What I've been doing for the past four days...

I've been sick since Sunday. I have what I can only refer to as "an attack of the face". My sinuses have decided to stuff up and stay stuffed up making it impossible for me to breathe. No medicine works. My head feels puffy and full of snot. Sorry to be so graphic but that's how I feel. I cough all night making sleep impossible. I am miserable. I tried to go to work on Monday and left within one hour and have been home ever since. Daytime TV sucks. So, here's what I've been doing for the past four days.

I thank Netflix for the amazingly interesting array of documentaries they offer to be streamed right on my iPad. Some of the best are these...

1. Theatre of War - now some of you know I am an actress, or at least used to be, and this documentary is amazing. It is about the Public Theatre's production of Brecht's Mother Courage starring Meryl Streep. The production was done as the US entered into war in the middle east and this glimpse into Meryl Streep's process of creating a character is priceless. Amazing woman, even more amazing actress.

2. Brother's Keeper - Wow... this was intense. It's the story of the Ward brothers in upstate New York. They are quiet, unassuming farmers living life as they always have - uneducated, possibly mentally retarded - when one of them dies and another is accused of murder. The story of this rag tag band of brothers who've always lived on the fringe of their community and who are now embraced by that community in a show of solidarity and support is truly heartfelt. They were never really welcomed before, more like tolerated, but once they are threatened the whole town comes to their support and changes their lives forever.

3. Vernon, FL. - this is a really strange little film. It's a series of interviews with the quirky little bunch of folks that live in Vernon, Florida. There's a guy who hunts turkeys. He doesn't just hunt them, he LIVES to hunt them. There's a guy who is enamored of the swamp areas and what might be out there. There's the guy who works in a mill but who's true calling is to be a preacher. Interesting, quirky and fun!

4.Strictly Background - this is a film that follows those hardest working actors of all time - the extras. Those folks who stand around for days, bring their own lunch, do anything for just a few minutes of screen time. When I was in Chicago, I had friends who worked as extras in the filming of "The Untouchables" starring Robert Deniro and Kevin Costner. I remember one friend, Larry, who laid in a pool of stage blood for three days straight. You can see him in the movie - when they take the elevator down and find the cop laying in the alley. That's Larry!

So, I'm home again today. Still sick and getting ready to fire up the iPad. There are more great films out there for me to see. It makes being sick easier to take. Check out these films if you can. Very well worth it.

I heart Netflix...

A little over a month ago I finally gave in to the insistent pressure of the constant Internet ads for Netflix. I am so glad I did. I love movies. Always have, always will. But I was unprepared for the absolute divine selection of films Netflix has to offer. I find myself browsing and searching and adding to my queue on a regular basis. I get three DVD's delivered to my home but I am often watching the films they have that can be streamed right on my computer all the time.

I've seen the best films - not just the new releases (which, by the way, you can get much quicker than at the local video store)- but also the coolest documentaries and foreign films. Stuff I never in a million years would have access to. I love it!

Tonight was my movie night. Back to back films and each one was great. Here's the run down:

Lilya 4-Ever: This film was gritty and hard to take in places but the lead actress, Oksana Akinshina, played Lilya with such innocent passion and soulful hurt that it was as compelling as it was dark. Lilya is 16 and abandoned by her mother in a poor little Russian town. She resorts to prostitution to live. She meets Andrei and thinks she met the love of her life. He promises her a good life with him in Sweden. But he never gets there and her life there is even worse than she could imagine.

Good Evening Mr. Wallenberg: This is the story of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish businessman who, during WWII, helped 60,000 Jews escape Adolph Eichman's wrath in Budapest. He is only one of two foreigners to be given an Honorary American Citizenship. The other was Winston Churchill. I was all over this one. It is a great story, a beautiful film and shows what the human spirit can do when faced with adversity.

Slim Susie: I watched this one on Netflix streaming video. This is a very quirky but dark comedy of errors. A brother is alerted that his sister, Slim Susie or Smala Susie in Swedish, is missing. He rushed to their country town in Värmland to try to figure out what happened to her. The story he falls into and the events that lead to her disappearance are some of the oddest, funniest scenarios I've ever seen. The cast of characters in this one is what makes it.

I still have The Wrestler to watch yet but I think three films in one night is enough for me. Did I mention I love Netflix? Who invented this thing? I would like to shake his hand!