Friday, April 21, 2017

I Stream, You Stream Vol. 28

by Patrick Bromley
A slow weekend for new releases should give you plenty of time to catch up with these movies now streaming.
In the Land of Women (2007, dir. Jon Kasdan) This mostly forgotten coming of age drama, directed by Lawrence Kasdan's son (who isn't already Jake Kasdan), stars Adam Brody as a young, brokenhearted writer who moves in with his grandmother and finds a weird version of romance with an older woman (Meg Ryan) and her daughter (Kristen Stewart). The movie might be more earnest than successful, but I maintain there's a lot of good stuff in it. Of course, the major reason I'm recommending it is because this was the movie that put K-Stew on my radar as someone to be in love with. I knew her from Panic Room and Zathura, but she was still pretty much a kid actor in those movies. The one-two punch of ItLoW and Adventureland left me smitten for life. The poster for this movie alone should have made it a bigger hit. (Watch on Netflix)
Big Fan (2009, dir. Robert Siegel) The directorial debut of Robert Siegel, former Onion contributor and screenwriter of The Wrestler, casts comedian Patton Oswalt in arguably his very best role as an obsessive sports fan who gets beat up by his favorite football player and then wrestles with whether or not he should pursue action because it would mess up his team. Siegel and Oswalt do an impressive job of getting into the mind of a certain kind of obsessive spectator -- the people who define themselves not by doing the thing, but by watching and commenting on the thing. Sound familiar? (Watch on Amazon Prime Video)
Burial Ground: Nights of Terror (1985, dir. Andrea Bianchi) Here's a movie that's come up a handful of times in FTM history, usually during Scary Movie Month or Junesploitation when it's most appropriate. If you've never seen it, don't wait until then to make it part of your life. Much of the movie is generic Italian zombie stuff, but there are moments of such demented inspiration that it becomes a must-see -- most of them involving adult male actor Peter Bark playing a young child with a predilection for breastfeeding. You have been warned. (Watch on Shudder)
Gator (1976, dir. Burt Reynolds) My man Burt Reynolds makes his feature directing debut with this, the sequel to the hicksploitation classic White Lightning. Burt reprises his role as Gator McKlusky, newly released from prison and living in the Florida swamp, where he is enlisted by federal agents to help build a case against his old friend, played by Jerry Reed. I still think White Lightning is the better movie, but Gator is so much fun that it's worth watching, with Burt the director having a good time celebrating all the stuff that Burt the actor spent a career doing: practical stunts, two-fisted fights and good ol' boy humor. His best effort behind the camera is Sharky's Machine, but Gator is a solid start. (Watch on Hulu)

12 comments:

  1. Big Fan is great, that's the one that put Patton oswalt as a guy who can actually act

    i'm curious about ItLoW. the Kasdans, father and son, make very good drama that are worth the watch (The Big Chill anyone)

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  2. Big Fan is a well-made, well-acted movie, but the ending is SUCH a cop-out it soured the whole movie for me. If it had the guts to go where the whole movie seemed to be leading up to, I think it could have been a classic.

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    1. crap, i don't remember the ending. i'll have to watch it again

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    2. I don't remember the ending either! Re-watch time!

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    3. Hope my comments don't end up messing it up for you guys...

      If it does, watch a superior movie about a disgruntled sports fan: Buffalo '66 (unfortunately not streaming anywhere #LongLivePhysicalMedia). One of my all time faves.

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    4. I like the ending of Big Fan. It doesn't go to the darkest place but I think it still makes its point.

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    5. I'm gonna watch Buffalo 66. Thanks, guys!

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  3. I was just sitting here wondering to myself "What am I going to watch on Shudder tonight after the wife and kids go to bed?" Burial Ground! Boom! I've never seen it, now I'm excited. Thanks, Patrick!

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  4. I tried watching Big Fan a couple times but didn't get very far. The portrayals are a little too accurate and made me depressed; I know many people who build their lives around being entertained.

    FYI Moon is currently streaming for free on Crackle, but the number of commercial breaks is maddening.

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