Friday, February 20, 2009

Netflix Watch Now Movies Worth Watching - Episode 6

It's Friday again (thank goodness!) and that means it's time for the GeekTonic "Netflix Watch Now Movies Worth Watching" feature.

NEW FEATURE:  You can now subscribe to the GeekTonic Netflix Watch Now Movie Recommendations RSS Feed

If you're looking for some inexpensive entertainment, Netflix's movie streaming service is a great place to start.  All you need is at least a one-out-at-a-time Netflix subscription and a Netflix Watch-Now Playback device or compatible browser.  Each Friday, I'll be highlighting a selection of newly added Netflix Watch-Now titles you can check out - I'll try to screen out the worst of the bunch & just leave the better quality ones or at minimum some of the "broader appeal" titles.

(Disclaimer:  Not all of these will appeal to everyone)

 

MacArthur


Gregory Peck stars in a biographical and semi-documentary look at the career of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Centering on MacArthur's World War II and Korean War experiences, the film examines his 1942 recall from the Philippines by President Franklin Roosevelt, his triumphant return to liberate that nation from the Japanese, and his often abrasive relationship with President Truman, which led to MacArthur's eventual dismissal from the army.

Penelope


Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) is cursed, and the only way out of it is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she possibly find her soul mate when she's sequestered inside her family's sprawling estate with only her parents (Catherine O'Hara and Richard E. Grant) to keep her company? Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon co-produced this unconventional fairy tale about a girl who bucks convention to make her own happy ending.

 CJ7


Dicky (Jiao Xu) yearns for the hottest new toy, a robotic dog. Instead, his poor father (Stephen Chow) presents him with a strange green ball he found in a junkyard. Turns out, the unassuming gift is actually a marooned alien endowed with unearthly powers. But is Dicky ready for the responsibility of a pet that's capable of granting his every whim? Director Chow lends his off-kilter sensibility to this fable about being careful what you wish for.

Humboldt County


After his father (Peter Bogdanovich) fails him, med student Peter Hadley (Jeremy Strong) spends a night drowning his sorrows and awakens in a tiny community on Northern California's Lost Coast, where his hosts, Jack (Brad Dourif) and Rosie (Frances Conroy), live off the grid and raise marijuana. Peter's totally out of his element in this town of counterculture horticulturists, which may be just the reality check he needs. Fairuza Balk co-stars.

A Dog of Flanders


When destitute orphan Nello (Jeremy James Kissner) adopts a dog that's been cruelly treated, the pooch becomes the boy's constant companion through many difficulties, including an unfair defeat in a local art competition. Disheartened when his best friend is forbidden to see him, Nello and his faithful pup hit the road, where they learn other life lessons en route. Kevin Brodie directs this adaptation of the classic children's story.

The Associate


When Laurel (Whoopi Goldberg) learns that her less-smart and sexist protégé, Frank (Tim Daly), is promoted, she quits to start her own company -- only to find out that the male-dominated Wall Street world can't take an African American woman seriously. And when her older, white, male business partner becomes the financial district's favored whiz, things really take a turn for the worse. Dianne Wiest co-stars in this comedy.

Airborne


When his parents leave for an extended trip, California surfing enthusiast Mitchell (Shane McDermott) goes to live with relatives in Cincinnati, where he has trouble adapting to the chilly environment -- and the cool reception he receives from his new classmates. With only his cousin (Seth Green) as a friend, Mitchell endures endless taunting. But things begin to change when he wows everyone with his rollerblading skills. Jack Black co-stars.

Monty Python's Flying Circus


From 1969-1974, the world of television was turned upside down by a troupe of British comedians with a penchant for mockery and cross-dressing. The players of Monty Python -- John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle and Terry Jones -- made their mark on pop culture with their combination of wit, ingenuity, silliness and brilliant timing. Flying Circus is a collection of some of Python's most memorable sketches.

Rory O'Shea Was Here


Although he has muscular dystrophy, Rory O'Shea (James McAvoy) refuses to surrender to the desperation of his life and instead embraces the potential in every day. When he moves into the Carrigmore Home for the Disabled and befriends the deeply bored Michael (Steven Robertson), a young man with cerebral palsy, Rory infuses his pal's life with renewed hope even as he struggles with his own demons.

 

MythBusters from Discovery Channel - One of my favorites!

Is it real or is it ridiculous? Special effects experts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are the MythBusters, and they're back to prove -- or disprove -- the urban legends that keep everyone asking, "Can that possibly be true?"

MythBusters: Collection 1

MythBusters: Collection 2

MythBusters: Collection 3

 

Extreme Engineering Collections from Discovery Channel:

You'll marvel at some of the most impressive engineering feats from around the world with this fascinating Discovery Channel series. Each episode features a major project involving moving massive amounts of earth or erecting enormous structures. Topics include widening the Panama Canal, tunneling under the Alps, building a network of immense floodgates in Venice, constructing a gigantic Danish container ship and rebuilding the Oakland Bay Bridge.

Extreme Engineering: Collection 1

Extreme Engineering: Tokyo's Sky City

Extreme Engineering: The Snohvit Arctic Gas Processing Platform

Extreme Engineering: Subways in America

Extreme Engineering: Offshore Oil Platforms

Extreme Engineering: The El Cajon Dam

Extreme Engineering: Millau Viaduct

Extreme Engineering: Gotthard Tunnel

Extreme Engineering: Holland's Barriers to the Sea

Extreme Engineering: Excavators

Extreme Engineering: Bridging the Bering Strait

Extreme Engineering: Hong Kong Cable Car

Extreme Engineering: City in a Pyramid

Extreme Engineering: Turning Torso

Extreme Engineering: Cooper River Bridge

Extreme Engineering: Transatlantic Tunnel

Extreme Engineering: Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Extreme Engineering: Dubai Ski Resort

Everest: Beyond the Limit: Season 1

 

Deadliest Catch from Discovery Channel

Robust crews of Alaskan crab fishermen battle the formidable dangers of the Bering Sea in this gripping reality series from the Discovery Channel. Though the rewards are great -- a man can earn enough money to support his family for the entire year in the eight-week season -- the challenges are brutal. The skippers and their crews face 40-foot waves, 700-pound crab pots, frigid temperatures and the constant risk of injury or death

Deadliest Catch: Season 1

Deadliest Catch: Season 2

Deadliest Catch: Season 3

 

American Chopper from Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel's concocted a winner with "American Chopper," a show featuring transplanted New Yorkers and motorcycle experts Paul Teutul Sr. and his son, Paul Jr., head of Orange County Choppers. Under pressure from massive deadlines, the two clash and confer through 13 episodes in this first season of the series. Watch them create black widow spiders, race cars and New York-inspired masterpieces out of ordinary bikes.

American Chopper: Season 1

American Chopper: Season 2

American Chopper: Season 3

 

Other New Netflix Streaming Movies for this week:

That's it for this week.  Let us know in the comments if you loved or hated any of these.

at 2/20/2009 04:36:00 AM
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