Mirror Mirror (2012) was one of two Snow White movies that came out around the same time. I did see Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) when I still had HBO, and both the film and Kristen Stewart were as bad as the commercial made them look. I haven’t had the chance to watch Mirror Mirror yet, but I did catch the first 15 minutes. I’m actually more curious about this film now than I ever was, because I noticed for the first time that Tarsem Singh directed this. Singh directed the ultra gory The Cell (2000), which had amazing visuals, and a story that played second fiddle to the eye candy, but was still good enough. He started out as a music video director, so it would make sense to a point that the visuals would dominate for him. He has other films that have been less successful than The Cell, with the visuals always being more thought out than the story or characters. I watched the first 15 minutes of the film, and yes, it is beautiful looking. Nothing about it seems objectionable, besides the fact that I really don’t care for Julia Roberts. I’ll try to watch the rest before Mirror Mirror leaves Netflix on April 24.
The Whistleblower (2010) stars Rachel Weisz, and more importantly Monica Bellucci. How have I then not yet watched this film? I have always been a big fan of Bellucci’s…uhhh, acting. The synopsis is as follows: “Inspired by true events, Kathy (Rachel Weisz) is an American police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she uncovers a dangerous reality of corruption, cover-up and intrigue amid a world of private contractors and multinational diplomatic doubletalk.” This film has always been on my radar. It has a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, yet some of the negative reviews ding it for a too literal-minded approach to the material (aka preachy?). The Whistleblower blows its last whistle on Netflix streaming on April 25.
Last but not least, but last to leave Netflix, is Monsieur Lazhar (2011), an Oscar nominee for Foreign Language film (apparently Canada is NOT in the United States). The IMDB synopsis: “Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir’s painful former life; nor that he is at risk of being deported at any moment. Adapted from Evelyne de la Cheneliere’s play, Bachir Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death.” It looks like worth a viewing if you can see it before April 27th, when Monsieur Lazhar leaves the Netflix instant classroom for good.
As always, be sure to check your own queue for titles that may be leaving. Expect more to be leaving on April 30th (which will probably show up on Netflix in the next couple of days).
Netflix Instant Reviews: What's on, What's (Going, Going) Gone 