Check Yourself Before You Rec Yourself : June 15th, 2020
Image from Amazon and Paramount Pictures
One of the things I am frequently asked is if I have any movie recommendations, and I’m somehow always thrown by it. Not because I don’t have any, but because I have SO many that I don’t even know where to start. Now that I have a place where I can create more long-form content, I’d like to introduce a series where I recommend movies with some regularity! There’s always content being added and taken away from streaming services and I know I’m overwhelmed by it more often than not. Time is a finite resource (although less so in these times) and I hope these recommendations can help you weed through it all and choose the things that are best suited for you. I hope that these picks will bring you enjoyment, or maybe introduce you to genres or filmmakers that are unfamiliar to you.
I’m going to be focusing more on the lesser known films that I feel passionately about it. While I love movies like Back to the Future, The Graduate, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Groundhog Day (all currently streaming on Netflix with the exception of The Graduate, which is on Hulu), they aren’t exactly unknowns, and I want to take the time to spotlight those films that need some uncovering.
I’m also focusing on the big four: HBO, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. I’m currently only an HBO Go subscriber but am switching over to HBO Max soon, so my HBO recommendations are only applicable to HBO Go and HBO Now, although if you have HBO Max, they’ll be there too.
Now that those disclaimers are out of the way, let’s get started with the first installment!
HULU
Greener Grass (2019) – If you like absurdist comedies in the vein of Idiocracy, and Monty Python. When I worked the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 as a ticket agent, the biggest perk of the job was getting to see as many movies as I wanted when I wasn’t working shifts. After seeing some underwhelming and not-as-indie as I would’ve liked films, I finally took a chance on Greener Grass, which premiered in Sundance’s Midnight section—a slate for the weirder and more horrific entries into the festival (previous Midnight section movies include The Babadook, The Blair Witch Project, and What We Do in the Shadows). It ended up being my favorite thing I saw at the festival and was in my list of top ten movies from last year. Newcomers Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe directed, wrote, and starred in this absolutely bizarre satire on the American Dream and perfectionism in suburban America. With hysterically odd jokes and a cast full of SNL alums, if you’re looking for something that breaks the mold, I couldn’t recommend this highly enough. Similar recommendations: Villains (Hulu), Sorry to Bother You (Hulu), The Art of Self Defense (Hulu)
Mom and Dad (2017) – If you like dark comedies or comedic horrors like Shaun of the Dead or The Cabin in the Woods (Hulu/Prime). Hopefully all of you that know me personally know by now that I am a huge Nicolas Cage fan. I am wearing a shirt with his face on it as I type this post. I am fascinated by him and am on a personal quest to watch every Nicolas Cage movie there is. Mom and Dad features one of his best signature “unhinged” performances in a darkly satirical horror comedy about a family of four in a suburban town that is thrown into chaos when an inexplicable virus reverses the parental instinct and causes parents to attempt to kill their children. It’s a wild, wacky, tongue-in-cheek ride that toes the line between horrifying and hilarious perfectly. It’s best to go in as blind as possible and experience the full glory of Selma Blair and Nic Cage’s performances without any preconceived notions, but, if you still need convincing, just know that there’s a scene involving a Nic Cage freak-out and a pool table. Similar recommendations: Overlord (Hulu and Prime), Ready or Not (HBO), Little Monsters (Hulu)
NETFLIX
Minority Report (2002) – If you like fast paced Sci-Fi like Blade Runner, A.I., or Total Recall. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know I’m a champion of this riveting Spielberg Sci-Fi based on a Philip K. Dick novel. In the near future where homicides are prevented due to “precogs”, extraordinary humans who can see the future, Tom Cruise plays John Anderton, a Pre-Crime agent who gets in hot water when the precogs finger him as the next future murderer. Colin Farrell and Max von Sydow (Rest in Peace) round out the cast, but Cruise is the real star. Equal parts action hero and sympathetic and complex lead, this is Cruise at the tail end of his dramatic roles before he went all in on his “Evel Knievel inspired Mission Impossible” shit. It’s a hefty 2 hours and 26 minutes, but every second is exhilarating and Spielberg’s attention to detail as a director is on full display. That guy’s really goin’ places. Similar recommendations: The Matrix (Netflix), Annihilation (Hulu and Prime), John Wick 3 (HBO)
