'80s comedies,1,★ Yaz or Yazoo,1,10 cloverfield lane,3,12 angry men,1,13th,1,1776,1,1920s movies,2,1930s movies,3,1940s movies,1,1950s movies,3,1960s movies,4,1970s movies,4,1977 movies,1,1980 movies,1,1982,1,1982 movies,2,1987 movies,1,1990 movies,1,1991 movies,1,1996 movies,1,1997 movies,3,1998 movies,1,1999 movies,3,2000s action movies,2,2000s horror movies,1,2000s movies,1,2004 movies,2,2005 movies,1,2012 movies,1,2016 horror movies,5,2016 movies,31,2016 scary movie challenge,4,2016 scary movie month,8,2016 sci fi movies,3,2017 action movies,1,2017 movies,7,24 hour festival,1,24 hours of movies,3,31,1,50s westerns,2,70s horror movies,1,80s horror movies,3,80s movies,1,80s sci fi movies,2,90s action movies,2,90s comedies,1,90s fantasy movies,1,90s horror movies,1,90s movies,8,a monster calls,2,a movie i'm thankful for,8,abel ferrara,1,action sequels,1,adam driver,1,addams family values,1,akira kurosawa,1,aladdin,1,albert pyun,1,alec baldwin,1,alex proyas,1,alfred hitchcock,3,alice goodbody,1,alien invasion movies,1,All Presidents Governors Senators Past & Present,6,all the pieces matter,1,all the president's men,1,amazon prime,1,american movie,1,american muscle,1,amy adams,1,andre ovredal,1,andrew garfield,1,animated movies,3,anna biller,1,anna kendrick,2,anne bancroft,1,anthony harvey,1,anthony perkins,1,anya taylor joy,2,apache woman,1,apocalypse now,1,arrival,3,arrow video,2,assassin's creed,2,baby driver,1,bad boys II,1,bad christmas movies,1,barack obama,1,barbara crampton,1,barry,1,barry sonnenfeld,1,beach party,1,ben affleck,4,ben foster,1,benedict cumberbatch,1,best movie moments,1,best of 2016,12,beyond the gates,3,big,1,bill moseley,1,black christmas,2,black comedies,1,black dragon,1,blade runner,1,blade runner 2049,1,blockbuster video,1,blood rage,1,blu ray reviews,8,bob clark,1,bob dylan,1,bob dylan no direction home,1,bob roberts,1,body switch movies,1,bond,2,bond movies,2,book adaptations,1,book versus movie,2,boris karloff,1,born to be blue,1,brad dourif,1,brad pitt,1,brian cox,1,brian de palma,2,bride of frankenstein,1,brown sugar,1,bryan bertino,1,bryan cranston,1,buddy cop movies,1,buddy movies,1,buster keaton,1,cameron diaz,1,cannibal women,1,captain america civil war,2,cary grant,1,casey affleck,1,central intelligence,1,charles bronson,1,charlie chaplin,2,chasing amy,1,chevy chase,1,child's play,1,chris pine,1,chris smith,1,christina ricci,1,christmas evil,1,christmas movies,4,christopher lloyd,1,chucky,1,cinema bestius,13,classic comedies,2,classic horror,2,classic movies,1,claudia jennings,1,cloud atlas,1,clu gulager,1,cocktail,1,coin heist,1,cold movies,1,comic book movies,2,comic book sequels,1,composer essentials,1,courtroom dramas,1,curse of chucky,1,damien chazelle,2,dana kimmell,1,daniel radcliffe,1,daniels,1,daphne zuniga,1,dario argento,1,dave,1,dave franco,1,david cronenberg,1,david strathairn,1,daylight,1,death race 2000,1,denis villaneuve,1,denise richards,1,diana rigg,1,dick,1,disaster movies,1,disney,1,doctor strange,1,documentaries,2,don coscarelli,1,don't breathe,2,don't think twice,1,donnie yen,2,doug asks patrick questions,1,dr. jekyll and mr. hyde,1,dr. strangelove,1,drag me to hell,1,dreamscape,1,driller killer,1,drive,1,Dubai/UAE,6,duck soup,1,duke mitchell,1,dustin hoffman,1,dwayne johnson,1,e.t.,1,edgar wright,1,elle,1,emile hirsch,1,emily blunt,1,emily hagins,1,emma roberts,1,emma stone,2,eric bogosian,1,eric england,1,ernest borgnine,1,ernest saves christmas,1,eurotrip,1,eva marie saint,1,event horizon,1,existenz,1,exotica,1,exploitation movies,3,extreme justice,1,f breast cancer,1,f this movie fest 2017,1,f this movie fest 