Amazon Prime Instant Video Rec

[highangle]

Logan Lucky is a Steven Soderbergh inversion of the Oceans heist flicks by Steven Soderbergh.

A bunch of redneck archetypes from West Virginia try to knock off a NASCAR race. Nobody looks great. Nobody has nice clothes. No one has a tunnel machine.

Why watch it? Because it's good and Dwight Yoakum's in it.

[Mike Pow]

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: not for everyone but very quirky in a fascinating way; crackling jewish dialogue, threatens to turn into a musical at least once every episode, and delightful characters plus great cast. Interesting peek into life during the late 50s/early 60s, focusing on "modern" jewish culture and the early days of stand-up.

Loving it

[oftpiste]

Loving it

Yup.

[dookeyXXX]

IT COMES AT NIGHT
4/5

Slow-burn survival film that is ripe for post-screening discussion as it leaves a lot up to the viewer (much like Blackcoat’s Daughter). I liked the vagueness of the film, which in others films of this usually ends up being incredibly annoying, but here it works well. We never know the who/what/why and as such it keeps the viewer in the dark, which creates a feeling of connectivity witgh the characters in the film, who are just as in the dark as us. The slow build up of paranoia is great. And it’s never clear what is really going down, there are a ton of unanswered questions and, again, not sure why, but this heightened ambiguity really works well here. I found the overall sense of dread and doom that permeates the film to be great, too

[dookeyXXX]

COWBOY BEBOP
4.5 / 5


I wouldn't call myself an anime connoisseur by any stretch of the definition. Heck, I was always one of those idiots who thought all anime looked the same, for the most part, too. I have seen some of the "benchmarks" of the genre over the years--Akira; Ghost In The Shell; Ninja Scroll; Fist of the Northstar; Spirited Away, and have enjoyed them, but again I wasn't into the genre enough to notice the subtle differences between the various films/series.

I'd heard about Cowboy Bebop for years, but had never felt compelled to track it down.
Then it showed up on Prime, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
WOAH.
While it has all the elments of your standard anime: skinny women with big breasts and "European" noses, children who look like Japanese variations on Keane's big-eyed paintings (sidenote: https://www.theguardian.com/artandde...-burton-biopic), muscular male heroes, excellent use of lighting and shadows, etc., but it also has it's own distinctive visual allure.
For starters, one of our heroes, Spike, is drawn all stoic and Bruce Lee-esque, however, his feet are obvious odes to Mickey Mouse (he literally wears clown shoes). Meanwhile all the landscapes, industrial elements, and spaceships look to be modeled after the surreal sci-fi/fantasy art of revered French comic book artist Mobius.
The episodes, which work as stand-alone stories, but also meld into an overreaching arch, vere from standard sci-fi to neo-noir.
And the music is a mutation of jazz, folk rock, and pop that, as sonic pastiche, is pretty damn good (just watch the opening credit sequence).
Even if you are skeptical about anime, I think you would dig this as it's got engaqging storylines, well-rounded characters, and the action sequences are, simply put, amazing.
Totally worth watching, imho.

[dookeyXXX]

BLACK SPOT
3.5 / 5

Season 1 of this French show is like a more serious, less surreal Twin Peaks crossed with season 1 of Fortitude. It is teeming with similarities: a strange town, a sawmill with nefarious owners looking to cash in on land grabs, a missing girl, a head-strong cop. But the similarities kind of end there. The series veres more into enviro and pagan spiritualism than multi-dimensional weirdness.
It's beautifully filmed with lots of lush greens and blue hues to accentuate the nature/environmental aspect, and while, on the surface, it resonates as a somewhat standard drama, there's just enough of a supernatural undertone to make it interesting.
Here's to hoping that they don't f@#k it up like they did with Season 2 of Fortitude...

