Apollo 13: A Perfect Storm of Talent
Over the years, Netflix has settled into something of a pattern. Every couple of months, the usual suspects — the same set of predictable movies — shuffle on and then off the service. It seems strange to even note their inclusion of passing on the entertainment provider, given just how commonplace these changes have become. But between ET, The Matrix, V for Vendetta and about a dozen other movies that fall into this category, Apollo 13 deserves special recognition as it is by far the best of them.
And the strangest thing of all is that the movie’s never been a real standout in any particular way. It’s got a great cast working at the height of their fame, but none of the actors involved are especially transformative. It’s shot by a talented director with an eye for staging drama, but it’s hardly the best of his filmography (and nothing compared to the likes of A Beautiful Mind). It’s a beautiful-looking film that takes us to the Moon and back, and yet by today’s standards it’s pretty unexceptional. I guess it’s just the perfect storm of all the right pieces coming together in one project, making the film far more than the sum of its parts.
Batman: A Reminder of the Caped Crusader’s Fun Side
It’s a shame to see this one go, now more than ever. Sure, Ben Affleck might be the best live action Batman. Yeah, Heath Ledger was the best Joker. And I’m not here to argue that Mask of the Phantasm isn’t the best film based on this storied superhero franchise. Nevertheless, the first real Batman movie seems something sacrosanct: some evergreen production whose removal amounts to a kind of sacrilege.
Now, especially, with the DCEU in tatters and Warner Bros clearly without any kind of direction to take their mega-franchise in and the better half of a decade wasted on a franchise that nobody but the most bullheaded DC fan can bring themselves to actually enjoy (and, even then, seemingly only out of spite), we need this quirky little movie to remind the world of how much fun Batman used to be: before Snyder sucked all of the humanity out of the character and Warner Bros zapped all the joy out of these stories. And yes, while Gotham’s Dark Knight might have tended towards being the most serious and ostensibly “adult” of DC’s superhero lineup, he was always far and away from the grimdark edgelord that Hollywood seems intent on transforming him into.
The Prestige: A Masterclass in Filmmaking
2006 was a weird year for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that audiences were treated to two period pieces about old school magicians blurring the lines between reality and fantasy whose arcane A-list protagonists got wrapped up in a police investigation when they run afoul of the law. But for as much as I’ve always loved The Ilusionist for its minimal dressings and more subtle plotting, The Prestige is an absolute masterclass in filmmaking from one of the premiere directors of this century that is, loath as I am to admit it, its rival’s superior in virtually every way.
To say much more would risk falling into major spoiler territory. And given the film’s title and director, that would be an unfortunate direction to take this recommendation. Trust me, then, that if you haven’t seen this film yet and have a Netflix subscription that it well worth dropping whatever you’re doing to stream this one while you can. The world will still be here when you’re done, but The Prestige is fast on its way out.
The Shawshank Redemption: Silver Screen Perfection
There are a few iconic years in cinematic history that are inarguably perfect: the stars all aligning in a shining, livelong moment that makes seemingly every major release of the year seem golden. 1939 gave us The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and Stagecoach. 1967 gave us Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate and In Cold Blood. 1994 gave us Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption.
While the debates will rage on as to which of these film deserved the Best Picture Oscar from that year, of the nominees, this dramatic Stephen King adaptation seems the obvious choice to me. It’s a powerfully moving story that combines all of King’s best attributes while leaving the horrific, fantastic and convoluted stories he tends to prefer far behind him. And with frequent King director Frank Darabont at the helm, what little that underwhelmed from the novella it is based off of (including the revolving door of prison wardens and the fact that Red looks nothing at all like Morgan Freeman) was reworked into silver screen perfection.
Starry Eyes: A Rare Find in the Horror Genre
No matter which way you slice it, Netflix has a horror problem. Sure, they’ve managed to cling to first-run screamers like Hush and surprise gems like The Void for a while now, but by and large they are hemorrhaging high-end content to the point that their so-called horror section isn’t worth the time it would take to scan idly through. It is straight-up barren, and they somehow managed to find another great film to shed from its ranks.
Starry Eyes plays out like a slightly more accessible version of The Neon Demon (an art-house horror film that is revoltingly brilliant, but understandably off-putting to most audiences). This film eschews the minimal plotting and subtle characterization for something a bit more on-the-nose, but is no less enjoyable for the more gruesomely-inclined out there. If you have any interest in the genre whatsoever, this is a rare find, even among the good ones.
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