Flicks to Stream: The Best of Netflix and Hulu, June 16th

iPhone4 vs. Evo4G… err, wait.  Sorry, got caught up in the internet buzz there.  However, in related news, it looks as if Netflix is going to be getting an App in the next few weeks (probably to coincide with the iPhone4 launch).  Movie fans everywhere can now watch anything Flicks to Stream recommends, anywhere they want, as much as they want (on Wi-Fi).  So what’s in store this week?

First off, it’s worth noting that Michael Jackson’s This Is It recently became available on Netflix Watch Instantly.  Rather than spend the time recommending it “officially”, This Is It is better served by merely being mentioned.  Anyone who saw it in theaters has no reason to revisit it, but for those who missed it, This Is It is a surprisingly good tribute to the late Michael Jackson.  Those who want to see “what could have been” with Michael’s come back tour should give it a view.

Not a lot came online over the last week, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of great movies out there. It Might Get Loud and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs top this week’s list of “new” movies, but don’t forget about a Norm MacDonald classic, a pre-hobbit Sean Astin, Jim Carrey’s big break, and pre-drunkenly slurring Mel Gibson — oh the glory days.

Popcorn Movie of the Week

Lethal Weapon 4

It’s amazing what time will do to a movie.  The perception of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover when Lethal Weapon 4 came out is drastically different than now.  Gibson went from a bona-fide movie star, devoid of seemingly any negative press, and Glover was considered a solid actor who was enjoying the fruits of his labor with enjoyable supporting roles.  Oh how the times change.  In fact, even Jet Li went from “a new Hollywood martial arts star” to being retired!  All of this in the span of a decade (twelve years to be exact).  Besides being a welcome flashback to times before Danny Glover made straight to DVD movies and Mel Gibson wasn’t badgering an entire culture through drunken slurs on the side of a California highway at 3 a.m. in the morning, Lethal Weapon 4 is a staright-laced action movie — perhaps the best in the series.  One-liners, how I miss you.  It’s been over ten years, go watch it again.

Dirty Work

Dirty Work isn’t fantastic.  It has some serious problems that can’t be overlooked.  That said, Dirty Work is a cult classic that hovers around apartments, or maybe basements, everywhere.  If nothing else, Dirty Work provides standard laughs with a twist.  Your usual gags are all here, but Norm MacDonald always finds a way to be… well, Norm MacDonald.  His sense of quasi-neutoic sarcasm pervades throughout, but it’s properly balanced against the movie’s over the top plot.  Norm gets to be the sane one of the group, which is a definite sign that Dirty Work will push the envelope.  One thing is for sure, Dirty Work will find a home on that Instant Queue, or like those cheap sunglasses, it won’t ever seem to go away.

The One That Got Away

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

For a quality animation movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs didn’t get the amount of acclaim that recent successes Up and Wall-E did.  Maybe because the subject matter wasn’t as emotionally captivating or politcally relevant, Cloudy With a Chance at Meatballs seemed to slip through the cracks.  Once again, the beauty of streaming online — you don’t have to miss out.  Adult audiences will be surprised with the level of sophistication the humor provides, and though the kiddos will enjoy it, Cloudy hits more for an adult than a child.  This was one of the reasons Cloudy failed to reach the same mystical level as Up, but that’s not to say it didn’t get the tone right, it’s just hard to beat Up.  Cloudy WIth a Chance of Meatballs has one huge thing going for it: everyone can enjoy it, and everyone should.

It Might Get Loud

Do you listen to U2 records in anticipation of the melodic intracacies The Edge lays down?  Do you blast Led Zeppelin records waiting for Jimmy Page’s Les Paul Custom running through a Marshall stack to knock your pants off?  Do you think the White Stripes are the second coming of a by-gone rock era that actually meant something to the world?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then It Might Get Loud is for you.  Here’s the basic idea: put three guitar legends in the room together, and let them play, man.  Regardless of the quality of the music produced, It Might Get Loud gets by on the sheer entertainment of seeing these three guys in a room together, jamming out.  Little moments when Jimmy Page asks The Edge, “Are you in C on this song?” is what It Might Get Loud does best.  It’ll make your heart smile and your ears ring.

For the Movie Buff

The Mask

What may seem like a popcorn movie is actually a must-see for movie buffs everywhere.  When The Mask originally came out in 1994, it was a campy romp featuring an up-and-coming Jim Carrey, and a relatively unkown Hollywood starlet, Cameron Diaz.  The real reason you have to watch (or re-watch) The Mask is to see how far Jim Carrey has come.  It’s not the fact that Carry was funny, it’s the type of funny he came from.  Carrey was basically a slapstick/physical comedy guru from his days on In Living Color, which is why he took roles like The Mask.  Carrey paid his dues, and he looks back on those days with fondness, which is how it should be done, right Mark Wahlberg?  (Feel it! Feel it!).  Everyone knows you were Marky Mark, we don’t hate.  We all have things in our past we’d like to forget about… look at the ’80s.  Everyone has a special can of aqua net lying around somewhere.  Embrace it Mark, embrace it.

Rudy

It could be the best sports movie of all time.  Hell, it is the best sports movie of all-time.  Why?  Because Rudy has heart.  Pre-Hobbit Sean Astin is an everyman with a dream to play football at Notre Dame.  After consistently announcing this to everyone in his family (like a crazy person), Rudy chases his dream.  He enrolls into a community college, gets his grades and life together, and makes it into Notre Dame.  Then, Rudy spends most of his time on the ground at practice, never getting to play in a real game and run though that tunnel.  Eventually, something gives, and we get to see if Rudy’s hard work will pay off, or not.  Rudy should make every man cry, because every man was once a little boy who just wanted to play baseball, or basketball, or football.  After the realization that you won’t ever be 6 ’2 and 220 lbs. sets in, men give up that dream.  Rudy lets us see what would happened if we didn’t.

Sweet Streams.  See You Next Week!

All movies this week are available on Netflix.

Past Weeks of Flicks to Steam

Week 15 – Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, It Might Get Loud, Rudy
Week 14 – Up, The Messenger, The Stepfather

Week 13 – District 9, U.S. Marshalls, Full Metal Jacket
Week 12 – Heat, Hollywood Homicide, Pan’s Labyrinth

Week 11 – Hot Shots!, The Machinist, Being John Malkovich.

Week 10 – Wall-E, Doubt, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Week 9 – A Nightmare on Elm Street, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Demolition Man

Week 8 – Dead Snow, Cliffhanger, Ong-Bak

Week 7 – Pineapple Express, Reign of Fire, The Saint

Week 6 – Julie and Julia, The Proposal, The Rookie, The Usual Suspects.

Week 5 – The Ugly Truth, Out Cold, Food, Inc.

Week 4 – Step Brothers, Management, Boondock Saints

Week 3 – Year One, Big Trouble, Raising Arizona

Article written by Lee Jaster on GotchaMovies.com. Reposted with permission.