The Netflix Instant Watch recommendation thread

[Crawley]

A bunch of stuff was added on September 1st. But will do a reccomendation for the animated flick "Titan A.E."

This was a Don Bluth animated movie that bombed in theaters when it came out in 2000. Mainly because I don't think it had an audience around that time. It's a sci-fi adventure where a kid who's lost everything tries to find his father in hopes of saving the human race. It has one of the best openings for a film I have seen and one that that was also pretty shocking to me back then. I'd say the film is geared more towards the late teen audience but I think anyone can enjoy it. There is some silly slapstick in there but mainly serious throughout.

I also watched Conan (2011). It was watchable but barely. Basically a minor step up from Prince of Persia and a major step down from the original film. I still don't get why they were dragging that ship all over the place. They never seemed to make good use of it.

[Lordnine]

Titan AE had some pretty mixed reviews (51% Rotten Tomatoes) but I enjoyed it as well. 

I'll add Everything Is Illuminated to the recently added and worth a look list.

[CeeKay]

I'll add Everything Is Illuminated to the recently added and worth a look list.

it's a fun little movie; I love the landscapes they show.

[Blackjack]

If you're curious about the upcoming Robocop remake (directed by José Padilha), check out Elite Squad: The Enemy Within by Padilha. I've only watched the early part. He seems very much in love with handheld cameras, so be prepared for a lot of Blair Witch/Bourne type camera work in the Robocop remake. I feel nauseous already.  

If you're curious about Arnie's return in "The Last Stand" (directed by South Korean Kim Ji-woon) you might check out The Good, the Bad, The Weird, directed by Ji-woon. Again, I've only watched the early part of it. He seems to be a fan of swoopy camera work (but not handheld cameras), and seems to like zooming in reeeeeeally close into characters' faces.

On the sweeter side is the heart-tugger "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" (sort of starring Richard Gere, but the dog is the real star  ). It's a tearjerker but I'd say not quite in an Old Yeller way. A little different than that. I think any pet lover would enjoy it.   I think this was on Hulu or Amazon before, and finally debuted on Netflix streaming recently. For some inexplicable reason, this didn't get a U.S. theatrical release (it did release internationally and did well enough to be profitable).

[ATB]

They put up Payback, Mel Gibson's most underrated film, IMO. However, it's the director's cut and it completely changes the film.

I see the merits in what he did, but the theatrical release is SO much better from my perspective...although it is far more convoluted for sure.

[ATB]

Also Face/Off and We Were Soldiers. The latter being the best war movie ever. The former, being what I remember as just a great film top to bottom.  Wonder if it holds up.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Also Face/Off and We Were Soldiers. The latter being the best war movie ever. The former, being what I remember as just a great film top to bottom.  Wonder if it holds up.

When did Ceekay take over ATB's account? 

[hepcat]

I loves me some Payback, so I guess I can overlook his love of Face/Off.   

[PeteRock]

I loves me some Payback, so I guess I can overlook his love of Face/Off.   

I can't believe I'm going to do this, but in Ceekay's alt's defense, Face/Off was pure, unadulterated, slow-motion, dual-wielding, over-stylized John Woo right smack in the middle of his wheelhouse.  And as it was prior to Nicholas Cage's slow deterioration into B-movie drivel, Travolta and Cage seemed to have pure fun in impersonating one another, not just from a character standpoint, but they seemed to mimic each other's real-life acting mannerisms as well.  It was more Cage/Travolta playing Travolta/Cage instead of Archer/Troy.

Christ, I must not be getting enough sleep to write so much in defense of a film like Face/Off, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it for what it was.

And I too am a fan of Payback.  Mel Gibson at his egocentric best.

I recently watched Haywire, Warrior, and Drive while attempting to survive the flu.  Like most have already said, Drive started off well enough but then, to paraphrase a little, "shit just got weird."  Especially the scene with the mask, as it not only seemed out of place in general, but was completely unnecessary.

I was rather disappointed with Haywire.  While it was obviously a disjointed story merely to give Carano a series of set pieces in which to kick ass, it was so badly disjointed and almost pointless that it hurt my overall enjoyment of the film.  Granted, a film like Ong-Bak had an even worse story just to progress to the next action scene, but the action more than made up for it.  I can't say the same for Haywire.

Finally, I loved Warrior.  Outside of the MMA storyline, the relationship between father and brothers almost hit a little too close to home.  Unfortunately, while we'd all like to associate with the "good guy" in a film's storyline, I related most to Tommy, both in terms of tattoos but also in terms of his relationship with brother and father.  Still, while happy endings might work in Hollywood, things don't happen that way in real life.  All in all a great film emotionally impactful, and well acted by all involved.  I think I enjoyed it more than The Fighter.

