The beauty that is NetFlix...

I LOVE NetFlix. I've been a subscriber for two years, and in that time I have seen quite a few DVDs. One drawback: It can be exasperating when you can't get a movie you'd like to rent (this especially happens the week a new DVD is being released and then - depending on the DVD - you won't get it for weeks after). THE worst thing is seeing Long Wait next to one you've selected. I've figured out a way to get the movie that first week: return a DVD on Friday.

Your returned DVD arrives to NetFlix on Monday. Even though NetFlix says the DVD you want is being released on Tuesday, they invariably have it on Monday. VOILA! You have circumvented the system.

For those of you unfamiliar with NetFlix: you pay $17.99 a month. You can have three DVDs out at a time. When you return one, they send you the next available DVD on your list. No late fees. No going to the store. They have a huge selection. Obscure titles. Foreign films. A great gay inventory. Every DVD is in letterbox format (when available).

It is well worth the money. Especially when you consider a premium channel runs about $10 a month. Typically I watch about 9-12 movies in a month. When was the last time there were 9 movies in a month on HBO that were worth watching? Yes, I know. Alla you Sopranos freaks wouldn't want to wait 6 months to find out who shot Tony. So you makes your choices.

So, every week, I will be discussing the three NetFlix from the previous week. This week: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Squid & The Whale and The Aristocrats.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Fascinating. A well-made documentary from the book of the same name, about the Enron collapse and how our government allowed a company as big as Enron to play footsies with the numbers, fool all of their investors, and basically ruin the lives of almost everyone involved. Told in a chronological fashion, the film has incredible access to video and audio from the Enron case (can it all be public domain?). They talk to execs and workers, investors and pundits. All of the executives that were arrested end up speaking for themselves in clips, but there are no new interviews with them (I'm assuming they can't really talk about the case). Sad for the poor, unsuspecting workers (all of whom lost most of their precious 401K accounts) and outside investors (who saw their investments dwindle to nothing). There's obviously more to be told on this story (many lawsuits are still pending, as are some of the criminal cases), but what's here will keep you interested. *** (out of 4).

The Squid & The Whale: A semi-autobiographical account of director Noah Baumbach's eccentric family deteriorating in 1980s Brooklyn, the film always rings true. It manages to side-step clichés, has some fine performances and - at times - is achingly funny.

Jeff Daniels should really be a bigger star than he is; he certainly has tried. He has stooped low enough to be in Dumb & Dumber, so he does appreciate how being in a commercial film can help to keep your artistic ones viable. His performance here makes you hope he really doesn't HAVE to do that new movie about The Three Stooges. His Bernard is a fully realized characterization, a once appreciated "fringe" novelist who is now between agents, but has no problem acting like his opinions are the only ones that matter. Laura Linney, as his just-as-Bohemian wife, goes the de-glam route and plays a woman who is trying to attain some status next to her husband's fading star, as she discovers a writing talent of her own. As the two drift apart, their two sons feel the consequences. Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline, as the sons, bring an unusual poignancy to their roles as each of them act out in their own ways, as a response to the unwanted change in their lives.

Where does the title come in? Well, you tell me. In the last moments of the film, the older son runs across town to the Museum of Natural History. He first goes to look at the squid and then he goes to look at the whale. My guess is they represent his larger-than-life parents, but if anyone knows WHY, please let me know. ***1/2* (out of 4)

The Aristocrats: Interesting idea. I had never heard of the joke that is the basis for this documentary. The basic concept: A family act walks into an agent's office. They proceed to tell him what kind of act they perform. This is where the comics do their own brand of riffing. They improvise what the act entails, and no subject is too foul to be off limits: incest, group sex, feces and bodily fluids are flung about in many an unusual manner. When they are done, the agent asks "What do you call yourself?" The fellow says, "The Aristocrats." BIG laugh.

There are about 75 comics that appear, and they were filmed and directed by two of them: Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza. These 75 comics (most of them recognizable) tell the origins of the joke, dissect the joke, and some even tell it (but some won't). I did laugh. At some more than others. But after about a half hour, I kinda felt like I heard enough. **1/2* (out of 4)

One more thing: NetFlix also helps you discover new movies! As you rate each movie you've seen (on a 1 to 5 scale), they make other recommendations based on your reviews. They also list what the most rented DVDs are by its members, and even have lists by genres, awards, etc. You shouldn't have any trouble finding something to pique your interest.