Have we been bad boys and girls? No? Then why is Santa taking from us instead of giving? And how can we say thanks to anything on Turkey Day, when some of our beloved Netflix titles are being vanquished from the almighty cloud? It’s not fair!
Thankfully, Santa will be coming to bring us a fresh new batch of stuff to curb our binge-watching blues, but until then, we should all pour a few shots of Uncle Frank’s get-loose-juice into the egg nog mee-maw brought over. You still have a little less than a week to catch these movies before they’re gone (enter sad face emoticon here), so kick your lazy cousin out of your favorite recliner and start TV-gazing.
The Top Seven Movies You Should Watch Now
1. Mission Impossible III
Soon to be Star Wars helmer, J.J Abrams, made one of — if not thee — best film in this series which follows the exploits of Tom Cruise’s indestructible Ethan Hunt. Philip Seymore Hoffman puts on an antagonist clinic as the smart and methodical weapons dealer looking to foil Hunt’s plans of obtaining the mystical “rabbit’s foot.”
2. The Apostle
At his age, Robert Duvall doesn’t have much left in the tank in terms of oxygen and heart rate, but if this potent tale of a man searching for redemption by manning his own church and congregation doesn’t gently tickle one of you heart strings, then it is you that should be laid to rest. World-class acting by Duvall in this riveting tale.
3. The Serpent And the Rainbow
This Wes Craven film — starring a spry Bill Pullman — is a guilty pleasure of mine. Pullman’s character ventures deep into voodoo territory to find the truth about the Haitian zombie myth, but he soon finds that the truth he wanted is much more dangerous than he can handle.
4. Event Horizon
Why this film doesn’t appear more often when people speak of the greatest horror films of all time is beyond me. Imagine a ship that goes to hell, comes back, then distorts your fears to the point that you want to gouge your eyes out. Literally. A truly horrific, atmospheric tale of terror.
5. Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder was the master of film-noir, and this gem displays all his talents: snappy, quick-witted dialogue, a seething femme fatale, and subtextual alliances all blanketed with moving shadows. This film was nominated for 7 oscars in 1945, and rightfully so.
6. The King’s Speech
It’s a film that was divisive to many, mainly due to an abundance of, well, speech, but the characterizations and arcs that take place within the confines of David Seidler’s script should be used in screenwriting classes. Also doesn’t hurt that all of the performance in the film were fantastic.
7. Chaplin
It’s not the most cohesive bio-pic ever made, but Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the slapstick, silent legend will forever be recognized as one of cinema’s all time greats. Downey didn’t win the Oscar in 1994 for the film, but many believe he should have.
Here are the rest of the films riding off into the December 1st sunset…
1941
Audrey Rose
The Believers
Better than Chocolate
Blood & Chocolate
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Choirboys
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
Coffee and Cigarettes
The Cold Light of Day
The Constant Gardener
Count Yorga, Vampire
Cry-Baby
Dirty Dancing
En la Cama
Eye for an Eye
Fairy Tale: A True Story
First Knight
Five Easy Pieces
Foreign Student
Free Men
Funny Lady
The Ghost and Mrs Muir
The Girl from Petrovka
Going Berserk
The Great Waldo Pepper
House of Voices
How to Frame a Figg
I’m Not Rappaport
Imagining Argentina
Invaders from Mars
Ishtar
Joe Gould’s Secret
Joe Kidd
Johnny Mnemonic
Killer at Large
King of the Hill
Lonely Hearts
Magic Trip
Magicians
Minnie and Moskowitz
Monkey Shines
Mr. Mom
‘night Mother
Night of the Creeps
An Officer and a Gentleman
Opal Dream
The Other Side of the Mountain
The Other Side of the Mountain, Part 2
Our City Dreams
The Paper Chase
Paradise Alley
The Parole Officer
The Pirates of Penzance
Prairie Love
The Presidio
The Promise
The Proposition
Reds
The Return of Count Yorga
RoboCop 2
School Ties
The Sci-Fi Boys
Spice World
Star Trek: Generations
Swashbuckler
The Talented Mr. Ripley
They Might Be Giants
The Untouchables
The Vampire Lovers
Walker
Year of the Horse: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Live
Young Sherlock Holmes
