Friday, February 06, 2009

Netflix Watch Now Movies Worth Watching - Episode 4

It's the fourth week of the new, GeekTonic "Netflix Watch Now Movies Worth Watching" feature.  Now that you know how to hook your netflix streaming movies to your remote control, its time to watch some of these flicks

 

It’s Friday and you’re looking for some inexpensive entertainment right?  Well all you need is a one-out-at-a-time Netflix subscription and a Netflix Watch-Now Playback device or a compatible browser.  Each Friday, I’ll be highlighting a selection of the newly added Netflix Watch Now titles you can check out – I’ll try to screen out the worst of the bunch and just leave the better quality ones or at least some of the “broader appeal” titles.

(Disclaimer: Not all of these will appeal to everyone – I’m simply pointing some of the more popular titles ;)

 

West Side Story - Winner of 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.  One of my favorite musicals (yes I catch the occasional muscial) set among the tenements of New York City with Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer) caught in the midst of a turf war between rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets.

The Fourth Protocol - This movie based on a best-selling book by Fredrick Forsyth.  In an effort to shatter NATO alliances, Russian spy Valeri Petrofsky (Pierce Brosnan) plots to explode a nuclear bomb in Britain and blame the act on America. It's up to British agent John Preston (Michael Caine) to foil the plan, despite the skepticism of his superiors.

Parker Kane - Low ratings on this one, but it stars David Caruso, Jeff Fahey and Patti LaBelle.   It's a made-for-TV crime drama so take it for what its worth and not much more.

Heaven's Gate - This one was raked over the coals by the critics but has some big names in it including Sam Waterston, Kris Kristofferson and Christopher Walken.  The story is about some wealthy cattlemen useing brutal tactics to drive immigrant settlers off their land.  And as you can imagine, Kristofferson plays the sheriff who intervenes. 

Heaven & Earth - An Oliver Stone directed movie, Golden Globe winning score, this movie is Stone's third installment in his Vietnam trilogy.  Tommy Lee Jones stars. 

Original Gangstas - I didn't care for this one, but many like it.  The story is about gangs and a former NFL star. 

Deal of the Century - A slapstick comedy with Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and Gregory Hines.

Superbad - Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen (40-Year-Old Virgin) team up again as producer and co-star/co-writer (respectively) of this high school comedy as best buddies facing separation anxiety as they prepare to go off to college. Attempting to score alcohol for a party (believing that the babes will follow), the boys' evening quickly dissolves into chaos. Bill Hader ("Saturday Night Live") co-stars.

Serenity - Have you ever seen the Joss Whedon TV series Firefly?  This movie picks up where "Firefly" left off.  Malcolm Reynolds, captain of the transport ship Serenity, and his scrappy but loyal crew. When the ship picks up two new passengers- fugitives from the powerful coalition ruling the universe- "Mal" and his mates find themselves at the center of a cosmic conflict, pursued by military forces and space-roaming savages.  By the way, if you haven't seen the "Firefly" series yet, rent them now!

The Green Mile - An excellent movie.  This movie is an adaptation of Stephen King's supernatural tale is set on death row in a Southern prison. The cellblock's head guard, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), develops a poignant relationship with inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a gentle giant who has the power to heal people's ailments. Edgecomb soon recognizes Coffey's gift and desperately tries to help the falsely convicted man stave off his execution.  If you haven't seen this one, I highly recommend it.

The Shawshank Redemption: Special Edition - A classic movie I recommend watching.  Tim Robbins plays an upstanding banker that is framed for a double murder in the 1940s and begins a life sentence at the Shawshank prison, where he's befriended by an older inmate played by Morgan Freeman.

Presumed Innocent - Harrison Ford is a Chicago prosecutor assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a beautiful co-worker. 

 

Other New, Netflix Movies:

Airport / Airport 1975: Double Feature

Casual Sex?

Clockers

Tequila Sunrise

Mad Dog and Glory

The Skeleton Key

A Scanner Darkly

The Matrix: Reloaded

Shiver

Tango & Cash

The Great White Hype

Men Don't Leave

The Animal

 

That's it for this week.  Let me know if you hated, loved or even watched any of these.