Now Stream This: ‘Uncut Gems’, ‘The Terminator’, ‘Den Of Thieves’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘Police Story’, And More
(Welcome toNow Stream This, a column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.)
Now Streaming on Netflix
Release Date:2019Genre:135-minute panic attackDirector:Josh and Benny Safdie,Cast:Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Eric Bogosian
You might not be in the mood to watchAdam Sandlergrow more and more unhinged for over two hours right now, and that’s understandable. But if you’re the type of person who thrives on chaos (I know you’re out there), you may’t go wrong withUncut Gems. This isn’t the best of Sandler’s “dramatic” films, but it might feature his best performance as he embodies Howard Ratner, a jeweler with a serious gambling problem. After purchasing a rare black opal, Howard makes the mistake of handing it over to basketball playerKevin Garnett, an action that triggers a serious of unfortunate events in his fraying life. Manic, tense, and bleakly funny,Uncut Gemsis like an adrenaline shot mixed with a shot of grain alcohol.
For fans of:Good Time,Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, yelling.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Release Date:1984Genre:Sci-Fi ActionDirector:James CameronCast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda HamiltonTerminator 2: Judgement Dayis an action masterpiece, and deserves all the praise it’s received over the years. But we shouldn’t forget the film that started it all, 1984’s originalThe Terminator. WhileT2is wall-to-wall action, the firstTerminatoris more of a thriller – even a horror film. It’s likeHalloween, withArnold Schwarzeneggerkiller cyborg standing in for Michael Myers.James Cameron’s direction is tight and stylish without being showy, ratcheting up the tension, and keeping you on the edge of your seat. And while he would graduate to good guy roles, Arnold is genuinely intimidating as the unstoppable killing machine here.For fans of:Terminator 2,Halloween, big ’80s hair.
Release Date:1991Genre:ThrillerDirector:Martin ScorseseCast:Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Joe Don Baker, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck
Steven Spielberg had been pursuing aCape Fearremake for some time, but decided against the project. Instead, he traded it toMartin Scorsese, with Scorsese, in turn, giving Spielberg the rights toSchindler’s List. The rest is history –Schindler’s Listwould go on to be Spielberg’s triumphant Oscar moment andCape Fearwould become one of Scorsese’s biggest box office hits. It’s also one of the filmmaker’s flashiest movies – he pulls out all the stops here, creating an almost overwhelming thriller full of brutal violence, uncomfortable sexual situations, and big, booming theatrics (you can’t escape Elmer Bernstein’s pummeling adaptation of Bernard Herrmann’s original score). Ex-conRobert De Nirogets out of jail and immediately goes after his former lawyer, blaming him for his conviction. The lawyer is played byNick Nolte, and while the original film had this character as a noble, upstanding citizen, Scorsese’s adaptation turns him into a highly flawed guy still trying to win back his family after conducting an affair. Everyone is complex and damaged here, making for a far more interesting thriller, even though the final act more or less turns De Niro’s character into Freddy Krueger.
For fans of:The originalCape Fear,Fatal Attraction, Robert De Niro with a Southern accent.
Release Date:2018Genre:ActionDirector:Christian GudegastCast:Gerard Butler, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, Max HollowayDen of Thieveshas been referred to as the junk food/dirtbag version ofHeat, and with good reason: it follows almost all of the beats of Michael Mann’s heist masterpiece. But that doesn’t meanDen of Thievesisn’t enjoyable. After all, if you’re going to steal, why not steal from the best?Gerard Butlergives arguably his best performance as Detective Nicholas “Big Nick” O’Brien, a constantly hung-over cop who is prone to guzzling Pepto-Bismol and eating blood-drenched donuts left on the ground at a crime scene. Big Nick and his crew of dirty cops are all out to stop a gang of thieves from pulling their next big heist, resulting in a cops-and-robbers saga that – likeHeat– takes plenty of time to develop its characters on both sides. It’s not high-art, but it is highly entertaining.For fans of:Heat,The Usual Suspects, crime scene donuts.
Release Date:2019Genre:Horror-Comedy-MysteryDirector:Ant TimpsonCast:Elijah Wood, Stephen McHattie, Michael Smiley, Madeleine Sami, Martin Donovan
It always feels like a bit of a cop-out when I write about a movie likeCome to Daddy, and tell readers: “The less you know, the better this is.” I swear, I’m not trying to cheat or skirt around the matter at hand. But the truth of the matter is, there are some movies that play better if you go into them completely cold, andCome to Daddydefinitely qualifies. I watchedAnt Timpson’s weird blend of comedy, horror, and mystery without knowing anything about it, other than the general premise – a hipster (Elijah Wood) travels to the middle-of-nowhere to reunite with his estranged father (Stephen McHattie). To say more would spoil the game, but just know this: nearly everything inCome to Daddyis designed to surprise you. You’ll never see where this thing is going, and that makes the end result all the more enjoyable.
