Flicks to Stream: Wall-E, Doubt, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Each week feels stronger and stronger here at Flicks to Stream.  Last week the ass-kicking duo of Ong Bak and Demolition Man held things together, only to be upstaged by Beavis and Butthead (the best freakin’ movie duo ever).  This week could just top it though.  Why?  The only thing that can conquer ass-kicking madness — Love.

Yea, so I am a sap.  Don’t hate!  There is nothing better than love in the movies.  In fact, I would venture that love never is as good as it seems in the movies.  I suppose having a full orchestra around for first kisses in real life would level the playing field, but I just don’t see that being practical.  (And no, using your iPhone to play a classical masterpiece during a first kiss isn’t cool, it’s totally lame.  You deserve whatever you get in that situation, just a warning to everyone out there).

Are you ready for this week?  Then I’ll stop stalling, and get to the good stuff.  Movies in pure digital glory (in HD where available).

Here’s this week’s picks!

Popcorn Movie of the Week

Holy crap, Wall-E is on Netflix Instant Stream?  Yea.  I was shocked too.  You know, Wall-E never gets old.  I’ve seen it several times from beginning to end (or cover to cover as they say in the book world) without ever feeling it get stale.  That could be because it’s a love story between two robots set in the distant future when human beings have caused the earth to become inhabitable.  Apparently we have all also become dependent on high-fructose-corn-syrup (which isn’t bad for you right? It says so in those commercials.  Wait.. we were LIED TO?!!) which causes us to “lose muscle mass in space.”  Pixar pulled out the big guns on this one.  So, the elusive social commentary, excellently told love story, amazing animation, and the pleasure of knowing all robots in the future run on Apple OS, makes Wall-E one of my all time favorites.

Call me what you will, but I love this movie.  As a Cusack-ian (just go with it) I am forever apologetic for everything he does.  Yes, I know 2012 was a disaster in more ways  than one, but it wasn’t Cusack’s fault.  If you’d been underappreciated in Hollywood for years and you got the chance to be in “the next big action disaster flick”  – and Michael Bay wasn’t the director — you’d of done it too.  Beyond Cusack being charming and funny, Serendipity lets us see Kate Beckinsale in her most natural and beautiful form.  I dig the tight leather in Underworld, but it’s more a fantasy, whereas the reality of Kate is apparent here.  Really quickly, Ari is in here.  Yea, Jeremy Piven plays Cusack’s best friend.  He also delivers the best line in the movie, one that I have even quoted to friends in real life.  ”You know the Greeks didn’t write obituaries.  They only asked one question after a man died:  ’Did he have passion?’”

The One That Got Away

Sitting in an sparsely populated theater, I remember Doubt with exacting precision.  Meryl Streep does what she always does, the same goes for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams in fact.  Adams though, steals the show with her amazingly humble and frail demeanor, which is cleverly juxtaposed against Hoffman’s bravdo and Streep’s cold simmer.  The movie leaves a lot up to the audience (as all smart films do), but leaves the quality in little doubt.  Doubt is not to be missed.  Anyone who has any sort of feelings about the Catholic Church, cover-ups, honesty, sin, or well paced filmaking (I think that covers everyone) should take up a viewing of Doubt.

Here’s a movie that won’t leave you bored.  Actually several short films put together to make this full length feature about love and New York City, New York, I Love You has a certain charm about it.  The way it was put together has a style of it’s own, all of the performances are well done (yes, even Hayden Christensen isn’t… okay, he is bad, but not terrible), and each story keeps you involved from moment to moment.  Some of the stories are quite strange, or downright slow and boring, but others are heartfelt and engaging.  It’s worth it just to see all the stars making appearances, seriously, everyone is in here.

For the Movie Buff

What a movie poster, huh?  It’s amazing what Photoshop has done to movie posters, and actresses everywhere.  Remember the days when an artist had to actually draw something, and people had to hand draw cool “fonts”?  Well, this poster kinda says it all.  The movie does some talking as well.  Those of you familiar with the Coen brothers will feel right at home with Fargo.  The meticulous story telling, deliberate pacing, quaint moments of humor, and realistically dynamic action sequences are all here Coen lovers.  Anyone who has seen No Country for Old Men and liked it, but felt like it didn’t have much of an ending, should go and watch Fargo.  You get an ending, and a good one.

Look at that hair!  It’s been so long since I’ve seen this movie that I actually forgot about the hair.  Ace Ventura is a charcter that has been forgotten about nowadays.  Maybe it’s because Jim Carrey isn’t exactly at peace with his past, even though he became an accomplished actor.  He and Mark Wahlberg need to chill out about it, because Ace Ventura 1 & 2 are fantastically goofy movies.  In fact, they could be two of the best physical comedies ever, since nowadays it’s about sex, real life, or witty banter; Nature Calls is the last of its kind.  A dead language of movies, hopefully it will be revived, but until then, enjoy some Ventura.

Sweet Streams.  See You Next Week!

All movies this week are available on Netflix.

Past Weeks of Flicks to Steam

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