Friday, March 21, 2014

Netflix This Movie! Vol. 69

Sixty-nine, dude!
Adam Riske: Night of the Comet (1984, dir. Thom Eberhardt) I saw Night of the Comet as a midnight movie at the Music Box a few years ago and it's a very strange movie. I mean that as a compliment. It's tonally all over the place -- sometimes comedy, other times horror and, in certain scenes, a poignant drama. Night of the Comet is the type of movie that if you watched it before bed you would have a hard time figuring out which parts were the movie and which parts were a dream. It has an otherworldly vibe. Not for everyone, but if you are in the mood for something different, I recommend it.
Heath Holland: Silverado (1985, dir. Lawrence Kasdan) A few weeks ago we celebrated the year 1985 with the third annual F This Movie Fest. I wrote an entire column about how much I appreciate Lawrence Kasdan's only western and lamented that Silverado had become a bit hard to find. Until recently, the only streaming option available was to buy it from Amazon Instant or iTunes for $13. Now you can watch it any time without having to fork over your hard earned movie-buying money, which you can instead spend on a Blu-ray of Delivery Man, in stores next week.
JB: Trollhunter (Trolljegeren) (2010, dir. André Øvredal) Sure, Erich recommended this about a year ago (and I brought it up almost three years ago on the Independence Day podcast), but this one has stayed with me. Trollhunter is a film with a sense of wonder, a great sense of dread and foreboding, and a dry, wicked sense of humor. This is one of the best movies to emerge from the foul, fetid shit swamp that is the "faked found footage" genre. Check it out this weekend, and be sure to check out "The Maelstrom" inside the Norway pavilion at Walk Disney World's EPCOT.
Patrick: Two excellent and overlooked independent horror films from 2013 hit Netflix Instant this week. First is We Are What We Are (2013, dir. Jim Mickle), a remake of the Mexican film from 2010 and director Jim Mickle's follow up to the decent but flawed Stakeland. This is one of those "slow burn" horror films for which a lot of people don't have patience, but it's beautifully made and a has a great creeping sense of dread. Much more immediate is Contracted (2013, dir. Eric England), a rapid descent into hell courtesy of a one night stand with You're Next writer Simon Barrett. This one is not for the squeamish, as it presents some of the ickiest and most unsettling body horror since Jeff Goldblum began falling to pieces in David Cronenberg's The Fly. It's a nightmare movie, and it's incredibly effective. Both movies are really good.

5 comments:

  1. I don't think I'm that squeamish, but that poster for Contracted is really disturbing me.

    We Are What We Are is...interesting, but I think it's one of those where my objections to a pretty standard plot are overcome by a really, really good acting job across the board (and as Patrick might have implied, it's a really well-shot movie). Also, have the fun of spending half the movie trying to figure out who the deputy reminds you of!

    As for Night of the Comet is one of those movies that screams "I was 11 when this came out and now I want to go to the arcade and play Donkey Kong for three hours" to me. It's a fun, weird little movie that also has a great line about UZIs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sometimes I wonder if the people of Norway would be sad to see how no one stays for the educational film after Maelstrom and just makes straight for the exit. They should show Troll Hunter instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! I have thought the same thing. The Maelstrom film is impressive though... And short!

      Delete
  3. Thanks for the recommendation on Contracted. Can you now recommend how I can unsee it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Troll hunter is a film that over the past few years that has really wanted me to move to norway. Great recommend.

    ReplyDelete