Sunday, October 10, 2010

2010 Summer Recap - Netflix

Shutter Island

A very well-shot, well-acted, engaging film that unfortunately had an ending. And I don't mean that in the cliche "I didn't want it to end!" way.

Mystery Team

A feature length film written by DERRICK Comedy group, including Donald Glover from NBC's "Community". At times, it feels like you're watching an internet short, because you kind of are. But it's fun and consistently funny. Recommended.



Freaks & Geeks: Disc 6

I'd never seen all of these - now I have, so cross that off the list. It's pretty unbelievable that this was canceled after one season, but if you have a high school TV show where the characters aren't constantly fucking each other, you're asking to get canceled.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Very well done. If you're skeptical, don't be. Enjoy hearing Rob Corddry spout suck gems as, "Here's a question. Was it morally wrong for me to exploit my knowledge of the future for personal financial gain? Perhaps. Here's another question. Do I give a fuck?" Enjoy Crispin Glover, too.

Will Ferrell: You're Welcome, America...

Uhh, a little long. Maybe a lot long. Maybe it had a very short expiration date for its funniness, and I missed it. I dunno. This part was great, though:



Pickup on South Street

This is a 1953 noir - there are spies, Communists, stool pigeons, coppers, and microfilm. Plots involving stolen microfilm are always solid, even if they usually leave you wishing for microfiche instead.

Only Angels Have Wings

A sometimes cheesy, sometimes dramatic Howard Hawks movie - the kind where women fall in love with the protagonist (Cary Grant) for no good reason (other than the fact he looks like Cary Grant). "Screwball Drama" might describe it best. That genre never really caught on, for good reason. Still, there is enough intentional and unintentional humor here to recommend it.

World's Greatest Dad

I spent a sick afternoon watching this. It's got Robin Williams, but it's not terrible? It's about an English teacher whose asshole son accidentally kills himself. The asshole son is quite funny, right up until he dies:



Date Night

I thought this was going to be a "funny for parents" movie, but was pleased to find it was funny for all. I really wish I paid full price for this instead of "Dinner for Schmucks".

Louis CK - Hilarious

You can (and should) watch this for free at EpixHD - whatever that is. It includes an extended rant on technology you may remember from this Conan interview that went viral:



Monty Python: Almost the Truth

Good if you want to learn how the group came together, how "Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian" were conceived and shot, or just remember how awesome Monty Python is. I hadn't thought about this sketch in years, and now I'm back in business - the laughter business!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

interesting update. i feel like i'm constantly scouting new netflix choices, which only results in my queue never falling below 110.

Louis CK is a fucking genius. have you seen his sitcom yet? waiting for that one to be released on dvd.

Date Night? really? i could not finish this movie. i didn't see Dinner For Schmucks, but at least that one had Rudd.

...and Hot Tub Time Machine -- instant classic.

~jeff.

dn said...

Well, I saw Dinner for Schmucks first, and it was very disappointing. Date Night was much better in comparison. The Marky Mark/Franco scenes tipped the scales.

Louis CK's FX sitcom is pretty insane. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder how it got renewed for a second season. It's that insane.

Anonymous said...

Well, thanks for spoiling "World's Greatest Dad" for me.

-Shawn

dn said...

It's not a spoiler. I even knew how he died before I watched it. Oh, and it's written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. How is that for a blast from the past?

Anonymous said...

That is a blast from the past! Now I'm going to watch "Police Academy" and reminisce about simpler times.
But I won't watch "World's Greatest Dad". Because you ruined it for me.

-Shawn