Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks: My Extended Family Edition

Hopefully all of you out there are pulling yourselves out of your tryptophan coma and are ready to settle back onto your couch and watch some movies before dragging yourself back to work on Monday. 

My picks this week all relate to my family in some way. When my extended family gets together, chaos normally ensues. In our household, three things are always topics of conversations: politics, sports, and funny stories. So, for my picks this week, I have a political-ish documentary, a sports documentary, and a comedy. 

WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS

This film is dense and very well made. It traces the story of Jullian Assange and his mission all the way back before the idea of Wikileaks even existed. I'd like to think this would be a fun film to watch with the family, and then have a lively discussion about whether Assange is in the right or wrong. 

30 FOR 30: ROLL TIDE/WAR EAGLE 

If politics doesn't work, families can always bond over sports. College sports are notorious for rivalries that span over decades. Those are the games everyone watches, even if they don't follow either team. This 30 for 30 documents the infamous battle between Alabama and Auburn. Pick a team and let the battle begin!

BEVERLY HILLS COP

But when all else fails, laughter can cure almost any family strife. And what better film that a classic by Eddie Murphy before he started making awful films like THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH and NORBIT. Obviously, put the kids to bed before streaming this one.

Tweet

Alamo Drafthouse DFW Makes Us Look Forward to the Holidays

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema DFW

Special Programming:

Christmas Classics: Vintage and Modern

December 2013  

December wouldn’t be complete without a multitude of Christmas movies—old and new. At Alamo (100 S. Central Expressway #14, Richardson, TX 75080) this month, we celebrate Christmas movies on the big screen as they were meant to be seen—some surprising, others it just would be Christmas without. 

"You can't NOT show the Christmas classics during December, but we've all seen them a million times when they marathon us to death with them every year during this time. So we decided to re-gift a few of everyone's favorite holiday films by making them interactive! We're talking quote-alongs, sing-alongs, props to play along, themed food and more. ELF, A CHRISTMAS STORY, CHRISTMAS VACATION, HOME ALONE, BAD SANTA and LOVE ACTUALLY have all gotten the Alamo Drafthouse treatment with Action Pack. And of course we have the presents under the tree and trinkets in your stockings that you expect—everything from IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE to NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS! While we didn't want to be a Scrooge, we threw in some of the unconventional favorites—SCROOGED, DIE HARD, GREMLINS, and even a few misfit toys like AMERICAN PSYCHO and EDWARD SCISSORHANDS," said James Wallace, creative manager, Alamo DFW.

Check out the special programming after the break!

Netflix Instant: Movie & TV Picks: Catch Up Edition

There's been a great selection of movies that have come out recently that make it a great excuse to stay in for the weekend trying to catch up on the rad movies of the year. While it is true that there are some amazing movies in the theater right now, these are just as highly recommended.

CRYSTAL FAIRY

Michael Cera shot two movies simultaneously with the same director, Sebstian Silva the other one, MAGIC MAGIC, was a drama with Cera playing a creepy dude. This one is a more light hearted fare. It takes places in Chile and it follows Cera along with a woman, nicknamed the Crystal Fairy, as they trip on some crazy cactus drugs.

FRANCES HA

I hate, hate, hate the aesthetic of the movie. I also could not stand the fact that it was a needlessly black and white movie. My love of Greta Gerwig made me look past it. Despite it's very annoyingly precious and for a lack of a better word "hipster" aesthetic to the movie, it tells a great story of a young woman messing up ever so terribly in life and not being able to handle change. It ultimately became one of my favorite movies of the year.

SIDE EFFECTS

What is allegedly Steven Sodenberg's last movie is definitely a hell of a way to go out. Dealing mainly with Rooney Mara's character as she deals with the return of her husband from white collar jail, it tackles many issues about the way we deal with psychological problems. It's so well acted with the entire cast is fun has a lot of great chemistry. Rooney Mara continues to impress the hell out of me.

Tweet

THOR: THE DARK WORLD Review- Jonesy's Take

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Directed by Alan Taylor

Written by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely

 Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Kat Dennings, and Anthony Hopkins.

Synopsis: Thor must save his the universe from a dark elf looking to utilize a powerful, ancient weapon.

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Netflix is starting to get more and more awesome movies each week. Each one of my picks this week is something I either really enjoyed in the theatre or a film that I would pay on-demand prices for. But thankfully, they're streaming!

SKYFALL

Having just seen MOONRAKER for the first time this week, my appreciation for the James Bond series has grown. It's a daunting task to come into an established series and try to bring something new. Though SKYFALL isn't my favorite of the new Bond films, it's visually the most stunning and has one of the more interesting antagonists. Plus, it's hard to resist Adele's theme song. 

