There is certainly something nearly magical about Netflix. Movies continue to arrive in my mailbox day after day and when I'm finished i don't even have to worry about a stamp. But, probably the most exciting thing about the online movie distributor is when you deviate from your natural choices and go with one of their many recommendations. Of these times, I have been both pleasantly surprised and sourly disappointed with my new finds.

Take for instance my most recent film: The Jacket. I was primarily looking forward to seeing Adrien Brody (who I have such a major crush on). I had no idea what an impressive cast this film would unveil before my eyes - Keira Knightley, Daniel Craig, Kris Kristofferson, Brad Renfro, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and SATC hottie Jason Lewis.

If having a great cast isn't enough to convince you to add this to your Netflix queue perhaps you'll enjoy hearing a bit about the plot. Jack Starks (Brody) is a veteran from the first Gulf War where he suffered head trauma and now has spells of amnesia. He returns home to Vermont only to find himself in two situations that will change his life: a mother and daughter are stranded by the side of the road because their car won't start and the mom (Kelly Lynch) is totally drunk so Jack fixes the car only to be accused of trying to abduct the young girl (who also happens to take a fancy to Jack); and later as he is hitchhiking in the dead of winter is picked up by a stranger (Renfro) who gets pulled over by the police and whether planned or simply freaking out shoots and kills the officer (Lewis). Starks is injured in the altercation and passes out in a nearby snow bank only to be accused of the murder himself. He can't remember anything because of his amnesia and is sent to an Insane Asylum where he undergoes a therapy - perhaps more aptly, torture - involving a very primitive looking straight jacket which allows him to travel time once he learns how to control it. There he meets people from his past and present and gradually tries to right what is wrong before his time runs out.

The film is actually quite touching and a few tears may have escaped from my tear ducts before the closing credits finished. It has some of the same qualities as The Butterfly Effect, Donnie Darko, and Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind.

Overall I'd give it a B-. So, if you want to break out of your Netflix rut this film should be a decent adventure. And really, what do you have to lose?

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