... is another man's treasure (The Netflix Post - Part 3/Finale)

Hey all,

If you thought the last five were good, wait until you here about these ones (you didn't think the last five were good? oh... awkward...).

Either way, here's numbers five to one:

5.) Archer

Sterling Archer is the world's best spy. He may also be the world's worst human being. Vain, arrogant, and completely amoral, Archer and his team of ISIS agents bounce from ridiculous crisis to ridiculous crisis, all while dealing with workplace romance, flex accounts, and the occasional mole. Archer combines the fun of a spy series with the off color humor we've come to expect from our animated comedy shows (with a cogent plot too cough Family Guy cough).

Sterling Archer is played to narcisistic perfection by H. Jon Benjamin (most famous from Adult Swim shows such as Home Movies and Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Archer also features a great ensemble supporting cast as well, including Julie Walters (as Archer's domineering drunken mother), Jeffery Tambor (as Archer's possible father), and Judy Greer (as the needy Cheryl/Carol/Crystall), all spill overs form Arrested Development; in many ways playing very similar characters too. In addition, notable comedians such as Chris Parnell (as the nerdy Cyril Figis) and Aisha Tyler (as Super Spy Lana Kane) round out the class.

Whether its the absurdity of the situations, the incredible terrible things that the characters do or say, or the generally good writing of the show, Archer keeps me coming back for more. Good thing Season 2 premieres this month!

Great for: Animated comedy lovers, off color humor, wannabe spies.

4.) Jackie Brown

I have to say, I did nto expect a Tarantino film to make its way into the top 10, much less into the top 5. Nor, did I expect it to be the very unappreciated Jackie Brown. Yet, when I finally got around to watchign it, I was amazed that no one had ever recommended it to me. Jackie Brown is a Tarantino film for people who don't particularly like Tarantino films. Sure it has classic Tarantino aspects, such as long dialogue, a great soundtrack, awkward cuts, and a strong homage to other genres of film (clearly Blaxploitation in this film), yet Jackie Brown seems to be missing the wildly stylized over the top violence, the long tirades on aspects of society, and other "louder" aspects that we expect from Tarantino.

So what exactly is Jackie Brown? Jackie Brown is a great heist movie, a good film about getting older, and a bittersweet romance. Pam Grier plays Jackie Brown, an aging flight attendant and sometimes money launderer trying to make one last score before she gets too old. Surrounding her is SAMUEL L JACKSON (sorry, his name only makes sense when you shout it) as her gun running boss, Robert DeNiro as his fresh out of prison friend, Michael Keaton as the ATF agent trying to turn Jackie on her boss, and Robert Forester as Max Cherry, a bail bondsman stuck in between everything.

What really makes this film jump from a good heist movie to a must recommend is the interplay between Pam Grier and Robert Forster, two actors both contemplating being past their prime and whether or not they can change. It is no surprise to me that Forster, an actor I had honestly never heard of before, was nominated for an Oscar for his role. He seems to convey more in his long pauses and sighs than other more famous and distinguished actors do in their long dialogues (De Niro and Jackson). The last 5 minutes of the film, although incredibly mellow, are defintiely the best of Tarantino's catalogue, and may be one of the best endings I've seen in a modern film.

Great for: Tarantino Lovers, revisionist film auteurs, Solid Gold Music

3.) Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Now don't be turned off by the title! Too late, I lost you didn't I? Of the top ten, this selection is probably the most likely to garner criticism, but I just can't help myself. It's so cheesy its good. The late Darren McGavin plays Carl Kolchak an intrepid reporter for the Chicago Branch of the Independent News Service (INS). Yet Kolchak can't help but be a magnet for trouble, specifically the supernatural type. His investigative skills continue to draw him to the macbre, much to the ire of his editor and to the local police, both who refuse to acknowledge that anything but the most obvious conclusion has occured. Time and time again, Kolchak finds himself battling the very real threats of vampires, zombies, and other horrors (all 25 years before The X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