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

I've heard very polarizing opinions of this film. Director Nicolas Winding Refn is back with his BFF Ryan Gosling, after their success with DRIVE, with another dark and very bloody film. If anything, everything I've read say that the film is visually fantastic, but the story and violence could be a turn off.  

SOMM

As a beer connoisseur, I know that whatever knowledge I hold is nothing compared to the experts. And if I thought beer experts knew a lot, it's almost nothing compared to the wine experts that try to become a Master Sommelier. The test is usually taken three or four times by candidates before they pass. This documentary follows four candidates as they put their lives and relationships basically on hold as they study for countless hours and put themselves through grueling prep work. 

Tweet

MALEFICENT Trailer Sure Has Dark CGI Environments

It seems that Disney is bent on riding the CGI/live action fairy tale bandwagon for all it's worth. Today, thanks to the Disney Movie Trailers YouTube channel, we have the first trailer for the upcoming MALEFICENT. Incidentally, the coolest of the evil witch characters in the Disney canon. Check out the trailer below.

For Funsies: 30-FOR-30 SPACE JAM "Documentary"

SPACE JAM is a terrible. ESPN's 30-FOR-30 documentary series is not. It gets non-sportsball fans like myself actually care about the athletes and stories at the center of each entry. Today we have a clip of what would happen if 30-FOR-30 chose to cover the legendary human/cartoon animal/cartoon alien match. Thanks to the Wrap for the heads up, you can check it out after the break.

31 Days of Horror Movies Wrap Up - Top 5 Movies of October 2013

Just like last year, I was a movie nerd cliche and watched at least 31 horror movies in the month of October. For the full list of movies I saw, check out my Letterboxd profile here. I highly encourage everyone to check these picks out so I put the Netflix/Hulu links after each entry.

THE VISITOR Review - Javi's Take

THE VISITOR

Directed by: Giulio Paradisi

Written by: Giulio Paradisi, Ovidio Assonitis, Luciano Comic, and Robert Mundi

Starring: Paige Conner, Shelley Winters, Lance Henriksen, John Huston and Sam Peckinpah

Synopsis: When an evil entity manifests itself as a young girl, it's up to the Visitor to stop her from spreading evil to the world.

Netflix Instant: Movie & TV Picks - Random Edition!

This week we have a nice mix of movies from the super violent to the super nerdy. Check them out after the break!

Your Knuckles Will Bleed After Watching the RAID 2: BERANDAL Trailer!

THE RAID was one of the best movies of 2011 with a tight story set in a single building and some of the best fight scenes in recent memory. Director Gareth Evans announced that he would be making a sequel that takes place immediately after the first movie ends with a wider scope and more locations. Now, we have the Indonesian trailer premiere comes courtesy of the good folks from Twitch Film.

Check it out after the break.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Trailer Needs More Smaug

It's nearing December, and you know what that means? Another Hobbit film. These along with the Lord of the Rings series have become almost staples to the Holiday season. Last year, we overall enjoyed the first installment of the Hobbit series, even if it felt a tad long and more set up than actual story. My cohort was able to check it out in the sweet 48 fps, and based on talking to him, I will not be missing out on the 48 fps this time around.

While THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY felt like a lot of set up, THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG will be the meat of the book. It already looks more action packed and seems to have some better character development than the first film. Also, how can you not love all the scenery Cumberbatch will chew up and sit out as the voice of Smaug!?

Check out the trailer after the break.

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

Halloween has come and gone, and we hope that your Halloween night was filled with ghostly goodness, creative costumes, and plenty of candy. So, if you can pull yourself out of your sugar coma this weekend, here are some random, yet awesome, picks for you to enjoy as you recover from All Hallows' Eve.

V/H/S 2

My cohort and I were split on our review of the first V/H/S. But now, the creators are back with a second anthology and have fixed many of the problems that kept the first one from being great. As always, the found footage aspect is back again, much to my glee, and there is one particular segment that could easily be made into a full-length horror film. 

AZIZ ANSARI: BURIED ALIVE

We are huge fans of Aziz here. His stand-ups are quite hilarious and very quotable. This is his most recent show, and when we saw this live in Dallas, we were shocked at how "adult" his set ended up being. At first, it was a little jarring because he didn't bring up his normal anecdotes about R. Kelly or his cousin Harrison, but the show was still hilarious. It was nice to see a comic try (and succeed) at bringing a comedic perspective at serious topics, like marriage and having kids.

DON'T TRUST THE B IN APARTMENT 23

This poor series was never given it's full due. A typical fish-out-of-water girl ends up rooming with a tough-exterior yet kind hearted New Yorker in a modern take of an Odd Couple. It sounds predictable, but the show managed to create fun characters with solid comedic stories. Also, James Van Der Beek plays a version of "himself", and he's worth watching this series.

Tweet