Then the nagging phrase we all have heard pops into my head, "you can't judge a book by its cover," and in this case.. movie. So, i'll give it a try. What could possibly go wrong with giving Netflix a go. I guess I could watch some horrible pyschological thriller that somehow manipulates the thoughts in my brain and causes me to go on a mass murdering rampage... well, you get what I'm saying.. these movies can't be that bad, right?
So, I'm scrolling through this movie list, and to start off my journey with the "ultimate mind-reader," I must choose something that is ... let's say, somewhat appealing to me. Part of my study, I guess you could call it, is picking a film out of each top ten suggestions given to me when I log on. For the first experiment I have already scrolled through the first seven movies with complete angst that I am going to be watching a droning love story this late at night.Then I come across Gonzo. Ahh, the beautiful, eccentric, and lustful Hunter S. Thompson. Ok Netfllix, you got me.
The film loads. The film begins. Flashy pictures and videos begin to unravel the complicating and intrinsic life of Thompson. The familiar monotoned voice of Johnny Depp narrates. Beautiful. I already felt a sense of attachment to this film, being that I saw Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I felt like i was reunited with an old friend.
The film is a documentary of the life of Hunter S. Thompson and ranges from his time spent with the Hell's Angels to his various psychedelic acid and mescaline trips. Both his wives tell the intimate details of his life along with readings and excerpts from his novels: Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing: Campaign Trial '72, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Video clips and pictures show a peak into Thompson with Jimi Hendrix playing in the background. Either I had fallen asleep and was dreaming or my bedroom had literally time-travelled into the 70's.
How ironic that the first film I watch in my experiment and blogging of Netflix happens to be about the life of a fellow journalist and writer. The film inspired me, moved me... to write; not play with guns and ultimately kill myself (oops, I guess you can't really spoil a documentary) but to simply write. Yes, unfortunately Gonzo is a goner, but this movie completely exceeded my expectations.
Netflix.. I'll give it to you this time, you read my mind for this late night movie pick.
Your blog makes me want to check out that film, one I would not normally give a second glance! Nice writing!
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you are going to be doing this Netflix experiment. I have started this venture several times, usually ending in a slight disappointment, but Gonzo is a great film. I am a huge film buff and find it thrilling to give almost any film a chance. I do think this was a great first choice for a film and blog entry. In going through your Netflix experiment, I am excited to see what is suggested to you and what you actually decide to watch. Your venture into Netflix suggestions seems like it is going to be very interesting and I am really looking forward for your next post. I hope that from your movie watching experiences I will find some new films that I have yet to try out. There are some amazing instant queue films on Netflix, it is all just a matter of sorting the bad from the good.
ReplyDeleteAs one suggestion for a film that I saw last year that has recently been added to the Watch Instantly section of Netflix is Leaves of Grass with Edward Norton. I watched this movie blindly, purely for the title and Edward Norton, but this film, in my opinion, was really good. Enjoy your movie watching and I look forward to the next film.
I can’t believe Netflix actually pulled through for you. Congratulations. Usually, despite my relentless ratings, my recommendations will usually read something like… “You liked “500 Days of Summer”, so we recommend you check out Terminator 2,” and I’m like, wtf? I typically shrug and watch Terminator 2, but still, they don’t usually match up right. Sometimes I feel like they are being paid various rates by certain production companies to push the movies they do, because despite watching an indie film here and there, I don’t watch enough for my whole recommendation list to be comprised of these titles (don’t get me wrong, I do watch them, and this isn’t really as much of a complaint as it probably sounds like, but still…) I guess it also doesn’t help that I share my Netflix account with my roommate who has a completely different taste in movies.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to you getting a Hunter S. Thompson movie, another round of congratulations is in order. I have only seen the first half of Fear and Loathing, but I know enough about this writer and his work that I feel as if I have read his work and I do appreciate his contribution to American liturature. I’m not sure if this is true or not, but I believe Johnny Depp was friends with Hunter S. Thompson in real life? That makes sense since he played Thompson fictional version of himself in the movie and from something I read a few months back, I believe he is set to play a real version of Thompson in an upcoming film, but I’m not sure if that is even going to play out. I like that he is involved enough that he also did the narration in the documentary you watched, because you could probably tell that he was passionate in the work he was doing of talking about his friend. I really enjoyed your review, and hope that I one day can find the time to watch the film.
One of my favorite things in this world is Netflix at night (late night that is). There is nothing more relaxing than having a little late night movie time. I actually look forward to all the late night movies I’ll get to watch at the end of each semester. Sometimes it is what gets me through finals. Anyway, I love the experiment that you are doing with Netflix. It is something I never thought of, but I think I might try it out myself. Although recently, I just changed my password because I realized I was still letting my friend use my Netflix instant queue So Netflix was always suggesting these weird documentaries for me to watch and telling me it was like the last documentary I watched. That’s when I remembered that I had told my friend months ago that he could use my password whenever he wanted to, and he was.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great and fun beginning to your blog and Netflix experiment. I look forward to future posts and information on what movies were buds and what movies were duds. I hope you continue to have fun with this project and good luck!