smutty, or too preachy (I thought...). It's just a simple story of a man and his sister letting us know what it's like to be a Patel. And when the credits roll, I feel I know at least a little bit more than I did before, and a lot more about the Patels.

"The Cobbler"...A Film Review

A Sunday home and Netflix.

The combination can lead to some interesting things. For me, today, it lead to us finding an interesting little film called The Cobbler.

I was looking for a show to watch and as I scrolled through Netflix's menu, so many films for screaming for attention. "Pick me!" "No, pick me!" And then I saw the ad for this film and there was no screaming, no calls for attention. We thought we'd give it a go.

If you've never heard of The Cobbler (like me before today...), it's about a fourth-generation cobbler working in New York City. Sandler, who plays the title character, is a solitary man who dutifully completes his business responsibilities then goes home to care for his ailing mother. But, because of a magical machine buried under the cobbler's shop, the cobbler can change into whoever's shoes were worked on the magical machine.

What would you do if you could transform into another person? In this film, we find out what one lonely cobbler will do.

Sandler headlines a fine cast. We kept finding ourselves saying, "Oh, he's in that," and "It's her." It wasn't a particularly fast movie--it's a little slow getting going, but it does have a dash of an Ocean's 11, or The Italian Job vibe. There's some violence, and a scene with the cobbler's neighbor that isn't too graphic, but still. 

If you love films and the art of storytelling, there's no better time to live than right now. All you need is a couple of hours of free time.

Oh, and Netflix.