A (not so) Brief List of Netflix Recommendations

I am a child of the 1980s.

Fortunately, I  was alive to witness the dawn of the v/h/s player, the rise of video stores, and -even though there were some casualties- I fondly remember the betamax war.

My dad bought us our first VCR for Christmas in 1984. Shortly after the Holidays my Grandmother was asked to watch us for an evening. Our parents left us with a stack of fresh video tapes and our very first box of microwave popcorn. We tossed in a bag of corn and Nana forced us to watch it pop from across the room. The technology was new and utterly mind blowing.

I felt so lucky. Living in an era where a person could walk only a short distance to discover a world of cinema and I ended up doing just that every day after school.

What follows is an approximation of the 7 Films possibly rented with the "Open a Membership Get 7 Movies Free" at Cagney's (R.I.P.) Membership Deal.

1. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

2. Back to The Future

3. The Last Dragon
4. Police Academy

5. The Karate Kid

6. The Goonies

7. Ghostbusters

It wasn't long before I was pictured on the front cover of "Cagney's" weekly circular. Holding aloft the cover of my favorite film of the moment, "Tough Guys," (Action, USA 1986, 104 mins.) starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. 

Time came and went. "Marched," as the newsreels of yesteryear so keenly point out. A mega video store opened only a block away from "Cagney's." With incredible deals impossible to pass up, "Major Video" offered 3 movies for 3 dollars for 3 days. Unheard of. My ferocious appetite for film wouldn't allow me to let it go. I begged my dad to get a membership. I still feel guilty for making that mistake. Assisting in the demise of the little enterprise that helped create my addiction.

My hunger for movies, "Pitchahs" as my Dad calls them, had grown insatiable. I'd watch anything and always will. Developing an appreciation for the good as well as (most of) the bad. And "Major Video" -which eventually morphed into "Blockbuster"- was lousy with bad films. The old cliche "Don't Judge a Book By it's Cover" is often true for Books but what a terrific way to find a good film.

For instance, the movie "Bad Taste" (Science Fiction/Cult/Just Plain Weird, New Zealand, 1987, 91 mins.)

Can you think of a more compelling movie cover, to a ten year old, than a weird fat alien holding an A.K. 47 and giving him the finger? Because I can't.

Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong, The Frighteners) may well have just planted a homing beacon in the box and sent me a tracking device. I rented it in record time.

It was terrible. And fucking awesome. At one point the director and lead character, Peter Jackson, does a swan-dive off of a balcony holding a chainsaw, using it to carve through that weird fat alien thing, and winds up wearing the alien's body as a skin suit. I don't recommend "Bad Taste" to many people.

But when I was ten...

It's hard to describe how elated I feel whenever I make a discovery of this magnitude. Only the great explorers would understand. DJs call it "Digging Through The Crates." By the time"Blockbuster" closed down I had seen just about everything on their shelves. Much to the chagrin of anyone that accompanied me to rent a movie.

Eventually, I grew to disdain "Blockbuster." 80 copies of the same title, virtually no independent films, ridiculous rental prices. Also, I'm pretty sure, they co-produced "dummy titled" movies in an effort to trick people -who didn't know any better- into renting what they thought was an original. (People refer to them as "Mockbusters" such as "The Titanic." They got my Dad repeatedly with this trick. He never understood that when a movie was out at the theater chances are you'd have to wait for it to appear at the local video store.)

The days of the Video Store seem to be going the way of the betamax tape and a year or two ago I joined netflix. Every once in a while there are some rumblings. People have a hard time with the quality of film or feel it's overpriced. It tends to be a punchline for most but I gotta say, I really dig it.

Then again, I've always loved "digging through the crates." Sometimes it's a pain but mostly I've ended up watching things I might not have found otherwise. It's enjoyable because if something is truly bad in a not so entertaining way I can always move along and find something that is. Or something that's pretty G-D Amazing.

Which brings us to, without further adieu, a selection of some of the movies I've discovered digging through the Netflix crates.

Bones Brigaid: An Autobiography (documentary, USA 2012, 111 mins.)
 I can't tell you how crazy I was about these guys in the 80s. My Dad still refers to "that silly Animal Chin Pitchah you made me watch!" (The skating in Animal Chin is undeniable.) This documentary is immense. I particularly enjoy Rodney Mullins' contribution. What a fantastic document about a group of people who not only put skating on the map but defined it forever. And unlike some other powerful documentary detailing the "Collapse" of our society or how Bankers are stealing your lively-hood this movie doesn't leave you feeling angry. It's Inspiring. I highly recommend this one.

Fishing With John (T.V. Show/ Documentary/ Weirdness, USA 1991, 6 episodes)
In case you missed it, in the early 90s, there was an incredible tv show -which preempted many of the reality shows today- entitled "Fishing With John." The "John" in the title refers to show creator and star John Lurie. More commonly known as one of the founding members of "The Lounge Lizards" or as a character on "OZ," Lurie drags his friends to remote locations simply to fish. The second episode with Tom Waits is a must-see. (Credit goes to my brother David for recommending this one.)

The Pact (Horror, USA 2012, 89 mins)
YES! This is a small but scary Horror movie that has a good deal of surprises and has a lot going for it. I enjoy watching horror movies more than most and this one had some nice twists. Think along the lines of a lower key "Frailty." It's a mystery as well and the filmmakers did a good job making things creepy. A bit of a tingler.

KLOWN (Comedy, Denmark 2010, 89 mins.)
"Wildly Inapropriate" is probably the best description of this film. Put your mind in the framework of an even more overboard "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode. One of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. Word has it that they're remaking this with the fat guy from "East Bound and Down" I'm sure it'll be ok but this movie is where it's at. Enjoy.

Trollhunter (Found footage/ Mockumentary, Norway 2010, 90 mins.)
Where to begin? This movie is ridiculous. Fantastic and an utterly stunning portrayal of the Troll problem in Norway. It conceives a terrificly stupid premise which follows through to a delightful conclusion. Worth watching for the lead character, Hans, (Norwegian comedian Otto Jesperson) alone. His deadpan delivery is stellar. The only down side? It's definitely designed to be watched on a large movie screen and, I'm assuming -like me- you'll be watching it on a 15 inch macbook.

Punching The Clown (Comedy, USA 2009, 90 mins.)

Proof that huge budgets aren't necessary for funny movies. This is a fantastic movie with just the right touch of silliness. It's about a singer/songwriter who attempts to start a career in Hollywood only to dive neck deep into the bullshit that is the Hollywood machine. Word on the street is that Showtime is currently working on a T.V. series. Let's hope it doesn't get tied up in the same ridiculousness that the movie portrays. (Classify as: "In Development.")

13 Assassins (Action/Revenge/Violent, Japan 2011, 141 mins.)
Incredible. Gritty. One of the very best films I saw in 2011. If you're not into gore skip this one but if you don't mind a little blood then, by all means, watch this movie as soon as possible. The first half of this film builds a case against the bad guy (An awful Tyrant who is about to succeed the Shogun). The second half involves one of the best battle sequences ever filmed. Watch this one with your swords.

That's it for my selections. I don't have any time to get to the trillions of fantastic T.V. Series that now find their home on the site. It's Amazing. We don't even have to walk to a place to rent videos any more. We can watch a decent selection of whatever we want from the privacy of our own hovel.

Perhaps you'll check out one or two of the movies I've selected. I'd appreciate it and would love to hear about it. Also, feel free to tell me about some of the gems you may've found through your own digging.

Thanks for reading,
Chris

p.s. I still watch the popcorn pop from across the room.