Amazon Prime Instant Video Rec

[Caucasian Asian]

They tried with Point Break and failed.

That furious and fast movie did pretty well. It was a kind of a pile but it spawned an entire mountain of steaming, hot garbage.

[The AD]

I know it's almost ten years old now, but if you haven't watched Interstellar yet it's free on Prime. I finally watched it a few days ago. I have to say it's an enjoyable movie, but there's a significant amount of suspension of belief necessary.

[skaredshtles]

Watched a very well done German WWII miniseries recently: Generation War

[dookeyXXX]

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973)
Of all the cinematic versions of Alexandre Dumas’ novel that I have seen over the years, this is still my favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssLVKLJ8ojU

[dookeyXXX]

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
This movie is puerile, sophomoric, and juvenilishly crude. Yet despite all that it’s one of my favorite entries in the zombie genre.
Fast paced, excellent effects, and one of the greatest dick jokes ever committed to celluloid make for a raunchy (and bloody) good time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAd4cRUxdP0

[dookeyXXX]

BRIGSBY BEAR
Imagine a slightly off-kilter After School Special combined with a long lost pilot to a Sid & Marty Krofft show that never aired.
That gives you an ever-so-slight inkling of what this film is like. Oh yeah, it was produced by The Lonely Island crew, and features members of The Upright Citizens Brigade and SNL.
While the innocent-man/child-thrust-into-the-real-world scenario is a bit old hat, here it’s delivered with just enough quirk to make it work.
The cast is great (Luke Skywalker sans lightsaber and Greg Kinear doing a bit of winking at the audience out of the corner of his eyes, for starters) and the Brigsby Bear elements are pure genius.
Lo-fi, just-left-of-normal, and filled with the right amount of treacly strangeness to make it a winner.

RIYL
Swiss Army Man; Safety Not Guaranteed; Lars and the Real Girl (or really any other movie about a weird white guy with a heart-of-gold and a dream).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEohOb38hhs

[buttahflake]

Just watched, Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made. I’m a sucker for, found footage. This is creepy and trippy as balls.

https://youtu.be/gzJd58xHv7w?si=62jSUlnmmzwpnNKk

[PB]

Finished second season of Outer Range; bizarre, whiplashy, time-paradox ignorant, but still very good.

[dookeyXXX]

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI
This film from 1947 features Orson Welles, who also directed and scripted it. A bonafide classic of the noir genre if only for the climactic hall of mirrors set piece, which has influenced films starring Bruce Lee, Keanu Reeves, and Roger Moore.
But the film is also much more than that, it’s a taut little melodramatic thriller that ranks up there with the best of the genre.
Oh, and Rita Hayworth as the femme fatale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3lW5UKsbP4

[El Chupacabra]

We've been watching Billions, the Showtime series, which is mostly on Prime. It's fantastic - recommended if you like Succession, that sort of character driven scheming. Good cast, great writing and directing.

[PB]

Last Stop in Yuma County: quality B movie fare.

[dookeyXXX]

THE SWIMMER
This Burt Lancaster vehicle is a darkly tinged, somewhat surreal journey through a suburban fantasy-turned-nightmare.
I caught it years ago on late night TV and its potently askew melodrama has stayed with me ever since.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTRojK8udSo

[Mike Pow]

Last Stop in Yuma County: quality B movie fare.

Really enjoyed it

[PB]

Really enjoyed it

Of similar quality and story telling, with a little more humor: LaRoy, Texas.

[Mike Pow]

Of similar quality and story telling, with a little more humor: LaRoy, Texas.

Really enjoyed that too

[dookeyXXX]

Last Stop in Yuma County: quality B movie fare.

Of similar quality and story telling, with a little more humor: LaRoy, Texas.

