It is still getting dark at 4:30.
It’s definitely the time of year a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of Netflix.
Here are some odd little movies that my husband and I enjoyed (if by enjoyed, you mean “watched all the way through without either of us without complaining too much”).
If you like things a bit off the beaten path, check em out.
Anger Management is, like many Adam Sandler movies, more watchable than you might expect. I probably shouldn’t admit that publicly. Also has Jack Nicholson doing his Jack Nicholson thing, and Marisa Tomei.
The Bad Batch – On paper, this movie should be awful – a violent post-apocalyptic world, with cannibals running amok – but maybe because it’s written and directed by a woman, it’s more interesting than you might think. Stars Jason Momoa and Keanu Reeves, but the focus is on a female protagonist.
Hardcore Henry‘s main appeal is the gimmick (you’ll quickly see what I mean) and nothing else, but the gimmick is interesting enough to hold your interest for 90 minutes. If you’re prone to motion sickness, you may want to skip this one.
Year One – If your taste runs towards silly humor, this caveman comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera will be right up your alley.
Kill Me Three Times is a noir-ish crime thriller that thinks it is way better than it really is, but it’s ok for an off night. Stars Simon Pegg, who I must admit is starting to really get on my nerves so I may have liked this movie less than I should have.
The Dead Lands – If you’re in the mood for lots of warriors gruesomely killing each other, this New Zealand-made film fits the bill.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno – Probably not surprisingly, it’s pretty raunchy. I’ll just say “directed by Kevin Smith” and leave it at that. But it has heart and there was even a little unexpected chemistry between Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogan.
Private Life is a sweet and sad movie about infertility. Paul Giamatti and Katherine Hahn star as a couple struggling with the various challenges of creating a family when it doesn’t go according to plan.
Gold – Matthew McConaghey is either a geologist or a con artist in this movie about looking for gold in all the wrong places.
Lucky Number Slevin – Bruce Willis, Josh Harnett, Lucy Liu, and one of my favorite actors, Stanley Tucci star in a mistaken identity crime story. This movie was largely ignored when it came out, but has gotten a cult following lately.
King Jack is a really wonderful coming of age story. It is the kind of movie they don’t seem to make much any more, a movie more about human interaction than about convoluted plot.
Turbo Kid – If you like camp and 80’s movies, check out this very strange little film about a post-apocalyptic world and a guy who just wants to ride his bike in it. It has perennial villain Michael Ironside, who you will immediately recognize as “oh that guy” when you see him.
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil – Have you ever had a burning need to watch a movie in Basque? Here’s an adaptation of a fairy tale that’s filmed in Basque. Put on the subtitles and enjoy listening to a language unrelated to any other. And it’s an enjoyable movie, too.
Running Scared – This is not the version with Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, although I also recall enjoying that movie too. This is a 2006 movie with the late Paul Walker navigating a criminal underworld trying to keep his son and his son’s friend safe from gangsters and a lot of other creeps. Unlike many similar movies, his wife (Vera Farmiga) gets to join in the fun.
Wind River stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in what at first glance seems to be a run of the mill FBI murdered-girl mystery. It’s a cut above other movies in the genre though. Renner and Olsen are both much better actors than people give them credit for and this movie proves it.
Under The Skin features Scarlett Johansson as an alien wandering around Scotland. I don’t want to give away any more than that because figuring out what’s really going on is part of the payoff of this movie. It’s quite artsy, so if you don’t enjoy artsy and slow moving films you may want to give this one a pass.
In Bruges is a very good hitman comedy (yes, that’s a thing!). It’s also very unPC, but unlike many movies that are unPC for shock value, there’s a surprising payoff here. Stars Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Colin Farrell. If you watch any movie on this list, make it this one.
In Bruges is absolutely fantastic.
And, as a bonus, it makes jfull ustice to Bruges, which is, also, astoundingly beautiful.Report
I know, right?? I was like “I suddenly feel a burning need to visit this city I never heard of before”.Report
If you haven’t gone, do so. It’s greatReport
It was marketed as a laugh-out-loud action comedy, something like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It’s nothing like that, and I think the mismatch led to the film’s being less appreciated than it deserves.Report
You are very right – regretfullyReport
They don’t seem to be able to market movies for people who like interesting, thoughtful movies. They need a new genre for people who want that type of movie.Report
I have seen the Zack and Miri… and it is definitely one of Kevin Smiths better movies, up there with Chasing Amy. I haven’t seen the rest, but I was just lamenting to the wife about the dearth of watchable films. So this should help.
Also, I miss the days of wandering through the independent video stores, with the bored clerks who only animate when you bring up something truly weird that only they have rented within the last year. I found a lot of good stuff at those places. Scrolling through the listings on NetFlix doesn’t have the same vibe.Report
Yeah scrolling through Netflix is like looking for a needle in an animestack. So. Much. Anime. I wish they had a “not” button for movies you know you’re never going to watch just so they stop popping up again and again.
And now that they’ve done away with the ratings stars in favor of that silly percentage it’s really tough to know what other people liked. I don’t necessarily want to watch things exactly like what I watched before, I just want good things.Report
I don’t have Netflix. Hulu does have a “never gonna happen” button.Report
Ah, interesting. We’ve talked about looking into Hulu instead of Netflix, maybe we’d like that better. Thank you.Report
I think Netflix is stronger on movies but Hulu has more TV shows. So that might not be the right move for a movie buff. And Netflix’s own shows get a lot more attention than Hulu’s.Report
Also, I just realized I forgot to give the name of the lead actress in “The Bad Batch” – Suki Waterhouse. I did not know the name of the actress offhand and meant to look it up, but I forgot and did not catch my mistake. Made it sound like her name was not worthy of being mentioned. :/ Apologies.Report
I remember liking Lucky Number Slevin around the time it was made, but I haven’t seen it since. Josh Harnett was one of those guys that was everywhere for a while (in movies good and bad, but mostly the latter) and then fell of the face of the earth. (Imdb says he was in the Penny Dreadful series, but I’ve never seen that one)
I also liked Zach and Miri – like people said, it had a heart of gold – even though I find Seth Rogen somewhat overrated. (And for some reason, probably because of Rogen, I forgot that this was in the View Askewiverse. Ten minutes ago, I would have said it was in the Apatowiverse).Report
The last four on that list are all severely underrated films that I would second the recommendation of for anyone who hasn’t seen them.
@atomickristin If you enjoyed In Bruges, which I’m similarly a huge fan of, you might enjoy a 2013 film by the same director, Seven Psychopaths. Colin Farrell comes back and it also has some really great performances from Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson.Report
That movie titled Running Scared is, indeed, a solid crime movie. It was weirdly (IMO) unloved by critics, and is, to coin a phrase, dark as fuck, but I enjoyed it.
The other Running Scared is also pretty good. Typical ’80s buddy copy stuff made interesting by weird casting of Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines as the buddy cops.Report