The Boxer (1997)

Featuring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Brian Cox. Director: Jim Sheridan.

Warning: This movie is only supposed to be available for streaming until Dec. 31st. Act fast!

For those of you that are unaware, Daniel Day-Lewis is the most intense man in the world. His stare would make Chuck Norris wet his pants. He's an insanely talented actor, and when its all said and done he'll go down as one of the greatest of all time. In The Boxer, we find Day-Lewis in one of his more understated roles. While Day-Lewis was spot on as always, the most interesting character in this movie was the political turmoil that affected every single person in the story.

I'm not Irish or anything, but I know enough about history to know that the famous luck of the Irish is actually bad luck. The Boxer is set during the period of time when peace was just around the corner in Ireland. After decades of conflict, the Irish were a hardened people that knew nothing but fighting and tragedy and you can imagine the kind of effect that would have on the psyches of Irish citizens. It made them paranoid and led to an odd sort of morality that is reflected in this film.

Against this backdrop, we have Daniel Day-Lewis portraying a former IRA fighter, fresh out of jail, looking to make a comeback in boxing after 14 years. I won't spoil the plot, but Day-Lewis ends up in the thick of things. And of course there is a girl, and it is of course complicated. Emily Watson did a wonderful job as the love interest and their unconventional relationship made for some powerful, if subtle, scenes.

I shouldn't really have to tell you to watch this movie because you should already know that every single Day-Lewis movie is required viewing here at Netflix Stream. This is yet another interesting film in one of the most interesting film careers in history.

Click here to add this to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 12/31/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Daniel Day-Lewis is an acting god.

Is it artsy? No, it's a boxing movie, but it isn't in black and white.

What stood out the most to you? The political backdrop of the story.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? For a good fight.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 4 Stars.
 

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Featuring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin. Director: Philip Kaufman. 

Warning: This movie is only supposed to stream until April 15th so act fast!

This is one sex-filled movie and not in an exploitative way. There is just a lot of sex, hot sex too. Some combination of Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin goes at it about every fifteen minutes, and this movie is nearly 3 hours long. That's a lot of whoopee.

Another cool thing about this film is that it happens to be the first time Daniel Day-Lewis starred in a leading role and he doesn't disappoint. At some point while watching this movie I realized that Day-Lewis is probably the most intense actor ever if you forget about the genius of Marlon Brando. He's just an incredible talent, and while he's gotten plenty of recognition from the Academy, I don't think he gets the credit he deserves with people that aren't in the industry.

In this film Day-Lewis plays a womanizing doctor in 60's Prague who has the uncanny ability to get any woman to take off their clothes just by staring at them and saying, simply enough, take off your clothes. Seriously, I need to work on my body language and develop an intense stare so that I can get the ladies naked so easily. Then all of a sudden Soviet tanks role in and the movie is sort of political for a while. Then it's about sex again and then it's sort of over.

The plot really sort of held this movie back in my opinion. The acting is all phenomenal, the setting is beautiful and the sex was hot and naughty. The movie seemed disjointed, the ending was disappointing and it ran longer than it needed to. That being said, the great acting and the hot sexin kept me interested enough and it's worth checking out this film just for that.

To add this movie to your Netflix queue click here.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming 4/15/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Daniel Day-Lewis is an acting God.

Is it artsy? Yes, it's too long and you're left wondering what the point is. On the bright side, that means good acting and hot sex.

What stood out the most to you? "Take off your clothes".

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Horny, and preferably watching with someone else who is horny.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 3 Stars. 

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The Bounty (1984)

First off, I need to say that The Bounty has an incredible cast. With Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Laurence Olivier and Liam Neeson it goes without saying that this movie was very well acted. This film was based on the book Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian and according to Wikipedia this is the fifth time this story was made into a movie. Sort of makes me think I should read the book.

Anyhow, this movie is about an English ship on it's way to Tahiti and once they get there and become infatuated with all the half-naked women a number of the men understandably aren't eager to leave. Captain Bligh (Hopkins) has to crack down pretty hard to get everyone back in line and Mr. Christian (Gibson) leads a mutiny and hardship ensues.

I thought this movie was good, and Hopkins especially gives an amazing performance. The plot rocks back and forth as much as the ship does and I could never quite figure out if I sympathized with the Captain or the crew until the very end. One thing I was certain of though is that I never could have made it as a sailor during the glory days of the British Empire. What a tough line of work that was. If you you like period pieces and your looking for a good movie with great acting give The Bounty a try.

Click here to add this movie to your queue.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? It had a loaded cast.

Is it artsy? No, just a good period piece.

Best thing about the movie? If you're a straight male, all the topless natives. If you're anyone else the performance by Hopkins.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? In the mood for a good adventure romp.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 4 Stars. 

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My Left Foot: Special Edition (1989)

Daniel Day-Lewis is a phenomenal actor. I've never seem him in a movie in which he was anything short of brilliant. Now that Johnny Depp is a famous pirate my award for most underrated actor belongs to Mr. Day-Lewis. My Left Foot is the story of Christy Brown, a man born with cerebral palsy in Ireland back in the day when care for the disabled was complete s***. He overcame adversity to become an author and artist of renown.

The plot is about what you'd expect it to be. Disabled kid endures a bunch of harsh stuff only to make good later in life. Inspirational and all that. While the plot doesn't have many surprises the acting my Day-Lewis is extraordinary. His performance is absolutely captivating and at times he doesn't seem like an actor... he seems like the person he is portraying. You should all definitely watch this movie if you haven't seen it already.

Click here to add this movie to your queue. 

This movie will stop streaming on 1/1/2011.
The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Daniel Day-Lewis.

Is it artsy? No, but Day-Lewis' performance could be called art and it's about an artist.

Best thing about the movie? Daniel Day Lewis' acting.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? In a mood to watch something at times sad and at other times uplifting.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 4 Stars. 

The trailer really doesn't do the movie justice but here it is anyway:

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