Netflix Instant Binge: "Speed 2: Cruise Control" and "Peggy Sue Got Married"

My Netflix Instant Queue is hopelessly bloated.  Now that I am on my summer sabbatical from late nights I have some time to clear it out.  My process for figuring out what films to watch?  Well there is no real process, I skim through the queue and see what seems interesting at the time.  Running time is a big factor: I want to try and watch two films a night when possible.

“Speed 2: Cruise Control” is not as bad of a film that I assumed it was the last 14 years.  That is not to say it is good, or that I even meant to watch it.  It was in my Instant Queue on a lark: somewhere in cyberspace, some algorithm recommended the film. I do watch a lot of crap, but usually of the self-aware kind.  I normally abhor wannabe blockbusters that fall short of the mark.

Still I bit, never expecting to sit through it.

I didn’t factor in Anna and her legendary awful sleeping habits; those algorithms must consider everything.  Anna would not stay in bed last night. Nicole was out with friends and she decided to make missy mommy her reason du jour as to why she would not stay in her bed.  My plans shifted and my viewing choices were reduced to the PG or PG-13 variety.

Enter “Speed 2: Cruise Control”.

The film starts an extended prolouge that sets the scene: Sandra dumped Keanu…he was too hellbent on excitement and joined up with new guy who is more stable cop.  It is all done so painfully on the nose, and its worst crime is the proceedings somehow manage to render Tim Conway unfunny.  Tim has been in some unfunny material before, but I always found him amusing.

What “The Private Eyes”, “Mamma’s Family” and even a myriad of “Dorf” shorts could not accomplish over a 40 year career, Jan Du Bont and crew accomplished in two minutes. Other goofs populate the open, with boxes supposedly full of computer equiptment bouncing down the road, narrowly avoiding new lead Jason Patric providing the laughs missing from the Conway section.

As I said the film is not all bad.  There are some decent set pieces and while the film does take its sweet time getting started at least it cares enough about set up. Patric is solid in the lead role and Willem Dafoe is at his oddlooking, hammy best throughout the proceedings.

The film is just too long, too dumb and Sandra Bullock is so annoying it is hard to understand what Jason Patric sees in her.  There is a scene where she is happy that he gets sea sick so she could take care of him…how sweetly odd…I mean disturbing.

I was offended in the geekiest of ways by the forced inclusion of two bit characters from the first film. I love Joe Morton as an actor, but “Speed 2″ would not have been a lesser film without Mac. Avoid at all costs, the film is as awful as its punny title. 

“Speed 2: Cruise Control” is available on Netflix Streaming.

I had never seen “Peggy Sue Got Married” in its entireity.  I was drawn into checking it out due the robust cast and my renewed interest in Francis Ford Coppola as an artist.  His new film, “Twixt” which will allegedly be edited live to reflect the audiences reaction to what is happening. I am not sure about the logistics of that, but it is a cool concept and shows he is still willing to take chance.

“Peggy Sue Got Married” is a good film that is filled with great performances.  Had “Back to the Future” not done time travel so well just a year beforehand I am sure that Peggy Sue and her adventures would have been thought of more fondly.

But Marty McFly did exist and when Peggy Sue is held up to the high standards of Zemeckis’ opus it falls flat.

Still the film is worth seeing and I recommend it with some small reservations.

“Peggy Sue Got Married” is available on Netflix Streaming.