Sleeping with Other People (2015) – If you like fun rom coms like Leap Year (Hulu) and 27 Dresses. One of my favorite themes and genres in film and TV is when women are shitty. There’s something about a woman being her unrestrained, fully dimensional self in a movie or show that is so appealing to me, which is why I love GIRLS and Bachelorette (not to be confused with Bridesmaids) so much. Sleeping with Other People is Leslye Headland’s sophomore feature, and is a follow up to Bachelorette, which is very possibly my favorite movie of all time (I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen it). Much sweeter and not nearly as caustic as Bachelorette, Sleeping with Other People follows Jake (Jason Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie), two people who lost their virginities to each other in college, as they reconnect years later in New York City after meeting at a sex addict’s anonymous meeting. Brie’s Lainey is allowed to be shitty, and although not nearly as self-centered or angry as Bachelorette’s protagonists, Headland really knows how to write a fully realized and complex woman. It’s the first time that I fully bought into Jason Sudeikis as a talented actor too. It’s full of hysterical jokes and genuine moments and features excellent cameos from some of my favorite actors like Adam Scott, Jason Mantzoukas and Adam Brody. I’m Headland’s biggest fan and thanks to the success of Russian Doll, she’s slated to direct a future Star Wars movie. Similar Recommendations: Jerry Maguire (Netflix), Obvious Child (Netflix)
The Invitation (2015) – If you like slow burn thrillers like Rosemary’s Baby or The Witch (Netflix). I discovered The Invitation on Netflix maybe a year or so after it came out. I watched it on Halloween with my mother, who is also a fan of scary movies, and it’s the perfect, creepy accompaniment to the holiday. The film follows Logan Marshall-Green (best known for Prometheus, Upgrade, and for being a Tom Hardy doppelgänger) as he attends a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife (Tammy Blanchard) and her new husband (Michiel Huisman) after their separation due to the death of their child. A tense enough premise to begin with, but Karyn Kusama, who knocked it out of the park in 2009 with the cult classic Jennifer’s Body, heightens the stakes over the course of the film. The performances are captivating and authentic, especially John Carroll Lynch’s brief appearance midway through the film. It’s difficult to maintain a balance of mounting tension and suspense while still keeping the audience engaged but Kusama toes the line flawlessly; never leaving you bored or uninterested and always feeling anxious. The cinematography is beautiful and perfectly complements the eerie tone throughout. Although I haven’t revisited this film in a while, it’s so powerful that it’s stuck in my mind. Similar Recommendations: The Lodge (Hulu), It Comes At Night (Netflix), Hold the Dark (Netflix)
AMAZON PRIME
Honey Boy (2019) – If you like coming-of-age dramas like Boyhood or Eighth Grade (Prime). I know I sound like a broken record constantly, and my friends especially are tired of hearing about it, but when I saw this at Sundance last year it was tied with Greener Grass for “best thing I saw”. I was lucky enough to get a much-coveted ticket to the premiere, and as a huge fan of Alma Har’el’s work with Sigur Rós, I was so excited for her newest collaboration with Shia LaBeouf. While not exactly an uplifting film, and difficult to watch at times, Honey Boy is the most cathartic film I’ve seen in quite some time. LaBeouf, who plays his own father in the film, wrote the beginnings of the screenplay in court-ordered therapy after he hit rock bottom in the mid 2010s and you can feel the earnestness bleeding out of every line. It’s a deeply personal film and blends the surreal with the sincere; it’s vibrant and colorful and at times, ethereal. It received a standing ovation after the credits rolled and Har’el and LaBeouf had to take a moment to compose themselves before the Q&A; the love in the room was palpable. If you’re looking for a movie that finishes with a sigh of relief, this one is for you. Similar recommendations: Lady Bird (Netflix), mid90s (Prime)
The Vast of Night (2019) – If you like understated, character-driven sci-fis like The Twilight Zone. I struggled to find modern-day comparisons to this film for some time, until I realized that there’s nothing quite like it. This premiered at Slamdance, the more independent and odd version of Sundance, when I worked in Park City in 2019 and I stood in the lobby after missing the beginning of the last screening hearing rumbles from the box office worker that director Andrew Patterson was the next big thing, even comparing him to David Lynch and Stephen Spielberg, and that there were distributors in the screening hoping snag his debut feature. Four months later I was fortunate enough to catch a screening of it at another festival I was working in New Orleans, and although my expectations were high, this film blew them out of the water. A slow burn 1950s sci-fi that harkens back to classic cinema, while also bringing something fresh. The two leads, newcomers Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, are crackling with energy and chemistry, and there’s an interesting dichotomy of fast-moving 1940s style dialogue with deliberate slow tracking shots. The two blend together to create an eerie effect that you can’t look away from. Similar recommendations: Midnight Special (HBO), War of the Worlds (HBO)