6,1,fantastic beasts,1,fargo,1,favorite performances,1,fede alvarez,1,felicity jones,1,fences,1,film noir,1,fired up,1,fist fight,1,food movies,1,for the love of spock,1,forgetting sarah marshall,1,francis ford coppola,1,francois truffaut,1,frankenstein,1,fredric march,1,friday the 13th the final chapter,1,from noon till three,1,frozen,1,gangster movies,1,gareth edwards,1,gavin o'connor,1,gene wilder,1,george a. romero,1,george clooney,2,george lazenby,1,george lucas,1,get the girl,1,ghostbusters 2016,1,glutton for punishment,1,gods of egypt,1,good night and good luck,1,good will hunting,1,grab bag,1,grandma's boy,1,grease,1,great horror performances,2,green room,4,grindhouse,1,groucho marx,1,guiltless pleasures,2,gun crazy,1,gus van sant,1,hacksaw ridge,1,hail caesar,1,halle berry,1,halloween movies,1,hannie caulder,1,hard eight,1,harrison ford,1,harry potter,1,harvest lake,1,he got game,1,heath holland on,6,heavy action,2,heist movies,1,hell comes to frogtown,1,hell or high water,2,henry fonda,1,hidden figures,1,holiday horror movies,1,holiday movies,1,horror directors,1,horror franchises,1,hulu,5,i am not a serial killer,2,i stream you stream,12,ice cube,1,idiocracy,1,ikiru,1,into the forest,1,invasion usa,1,j.k. simmons,1,j.r.r. tolkein,1,jack reacher,1,jack reacher never go back,1,jack ryan,1,jack warden,1,jackson stewart,1,james bond,2,james franco,1,james mcavoy,1,janet leigh,1,japanese films,2,jason lee,1,jeff bridges,1,jennifer jason leigh,2,jeremy renner,1,jill ireland,1,jim jarmusch,1,joan cusack,1,jocelin donahue,1,joey lauren adams,1,john ford,1,john goodman,1,john hawkes,1,john leguizamo,1,john lithgow,1,john mctiernan,1,john wayne,1,john williams,1,judd nelson,1,jude law,1,julia roberts,1,jurassic park,1,kate mara,1,katharine hepburn,1,Keeping up with the Kardashians,1,kenji misumi,1,kevin smith,2,kids movies,1,killer pov,1,kirsten dunst,1,knightriders,1,kubo and the two strings,1,kung fu hustle,1,kung fu movies,1,kurt russell,1,la la land,10,larry cohen,3,lee j. cobb,1,leonard cohen,1,leonard nimoy,1,liam neeson,1,lifeboat,1,lion,1,live by night,1,lone wolf and cub,1,lord of the rings,1,los angeles movies,1,lost lonely and vicious,1,love & friendship,1,loving,1,luc besson,1,lucky mckee,1,luke scott,1,m. night shyamalan,2,manchester by the sea,1,margo donohue,1,mark wahlberg,1,martial arts movies,1,martin lawrence,1,martin scorsese,2,marvel,1,marvel studios,1,massacre mafia style,1,matt damon,2,may,1,mccabe and mrs. miller,1,meg ryan,1,michael bay,1,mike and dave need wedding dates,1,mike flanagan,1,mike nichols,1,minnie driver,1,moana,1,moonlight,3,morgan,1,movie marathons,1,movie music,2,movie scores,1,movie theaters,2,movies about movies,2,movies based on books,2,movies based on toys,1,movies based on tv shows,2,movies directed by musicians,1,movies starring musicians,1,music documentaries,1,music movies,1,musicals,2,my best friends wedding,1,natalie wood,1,national lampoon,1,national lampoons christmas vacation,1,natural born killers,1,neon maniacs,1,nerve,1,netflix instant,10,netflix original films,2,netflix this movie,1,night of the comet,1,night on earth,1,noah segan,1,nora ephron,1,north by northwest,1,oceans eleven,1,off the shelf,8,oj made in america,2,olive films,2,olympus has fallen,1,on her majesty's secret service,2,open thread,14,out cold,1,overrated underrated,1,paterson,1,patrick swayze,1,paul dano,1,penny marshall,1,pete's dragon,1,peter o'toole,1,peter sellers,1,phantasm,1,pierce brosnan,1,pj hogan,1,podcast,14,podcast marathon,1,political movies,2,post apocalyptic movies,1,predator,1,prison movies,1,psycho,1,pump up the volume,1,quigley down