Armchair Vacation: Five Films To Watch This Weekend [October 4-6]

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. Downloaded (AOL)

When thinking of iconic, groundbreaking entities from this past generation of 90s-00s youth culture, very few things have had as vital or as important an impact and influence on the world as a whole as the service known as Napster. Ushering in the age where music and other forms of media would be available to a generation of youth at the sound of your computer’s internet connecting, Napster and the subsequent revolution and fight against it has become as influential on the modern web culture as anything else, including something like “social networking.” And now, from director Alex Winter (yes, that Alex Winter), a new documentary looking at the legendary service and the court battles that followed its creation is available to stream online for free. The festival darling, streamable thanks to VH1 and AOL, is a thrilling look at the rise and fall of Napster, giving us a look into the creation of it, the controversy and ultimately the impact of the legendary service. With archival footage and  brand new interviews, this film is a dense and thrilling look at this subject, a truly superb documentary about a topic that is still being fought out throughout the web.

4. The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (Netflix)

It’s October, and that means horror films 24/7 for many cinephiles, and what better way to start the month off than with a viewing of two silent horror classics, one historically beloved and revered and one that you may not have seen. First up, the genuine, cut and dry classic, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. From director Robert Wiene, the film tells the tale of a somnambulist named Cesare and his keeper Caligari, the former of which is able to tell the future, and also happens to be introduced at the same time a series of murders start. One of the first real horror films ever made (shot in 1919), the film may sound like a dated silent thriller that is not much more than a curio in today’s world, but that couldn’t’ be less true. The film is arguably even more vital today than it has ever been, a breathlessly crafted horror picture that uses its jagged production design (from the sets to the makeup on the actors) and wonderful black and white direction to become a tactile and tangible thriller that is a truly influential masterpiece of the genre. One of the greatest and most aesthetically exciting films ever made, Caligari is the first and only place to start your horror watching this October.

3. The Cat And The Canary (Netflix)

But what you play in the second slot is very much up in the air. I would personally argue that one of the most underrated horror classics, The Cat And The Canary is a perfect continuation down the horror road following a film like Caligari. From director Paul Leni, the film is arguably the definitive “stuck in a house with a killer on the loose” picture ever made. The film follows the story of Cyrus West who, after dying, finds his will the center of a familial battle. When a handful of relatives come to his home for the reading of his will two decades after his death, Annabelle takes the fortune, only to find everyone in the mansion under attack from a mysterious figure. With a  killer name “The Cat” on the loose, the film is a genuinely thrilling horror picture that uses, to great extent, things like shadow and gradually building jump scares to truly immerse the viewer. However, what one may not notice right away is just how genuinely funny the film is. One of the first horror comedies in film history, the picture is absolutely side-splitting, while at the same time being genuinely haunting and truly unforgettable.  A forgotten masterpiece, don’t let this October go by without watching this gem of a silent chiller.

2. Three films from Joe Swanberg (Fandor)

If there is a director more prolific than Joe Swanberg, I have yet to hear about him. With his latest film, Drinking Buddies, arriving in theaters earlier this year, three of his five films from 2011 have been added to Fandor, and are all worth watching. The service now features the trio of The Zone, Silver Bullets and Art History, all of which stand out as proof that very few directors today are as comfortable in their own craft as Swanberg. I’m particularly fond of Art History, arguably one of Swanberg’s most aesthetically intriguing pictures. Claustrophobic to a level rarely seen in an oddly intimate genre known not-lovingly as “mumblecore,” the film is a gorgeous picture that is as thrillingly crafted as it is wonderfully made. Swanberg, with this film and those he’s released since his real coming out party of his five-film 2011, proving that he’s willing to truly go the extra mile to further his own style whilst keeping his voice firmly intact, has easily become one of the American indie scene’s most interesting auteurs.

1. TCM’s Friday Night Of Horror (TCM; Friday beginning at 8pm EST)

Again, it’s that time of year. For the month of October, TCM has launched their new series known as the “Friday Night Spooklight,” looking at a series of horror films from throughout the history of cinema. First up, this Friday sees special screenings of films including Carnival Of Souls, Night Of The Living Dead, Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, Bride Of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Created Woman and The Wasp Woman. While I haven’t seen the latter two, the rest of the films listed here are not only genuinely great films, but some of the best horror films ever made. With a huge selection of films lined up for the coming weeks, this is shaping up to be a nice listing of genre pictures, a collection of films that TCM ones again uses to prove that they  truly are the greatest name in classic cinema.