"Obscurities and Abject Pandering:
What You’re Missing on NETFLIX"
NEW ARRIVALS
Drama/Crime/International
THE SUICIDE THEORY
(2015, R, 96 minutes,
SEVEN8 MEDIA)
This Australian film
is one of the best character driven thrillers available on Netflix right
now. Steven (Steve Mouzakis, of WHERE
THE WILD THINGS ARE and I, FRANKENSTEIN) is a hitman hired by Percival (Leon
Cain, from Fox’s short lived “Terra Nova”) to kill him. It seems Percival has had a difficult time
dying by his own hand and wants an assist from a professional. Needless to say, a friendship forms between
the two as Percival survives each murder attempt by Steven. To say much more about the plot would ruin
the experience. Just know that this
exquisitely crafted tale of absolution is more about the tragedy of man than it
is his strive for retribution or forgiveness.
The performances by Mouzakis and Cain are wonderfully detailed; Steven
has nothing left to lose, and the gay Percival wants to lose what he is left
with—his life. A mind-blowing journey
that shows how people react to that one tragic moment when life suddenly and
irrevocably changes.
Drama/International/Action
THE DEAD LANDS
(2014, R, 107 minutes,
GENERAL FILM CORPORATION/XYZ FILMS)
Filmed in New Zealand
and spoken in that country’s native Maori language, this film of retribution
and spirituality centers on the son of a dead chieftain. His village slaughtered by another tribe, he
sets off to deliver repayment to the spirits with the aid of “The Monster”, the
brutal inhabitant of a cursed part of the forest. What follows is a bloody, unapologetic look at how these
Polynesian people lived, and survived.
The cinematography alone is worth the watch, but the story is complex
and the characters rich. The
representation of the Maori mysticism is wonderfully rendered; makes you wonder
at what is missing in today’s “civilized” world…
Sci Fi/Horror
EUROPA REPORT
(2013,
PG-13, 90 minutes, WAYFARE ENTERTAINMENT)
I should start a
regular feature here called “Because You Didn’t Listen the First Time”…if I
were to do that, this film would definitely be one of the first I would re-tell
you about. This quiet little voyage to
one of the moons of Jupiter is surprising in its attention to technical detail,
its detailed story, and the Lovecraftian bent that makes you want to watch it a
second time. Starring Sharlto Copley
(DISTRICT 9, MALEFICENT) and Anamaria Marinca (FURY, “The Missing”), a deep
space mission starts losing crew members after unearthing an organism beneath
the ice of Europa. Not to mention that
they have the worst luck of any astronauts in history… This is a tight, well-spun tale that will
keep you guessing. And thanking me for
reminding you about it.
BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T
LISTEN THE FIRST TIME:
EUROPA REPORT
(2013, PG-13, 90
minutes, WAYFARE ENTERTAINMENT)
See what I did
there? I’m such a stinker…okay, try
this one:
UP IN THE AIR
(2009, R, 109 minutes)
George Clooney leads a
stellar cast including Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick in a movie written and
directed by Jason Reitman (JUNO, YOUNG ADULT).
The smooth and debonair Clooney plays corporate shmuck Ryan Bingham, a
man tragically caught up in the frequent flyer miles game as he travels the
country firing people at other companies.
There are some funny honest moments here that makes this film one of my
favorites in Clooney’s extensive career.
He plays a jerk that knows he’s a jerk, but wants to think better of
himself. And hit frequent flyer
royalty. And Kendrick…(insert thumping
heart emoticons here…)
Make up a queue kids,
and put me to work! Suggestions are
always welcome, so get creative! I’m
always up to new challenges! Halloween is
lurking right around the corner, and I already have a challenge for next time
involving foreign horror—but it’s a long month…hint, hint…
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