under,1,raising arizona,1,raising cain,1,random thoughts about movies,2,rape revenge movies,1,raquel welch,1,rare exports,1,raul julia,1,redboxing,2,rescuers down under,1,reserved seating,4,ridley scott,2,riske business,10,road trip movies,1,rob cohen,1,rob zombie,1,robert downey jr.,1,robin williams,1,robocop,1,roger moore,1,rogue one,1,romantic comedies,3,rules don't apply,1,rutger hauer,1,ryan gosling,4,salem's lot,1,sam raimi,2,samantha robinson,1,samurai movies,1,santa claus conquers the martians,1,saving christmas,1,sci fi movies,3,science fiction movies,3,scott derrickson,1,scream factory,1,sean connery,1,shakespeare in love,1,shannon tweed,1,sheri moon zombie,1,shock waves,1,shogun assassin,1,shudder,5,sidney lumet,1,silence,1,silent movies,2,silent night deadly night,1,sing street,2,Sire Records,1,sky high,1,slasher movies,2,snow white and the seven dwarfs,1,something weird,1,southland tales,1,spaghetti westerns,1,special effects,1,spice world,1,spider man,1,spider-man 2,1,spike lee,1,split,1,stanley kubrick,1,star trek,1,star trek beyond,1,star trek the motion picture,1,star wars,4,star wars despecialized,1,stephen chow,1,stephen king movies,1,stephen king's it,1,steven soderbergh,1,steven spielberg,1,stories we tell,1,submarine movies,1,sully,1,sun choke,1,super 8,1,superhero movies,2,sweet 16,1,swiss army man,1,sylvester stallone,1,Synth Pop,1,take two,1,tales of halloween,1,teen movies,3,teenage cocktail,1,teenage mutant ninja turtles,1,teenage mutant ninja turtles 2,1,teenage mutant ninja turtles 3,1,terminal island,1,thanksgiving,1,the accountant,1,the addams family,1,the american president,1,the autopsy of jane doe,1,the barn,1,the beach girls,1,the binness awards,1,the fate of the furious,1,the fits,1,the frontier,1,the general,1,the gold rush,1,the graduate,1,the handmaiden,1,the happening,1,the hateful eight,1,the hobbit,1,the honeymoon killers,1,the hunt for red october,1,the infiltrator,1,the initiation,1,the invitation,1,the lion in winter,1,the living daylights,1,the lobster,1,the long riders,1,the lords of salem,1,the love witch,2,the marx brothers,1,the monster,2,the monster squad,1,the neon demon,1,the new barbarians,1,the nice guys,1,the police connection,1,the princess bride,1,the purge election year,1,the rock,1,the scorpion king,1,the searchers,1,the spice girls,1,the talented mr. ripley,1,the thing,1,the tooth fairy,1,the wachowskis,1,the wailing,2,the witch,1,the wizard,1,the world is not enough,1,the wraith,1,tilda swinton,1,tim curry,1,tim robbins,1,to wong foo thanks for everything julie newmar,1,tobe hooper,1,tobey maguire,1,tokyo drifter,1,tom clancy,1,tom cruise,1,tom hanks,3,tom holland,1,tom tykwer,1,tombstone,1,tommy lee wallace,1,too late,1,train to busan,1,trainspotting 2,1,transformers,1,transformers the movie,1,truck turner,1,turbo kid,1,tv movies,2,twilight time,1,uncle nick,1,under the shadow,1,underworld blood wars,1,universal monsters,1,valerian and the city of a thousand planets,1,vampire movies,1,vera miles,1,video game movies,1,vietnam movies,1,viggo mortensen,1,vigilante movies,1,vin diesel,1,walt disney,1,walter hill,1,war movies,2,watchmen,1,Wedding Pics,1,weekend weigh in,14,wesley snipes,1,westerns,5,white christmas,1,white house down,1,white reindeer,1,why him,1,will smith,1,william shatner,1,willy wonka and the chocolate factory,1,winona ryder,1,witch movies,1,worst of 2016,1,WWII,1,xxx,1,xxx return of xander cage,1,yoga hosers,1,you've got mail,1,zoe bell,1,zoe kazan,1,zoe lund,1,zoe saldana,1,zooey deschanel,1,zootopia,1,
Most of this week's picks are good movies from 2016 you might have missed...plus a little Brown Sugar.
