All these are on Netflix watch instantly right now, w/ Melancholia coming soon. Â I am linking to their Netflix Page. Â Pass this around. Every single one of these movies deserves recognition. The point is… share your own, and link if you can, in the comments. Â Yes, i mean it, one person that is reading this. HI MOM.
180 Degrees South – If you have a wanderlust, or a connection to this stunning planet, our national parks, and outdoor pasttimes, you need to stop what you are doing and watch this. Â An epic story about rebooting, reconnecting to our surroundings, and to finishing adventures we have promised ourselves for years. Â Yvon Chouinard’s 1968 trip to Patagonia inspires a man to retrace the steps, learning about Patagonia, it’s achievements and threats, and what we can all do to become more connected to these landforms that we must protect, from ourselves.
Rubber – deconstructionist horror comedy. quite smart.
Melancholia – for so many reasons. If people support Polanski for raping a 13 year old, I am not going to worry about a stupid man’s jumbled remarks offhand. So I don’t have much problem watching it in lieu of the political slant of caring about the auteur who created something. If people can watch Polanski without puking, Von Trier is completely relevant. He obviously battles depression. Hell if booze and rehab is a Hollywood excuse, I am sure this guy has legit excuses in spades.
Tucker & Dave vs. Evil – a BRILLIANT deconstructionist horror plot. It’s just epic. It’s so well done, and hilarious as hell, and it has the very nice man from Firefly / Serenity who is currently an uppity dork on Suburgatory. Not that the latter show is any good.
Still Bill – a brilliant documentary about an incredibly grumpy, and brilliant, man… and if you don’t know the name Bill Withers, you will be going “*thats* who wrote that song” multiple times throughout the film.
American – The Bill Hicks Story – because he was a prophet, not a comedian. Almost all the brilliant people of our recent memory and time died younger than I am now. He was 34.
Dead Man – Jim Jarmusch’s fish out of water journey through the wild west & into the soul of a man through ancient narratives. An erudite American Indian thinks it’s really William Blake.
Croupier – a writer takes a job as a croupier, someone who manages games & chips at casino tables. It’s about being addicted to watching people lose, and not knowing when you are actually the one that is losing.
Triangle – an inventive and intriguing film in the horror genre, but mastering metaphysics and time paradoxes in a way previously unseen in film. It’s a brilliant narrative, and you will be spun on your heels, even if you know what to expect, you won’t expect it…
Portlandia – it’s not just for hipsters making fun of hipsters. It’s culturally relevant, and brilliantly done. Armisen is a chamaeleon, and the guitarist from Sleater Kinney is a national treasure. The show is really well done, with very few flat spots.
Battlestar Galactica – it’s not just sci-fi. It’s dealing with everything humans will have to deal with in the next few thousand years… religion and belief, government and society, and especially where you draw the line at human and robot. It’s a complex, wild 5 seasons that may addict you…
Senna – a documentary about a brilliant and humble, but human, man who happens to race formula one racing cars, and is from Brazil. If you don’t care about Motor Sports or Brazil…. this will have you on your feet cheering. It’s a brilliant doc.
Rivers & Tides – Andy Goldsworthy has nothing but his soul to give us. To the philosophers out there that care about art, exigence, meaning, and nature… and how it all comes together with time…. please watch immediately.
THEY LIVE – a brilliant take on sci-fi zombies, our modern world is populated with aliens who look just like us, unless you don special glasses that expose the world as it is… a  brainwashing culture of mindless consumption and consumerism to trick us into obeying and following our new overlords.  This film is a must for any fans of sci-fi, zombies, aliens, 15 minute brawls, and wonderful tongue in cheek social commentary.  Often written off, often underestimated… this still is as relevant now as it was back then.
If a Tree Falls; Story of the Earth Liberation Front – a fairly even documentary delving into the complexity and fine lines of protest, domestic terrorism, and attempting change in a country that provides absolutely no access to government or ability to effectively change law or procedure. Â Balanced, but definitely on the side of humanizing one, specific gentleman, does an effective job humanizing a completely polarizing and emotional topic that drives environmentalists and business to opposite ends of the earth. Â From critiquing economic sabotage, to the FBI’s myopic approach at defining the activists… it’s a much more interesting doc than I would have though.
Louie – Louie CK is the comedian’s comedian, and he has had the ever present arduous road to the top… because for true genius, it doesn’t happen overnight. Â He has honed a very personal craft through years of cutting self awareness, and the result is this fully controlled (written, produced, directed, edited) show that Louie has put together. Â It is dark, harsh, cynical, bitter, with a enfeebled, teeny heart of gold at the core of it. Â Louie is the everyman you can’t help but root for….. even though you know it isn’t always going to end with the typical wrap it up with smiles in 30 minutes sitcom mentality.
Mary & Max – PSHoffman was unbelievable in this. Yes, it’s a claymation. It brilliantly related the complex spectrum of the human condition. It’s not a perfect film, but damn close… still that’s the point – none of us are perfect; it’s the nuances and idiocsynchrasies that make us the humans we are. An imaginative art form with a story that covers almost every corner of familial and social experiences, the profound emotional exigences from which we draw our motivations and energy, and the simple and stunningly beautiful notion of how lucky we are to be able to pick our friends.
If you need a less cognitive response, this film made me swell with emotion at the beauty of our humanity.
If you need a response that you can laugh at me about, I cried like a lost, little baby at the end. In the most beautiful of ways, of course.