[Bullwinkle]

I'm not sure I get the hate for Face/Off, either.

[hepcat]

  Like most have already said, Drive started off well enough but then, to paraphrase a little, "shit just got weird." 

"Most"?  Drive still maintains a 93 percent positive critics review on Rottentomatoes, and a 78 from average joes.  I don't believe I've seen that many reviews stating that the second half of the film is bad or weak, let alone enough to say "most".    I know we had one or two vocal critics of the film on the board, but I believe they were the minority.

I think my distaste for Face/Off comes from my love of John Woo.  I had just watched Hard Boiled before I saw Face/Off and I went into it hoping for the same kind of balls to the wall, sheer genius action filmmaking that that film had.  What I got was a watered down version of his Hong Kong years.  I think Hollywood just didn't know how to handle Woo and they put too many restrictions on him.  That or he's one of those filmmakers that works best when they have a bottom line they have to live with and that makes them get inventive; but when they're given free reign, they just lose that inventiveness. (see also: Kurt Wimmer).

But I do agree about Haywire.  I was disappointed in Soderbergh.

[CeeKay]

Face/Off definitely was no Hard Target.

[hepcat]

If I had to choose between Face/Off and Hard Target, I'd probably go with the latter.   

[PeteRock]

  Like most have already said, Drive started off well enough but then, to paraphrase a little, "shit just got weird." 

"Most"?  Drive still maintains a 93 percent positive critics review on Rottentomatoes, and a 78 from average joes.  I don't believe I've seen that many reviews stating that the second half of the film is bad or weak, let alone enough to say "most".    I know we had one or two vocal critics of the film on the board, but I believe they were the minority.

There was some dissent on the boards.  And within that dissent, most referred to the 2nd half of the movie as the primary source of their disappointment.  You want to nitpick semantics?  Fine, as "some" have already said...<<insert rest of review here>>.

I'm not sure I get the hate for Face/Off, either.

Yet another film it's "cool" to hate on the internet?  It's far from being a top-notch film, but it falls within Cage's "better" years and while not up to the standard set by Woo in his Hong Kong filmmaking, it's not a bad translation into the American market.

[hepcat]

Saying that "most" folks are saying they'll vote for Romney instead of saying "some" folks will do so shows the difference between the two is hardly one of semantics.  

And I didn't realize it was "cool" to dislike Face/Off.  I simply disliked it because it felt silly and half ass to me.

p.s. in order to show Pete I still like him, here's some good news for him:  Daniel Craig has signed on for two more Bond films.  

[ATB]

I watched Driver.  Was ok.  Pretty slow. Loved the simple no frills car chase. Some great camera work.  Otherwise, it falls into the 'enjoyed it but never care to see it again category'.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I'm not sure I get the hate for Face/Off, either.

To be clear, Face/Off wasn't the only movie I was commenting on (I actually enjoyed Face/Off for what it was - an action movie that makes no sense if you think about it for more than thirty seconds).

[theohall]

"Most"?  Drive still maintains a 93 percent positive critics review on Rottentomatoes, and a 78 from average joes.

Long, drug out, no dialogue scenes are really boring.  And Drive is mostly long, drug out, no dialogue scenes.  The artsy-fartsy critics can bite me. 

[hepcat]

It's okay.  Michael Bay is still making movies that are easy to understand.   

[CeeKay]

It's okay.  Michael Bay is still making movies that are easy to understand.   

he should remake Drive 

[Isgrimnur]

Just watched Snatch. I found Brad Pitt remarkably intelligible after being told for years that the only way to understand him would be to use subtitles, but of course, that would take away from the film.  I quite enjoyed it.

[PeteRock]

Just watched Snatch. I found Brad Pitt remarkably intelligible after being told for years that the only way to understand him would be to use subtitles, but of course, that would take away from the film.  I quite enjoyed it.

Actually, now that you've watched the film without subtitles, it's actually quite entertaining to go back and watch it again with subtitles.  There are some fantastic moments when we've jumped up and yelled, "Oh, that's what he said!"  It definitely sheds some light on some amusing scenes.

My favorite to this day is "gottahavashite."

[Isgrimnur]

I did throw it up a couple times when I knew that I missed something that I should have caught, but not as a general rule, especially with Pitt. 

[hepcat]

It would be hard for me to go back and watch Statham in Snatch knowing that he would eventually come to the U.S. and start making...stuff.  He was really quite good back then.

