Quoted from bert Some people have been starting new threads for these films as they watch them, and that is cool if you are going for a full-on review.  I prefer the bite-size batches.

I'd like to be able to write more full-length reviews but I've been simultaneously busier and lazier than usual for the past few months (didn't think this could happen but somehow it has). Anyway, I've definitely seen some films on Instant Play that I definitely should've mentioned here long ago.

Black Sabbath - For fans of anthology horror ala Creepshow and Trick 'r Treat, only not humorous or nostalgic (or rather, it is nostalgia; it came out in 1963). Anyway, three stories directed by horror legend and giallo precursor Mario Bava. Despite the date, the film looks like it came out a decade later than it actually did. The lighting and color schemes scream Argento but the beauty of it all is it's prototype-Argento. Bava did it first.

But best of all, the focus of the stories is suspense and classic Gothic atmosphere. The middle story, The Telephone, is okay but The Drop of Water and The Wurdelak are supurb. Boris Karloff puts in an excellent, emotive performance in the latter and the former might have the scariest ghost ever put onscreen. The Drop of Water is a nail-biter if ever there was one.

Solid retro horror.

Grizzly Man - This is probably the best documentary I've ever seen in my life, if only for the sake that the subject's story is outrageous. I mean I'm sure everyone's familiar with it to a certain extent but unless you've seen the film, you really have no idea. Leave it to Werner Herzog. Amazing.

Outrage - Violent, highly entertaining Yakuza gangster flick by Japanese film legend "Beat" Takeshi Kitano. I'd say this is as close to a Japanese Casino as you're going to get. Both films made me laugh and smile at just how shocking, over the top and yet how serious they are. I think Outrage is a little more tongue and cheek than Scorsese's stuff but the look of the film is so classy, you can't ever be sure. At the very least, if you're looking for interesting ways for gangsters to kill and fuck with people, Outrage should more than suit you. Can't wait for the sequel.

I very much appreciate this thread. I often end up watching what you guys recommend. Sometimes I even checkout those that are called complete waste time.  

The people that made Blackout and Finders Keepers have a film on NF too...it has 1 1/2 stars.  

Quoted from James McClung Black Sabbath....

Say, that does sound promising.

The reason this thread exists.  Thanks, James.  Will check it out over the long weekend, for sure.

And Jeff couldn't get into Tucker and Dale?  It goes over the top for a reason, following the formula.  I am surprised you've got no love for this one -- though I do agree it could have been even better.

Quoted from Grandma Bear The people that made Blackout and Finders Keepers have a film on NF too...it has 1 1/2 stars.

Didn't you tell me "Heartless" was one of theirs?

That was one of the main reasons I checked it out, and it was pretty darn good, too.

Quoted from bert Didn't you tell me "Heartless" was one of theirs? That was one of the main reasons I checked it out, and it was pretty darn good, too.

...no. Theirs is Butchered.  I tried to watch it.  

Quoted from bert And Jeff couldn't get into Tucker and Dale?  It goes over the top for a reason, following the formula.  I am surprised you've got no love for this one -- though I do agree it could have been even better.

Aye, there's the rub...the "formula".

No formulas for this kid.  Got to be different, at least in some way.

Since I was away for almost 2 weeks, I have alot of DVR'd TV to catch up on before I make my triumphant return to the Valley of the Sun, so I doubt I'll be catching any Netflix for a few weeks.

Following a nice, relaxing Memorial Day weekend, another report from the vast wasteland of Netflix streaming, alphabetically.

Black Sabbath:  This pick from James sounded good, and I concur that it is for those who can enjoy the roots of horror cinema -- and understand who James is talking about when he mentions Bava and Argento.  It is fun to see Boris Karloff doing the shtick he did best, one of the greats of his day.  "The Telephone", with its jazzy "Pink Panther-like" soundtrack, felt oddly like a horror episode of Mad Men.  But the showstopper is "Drop of Water", with its wonderful ghost.  She may not compete with CGI today, but she is a true, handmade horror masterpiece -- and audiences in the darkened theaters of the 60's must have been pooping themselves.  Even if you decide to check out for the other two stories, you owe it to yourself to watch the first story for the effects alone.

