You Can Check It Out Anytime You Like..."Instant Hotel"

Instant Hotel (2018)

Hosted by Luke Jacobz

The Story:

5 pairs of Australian instant hotel owners all take a one night vacation at each other's home/hotel. They then judge each hotel they stay out to figure out what is the best Instant Hotel Down Under!

In addition to judging each other, renowned designer Juliet Ashworth pops by to see what's right, and what's wrong with the hotel.

Sounds like riveting reality tv, no?

Yes!

There are 12 episodes now airing on Netflix.

The first 5 belong to one group of hotel owners.

The second 5 are a whole new group!

The twist comes from the last 2 episodes when the winners of each group have a "Hotel-Off!" with participants from each of the 2 different casts coming back to judge.

Crikey!

All in all, you'll find some typical reality tv scheming, contestants you root for and contestants you can't stand, and some you love that you can't stand them. :)

I disagree in theory as to how the final judging takes place.  I don't think the actual finalists make for fair judges... but they are also there to help create last minute drama to help themselves win.

Fair enough I suppose.

Still, quite enjoyed my trip Down Under. Gorgeous scenery.

And, I'm of the opinion that the right duo won.

At least, of the 2 choices I had. :)

Watched an episode a night, then binged both of the finale episodes.

See?

Not your typical Netflix viewer. :)

I'll be back when they offer up a new season.

Not As Painful As It Sounds..."Kill Me Three Times"

Kill Me Three Times (2014)

Rated R

Starring Simon Pegg, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Hemsworth, Callan Mulvey, Bryan Brown

Directed by Kriv Stenders

The Story:

Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) is a hitman on the job in Australia when he gets his next assignment. It seems that Alice (Braga) has a price on her head, but when Charlie arrives to take care of matters, he discovers that a local dentist and his wife (Stapleton & Palmer) are attempting to take care of his problem for him. So Charlies sits back and watches the mayhem unfold.

To try and describe the further what is going to happen would ruin much of the charm and storyline of the film.

I think they were going for a Tarantino-esque Australian caper, and I'd say they pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Action, humor, oddball characters, they're all added into the mix with twist and turn and betrayals lying around every corner.

The glue that holds the whole narrative together is Wolfe, who may not be the best hitman in the world, but he's the only one available in this corner of the world, so he apparently keeps a steady income.

It's a perfect fit for Pegg, and he makes the best of it whether it's through dialogue or just reaction shots.

The rest of the cast fills their roles nicely with some familiar and not too familiar faces providing Pegg different characters to work with.

All in all, an enjoyable caper from beginning to end.

Currently streaming on Netflix if you're in the mood to give it a try.

Final Grade: C+ / B- range

It's Rather Sparkling..."The Sapphires"

The Sapphires (2012)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris O'Dowd, Miranda Tapsell, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens

Directed by Wayne Blair

The Story:

In the 50s, the Australian government went around the country and rounded up light skinned aborigines and assimilated them into white culture. This is the backdrop for the story of 4 girls who reunite to sing after attempting to find one of their own that was lost years earlier. With the help of a down-on-his-luck manager who does know how good music should sound (O'Dowd), the ladies just might become famous.

If their trip through Vietnam to entertain the troops doesn't kill them first!

Did I mention this was based on a true story?

Of course I didn't.

But it is!

Written by the son of one of the vocalists, there were of course liberties taken with the story to make it more entertaining to audiences across the globe.

He succeeded.

The girls can sing, and switching them from country to soul was a smart decision.

O'Dowd is a fun presence to the story, but it always comes back to the girls and their abilities to sing and get along with one another, especially while touring through Vietnam, are constantly keeping the group on edge.

Pretty enjoyable film, and it's available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B

Quirky Aussies Abound... "Danny Deckchair"

You will believe a man can fly...

The Story:

Danny (Rhys Ifans) finds out that his girlfriend is cheating on him.  Naturally, this happens on a long holiday weekend when the friends are coming over for a barbie.  Danny gets the wild idea to tie giant helium filled balloons to his lounge chair and see if it will lift off the ground.  His friends help, and suddenly Danny is aloft...

And his scissors for cutting the balloons is back on the ground!

Danny disappears into the clouds, and all of Australia is abuzz on what happened to him.

When Danny lands in a town far, far away from where he came from, he discovers that he can have a fresh start at life, and at love with a local named Glenda (Miranda Otto).

Of course, nothing is ever that easy.

Once again, digging through the thousands of movies in the Netflix catalog, and ran across this towards the top of the romantic comedy stack, so I figured, why not?

It's a cute movie.

Nothing genre-smashing or anything of that nature.  A very much paint by the numbers that you know exactly what's going to happen and how it's going to get there long before the movie actually does.

Ifans is always fun on the screen, and carries most of the movie.  Like his character, you're rooting for him to succeed because he deserves so much more in life than how we are first introduced to him.  Just meeting his first girlfriend, you know he's destined for someone...anyone...better.

Good enough, but not enough to get me lobby that you move it to the top of your queues anytime soon.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could let it play again, but wouldn't rush out to buy it.

"The Great Gatsby" ? That's One of Many Adjectives I Would Not Use to Describe This Movie.

Great is overrated.

Let's see if I can't fix that!

And that's about the same face I made as I was watching this movie as well, thanks Tobey!

The Story:

The movie opens with a drunk, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) telling about his life up to this point, and apparently how it intersected with that of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).  The flashbacks unfold as Nick begins feverishly, both literally and figuratively, begins banging out his story...

20 minutes later... I was bored.

:)

Wait, let me be perfectly clear, I was bored long before the 20 minute mark, I just invoked the 20 minute rule at that point.

That's right, The Great Gatsby didn't even get the chance at 1.5x speed on the PS3 for me to see if there was anything redeeming to this feature.

Perhaps I'm just not a fan of Baz Luhrmann?  I was underwhelmed with what I saw of Moulin Rouge, and his Australia! put me to sleep.

This looked like the roaring twenties, so I'll give them credit for a great look and feel to the film.

But I honestly didn't care to keep watching.

Tobey Maguire doesn't have the commanding presence to keep me glued to the set waiting for the Great Gatsby to arrive.

I suppose it would have gotten better had I kept watching, but I'll consider that an extra 2 hours of my life saved.

Besides, while you can't *always* judge a movie by its trailer, I did in this instance.

And I found the final product about on par with what I was expecting.

Final Grade: D-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No, I'm good.  If I really want to find out what happens, there's a book out there with the same name. ;)