[CeeKay]

Exit Humanity sounds interesting:

A decade after the Civil War, Edward Young returns home from a hunting trip to find that his son is missing and his wife has become a zombie. Edward sets out to find his son among the hordes of the walking dead and documents his story in a book.

also, Tomorrow When The War Began sounds like an Australian Red Dawn:

After spending a holiday in the countryside, seven Australian teens return home to find that their country has been invaded by a foreign power. With the help of another local, the kids band together to become guerrillas and rescue their families.

[hepcat]

After finding myself a little let down by the much anticipated V/H/S horror anthology, I've been scouring the net looking for recommendations for scary films I might not have heard of.  One of them was for Cold Sweat.  I watched it and while it had quite a few flaws, I thought it showed promise.  So I was pleased to see that the maker's follow up film, Penumbra is also available on Netflix streaming (as is Cold Sweat).  Gonna check it out this week.

[Crawley]

Finished up the reality show Top Shot: Season 2. Was a lot better than the first season which I liked too. Kinda the show I liked watching before heading to bed to just chill out. Was kinda watching them in a rush the last few days as it looks like Netflix is dropping all their History shows for now (Pawn Stars/Storage Wars/Hoarders/ect) - which might explain why they were not getting the new seasons for those shows.

Watched a crummy Korean movie called "Wolfen". Which I went in expecting to be werewolf related. But it turned out to be a really bad melodramatic crime thriller about a killer is using a half wolf half dog to do their killings. Like a few Korean films I've seen they add too many twists. In the end you get lost of who did what and how they are connected. Bowed out with just 25 minutes to go. Just wasn't worth it.

On the good side of things I finished up Breaking Bad: Season 3. Been really going through this series slowly where I'll watch it for a burst then not watch it again for weeks. But this season went by pretty fast. Just too many great things about it and is by far my favorite season of the series.

Oh and for those in to Vampire Diaries (and who shouldn't be?) I did see that they added the last season that aired to Netflix.

[CeeKay]

American Warships is up.  you're welcome.

[CeeKay]

so, I decided to re-sub to the dvd/blu ray portion for a month to catch up on some shows and movies not available via streaming, and I got a confirmation email that said:

DVD Plan Added

Dear Christopher,

As you requested, we've added the 3 DVDs out at-a-time (Unlimited) plan to your Netflix account.

Plan: 3 DVDs out at-a-time (Unlimited)
Plan Price: $19.99
Your offer: Free Month (ends Monday, October 22, 2012)

Enjoy!

–Your friends at Netflix

so, I looked into it and found this:

Can I get a free trial for streaming or DVDs?

     If you are currently a streaming-only member and would like to try our DVD service, you may be eligible for a one month free trial. The same goes for current DVD-only members.

I was curious why it was only offering me a chance to subscribe to the 1,2 or 3 disc plans, but I figured it was some new limitation for people who didn't have the DVD plans.  maybe it said something on the page, I just clicked through figuring 3 at a time was enough anyways.

[hepcat]

Hey Tilt and Razgon, netflix just added a Danish film (at least I think it's Danish) I've heard is hilarious.   Klown (or Klovn) .  Any thoughts on this one?  Thumbs up/down?

[EngineNo9]

Hey Tilt and Razgon, netflix just added a Danish film (at least I think it's Danish) I've heard is hilarious.  Klown (or Klovn) .  Any thoughts on this one?  Thumbs up/down?

I watched this a couple nights ago and thought it was fairly entertaining.  I wouldn't go so far as to say "The Funniest Movie Of the Year" like the box display says, but if you're looking for a bawdy comedy that does pretty well. 

I could easily see it being remade with Vince Vaughn or somebody (with much louder, less subtle dialog delivery of course), so take that for what you will based on personal preference.

[hepcat]

Thanks, I'll have to give it a shot this weekend then.

[Razgon]

Hey Tilt and Razgon, netflix just added a Danish film (at least I think it's Danish) I've heard is hilarious.   Klown (or Klovn) .  Any thoughts on this one?  Thumbs up/down?

Its...an aquired taste - Its based on a recurring tv show that is rather extreme in what happens. For instance, one of the episodes has the protagonist accidentially giving a guy AIDS by pushing him onto a needle a drug addict has thrown into the bushes. In another episode he accidentially serves his dinner guests something from his neighboors freezer, which turns out to be parts of an old man kept as part of a hospital experiment.

I like some of the episodes, and others not so much - The movie is even more extreme but it has a certain charm.

