Live Flesh (1997)

Featuring: Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal. Director: Pedro Almodovar.

Warning: This movie is only supposed to be available for streaming until Dec. 14th. Act fast!

Some movies are inspiring because they explore the wonder and joy that true love can bring. This isn't one of those movies. This is a movie that delves into the darker aspects of love. The way that love can make you do terrible, hateful, vengeful things. This movie shows us what some of our more primitive emotions can drive us to do.

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has never shied away from exploring sex in his movies and this one certainly isn't any different. Live Flesh features a young Javier Bardem (who you may know as the creepy guy from No Country for Old Men), a complicated Francesca Neri, and a revenge-filled performance from Liberto Rabal. The story revolves around the three of them in a unique love triangle that goes deeper than just jealousy over one man taking the others lover. Bardem plays an officer, who gets shot by Rabal and Neri flip-flops between the love and guilt she feels for both of them. It gets complicated, as love and passion always does, but the story is compelling enough to keep you interested between dirty sex scenes.

If you like your passion mixed in with a little anger, you should enjoy this film.

Click here to add this to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 12/14/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? I was curious to see some other movies featuring Javier Bardem.

Is it artsy? No, but it is in Spanish, for some subtitles count as artsy.

What stood out the most to you? Penelope Cruz giving birth, and the cutting of the umbilical cord. You'll know what I'm talking about.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? In the mood to explore some of the more base emotions of life.

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

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The Constant Gardener (2005)

Featuring: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston. Director: Fernando Meirelles.

Warning: This movie is only supposed to be available for streaming until Dec. 15th. Act fast!

The Constant Gardener is one of those movies that has been stuck in my queue since I had a queue. I knew it was supposed to be good and that it features an Oscar winner (Rachel Weisz), but I only just watched it last night because it is set to expire in a few weeks.

I think it took me so long to check it out because anytime I hear a movie is supposed to be good and is set in Africa I automatically assume it is going to be f****** depressing. Mostly because good movies set in Africa always are. The last movie I remember being set in Africa that didn't make me completely sad was The Lion King and I don't really think that counts. I understand (and commend) that filmmakers that want to expose to the world all the shitty things that are going on in Africa because a lot of that is happening and needs to be talked about. But, despite their noble intentions, I think that Africa as a place has been stereotyped in movies as hell on earth. Maybe I'm not watching the right movies, but I would like to see a story set in Africa that isn't completely tragic. A little hope might help. In the worst conditions you can find some of the happiest people. Yes, I'm randomly ranting here, but it's a trend in film-making I'm growing tired of. We might have gone from portraying Africans only as savages to portraying them only as victims - but a negative stereotype still exists. Rant over, back to review.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I would like to say that this is a good little thriller filled with love, international intrigue, scandal, and the battle between loyalty to ones country and standing up for what is right. The story follows an excellent Ralph Fiennes as a stuffy British diplomat that falls in love with a fiery revolutionary (Rachel Weisz) looking to take down some pretty evil drug companies (if I hadn't already gone off on a rant I'd talk about how corporations are the bogeyman in the millennium here). He gets sucked into her conspiracy and all sorts of things start to happen. The real bright spot for me, however, was Danny Huston. He was creepy, bad and I found the scenes featuring him to be the most grabbing apart from a few intense and very sexy scenes featuring Weisz.

So yea, if you're like me and have had this in your queue forever go ahead and watch it before it expires. Yes, it is depressing at times and the plot can be a little confusing. But, it is brilliantly acted and worth the liberal guilt you'll feel afterward.

Click here to add this to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 12/15/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Rachel Weisz won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance and I just heard it was pretty good.

Is it artsy? No, it's a well made thriller.

What stood out the most to you? Weisz may have been the one winning awards but to me Danny Huston was by far the most interesting actor in the movie.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Willing to pay the price of possible depression to watch a good film.

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

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Following (1998)

Featuring: Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell. Director: Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan is an interesting director and the nice thing about interesting directors is that they can tell a good story with a minimal budget. The other thing about interesting directors that got started in the 90's is that they can't seem to tell stories in sequential order. I've always wondered why that is. Is it the Tarantino effect or do they teach you in film school that telling a narrative from beginning to end is just too mainstream?

Luckily, Mr. Nolan was, and is, a talented enough storyteller to avoid having this movie become one of those cliches and now his movies have made billions of dollars. Following is the story of a guy who well, follows people. Yes, this movie embraces the creepers of the world. What keeps this movie from becoming a voyeuristic bore is that the people he follows turn out to be even stranger than he is. Considering the low budget, this film has just enough twists and turns to be a pretty good movie. Don't expect incredible acting or many pretty shots. But the story moves well and is unique enough to carry the film. If you're a fan of Nolan, I suggest giving this one a shot.

 Click here to add this to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 11/20/13. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Christopher Nolan has made some interesting movies so I thought it'd be work checking out his early stuff.

Is it artsy? It's an indie and it's in black and white, so yes. Not overly artsy though, more a having no budget kind of artsy.

What stood out the most to you? How much an interesting story can cover up poor production values.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Just don't have a fear of being watched and you'll be fine.

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

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Madhouse (1974)

Featuring: Vincent Price, Peter Cushing. Director: Jim Clark.

The final Vincent Price film I watched this year was Madhouse. Coincidentally enough, it stars Price as a b-movie horror actor trying to make a big comeback. Where oh where did they ever come up with that premise? Anyhow, people around Mr. Price start dying the same way that people died in the "Dr. Death" movies his character starred in.

