What to Watch on Netflix Instant

4/8/13 @netflix rec: ROMAN HOLIDAY. Can a movie succeed on charm alone? The answer is: Audrey Hepburn. #netflix365

— Mark Duplass (@MarkDuplass) April 9, 2013

Update: 12/28/12 – “Woody Allen.” This is a fantastic documentary, certainly a must watch for his fans, and fans of comedy and film in general. I wasn’t ever going to watch it, even though I love Woody Allen, because I thought for some reason, it would be one of those “Cheesy” documentaries with just like a general overview. But no! Thankfully, my Brother in Law, who is in town for the Holidays told me it was great, and he was right! Greatly directed, Woody Allen himself is interviewed, and it’s like he takes you into his World and his process. I was thinking Woody was so intensely private that he wouldn’t even be in it, but he is all in it, directly. It’s like an intimate look into his World, as well as being a great overview of his career and chock full of direct interviews with the Actors and Actresses that played such important rolls in his work.

11/19/12 – Finally got around to watching “Ira & Abby” last night on Netflix, and I really enjoyed it. I probably would never have considered this movie if I hadn’t seen “Friends With Kids” which I loved. I was wondering who Jennifer Westfeldt was? I loved her performance in that one, and even though this is a bit quirkier, if you’re a fan of hers, you’ll definitely enjoy it. Her personality pervades this one as thoroughly with good vibes and humor as  in “Friends With Kids.” It’s a good movie, and the performances of the parents in this movie (Robert Klein is one, you’ll recognize the others) are fantastic and funny. It works and is enjoyable.

11/5/12 – “Manhattan” by Woody Allen. Man, I love this movie. This is a must see for any movie buff, or even if you aren’t a Movie buff, and you like to read the type of short stories that are in the Paris Review and that sort of literature, I think you’ll love this. This reminds me of an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, only on film. The tone, the atmosphere, the aesthetic, put me in a blissful aesthetic “arrest.” Which is what true art does. Too bad I actually bought this film on iTunes over a year ago. But I’m delighted it’s on Netflix. It’s timeless and wonderfully refreshing.

11/2/12 – This looks interesting. Just saw it on Ebert’s Facebook: “Out of Sight” with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Based on an Elmore Leonard novel, so it should be fun. Here’s Ebert’s review.

10/9/12 – Dumb and Dumber – The Unrated Version – Just saw Ebert Facebook about this new streamer on Netflix. There’s one scene that made him laugh so hard he embarrassed himself.  Here’s a link to his comment about it if you have a Facebook account.

8/5/12 This just in from a friend on my Facebook Feed: “watching the documentary, ‘Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston.’ instant Netflix has its advantages.”

Also, I watched most of “The Way” with Martin Sheen on the treadmill. I have about 30 minutes left, which I’ll finish on my next treadmill session. But it’s fantastic. For some reason I was thinking it was a documentary about that pilgrimage. No, no, no. It’s a fictional movie, written and directed by his son, Emilio Estevez, and I love it. Very moving and terrific acting.

8/1/12 – Just saw this headline come through my Facebook feed today: The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Instant from Paste Magazine.

Thankfully, Nick and Jessica do not star in “Newlyweds,” a clever comedy about marriage by @Edward_Burns: bit.ly/Nwlyweds
— Netflix (@netflix) July 19, 2012

This is a nice little movie. Once again, I paid good money to rent it on iTunes. I like these little Burns movies. They’re not big productions, but they’re good stories and focus on the acting and the movements. They feel real, and they’re entertaining.

Update: 6/30/12 – “The Wedding Planner” with J-Lo and again Matthew McConaughey, much younger versions of both, is a cute little movie. Doesn’t take any effort, and entertaining way to spend an hour and a half, and the stars are of course charming and easy on the eyes. So is the backdrop of San Francisco. What man doesn’t dream of a 30 year old J-Lo or what woman a (Well, I’m not sure how old he was in this) McConaughey, especially as a young doctor?

https://twitter.com/Snubs/status/218907901950046209

Update 6/29/12 – Apparently “The Lincoln Lawyer” with Matthew McConaughey is now on Netflix instant. Great movie, saw it twice. (I think I rented it both times from iTunes. Dang it!)

Update 6/24/12 – Just saw Mindy Smith, the recording artist, say this on Facebook, “Just watched a great film called Cemetery Junction. It’s on the Netflix so check it out! Gotta love the Britt’s.” (I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ll put it in my Queue.

On another note, I’ve found a cure for my 30 Rock addiction: Arrested Development! I’ve watched 18 episodes in the last few days and haven’t laughed so much since, well, 30 Rock! Maybe more, because the comedy is written so densely. It’s totally different. If you like Jason Bateman in the movies, which I do, you’ll see why the offers came pouring in after he did this series.

Update 6/12/12 – Just saw Ebert tweet that “Shakespeare in Love” is just now on instant. Never saw it. Guess I should.

Update 6/11/12 –

Well, I burned myself out on “30 Rock.” As much as I love Tina Fey, I watched every episode so many times, I knew every little thing that was going to happen. So I watched the Gary Shandling movie from 2000 called “What Planet are You From” with Annette Bening. I went in not expecting too much. The reviews weren’t great, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was good. You can’t go wrong with a Mike Nichols film. If you like comedies and or Gary Shandling (And I’m a huge fan of “The Larry Sanders Show”) I think you’ll like it.

But what I’m most crazy about is “Sherlock.” I watched the first episode last night and it was crazy good! I’d seen it in the queu for weeks, but didn’t think much about it. But then I heard from two or three people online how awesome it was. So, I decided to dive in. And I wasn’t disappointed! Loved it. Netflix has the first season of 3 88 minute episodes. So they’re almost as long as a movie. Can’t wait to watch episode #2 tonight!

Drama

• The Quiet American – I got this one from Ebert also. I loved it. It’s with Michael Caine, Brendan Fraiser, and the beautiful Vietnamese actress  Do Thi Hai Yen Takes place in Vietnam in the 50’s and is about how the Vietnam War came about. It’s from an English Novel, and so of course, politically, the English protagonist is portrayed ideally, ie. England’s role in Southeast Asia was one of “love” while of course the “Quiet American” himself, Frasier, is portrayed as coldly calculating, manipulating, and coniving (at least politically. Personally, as we see in the love story within the story, he’s ‘quiet’ and charming) in his political quests of influence on behalf of America. I don’t know about the history, especially the English idealism versus the one dimensional American lack of refinement as well as soul, but it makes for a good drama. And the love story within the political story is not only well played and convincing by all three actors, but riveting in it’s parallel conflict of idealism versus pragmatism. The story builds, crescendos, and ends in a way that feels real all the more because the tensions seem to parallel the paradoxes of how real life and politics works.
• “Rumble Fish” (1983) is a Francis Ford Coppola black and white film, made in part to demonstrate the beauty of the medium. Early performances by Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Vincent Spano. Great work by Mickey Rourke. It’s streaming on Netflix Instant. Here’s my review: http://bit.ly/uny0Mi ” – Roger Ebert
• An Unmarried Woman – ‘RT @EbertChicago: “An Unmarried Woman,” my choice as the best fim of 1978, is streaming on Netfix. My review: http://bit.ly/opzkz2l ‘

Christmas/Holiday

• Disney’s A Christmas Carol (2009) – A visual stunner by Robert Zemeckis starring Jim Carrey voicing “Scrooge.”

Comedy