As much as I want to be recommending new releases, 2016 has been pretty uneventful so far. January is never exciting. How can I see Kung Fu Panda 3 when I haven't seen the second one?! The Coen Brothers' Hail Caesar! was fine, but not at all the movie it was promised to be... while also simultaneously being everything else instead?... The marketing campaign for Deadpool annoyed the absolute hell out of me, so I don't care if it's some sort of "worldwide phenomena"... I'm not going!!* No foreign films are generating much buzz. It's a wasteland out there.
The only thing keeping me going is that Robert Eggers' The Witch will finally be released this weekend!
Because of all this (and because I'm struggling to figure out what to post this week...), I decided to recommend my ten personal favorite films currently streaming on Netflix! I decided to exclude films I've previously recommended on this blog. Please watch!................. sorry most of them are super depressing/disturbing okay anyways enjoy....
* I'll obviously see it eventually because I'm a follower at heart :)
Enter the Void (2009, dir. Gaspar Noé)
Gaspar Noé is a freak! Like... literally. All his films (I've seen all but one) are filled with so much dread and devastating images and completely broken characters and.... okay, I can just feel myself loosing everyone, but hear me out... Is this film an easy experience? Absolutely not. The film follows the soul of a murdered drug dealer for two and half hours, and he visits his past and observes the present and pretty much everything he experiences is negative (yikes... I feel sad just typing this.) But, Enter the Void is definitely like nothing you've ever seen before. Well... maybe you have seen similar stuff now since both Kanye West and A$AP Rocky (and I'm sure others I'm just not aware of) have copied it's aesthetics for their music videos... Just trust, no one does it like Noé... It's a genuine experience. You may regret it, but you'll never forget it.
Fish Tank (2009, dir. Andrea Arnold)
Easily one of the best coming of age films of the past decade, Fish Tank follows Mia, a tough and foul-mouthed 15-year-old who is training to be a professional break dancer, until her mother's new boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) moves in and changes everything. Mia is played so authentically by Katie Jarvis, who was actually street-casted after people overheard her having a heated argument with her real-life boyfriend at the time. Not only is this film gorgeous, but it features a certain type of girl who is rarely taken seriously in pop culture and makes her story feel universal.
Frances Ha (2013, dir. Noah Baumbach)
"I'm so embarrassed. I'm not a real person yet." I wondered whether or not to include this since I feel like it's generated a fairly solid fanbase over the past few years, but it's one of my favorite films of all-time, so I need to give it the "official" stamp of approval. I don't think I've ever related more to a movie character than I have to Greta Gerwig's Frances. She has big dreams, but recognizes (and desperately tries to reject) her limitations. She's a true individual, but desperately desires companionship. She's stubborn, silly, terrified, and undeniably amazing. The ending is one of the happiest of any film I've ever seen (YEA!! FINALLY A HAPPY MOVIE!!!). It's perfect.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014, dir. Ana Lily Amirpour)
It's always exciting to watch a movie and genuinely feel like you've discovered someone. That was my experience when I saw this film a couple years ago. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a vampire romance (no, not that one) that's also a legitimate art horror film. Ana Lily Amirpour immediately became a hot commodity after this and she's currently finishing up a cannibal western film starring Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, Jim Carrey, Suki Waterhouse, Giovanni Ribisi, and Diego Luna!!!! It's a stunning debut, and you definitely need to start here because Amirpour will eventually take over the entire world and you should be prepared.
The House of Yes (1997, dir. Mark Waters)
Remember the 90s when national treasure Parker Posey was the queen of bizarre cult comedies and the world was a better place because of it??? This one is certainly a dark comedy (who's ready for some insanity and incest?!), but it is hilarious nonetheless. Mark Waters went on to direct possibly the most iconic comedy of the 2000s, Mean Girls, but The House of Yes is him at his best. Parker Posey seriously should have received awards attention for this. I'm not kidding. She's amazing!
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012, dir. Don Hertzfeldt)
I've mentioned Hertzfeldt's newest short World of Tomorrow in pretty much every single post I've made, but his true masterpiece (well, they both are) is It's Such a Beautiful Day, a feature comprised of three different shorts (Everything Will Be OK, I Am So Proud of You, and It's Such a Beautiful Day). It literally stars a stick-figure named Bill and yet it's one of the most emotional films ever made. I've seen it a few times and legit sob every goddamn time! It's best to experience this knowing as little as possible. It's surprising. It's beautiful. It's everything.
Lady Vengeance (2005, dir. Park Chan-wook)
It's technically the conclusion of Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance" trilogy, but you do not at all need to see the other two films to completely fall in love with this one! Oldboy may have more fans (and the American remake), but Lady Vengeance is certainly the most electrifying. It's bloody and satisfying and Lee Young-ae delivers one of the best female performances of the new millennium.
Laurence Anyways (2012, dir. Xavier Dolan)
Xavier Dolan is easily one of the most exciting directors working today and every cinephile seriously needs to know about him. This French Canadian 26-year-old has already directed five really great features, and two more are already on their way! Laurence Anyways may be his best so far. It's a love story spanning ten years, chronicling Laurence, a trans woman, during her transition. It's undeniably romantic and occasionally sad, and the beauty of Dolan's direction and ambition is certainly worthy of your attention!
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005, dir. Miranda July)
I can't really think of another voice quite like Miranda July's. She's an artist, writer, director, actress, and overall genuinely cool person. Her directorial debut focuses on several different people, varying in age, and explores how these characters communicate and connect with one another, in both completely average and devilishly twisted ways. The ending is so effortlessly and shockingly poignant. I'm not even sure how to explain it. It just is what it is.
The Warriors (1979, dir. Walter Hill)
A bunch of fictional and crazed gangs throughout New York City all have one enemy in sight: The Warriors... That's literally the whole movie and it's cult action perfection! It really gets under your skin in gloriously campy ways and has just enough surprises to keep it memorable. I'm thinking I may need to rewatch this one again soon...
Previously Recommended (or Mentioned): About Elly, Girlhood (2014), Queen of Earth, Tangerine, Weekend, and World of Tomorrow
More: Bernie, Citizen Ruth, Heavenly Creatures, In the Bedroom, Jesus Camp, Let the Right One In, Melancholia, Oslo, August 31st, and Prince Avalanche
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