I loved the premise and thought they could have done some wonderful things with it, but the movie left me a little disappointed. If you want to see Price as an actor killing off people you should probably check out Theatre of Blood, which was filmed the year before. While it didn't live up to my expectations, there are a few creepy moments that you don't want to miss if you're a Vincent Price aficionado. The ending was particularly satisfying and so is the trailer. As you all know, I love 70's b-movie trailers more than Robert Rodriguez.

Click here to add this movie to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 5/1/13. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Can't have a Vincent Price marathon without a bunch of Vincent Price movies in your queue.

Is it artsy? Nope.

What stood out the most to you? The creepy spider lady, you'll know what I'm talking about.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Macabre.

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

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London to Brighton (2006)

Featuring:  Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome, Johnny Harris.

Director: Paul Andrew Williams

I'm not sure why but I have a particular affinity for British crime movies. I think it's got something to do with the accent that you usually associate with gentlemanly class being used for violent purposes. It might also be that there are just some pretty good British crime movies out there like Snatch and Get Carter.

London to Brighton is another good crime-thriller from our friends across the Atlantic that tells the story of a pimp, a prostitute, a crime boss and a 12 year old runaway. I'm sure that from just mentioning the players involved in the movie that you can tell some pretty awful stuff goes down. The story may be a bit cliched but the acting is all really good and the gritty, sometimes frantic style was well done and works well with the genre.

The one gripe I have with the movie doesn't have anything to do with the substance or the acting, but with a stylistic choice the director made. Does every single gritty, independent movie have to do the whole jumping around in time bit? Yea, I get that everyone loves Pulp Fiction (I do too) and that movie influenced a lot of people, but can't we just have a linear story every once in a while for this kind of movie? It's done well sometimes (and it's not like it's down horribly here) but really it's becoming a bit cliched. Aside from that personal rant, overall this is a pretty good flick and you should give it a look if you enjoy the gritty sort of crime movies the British seem to be so good at.

To add this movie to your Netflix queue click here.

According to instantwatcher.com this movie will stream on Netflix until 8/11/2011.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? I'll be honest, the cover looked cool. The plot sounded somewhat interesting as well.

Is it artsy? No, except for the whole bouncing around the timeline thing.

What stood out the most to you? How easily some people seem to be able to justify doing something horrible.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Looking for a crime thriller that will keep you interested and entertained..

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

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The Lady from Shanghai (1958)

Orson Welles has to be the most interesting character in the history of film direction. From the moment he burst onto the scene with the breathtaking masterpiece Citizen Kane, his career was surrounded by battles with studios and controversy like no other director has faced since. I admire the man so much that I will watch absolutely anything that even mentions his name.

The Lady from Shanghai is one of Welles' forays into film noir. The movie stars Welles as a brutish sailor who gets hired on by the stunning Rita Hayworth to be a deckhand on her husband's yacht. This pleasure cruise turns out to be anything but fun as the rotten character of all persons involved in this sordid love triangle comes to light. Despite being set in beautiful locations there is a sinister air that hangs over the entire movie that really gives the movie an interesting mood.

While clearly not a masterpiece on the level of Citizen Kane (but really what else is?), this in some ways flawed movie is still something every lover of film noir and Orson Welles should experience. The plot is complex but isn't difficult to follow. Welles plays his part well and the supporting cast is just the right amount of creepy. Rita Hayworth is the real star though. She is incredibly sexy in this role and really commanded my attention with her performance. If you're a fan of Welles or film noir you definitely owe it to yourself to the queue this one up.

Click here to add this movie to your Netflix queue.

According to instantwatcher.com this movie will stop streaming on 3/1/11.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Orson Welles.

Is it artsy? No.

Best thing about the movie? The cool mirror scene at the end.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Looking for a good film noir flick.

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

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Marathon Man (1976)

Laurence Olivier is brilliant in this movie as an undercover Nazi in America to retrieve his stash of diamonds. I will never ever be able to have a German dentist because of this movie. "Is it safe?" has to be one of the creepiest lines ever used in a movie and Dustin Hoffman is very convincing as a panicked and terrorized college student in way over his head. All the international intrigue adds a nice touch to this movie as well.

The movie does start off a bit slow but make sure you stick with it. Over time the film slowly builds to a fever pitch and you end up on the edge of your seat. Add this one to your queue, it's got brilliant acting, an interesting plot and just enough suspense to keep you guessing. And really, can you think of a scarier villain than a Nazi dentist?

Click here to add this to your queue.

This movie will stop streaming on 1/1/2011.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? People have told me it was a good movie, they were right.

Is it artsy? No.

Best thing about the movie? Is it safe?

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? A suspenseful one.

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

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Memento (2000)

Featuring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss. Director: Christopher Nolan.

I've been avoiding watching this movie for some strange reason. I think it's because people tell me it's a movie I'd really like. I don't like it when people tell me what I'm supposed to like, like they have me all figured out. I resent that. Plus Christopher Nolan is the "it" director right now so it seemed a little mainstream to me. But, despite all that it's still a good movie and not really what I expected. The twists and turns weren't as obvious as I thought they'd be and it wasn't as convoluted as I thought it'd be.

My favorite part of the movie (initially anyway) was the importance of facts and fact-finding to the protagonist. He has no short term memory so he has to take notes, rely only on facts and put things together off of instinct repeatedly. I sort of want to write a research paper for pleasure now. I'm such a dork. Check out the movie though it's an interesting time. I'm off to do some deductive reasoning.

Click here to add this movie to your Netflix queue. 

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Everyone has told me it was a good movie, plus the director did the last two batman movies.

Is it artsy? Not artsy, but it'll make you think things out.

Best thing about the movie? Fact-finding is fun.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Willing to pay attention.

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

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