What makes Kolchak so great is the fact that Karl Kolchak is not a monster hunter, he's just a good guy who constantly puts himself in terrible situations searching for the truth. Through the entire series, Kolchak shows no mystical knowledge, kung fu skills, or insight into the supernatural; he's just a good reporter (with the world's ugliest hat). Moreover, Kolchak doubles as a comedic Sisyphus, constantly doomed to be yelled at by his boss for pursuing figments of his imagination and being close to roughed up by the police department as he digs for clues (1970's Chicago cops are not the feel good guys they are today). Darren McGavin plays a great main character, tricking his way into evidence rooms and constantly wheeling and dealing for information (I imagine someone might pitch the show as "Fletch meets Supernatural". There's a brilliance to the way McGavin delivers his "Who me?" looks when he gets caught snooping or his dark monologues to open the episodes that you just don't see anymore, for that reason above all else it ranks at #3.

Great for: Sci-fi Junkies, mystery lovers, people who like the dad from "A Christmas Story"

2.) Street Fight

Street Fight is a great film about a young community activist and politician (Corey Booker) struggling to win the Democratic Primary against the entrenched, corrupt, and powerful incumbent mayor (Sharpe James). As the campaign becomes more and more bloody, threats are made, allegations of corruption rear their ugly head, and ultimately the election comes to a head. What makes Street Fight so compelling is that unlike the other films on this list, its a documentary. As in, it actually happened.

Street Fight captures the essence of true gritty politics in the 2002 Newark Mayoral election. Booker battles slander, corruption, and all the dark underbelly of politics to try to get the people of Newark to abandon 16 year incumbent Mayor Sharpe James. James, despite being a real elected politician, plays the part of villian to perfection, putting on a campaign of fear, racism, and dirty politics. At its heart, Street Fight is a stirring documentary about the best and worst politics can bring, personified by an upright citizen going door to door to get votes and the man in powere that he's trying to beat.

Great for: True story lovers, political junkies, Mr. Smith types

1.) Brick

An independent film, Brick is without a doubt the best film I've seen in the last six years. It would probably be the best film I've ever seen in the last 20 years, except for the fact that it only came out in 2006. People often ask me what is my "favorite" film. I often tell them that such a question is demonstrably unfair. After all, how do you compare Caddyshack and The Maltese Falcon? Frankly, they are on different planes of existence, like asking "What's better - snow or electricity? They are both awesome for different reasons and are not comparable. What I can tell you is that Brick occupies that special rank of "watch thisw if you want insight into me, everyone should see this, take it with me on a desert island, top of all Netflix movies I've watched, no new film has beat it yet, BEST" film I have seen in a long long long time. (and thats not hyperbole)

So what's it about? Go watch it!





Ok.. It would be really unfair to hype that much and not give you a review:

Brick is a hard boiled detective story, that takes place in a suburban high school. Taking the best of film noir and giving it a simple but elegant twist, Brick follows Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as he uncovers what has happened to his ex-girlfriend, and while doing so uncoving a dark world of drugs, deception, and murder.
What's great about Brick is that it is not a homage to the film noir genre, its the genuine article. The dialogue is fast paced, filled with nuance, and delivered to perfection. The cinematography really brings the film to a new level, somehow creating a dark underworld, while still filling the screen with yellows and whites (the operative word being "bleak").
Gordon-Levitt (before he struck it big with "500 Days of Summer"... Shannon!) plays the hard nosed detective navigating dangerous waters to perfection and really deserves recognition. Personally, I believe this was the film that really brought him from "the kid on 3rd Rock from the sun" to legitimate actor.
Lastly, Brick is a film that really is hard to compare to other films and anytime I find myself saying that, I know I have something good on my hands. If you have to watch one film off this list, make it Brick.

Great for: Dennis, people who like Dennis' recommendations, and Shannon (because she totally has a crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt and we all know it)

Hope you enjoyed the reviews as much as I did writing them. Next post won't have anything to do with movies. I promise... maybe.

Have you seen any of these? Any recommendations of your own?