[dookeyXXX]

PHILIP K. DICK'S ELECTRIC DREAMS - Season 1
3.75 / 5

Just polished off the first season of this series.
Gotta say that I've never been the biggest PKD fan (I find that while his ideas are cool, sometimes his delivery is a bit cumbersome; i.e. there's better writers out there, although few with as cool of ideas as his). Also, his themes tend to become a bit repetative (alienation/paranoia/government invasion, etc.).
That said, this series is pretty high quality, both in terms of the acting talent involved and the production values.
Some of the episodes are much better than others, but all of them are engaging.
If you're a PDK stalwart, I think you'll be well taken care of and if you're just a passing fan (such as myself), I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Will be interested to see if it gets picked up for second season.

[buttahflake]

He’s the guy that wrote Minority Report, yeah? I like his stuff, old school sci-fi. Tubes and whatnot. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll check it out.

[PB]

Agree about Cowboy Bebop; unfortunately it's more of one of the the exceptions that proves the anime rule.

[dookeyXXX]

TURBO KID
4/5

HOLY.
MOLY.
Talk about genre pastiche and gonzo homage up the wazoo.
This film draws from such Ozploitation cult classics as BMX Bandits, post-Road Warrior spaghetti apocalypse schlock, Hershel Gordon Lewis,/vintage Peter Jackson,/vintage Cronenberg (in respect to the gore and practical effects), Monty Python's Holy Grail, Power Rangers, Solarbabies, Cherry 2000, and too many other influences to list here. If you're quick you'll catch the visual nod to Jackson's Dead Alive as well as verbal nods to Soylent Green and visual winks towards Waterworld, amongst others that I probably missed.
Suffice it to say, if you grew up in the '80s, then this flick may appeal to you.
The film is rendered as if it were a lost '80s artifact, and while that schtick is kinda old (the whole faux grindhouse mini-movement), it works well here.
While the story is a simple one of revenge and retribution, the pacing is fast and furious, the camp level is 11+, and the practical gore effects are amazing.
The filmmakers obviously love the schlock from days gone by and it shows.
If you're a genre nerd or just want something light, funny, violent, and kitchsy, this may very well be your jam.

[Mike Pow]

BLACK SPOT
3.5 / 5

Season 1 of this French show is like a more serious, less surreal Twin Peaks crossed with season 1 of Fortitude. It is teeming with similarities: a strange town, a sawmill with nefarious owners looking to cash in on land grabs, a missing girl, a head-strong cop. But the similarities kind of end there. The series veres more into enviro and pagan spiritualism than multi-dimensional weirdness.
It's beautifully filmed with lots of lush greens and blue hues to accentuate the nature/environmental aspect, and while, on the surface, it resonates as a somewhat standard drama, there's just enough of a supernatural undertone to make it interesting.
Here's to hoping that they don't f@#k it up like they did with Season 2 of Fortitude...

Thanks. Loving it

[dookeyXXX]

BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99
4/5
This is the latest feature from the S. Craig Zahler, the writer/director of Bone Tomahawk.
I gotta be upfront, I wasn't that taken in by BT, but I did enjoy the dialogue (especially the lines spoken by Richard Jenkins), however, after watching BICB99, I may have to revisit BT.
That said, this film is similar in design: it's a slowburn miazma of intensity and graphic violence. It starts out at a languid pace and then in the middle part of the third act it literally falls over the cliff into harrowing WTF violence.
It's definitely deeply rooted in genre aesthetics (think '70s drive-in grindhouse fare), albeit twisting them on their head a wee bit.
Vince Vaughn got short-changed at the awards this season, that's for sure, as this is a tour de force performance for the man. Granted, it's not much of a stretch from his breakthrough in Swingers, but re-imagine his character then, but now transformed into a quasi skinhead with anger management issues. Yeah.
The gore is sparse, but when it comes, it comes with a vengeance (uber props for the seriously gooey and gruesome practical effects, too...I love me that shit).
If Vince kicking ass and serious splatter ain't enough for you, there's a great cameo from a bygone '80s star that had me double-checking big time (won't spoil it, as it's a rich cameo). Great dialogue (again, propelled by Vaughn) and some serious slow building tension make this a worthy watch.
Again, not real horror by definition, but the gore and violence put it on the fringes for sure.
I never really got into the whole prison sub-genre of drive-in movies, but this is a great addition to that forgotten aspect of grindhouse, that's for sure.