Clue (1985) – If you like ensemble black comedies or murder mysteries like Knives Out or Gosford Park. Clue has been a consistent favorite of mine since I first saw it when I was around ten years old. I found it much blacker and less comedic at the time, and my cousin and I were glued to the TV and holding each other’s hands until they hurt. Now that I’m older, I truly think it’s one of the funniest and most innovative spoofs I’ve seen. I’m constantly quoting it with friends and family and with each rewatch I appreciate it even more. It’s fast-paced and hilarious with an excellent performance from Tim Curry, with some fantastic set and costume design to boot. It’s cleverly written and has really stood the test of time with its pop culture references and characters. If you’re looking for something light-hearted and fun to watch with friends or family one night, then look no further. You’ll be in for a good old-fashioned fun time. Similar recommendations: Murder on the Orient Express (Rent), Ocean’s Eleven (Rent)
HBO
Alien (1979) – If you like slow burn horror, horror-sci fi like The Thing or The Predator, or just plain good filmmaking like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Look, I know I said I was only going to focus on more underground, under-appreciated movies. But Alien is too big to ignore. After embarrassingly watching it for the first time last year, I was every bit as impressed as I expected to be. It’s an absolutely fascinating glimpse into a future of discovery and focuses on the relatable human desire to search for something greater than us. Sigourney Weaver leads this cast full of all-time greats like John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, and Tom Skerritt in this contained and tense sci-fi horror. While not out-and-out horror, there are some truly jarring and disgusting moments, one of which is one of the most famous scenes in modern day culture and has been parodied and referenced dozens of times. It’s a beautifully shot, beautifully directed, and beautifully written metaphor, and the effects hold up even forty years later. Similar recommendations: Event Horizon (Netflix), Memory: Origins of Alien (Crackle, a documentary about Alien),
Ad Astra (2019) – If you like introspective movies like The Tree of Life (HBO). This was number two on my list last year of my favorite movies of 2019 and even now it’s remained there. It was a movie that quietly flew under the radar in September, after its release was pushed back several times. Brad Pitt stars as astronaut Roy McBride who is tasked with finding his astronaut father (Tommy Lee Jones), after he and his crew disappeared on a mission almost twenty years prior. It’s a gorgeous, slow paced, introspective movie about life outside of our planet and whether its existence even matters, it’s about father and son relationships, allowing vulnerability with other people, and finding your footing in life and love. It’s existential and includes a lot of Brad Pitt voiceover, which is normally something I’m not a fan of, but because the voiceovers act as pseudo-diary entries of his emotions and thoughts for his character, and they’re brief when they do occur, it’s far less grating than expositional voiceover. It’s thoughtful and cathartic and although it received a fair amount of negative audience reviews last year, it remains one of my favorites, and I listen to the soundtrack regularly. Similar recommendations: The Lost City of Z (Prime), Interstellar (Rent), First Man (Cinemax)
Blinded By the Light (2019) – if you like jukebox musicals like Mamma Mia, Sing Street, Once, or August Rush. Yet again, Blinded By the Light was a lovely surprise at Sundance 2019 and was just the palette cleanser I needed after watching several heavy dramas in a row. The film follows a British-Pakistani teen named Javed who becomes obsessed with Bruce Springsteen’s music, much to his parent’s chagrin. He struggles to maintain the balance of loyalty to his family and self-discovery while caught between two vastly different cultures. Based on the real-life story of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, who helped to adapt the screenplay from his own memoir, Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha helms this coming-of-age shot of pure serotonin. It’s fun and light-hearted but also addresses some serious issues of racism and familial loyalty. The screenplay is pitch-perfect, and all of the young actors are giving great performances. I laughed, I cried, and I listened to Bruce Springsteen exclusively for weeks afterwards. Similar recommendations: La La Land (HBO), School of Rock (HBO)
That’s all I have for this week. If you watch any of my recommendations, I’d love to hear what you think! I’m hoping to do this series once a month to be able to keep up with the content being added, and I hope you enjoyed this first entry.