Blood River:  This is not the slasher that it looks like.  It is a vaguely religious-themed thriller with a cast of only 3.  I hated the couple, but the Cowboy who moves from cheerful to malevolent in the blink of an eye is quite good.  The film moves quite slowly, but builds good tension in its time.  Not a film for impatient viewers, nor for those who desire answers to all their questions.  A perfect middle-ground film -- not great, not bad -- but recommended for those who enjoy films that explore themes of God and the Devil and stuff like that.

Chop:  A very entertaining film!  Balt recommended this one somewhere, I think.  It is hard to make this dark kind of comedy work, but here nearly all of it works.  It starts to get a little repetitive near the end -- and the final reveal is just weird -- but those are small distractions from an otherwise strong, low-budget film.  The lead guy is great -- that is, he will grow on you -- and he can put the funniest spin on even his throwaway lines. I haven't seen him elsewhere, but think he might even have a future in the business.  A twisty, over-the-top storyline with good performances that peters out just a bit near the end.  A solid recommend, this one.

Pontypool:  I really wanted to like this one, but was underwhelmed.  It almost plays out as if it were written for the stage, with a small handful of characters trapped in a radio station, and an almost Kafkaesque sentimentality that is clearly designed to appeal to an intellectual audience.  There is a LOT of talking in this film, but for all their talking, I still only had the most general understanding of what the heck was really going on outside the radio station.  Perhaps that was by design, but it is hard to be sure.  There are a few gore effects scattered about here and there, and while I think I can appreciate what they were trying to accomplish in terms of the genre, this is not a film aimed for the zombie crowd.  I am not really sure who this film is for, actually.  Not me, anyway.  Swing and a miss.

Yellowbrickroad:  This one is tough to review, and seems to be a love-it or hate-it kind of deal for most viewers.  It had some really great ideas -- but somewhere in the running time it clearly loses its way and becomes -- well, it becomes kind of crappy.  And the thing is, it is almost impossible to tell when that actually happens.  It is hard to explain.  And then there is the ending.  The kind that makes you go to Google and type in "WTF happened?" -- only to find out the rest of the world is also pretty much WTF.  If you hate the random, ambiguous ending, avoid this film -- it is one of the worst offenders out there.  I will mention that my 15 or so minutes with Google revealed that this film has very vigorous defenders -- and I guess I can see part of their POV -- but I cannot really recommend this film.

Yep. I just watched Yellowbrickroad because it sounded like the sort of thing I would like and for the most part I liked it. Though I really wanted to "get" it, I have to admit that the end was of the WTF variety - not that there's anything inherently wrong with that.  I will go out on a limb and say that bert gave a very accurate assessment of the film.

I concur about Blood River.
It was an uncommon character piece dressed up in genre garb.

The writer/director followed it up with, Pig (2010).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637712/

I doubt that one's on the freebie list.
It's a knock down drag out dimestore gore affair.
The whole thing is filmed as a "single shot"
I think there's just a couple trick edits in the whole movie.

E.D.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer I concur about Blood River. It was an uncommon character piece dressed up in genre garb. The writer/director followed it up with, Pig (2010). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637712/ I doubt that one's on the freebie list. It's a knock down drag out dimestore gore affair. The whole thing is filmed as a "single shot" I think there's just a couple trick edits in the whole movie. E.D.

I wasn't ever impressed with Pig... people raved it up, but there wasn't anything truly there.  It was boring, drawn out and nothing too shocking really happened in direct line of the cam, save for an incident or two.

August Underground (Mordum)/ trilogy is by far the most shocking, disturbing, filth to ever be made... Ever.  I was left emotionally drained after the 1st one and, to this day, still don't know how I got the courage up to watch the other 2.  Complete trash... on every level that is pure, these movies are pissed right out of the Devil's junk into the throat of anyone bored enough to let their mind wander off in curiosity as to what they're in store for.