PS
I did not include the trailer as it spoils the '80s mega-star cameo surprise, which I think is better if you aren't prepared for it. Just know, the flick is dope-as-fuck, violent, and crazy. And the '80s mega-star is gonzo nuts in it.

[SKIP IN7RO]

Bosch season 4 was released yesterday.

[billyk]

Bosch season 4 was released yesterday.

Thanks! Great show.

[mcski]

Finally getting around to The Americans. Great stuff

[otto parts]

BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99
4/5
This is the latest feature from the S. Craig Zahler, the writer/director of Bone Tomahawk.
I gotta be upfront, I wasn't that taken in by BT, but I did enjoy the dialogue (especially the lines spoken by Richard Jenkins), however, after watching BICB99, I may have to revisit BT.
That said, this film is similar in design: it's a slowburn miazma of intensity and graphic violence. It starts out at a languid pace and then in the middle part of the third act it literally falls over the cliff into harrowing WTF violence.
It's definitely deeply rooted in genre aesthetics (think '70s drive-in grindhouse fare), albeit twisting them on their head a wee bit.
Vince Vaughn got short-changed at the awards this season, that's for sure, as this is a tour de force performance for the man. Granted, it's not much of a stretch from his breakthrough in Swingers, but re-imagine his character then, but now transformed into a quasi skinhead with anger management issues. Yeah.
The gore is sparse, but when it comes, it comes with a vengeance (uber props for the seriously gooey and gruesome practical effects, too...I love me that shit).
If Vince kicking ass and serious splatter ain't enough for you, there's a great cameo from a bygone '80s star that had me double-checking big time (won't spoil it, as it's a rich cameo). Great dialogue (again, propelled by Vaughn) and some serious slow building tension make this a worthy watch.
Again, not real horror by definition, but the gore and violence put it on the fringes for sure.
I never really got into the whole prison sub-genre of drive-in movies, but this is a great addition to that forgotten aspect of grindhouse, that's for sure.

PS
I did not include the trailer as it spoils the '80s mega-star cameo surprise, which I think is better if you aren't prepared for it. Just know, the flick is dope-as-fuck, violent, and crazy. And the '80s mega-star is gonzo nuts in it.

Wow, loved it. Thanks for the tip!

[billyk]

Maigret is great so far. A little strange to see Mr Bean acting so serious, but he pulls it off.

[dookeyXXX]

[mcski]

Up to season 3 now w The Americans. This is a must watch. Great acting and writing with the added bonus of 70s and 80s nostalgia. The pick some real music gems from the timeframe for soundtrack too. Great watch. Top 5 series for sure.

[Supermoon]

Baywatch the Movie just popped up. It's one of those so-bad-its-good type of shows

[AK47bp]

Up to season 3 now w The Americans. This is a must watch. Great acting and writing with the added bonus of 70s and 80s nostalgia. The pick some real music gems from the timeframe for soundtrack too. Great watch. Top 5 series for sure.

Amen. Been enjoying The Americans for years.

Last season is on now, shits getting nuts.

[BC.]

I like Tin Star.

Binged Tin Star last weekend^^^albeit an old post. I second the recommendation.

[Peruvian]

Watching Author: The JT LeRoy Story.

Wacky

[mcski]

Amen. Been enjoying The Americans for years.

Last season is on now, shits getting nuts.

It's giving me angst knowing there is an end coming in shortly in binge time and avoiding spoilers

[billyk]

Well, this was on Hulu, rather than Prime, but I don’t recall seeing a Hulu thread...

Just finished watching “Lost in London”, with Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, and the Dali Lama of Texas, Willy Nelson. Pretty entertaining, I thought. My wife hated it, so pretty sure you guys would like it too.