i've recently watched two films off netflix that back to back are a little, wow, it gets you. i watched "who's afraid of virginia woolf?" and "the night porter". "who's afraid of virginia woolf?" is a very intense display of acting skills. it's based on a play and it films that way. you only need a few people and a few sets. it's one night and pretty much set only in one place. it's a classic film with elizabeth taylor and richard burton. if you were never into elizabeth taylor and that includes me, this is one of the films to watch to see what she was capable of back in the day and why she was so successful and popular. i really don't want to ruin the film by giving anything away as you can read all about it online on other sites but i will say that if you're not into watching older, black and white films, and just a few actors going at it, if you don't enjoy that kind of stuff then you will not enjoy this film.

the other film i watched was "the night porter". one of my film professors mentioned this film and so i meant to watch it but got delayed. i think i even received it once from netflix but had to return it without watching it as it was just before i went to new zealand and i didn't have time. so it's been a few years since i heard about it and actually got to see it. with this film i highly recommend contextual reading about the film specifically and related stories in order to get a better understanding of what's going on in the film. in general i don't like 60s/70s movies. i don't know if it's the grain of the film stock back then or the fashions but i just can't get into the damn things. that's why "who's afraid of virginia woolf?" was an exception because it wasn't about being a 60s film so much as just a good story with good actors. "the night porter" doesn't take place in the 70s but as it was made in the 70s, there is definitely a 70s touch going on that tends to deter me from liking it. again, i can't really define what it is. it's the same sort of undefineable charm that makes me love 30s films (the classics!). ok, enough ranting, let me try to talk about the film...i can't! it's very hard. hmm... again, this film isn't for everybody. in fact, read a quick synopsis and if it seems interesting, rent it and watch by yourself or with like-minded people. do not watch it with your parents or your children. that's all i gotta say.