Peeped the trailers for both.
They seem like they are in a similar vein to the likes of Arkansas and Vengeance.
That both films also appear to largely take place in a diner (making them quasi chamber pieces) also reminds me of the early Bogart joint The Petrified Forest as well as 2010’s The Killing Jar (the latter has a horrible RT score, but I enjoyed it ).

I have added them to my queue, but I am a cheap bastard and will wait until they are included with the Prime subscription.

[Sullywhacker]

[QUOTE=dookeyXXX;7086549]THE SWIMMER
This Burt Lancaster vehicle is a darkly tinged, somewhat surreal journey through a suburban fantasy-turned-nightmare.
I caught it years ago on late night TV and its potently askew melodrama has stayed with me ever since.

Exact same here > maybe 30-40 years ago and it has stuck with me "ever since" > I think the first time I caught it half way through and it was a complete "what the fuck IS this????" reaction

[dookeyXXX]

RUN LOLA RUN
I went and saw the 25th Anniversary re-release in the theater on Monday.
Damn!
This film is still super fun and insanely entertaining.
Fast paced, funny, nail-biting, wonderfully acted, and accompanied by a cool, energetic soundtrack.
If you have never seen it, watch it!
If you have seen it, but it’s been awhile, re-visit it!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYnsUdO6H0

[dookeyXXX]

KILL ZONE (aka S.P.L.)
In my humble opinion, this is one of the greatest martial arts films of all time and might just be Donnie Yen’s best work, as well.
The cast is nuts, as it also features the legendary Sammo Hung, the venerable Simon Yam, and at-the-time-charismatic newcomer Wu Jing as the striking villain.
Highly recommended if you dig HK action and kung fu kineticism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJyXOIgyV4

[dookeyXXX]

AMERICAN FICTION
On the surface I found this to be similar to The Holdovers, in that it’s about a self-sabotaging, cranky intellectual who has trouble relating to people. Yet it’s way funnier (I laughed out loud a lot).
The dialogue is sharp and Jeffrey Wright is mesmerizing. But the film is also poignant, not to mention liberally stuffed with searing social commentary aimed at clueless woke white folk.
The brilliant casting and smooth pacing elevates it above your standard dramedy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0MbLCpYJPA

[mcski]

Interesting. I vaguely recall seeing the trailer and thinking it looked awful!

[dookeyXXX]

Interesting. I vaguely recall seeing the trailer and thinking it looked awful!

Well…one man’s awful is another man’s awesome!

It was one of my favorite films of 2024.

[dookeyXXX]

BLOW OUT
I am a huge Brian de Palma fan. I love how during what I consider to be his peak period (1972 - 1987) he basically took Hitchcock’s mastery of tension and intrigue and bumped it up to 11.
This may very well be my favorite film of De Palma’s, too.
The cast is stellar—Travolta at his peak, an early turn from Lithgow, the underrated Nancy Allen, and tons of great supporting characters.
But the real star is De Palma’s eye and what he does with his cameras; the film is a visual tour de force.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDve1A5EAvk

[dookeyXXX]

INCENDIES
This is an early film by Denis Villanueve.
The story focuses on twins who are coaxed to embark on a quest to search for their father and brother in Palestine.
This is an insanely engaging film that makes good use of flashbacks.
And, yes, the ending is pretty predictable, but it is no less f$&ked-up and intense.
I personally really love DV’s early French Canadian work before he got snatched up by Hollywood (though I also really have enjoyed the bulk of his big budget, English language films, as well).
But this film, along with Maelstrom and Polytechnique, really showcase his talents as a screenwriter and engaging visual storyteller working within modest budgetary parameters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ69WnwvZhE

[dookeyXXX]

THE THIRD MAN
This is a cinematic tour de force.
The cinematography employed here—from the lighting to the camera placement/angles—is so insanely creative, it puts pretty much all modern cinema to shame (not to mention that the techniques employed here influenced pretty much every director and cinematographer from this period—1949–forward).
The less said about the film’s plot and look, the better; just watch it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yyDEDGlr0