Armchair Vacation: Five Films To Watch At Home This Weekend [July 11-13]

Every day, more and more films are added to the various streaming services out there, ranging from Netflix to YouTube, and are hitting the airwaves via movie-centric networks like TCM. Therefore, sifting through all of these pictures can be a tedious and often times confounding or difficult ordeal. But, that’s why we’re here. Every week, Joshua brings you five films to put at the top of your queue, add to your playlist, or grab off of VOD to make your weekend a little more eventful. Here is this week’s top five, in this week’s Armchair Vacation.

5. Grand Piano (Netflix)

While thrillers come around seemingly weekly, very few are quite as engaging or charmingly inventive like director Eugenio Mira’s underrated gem from earlier this year, Grand Piano. Starring Elijah Wood, the film tells the story of a legendary concert pianist, arguably the greatest in the world, who returns after a five year hiatus following a horrible performance one fateful night. However, when he discovers a message from a sniper during his return performance, he must spend the rest of his time on stage attempting to uncover the man behind the threat and stop him before his curtain is closed. Taking a note out of the Brian De Palma playbook, this sleek and brisk thriller features a rather fun lead performance from the ever willing Wood, and a campy scenery chewing performance from one John Cusack. Far from dense or intellectually stimulating, the film is a rousing bit of filmmaking that never pulls any punches and makes more than good on this cartoonish and over the top premise. Perfect Saturday night viewing with a group of friends, the film is currently available on Netflix and is without a doubt one of the best films from this year, that you likely haven’t seen if even heard of.

4. Maidentrip (Netflix)

In the same vein of forgotten 2014 gems comes one of this year’s greatest non-fiction works. The film comes from director Jillian Schlesinger and follows the story of a woman named Laura Dekker, a young woman, only 16 years of age, who attempts to become the youngest woman ever to sail around the globe. Blending footage shot by Dekker during her journey, the film is one of 2014’s most brisk and involving pieces of documentary filmmaking. Clocking in at just over 80 minutes, the film allows viewers a chance to not only look into the world of a person traveling the world, but what makes a brilliant young woman, in the middle of coming of age, tick. Gorgeously made and ever involving, this is one of the year’s liveliest documentaries and an unforgettable tale of a young woman’s evolution.

3. 24 Exposures (Netflix)

It seems as though this man, despite being as polarizing as a director could ever imagine being, can’t truly be stopped. One of two features from 2013 for director Joe Swanberg, this thriller features a cast led by Adam Windgard and Simon Barrett, and tells the story of a photographer accused of murder after a model is found dead. A decidedly more lo-fi picture than his other 2013 release, Drinking Buddies, this is an erotic thriller that oozes the same sense of lusty sexuality and violence that would make a name like the aforementioned Brian De Palma blush. Both Barrett and Wingard are solid here, and the premise, while relatively cliche, is handled well here by writer/director Swanberg. It’s arguably a minor work from the indie icon, but when a new film arrives from one of today’s most interesting and singular cinematic voices, it is one that demands a viewing. And thankfully it lives up to the hype.

2. The Deep Blue Sea (Hulu)

Speaking of important cinematic voices, the next two films come from some of the greatest filmmakers of this generation. First up, Terrence Davies’ latest film, 2011’s The Deep Blue Sea, has arrived on Netflix and it’s an absolute must watch. Starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston, this film (based on Terence Rattigan’s play) follows a wife of a British Judge who gets caught up in a love affair with a pilot, in what has become one of the great forgotten masterworks of this still-young decade. Both Weisz and Hiddleston give some of the best performances of their careers, and while it never reaches the heights of a Distant Voices, Still Lives, this is as strong and involving an outing from Davies as he’s given us. Breathlessly crafted and absolutely devastating emotionally, this is one of the great romantic dramas of our time, from one of this era’s great auteurs.

1. Faust (Netflix)

Rounding out this week’s list is the latest effort from arguably this era’s great Russian filmmaker, Alexander Sokurov. A film that took its time making the theatrical rounds only to recently arrive on home video, the picture tells the story of a scholar who gives over his soul to the devil in order to have one night with a gorgeous young woman. Based on the legendary tale, Sokurov’s film is a breathtaking piece of work, yet another masterwork under the belt of the legendary filmmaker. With fantastic performances and a sense of style all its own, Faust is a film that is not to be missed.