Quarantined Film Club

While many films have been pushed back to accommodate theater re-openings, with no covid vaccine in sight I'm sure glad that the powers-that-be decided to release BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC for streaming. It's way better than it ought to be. In fact, it's really good. So rent it tonight on Amazon and step into a time machine of your own: https://amzn.to/3hUY8p9

It's unfortunate that Armie Hammer is the star of two very high-budget flops that are actually good movies. If you've never seen Guy Ritchie's Big Screen adaptation of the cold war TV classic, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., you're not alone. This had such a short theatrical run, that if you left the theater for more popcorn, it might have been pulled before you made it back. And that's a shame because it's basically Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels meets James Bond. Hammer and costar Henry Cavill are perfectly counter-balanced. Like FACE/OFF without the camp. Rent or stream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QNdT5n

The Wachowski's 2008 live-action film of #SPEEDRACER is one of the most unfairly overlooked and visionary films. Much of what was groundbreaking in this film has been adapted into a slightly watered-down form for other genre series, but to see it all in one place at full strength is still an extraordinary viewing experience. Rent or Stream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hTglmT

PLANES TRAINS and AUTOMOBILES is generally considered a Thanksgiving film because of its setting, but now the frustrations of holiday travel past would be a privilege and John Candy's beautiful performance isn't something you should have to wait another two months to enjoy. Rent or stream it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3htda57

Timothée Chalamet will soon be starring in #DUNE. Many people know him from his two Greta Gerwig films (#Ladybird & #LittleWomen) or from Call Me By Your Name, but it's his raw performance in Beautiful Boy that really showcases his range. It's available for rent or stream on Amazon Prime Video: https://amzn.to/34WaFoJ

HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD is one of the great coming of age films. Centered around a 14 year old girl in 1990s Korea, writer-director Kim Bora's stunning debut is thus far a shoe-in for best foreign film at the next Oscars. Streaming now on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hrmBlw

Do you miss Saturday Morning Cartoons? Well here's a link to the Entire Collection of Max Fleischer SUPERMAN cartoonscompletely remastered! This is still considered a high water mark in animation and the stories were compelling. Trigger warning: there are WWII era stereotypes of the Japanese in a couple of episodes. Streaming on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FU2nmL

It's hard to believe that Brittany Murphy has been gone for more than a decade, and while she was spectacular in many films, her performance in 2004's LITTLE BLACK BOOK really should've garnered at least a Golden Globe nom. If you swap out the titular Blackberry for an iPhone, this film could've been made last week. It is a scathing and somewhat traumatizing dissection of media, manners, and privacy that is perhaps even more relevant today than it was 16 years ago. It packs a hard punch while maintaining a sweetness that only Murphy could pull off. If you've never seen this you are in for a real treat. Holly Hunter is Oscar-worthy. Rent or stream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YqBNrG

Ren & Stimpy was groundbreaking, controversial, offensive, popular, and ultimately cancelled. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY dives behind the story and uncovers a darkness that went unrevealed until now. Rent or stream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gt6bb0

And here's another astounding episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Close-Up on YouTube hosted by thoughtful and insightful host Stephen Galloway. This hour-and-eight-minutes actors' roundtable brings together Chadwick Boseman ('The Black Panther'), Timothée Chalamet ('Beautiful Boy'), Viggo Mortensen ('Green Book'), Mahershala Ali ('Green Book'), Hugh Jackman ('The Front Runner'), and Richard E. Grant ('Can You Ever Forgive Me?'). All are great and each represents their profession exceptionally well, but the highlight for me is Chadwick Boseman, who addresses some incredible supplemental issues that very rarely get discussed, and which are sure to benefit anyone who would pursue filmmaking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kkag-jVdt8

The producers of Harry Potter & Paddington Bear are behind this biggest-budget-yet adaptation of the beloved children's classic THE SECRET GARDEN, and this may be the perfect film for these uncertain timesit's delightful, transportive, and does the best job yet of making the Garden an actual character. Rent or stream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aSRahN

THE BOOKSELLERS is both a love letter to collecting and a history of the decline of the independent book store. Part inspiration and part cautionary tale, if you love books, you need to see this terrific documentary. Available to rent or stream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ElFyrD

The Hollywood Reporter's roundtables are the best deep dive into acting and process since Inside the Actor's Studio went away. And instead of bordering on sycophancy there is a sense of peer-reviewed celebration of craft that is a true embarrassment of riches. Try this one first: Timothy Simons ('Veep'), Sacha Baron Cohen ('Borat'), Henry Winkler ('Happy Days'), Don Cheadle ('Oceans 13), Jim Carrey ('Ace Ventura'), and Ted Danson ('Cheers'). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz0bjLk9rUo