Amazon Prime Instant Video Rec

[dookeyXXX]

A TOWN CALLED PANIC

If you dig animation and are willing to read subtitles, then this film is worth the gamble.
It's teeming with quirky Gallic humor and a ribald sense of absurdism.
Definitely watch the French language version as the voices are way funnier than the dubbed ones.
Zany, off-kilter, and thoroughly engaging.

[dookeyXXX]

MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN
Here's another great late night watch (sober or off-tilt).
An early Bradley Cooper vehicle that is a slick, yet harrowing cinematic adaptation of a classic Clive Barker story.
Vinnie Jones, too.
And Leslie Bibb.
Plus Brooke Shields.
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, it is his first English language film. If you are unfamiliar with Kitamura's work, I highly recommend checking out Versus, as well as Aragami, both are killer arthouse genre fare that twist up both the zombie motif and the demonic motif, respectively.

[Mike Pow]

Great film

[dookeyXXX]

I have been posting a lot of genre and low-budget recommendations lately, so I thought it was high time to get classic and existential...


THE SWIMMER
1968
starring Burt Lancaster

This is a film which I first stumbled upon late night on broadcast TV. I recall coming into it more than halfway through and it enthralled me.
I eventually tracked it down years later on VHS/DVD and watched the whole thing.
It's mesmerizing and hallucinatory, but not in a drug induced way, just more in a surreal suburban nightmare kind of way.
I was drawn to it initially because I was a swimmer all through elementary and high school and freshman year in college and grew up with a pool in my back yard.
But the film is much deeper than the pools our protagonist swims his way across.
Still have never read the John Cheever story that it's based on, though.
Lancaster is great as the titular aquaman and the film's subject matter is teeming with social commentary galore.
Sure, it gets a little lurid and a little soap opery at times, but overall it's an interesting endeavor.

[billyk]

I have been posting a lot of genre and low-budget recommendations lately, so I thought it was high time to get classic and existential...


THE SWIMMER
1968
starring Burt Lancaster

This is a film which I first stumbled upon late night on broadcast TV. I recall coming into it more than halfway through and it enthralled me.
I eventually tracked it down years later on VHS/DVD and watched the whole thing.
It's mesmerizing and hallucinatory, but not in a drug induced way, just more in a surreal suburban nightmare kind of way.
I was drawn to it initially because I was a swimmer all through elementary and high school and freshman year in college and grew up with a pool in my back yard.
But the film is much deeper than the pools our protagonist swims his way across.
Still have never read the John Cheever story that it's based on, though.
Lancaster is great as the titular aquaman and the film's subject matter is teeming with social commentary galore.
Sure, it gets a little lurid and a little soap opery at times, but overall it's an interesting endeavor.

It’s been a while since I watched it but I remember liking it. A different kind of movie, for sure.

[dookeyXXX]

Here are a couple of quasi arthouse horror gems, perfect for some late night Friday the 13th perusal:

HAUTE TENSION (aka HIGH TENSION)
This slick, Gallic thriller is gory and a complete headfuck. When it first came out I was a bit disappointed/non-plussed by the ending. But I revisited it again earlier this year and I think it has aged well. Easily the best thing Alexandre Aja has ever done (he started doing pretty mediocre-to-crappy American horror films after this and nothing he's done has ever reached the heights of High Tension, imho).



GINGER SNAPS
This Canadian sleeper is a great "coming of age" horror film in the vein of Carrie and Let The Right One In and Heathers.

[dookeyXXX]

CLIMAX

Gaspar Noe's latest endeavor owes no small debt to Dario Argento's Susperia (FWIW, Noe name-checks Susperia and several other films in the opening segment), especially in terms of the use of bright, saturated primary colors (Red, Blue, Green) and an over-the-top, blistering soundtrack (here a hodge-podge of electronica).
Noe is known for his stylistic depravity and here the stylism is rife, but the depravity is rather tame: I was expecting serious ultra-violence and while there are some shock-worthy moments, overall it's pretty mild compared to some of his previous films.
Still, the dance sequences are well choreographed and rendered in a dizzying melee of hyper activity, which, combined with the murky story helps keep you on the edge of your seat, never knowing what is actually gonna go down.
All the Noe trademarks are here: lush cinematography, crude dialogue, and twisted interstitials .
In the end, however, it reminded me a whole lot of Anna Campion's lone feature film Loaded from 1994: a lot of tension is created, but the payoff is rather ho-hum in retrospect. Still, the journey is intriguing enough to keep you glued to the screen.
All in all, if you dig arty French films with a subversive nature and like modern dance, this could be your jam (be warned, though, as it's kinda like an episode of Fame gone terribly awry).
When all is said and done, a mediocre effort from Gaspar Noe is still 100 times more scintillating and whacked-out than most anything else committed to celluloid these days.

[PNWbrit]

Been enjoying the new prime HD music service that launched today.

[schindlerpiste]

It's getting to be that time to watch The Blizzard of Ahhhhhs again

[dookeyXXX]

FAULTS
4/5
Riley Stearns’ (The Art of Self Defense: https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...16#post5729516) debut feature is a dark, creepy, and incredibly unnerving little motel room thriller. The film bursts out the gate introducing our warped and erratic protagonist, who is acerbic, eccentric, and not the least bit likable. An “expert” on cults, he is soon hired to deprogram a couple’s young daughter. Things go off the rails from the moment the woman is “kidnapped” and taken to a motel where she is contained in the hopes of being reunited with her family. The film is played low-key and every character is just a bit off, creating a surreal and disturbing aura. Things move along in a dreamlike state (actually, it’s a bit more like a stifling nightmare) with subtle events unfolding in a deliberate pace, one which keeps you wondering just exactly what the fuck is happening from moment to moment.