I'm curious what you think after watching it, since its quite different from what you guys normally watch :-)

If you are REALLY interested in Danish movies, I can only recommend Armadillo, which is a brilliant documentary about the danish military in Afghanistan . It just recieved an Emmy this time around as well, actually, and I seem to remember it was on Netflix.
( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640680/

trailer for Armadillio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DDuRraJbOg

[hepcat]

Speaking of films from your neck of the woods, I see that Headhunters has made its way onto netflix streaming.  I've heard nothing but stellar things about this one.  Can't wait to watch it!

[Razgon]

Speaking of films from your neck of the woods, I see that Headhunters has made its way onto netflix streaming.  I've heard nothing but stellar things about this one.  Can't wait to watch it!

nice - I had no idea danish movies were watched very much outside of Denmark. We've developed a few talents lately, and my normal aversion to danish movies has passed somewhat :-)

[hepcat]

Are you kidding???  Denmark, Norway and surrounding countries have been churning out some great films over the last decade or so!

Let the Right One In
Rare Exports
The Pusher Series
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series
Trollhunter

And that's just off the top of my head.

[Bullwinkle]

I already have both Rare Exports and Headhunters in my queue.  The others I've seen, except any of The Pusher.  Unfortunately, only Pusher III is on Netflix.

[hepcat]

You won't miss out on too much by watching just Pusher 3.  Pusher 1 focused on a low level pusher and his trials and tribulations over the course of a day or two.  Pusher 2 focused on the pusher's idiotic friend (the insanely talented Mads Mikkelsen) and his attempts at breaking into the big time...or, at the very least, getting some damn respect.  Pusher 3 is the story of a drug lord from the other two films, his daughter's wedding and an erroneous shipment of what was supposed to be heroin.

That's really all the backstory you need to enjoy 3.

2 is my favorite, followed fairly closely by 3 and then 1.  

Refn is one of my favorite directors though, so I may be a bit biased.   

[Razgon]

Personally, I find Pusher 1 to be one of the best danish movies, closely followed by "The biggest heroes" I guess it would be called in English with Ulrik Thomsen, you may know from James Bond movies.

Pusher 1 has some insanely tough scenes, and Kim Bodnia is uniquely suited to play the role of the pusher, for whom everything just goes downhill.

[Crawley]

Saw a few horror films of late for getting in the mood for October:

The Inkeepers: This is from Ti West who also made 80's throwback satanic worshipers flick The House of the Devil. In this one it follows two clerks who are working the final days before an old New England Inn closes. The rumor is that there's a ghost in the Inn and they want to get proof before the Inn is made a parking lot. There's only one guest in the place so they have a lot of time to themselves. The majority of the film is the banter between the two desk clerks which is sometimes good but mostly mundane stuff. 

Was really looking forward to this movie after reading a few good reviews but like House of the Devil its a slow burn where everything seems to happen at the very end so wasn't satifying for me. However I did enjoy the performance of one of the desk keepers, Sara Paxton, whom I don't think I've seen before in anything. She was pretty quirky and seemed real. Kelly McGillis (Top Gun) also has a role in this one - was kinda a shock to see her look so much older than I remember but she's also good in this too.

So if you're looking for a lot of scares this doesn't have it. But I did watch the entire thing as I was interested enough to see where it was going.

Aprtment 143: Now if you want a lot of scares occuring often this is the film. Problem is while it starts out well enough it really loses its way as it goes along. This is typical haunted house, apartment in this case, stuff with a lot of stuff moving, loud noises, and things popping out at you. It's a shakey cam movie that basically wants to be another Parnormal Activity. And while PA was somewhat smart this one gets pretty dumb. You have a crew of "ghost hunters" who are investigating an apartment haunting where a father and his two kids live. Things go crazy pretty quickly, and there's some good moments and scares, but it gets tiresome after too long. The big complaint I had with it was how the ghost hunters behaved when they had proof of paranormal stuff on recording. They're initally shocked but then don't seem to care so much they they have all this recorded proof. First I would get the hell out of there and then I would go to the papers or somethign with the proof that life exists after death. They behave like its everyday stuff that's already been on camera before.

So this one is a mild reccomendation if you're just looking for a few quick scares and something easily digestable.

Slither: I saw this way back when and forgotten about it till I saw it pop-up on the new releases. It's a horror film from 2006 that's kinda a throw back to the mid-80's horror films like Critters. Basically a horror flick that doesn't take itself seriously. Setup to this one is a metorite the contains a life form crashes in a small town and starts infecting the various town people. The local sherrif (Nathan Fillion) tries to stop the infection.

It's well put together, looks great in HD, but the story falls apart in some areas and was ultimately dissapointed by the end. But still its worth a look.