Armchair Vacation: Five Films To Watch This Weekend [March 14-16]

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.

1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Netflix)

While the Star Wars universe has become something of a joke following the release of the three prequel films, there is one part of this universe that has become something of a fan favorite. Described as one of this generation’s truly great animated television shows, The Clone Wars is now available to stream in its entirety on Netflix, and must be done so immediately. A wonderful expansion of this ever enthralling universe, The Clone Wars is both a beautifully crafted bit of televised animation as well as a dense and character driven bit of science fiction, proving that while the big screen Star Wars Universe may not be thriving (the pending sequel may change that) it is still very much a universe worth digging deeper and deeper into. Action packed and wonderfully acted and crafted, this is a show that is not to be missed, by new Star Wars fans or old ones alike.

1. Spider-Man (Netflix)

As we near the annual blockbuster blockade, where comic book adaptations become about as present in theaters as popcorn and soda, Netflix has gone ahead and added one of the genre’s greatest pictures. From director Sam Raimi comes Spider-Man, one of the earliest entries in this golden age of the comic book picture, and one of its best. A superb action film, and an even better telling of the web head’s origin, Raimi’s picture is oddly fitting of the Evil Dead director. Full of physical humor, some really superb gags and some genuinely thrilling action set pieces, the film is a wonderful character portrait with top notch performances and some filmmaking that has become a template for a generation. Only to be followed up by arguably the greatest comic book ever made, see where this franchise began cinematically, and just how much a director like Raimi can do for a film as genre-heavy as that of a comic book adaptation.

1. Hail The Conquering Hero (TCM; 12pm EST Sunday)

What better way to spend a weekend than by sitting down at lunch time in front of a TV and check out one of the great films from one of film’s great directors. From legendary satirist Preston Sturges comes one of the cinema’s great satires, Hail The Conquering Hero. Starring names like Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines and Raymound Walburn, the film tells the tale of a group of veterans who help a local convince his family that he was truly a war legend. With some absolutely great performances and a Sturges at the top of his satirical powers, this breathlessly hilarious comedy is both full of intriguing themese and discussions while also being a genuinely hilarious piece of cinematic comedy. Driven by Sturges’ hand, the film carries with it every stamp the director would ever become known to weild, and is one of his absolutely best motion pictures. TCM airs this masterpiece this upcoming Sunday.

1. Roger Dodger (Hulu)

A recent addition to Hulu Plus, subscribers can now watch one of the best, and least talked about, pictures from the 2000s, a little comedy from writer/director Dylan Kidd. Starring Campbell Scott and a young Jesse Eisenberg, the film is a proto-comedy/noir/drama of sorts, featuring some fantastic performances from both Eisenberg and, the show stealer here, Scott, as well as names like Isabelle Rossellini, Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Berkley. In a generation where the comedy became something far louder, more bombastic and far more juvenile, this quiet and almost brooding laugh fest is one of the aught’s greatest comedies, and one of the most underrated pictures of that rather superb decade. Kidd has yet to match this masterpiece, but with as great a picture as this one truly is, he will forever be a name and a voice to keep the keenest of eyes on.

1. Akira (Hulu)

With a recently released Blu-ray bringing this film back into the zeitgeist, Hulu has gone ahead and added one of the greatest animated films of all time to its streaming service, in the form of the legendary anime masterpiece Akira. This gorgeous and anarchic adaptation of the equally beloved manga of the same name hit the film world like a sledgehammer to the brain when it arrived in 1988, and has since become one of the most beloved animated features of all time. Telling the story of a gang member turned psionic psychopath by a secret government science project, we follow this former biker’s group of friends as they try to save him, and the world, from complete and total destruction. One of the most aesthetically singular and breathtakingly detailed animated features ever made, this is a masterpiece of the highest regard and quite possibly the greatest bit of cartooning and animation ever committed to celluloid. Action packed and intensely crafted, this picture is an unforgettable political statement and an energetic picture that deserves to be discussed as one of the genre’s greatest entries.