RIYL: Sound of My Voice; The Invitation; Martha Marcy May Marlene

[PNWbrit]

Rocketman: mad Mike's mission to proof the flat earth

Fucking hilarious.

[dookeyXXX]

GOODNIGHT MOMMY

If you are in the mood for some twisted, mind bending psychological horror with a Central European slant (it's an Austrian film, so it's in German with subtitles), then this is a great little thriller that should keep you on edge, not to mention having your brain spinning trying to figure out what exactly is happening.
It's creepy. It's claustrophobic. It's mental.

RIYL
Suture; It Comes In The Night; The Devil's Backbone; Hereditary

[PB]

Holy Carp Shit
Who the fuck is responsible for the third season of Goliath??
The second season was weak, but they've tripled down on the third. It's infuriatingly bad.

[oftpiste]

^^ Jeez. I found season 2 irresistible. Actually spent last night finishing until waaaayyyy too late/early. Loved it.

Going to hit season 3 soon.

[PB]

Could be me - not a fan of herky jerk, dreamy plots and Dennis Quaid, but I found the dialogue empty the central characters silly.

[dookeyXXX]

THE MERCENARY
Directed by Sergio Corbucci, 1968
Starring Franco Nero
Score by Ennio Morricone

While not quite as seminal as Corbucci's 1966 classic Django (also starring Nero) or his later efforts-The Great Silence and Companeros--The Mercenary is a fun romp that populates the more comedic side of the Spaghetti Western cinescape.
It actually plays better on a second viewing, too (I watched it twice because at first the plot was a little confusing, which tends to be the case with a lot of these films).
Nero is charismatic beyond compare and co-star Tony Musante is fantastic as the "revolutionary" Paco. And then there is Jack Palance. His turn as the creepy jheri curled Curly is a scene stealer par excellance.
Corbucci's direction is pretty straightforward, but there are quite a few cool, recurring visual motifs. And Morricone's score is fantastic.

Additionally, if you are a Quentin Tarantino fan, this movie is mentioned throughout Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Corbucci is name dropped a few times in that film, as well).

[MiddleOfNight]

Men At Work!
Ha!!

(i'm an idiot)

[MontuckyFried]

Metal Hurlant Chronicles. Discovered this pleasant and most unexpected surprise Friday night on Amazon. For those unfamiliar, Metal Hurlant was the French mag that was the ORIGINAL Heavy Metal, so you'll definitely recognize the overall vibe, but definitely some of the stories of this short anthology series straight outta France from 2012 (how did I miss out on this one for so long?!)

Just a heads up that it's pretty ultra-low budget, almost looking like 90s PC game FMV and acting that is at times local community theater cheesy, but if you can overlook that and through the lens of the original comic, some of the stories within are freaking great. It's short, so I blasted through the first season in one sitting and couldn't get enough. If you enjoyed the original Heavy Metal comics or the film (some awesome HM easter eggs are in there), or the newer Love, Death & Robots, then give this one a go!

Bonus: Michael Jai White plays a role in the first episode! Score!

[gizmomo99]

the wire is a good TV show on Amazon prime

[mcski]

Super insightful first post.

[dookeyXXX]

RED LINE

Stumbled upon this gonzo anime feature last night.
Imagine Speed Racer filtered through Death Race 2000 and a thousand times more visually arresting than Aeon Flux. Then squirt some Vitamin L into your eye sockets and crank the Techno up to 11.
The first 12 minutes alone are off-the-nuts.
Sure, the plot is thin and the characters are a bit one-dimensional (our protagonist is a pastiche of Elvis on 'ludes and Johnny Bravo), but this is a film that is purely about sight and sound and to this end it wins.
I am rather straight-edged these days, but methinks it would be heightened if one were to get blazed immaculately prior to viewing.

RIYL
Aeon Flux; Batman Ninja; Animatrix; Ninja Scroll; Fist of the Northstar; Cowboy Bebop; Afro Samurai

[billyk]

Ray Donovan season 1 is free on Prime until 12/1.

[mooseknuckle]

Ray Donovan season 1 is free on Prime until 12/1.

Sweet! Been stalking RD, but couldn’t find it ‘free’. Stoked. Thanks!

[PNWbrit]

Vinnie Jones

[dookeyXXX]

MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS
I stumbled upon this Indonesian film because it was billed as a unique take on the classic revenge western. And while it is indeed that, it is also rather austere in nature and somewhat slow and methodical. But this lends a certain hypnotism to the whole affair. The cinematography, for example, is lush and expansive, capturing the rich, yet harsh conditions of the Indonesian countryside. The film has some great understated acting, especially from the lead and there is quite a bit of understated dark humor percolating beneath the surface. In the end it is a rather thought provoking examination of third world patriarchal tinged societies; an existential I Spit On Your Grave minus the grindhouse, if you will.

RIYL: Monos; A Woman, A Gun, And A Noodle Shop