Has anyone seen Four Lions?
It's one of the darkest comedies I've ever seen, at first the subject matter doesn't seem ripe for comedy but somehow they pull it off. The 1st and 2nd acts are solid, but the 3rd act is one of the most satisfying I've ever watched.
IMDB synopsis quote:
"Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces, Four Lions is a comic tour de force; it shows that-while terrorism is about ideology-it can also be about idiots."
Nate

Don't remember if Antibodies has been mentioned before. I watched it last night. I thought it was really great. It's a psychological thriller, I guess. It's a German film so if you don't like subtitles...

Anyway, I highly recommend it. This is copied from Wikipedia because I suck as a reviewer.  

"In Berlin, the pederast serial killer Gabriel Engel, who later admitted to brutally killing 13 boys and painted impressive religious works of art with their blood, is accidentally taken during an overnight operation. Commissioner Seiler is charged with the interrogation of the murderer.
In the small village of Herzbach, memories of the unsolved murder of the 12-year-old Lucy are still alive and the crime is attributed to Engel. Michael Martens, a police officer from Herzbach, decides to travel to Berlin to talk with Engel. During the case, he neglected his wife and children.
In Berlin, it is assumed that there are parallels between the murders. The Berlin police are no longer able to get information from Engel. Martens tries his luck, and manages to persuade Engel to talk. However, Engel is playing a game with Martens during which reality and fiction blend more and more. Martens is soon convinced that the murderer of the girl is still at large.
Martens, a devout Catholic, slowly begins to explore his dark side and begins a brief affair with a woman from the city.
After Engel has ingested poison which he acquired through bribery, he has 48 hours to live. Finally, Engel tells Martens the story of the murder of Lucy, which he claims to have not committed, but only observed. He tries to throw suspicion on Martens' difficult 13-year-old son.
The desperate Martens then decides to kill his son, but in the meantime, Commissioner Seiler finds out that Engel has committed suicide and that Martens has been tricked by Engel as a means to kill beyond the grave. Luckily, Seiler is able to find Marten before he goes through with it and saves him and his son."

Quoted from nastynate Has anyone seen Four Lions? It's one of the darkest comedies I've ever seen, at first the subject matter doesn't seem ripe for comedy but somehow they pull it off. The 1st and 2nd acts are solid, but the 3rd act is one of the most satisfying I've ever watched. IMDB synopsis quote: "Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces, Four Lions is a comic tour de force; it shows that-while terrorism is about ideology-it can also be about idiots." Nate

Hey Nate,

I had the opposite reaction to Four Lions.
Enjoyed the first hour plus... and the third act came off the rails for me.
Guess I liked the characters more than the satirical message.
All told, still worth the time.

The writer/director also did Brass Eye for the BBC.
And the paedophilia episode is still hilarious every time I see it.

So, I hope Morris works more. NOthing new on IMDb.
One can hope!

Regards,
E.D.

Folks, I've moved this thread to the "Movie, Television and DVD Reviews" thread.  I think it makes more sense here.  

My Netflix recommendation is "Better Off Ted" a two season short lived sitcom starring Portia de Rossi (Ellen's wife).  Jonathan Slavin and Malcolm Barrett completely steal the show as lab partners in the R&D department of fictional mega conglomerate Veridian Dynamics

Don

I've only heard of him but never tried it until last night - Akira Kurosawa.

On Netflix, I tried his 1984 movie "Ran." Impressive. I know he's using Shakespeare as a template, but he adapted it well. Those 2.5 hours flies by. I can see why everyone from George Lucas to Tarantino looks up to him - the man knows how to tell a great story. I wonder if Tarantino's O-Ren-Ishii is based of Kaede in this movie.

I'm gonna try "Kagemusha" next and looking for any/all Kurosawa streaming videos on Netflix.