Joshy (2016, dir. Jeff Baena) This is a minor, heavily improvised, borderline-mumblecore comedy that I first saw as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival earlier this year. It that achieves success based on its incredible cast, which includes Thomas Middleditch, Brett Gellman, Nick Kroll, Adam Pally, Jenny Slate, Alison Brie, Lauren Graham (sort of?), Joe and Kris Swanberg and a very, very funny Alex Ross Perry. The plot, about a group of friends who get together at a rental house for a friend's bachelor weekend, is just an excuse to put these people in a room and have them hang out together. There are problems both big and small, realizations both major and minor and few real resolutions; it manages to avoid most of the cliches you would expect from a movie like this. Your mileage may vary based on your feelings about the cast, but I had a good time with it. (Watch on Hulu)
De Palma (2016, dir. Noah Baumbach, Jake Paltrow) I get why a lot of people (including our very own JB) don't think this is a particularly good documentary, since it's just Brian De Palma sitting down and talking about his work, interspersed with clips from his movies. But as someone who names De Palma among his all-time favorite filmmakers, I'm in heaven watching this movie. First, seeing the clips reminds me that I want to watch every Brian De Palma movie immediately. Second, he's not a guy who has spoken at much length about his work, so getting him to open up and be very candid about what works and what doesn't is a real opportunity for us fans. If anything, I'm bummed that the doc isn't an hour longer. Most of his later work gets overlooked and I want to her him talk about Femme Fatale. (Watch on Amazon Prime Video)
Harvest Lake (2016, dir. Scott Schirmer) I've talked about this movie a number of times over the course of the last year. It's one of my favorite horror films of 2016, but I also know it's the kind of movie that's going to leave a lot of people frustrated. A group of friends (among them Tristan Risk and Ellie Church) spend the weekend at a cabin where a mysterious force in the lake begins exerting some sort of power over them. There's nothing very visceral or immediate about it, which is what so many horror fans want out of their genre movies. Instead, this one is dreamy and deliberately paced while also being incredibly sexually charged and beautifully photographed. Between this and Plank Face -- both released this year -- director Scott Schirmer and the folks at Bandit Motion Pictures have really become filmmakers to watch. (Watch on Amazon Prime Video)
Outlaws and Angels (2016, dir. J.T. Mollner) I probably would have completely skipped this western from first time feature writer/director JT Mollner if I hadn't read a really positive review from Meredith Borders at Birth.Movies.Death. It stars Chad Michael Murray (pass) and Luke Wilson (pass) and Ben Browder of Farscape (interested) and Teri Polo (I have no feelings about this) and Francesca Eastwood, daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher, in what I believe is her first starring role. It's also shot on 35mm and really violent and impossible to predict where it's going from where it begins. Not enough movies are like that. More a chamber drama than a conventional western, this one is quirky and nasty but never dull. (Watch on Amazon Prime Video)
Truck Turner (1974, dir. Jonathan Kaplan) Two weeks ago, a new subscription streaming service was launched called Brown Sugar devoted entirely to Blaxploitation movies (thanks to Josh Pearlman [a prince] for the tip). Naturally, I signed up as fast as possible. While it doesn't yet appear to be available on any third-party platforms (Roku, Apple TV, etc.) and doesn't carry most of its movies in HD, there's a pretty deep library and a shitload of terrific movies. It's basically just this and watching old Shaw Brothers movies that have allowed to me to manage my serotonin levels post-election. I only saw Truck Turner for the first time a few years ago and it immediately became one of my favorite Blaxploitation movies ever made. Every single thing about it is great, from the sleepy lead performance (and kickass score!) from Isaac Hayes to Jonathan Kaplan's fast, funny direction to Yaphet Kotto playing a badass to a super foxy Nichelle Nichols playing a madame and clearly inspiring Katt Williams' entire persona. I love, love this movie and so far love, love Brown Sugar (Watch on Brown Sugar)
COMMENTS