For fans of:Elton John.
Now Streaming on Disney+
Release Date:2009Genre:Stop-Motion ComedyDirector:Wes AndersonCast:George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Owen WilsonWes Anderson’s first foray into stop-motion animation is this utterly charming, autumn-colored comedy. Sure, you could say this is a family film, but it’s also inherently melancholy as it follows Mr. Fox (George Clooney) going through a mid-life crisis, desperate to recapture the wild days of his youth – a move that ends up putting his animal friends and family in danger of three greedy humans. Loaded with wit and truly gorgeous visuals,Fantastic Mr. Foxproves that Anderson can work his magic in many different mediums.For fans of:Rushmore,The Royal Tenenbaums, Whack-Bat.
Now Streaming on The Criterion Channel
Release Date:1985Genre:ActionDirector:Jackie ChanCast:Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Chor Yuen, Charlie Cho
If you ever wanted a great example of whyJackie Chanis such a damn legend, look no further thanPolice Story. Chan directs and stars in this pic, which has him playing a cop tasked with guarding a gangster’s girlfriend. The plot is threadbare, and that’s fine, because what really matters here are the stunts. If you know anything about Jackie Chan, you know he does his own stunts – and lordy, are there plenty of those here. Chan hangs off a speeding bus, gets in countless fights, and – in the film’s climactic sequence – smashes approximately ten thousand pieces of glass. He also slides down a string of lights like a fire pole, with each light exploding as he smashes through it. It’s jaw-dropping to watch, and oh so fun.
For fans of:Jackie Chan doing crazy shit.
Release Date:2018Genre:HorrorDirector:Jung Bum-shikCast:Wi Ha-joon, Park Ji-hyun, Oh Ah-yeon, Mun Ye-won, Park Sung-hoon, Yoo Je-yoon, Lee Seung-wookGonjiam: Haunted Asylumgets no points for originality – it pretty much has the same exact set-up asGrave Encounters– but itdoesget points for creepiness. A group of YouTube ghost hunters enters a supposedly haunted asylum for a live broadcast, and while some of the ghost hunters have been tasked with staging supernatural stuff for entertainment value, it turns out the joint reallyishaunted. The first 40 or so minutes are mostly all set-up, but onceGonjiamgets going, look out – it’ll give you the creeps.For fans of:Grave Encounters,Session 9, long, drawn-out scenes where characters wait for something terrifying to happen.
Now Streaming on Hulu
Release Date:1993Genre:ComedyDirector:Ivan ReitmanCast:Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, Ben KingsleyDavemay as well be classified as a science-fiction film at this point, because it’s set in a world where politicians actually care about people and are willing to enact much-needed change. This charming, escapist comedy fromIvan Reitmanfollows Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline), an average guy who just happens to be a dead ringer for the President of the United States, William Harrison Mitchell (also Kline). When President Mitchell has a stroke while in the middle of having sex with his mistress, the White House Chief of Staff (Frank Langella) comes up with an insane scheme to keep Mitchell’s condition from the public, and have Dave take over in his place. Yes, it’s not at all realistic, butDaveis so funny and charming that you end up buying into its absurd premise. Best of all, once in office, Dave starts to do good things for the country, something the apathetic Mitchell never bothered with. Again: not at all realistic. But it’s fun to pretend. And does Dave fall in love with the First Lady, played bySigourney Weaver? You bet your ass he does. And does she fall for him? Oh yeah.For fans of:The American President,Dick, the myth of a helpful American government.
Release Date:1996Genre:Sci-Fi ActionDirector:John CarpenterCast:Kurt Russell, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Georges Corraface, Cliff RobertsonEscape From L.A.is pretty muchJohn CarpenterremakingEscape From New York, but with more jokes. That might not appeal to everyone – hey,New Yorkis the better movie – butL.A.has its charms. Once again,Kurt Rusell’s Snake Plissken is tasked with a dangerous mission. And once again, he encounters a series of colorful characters on his way. And oh yeah, he surfs a tsunami withPeter Fonda. What’s not to love?For fans of:Escape From New York, Kurt Russell doing his thing.
