CriterionCast

Armchair Vacation: Five Films To Watch At Home This Weekend [September 5-7]

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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. Within Our Gates (TCM; Sunday, Midnight EST)

To many, the name Oscar Micheaux results in completely blank stares when mentioned. As familiar to most as any of his fellow silent-era filmmakers, Micheaux is best known for being the pioneering African-American filmmaker who has since become one of the most important and influential minority filmmakers in all of film history. TCM will be airing one of his most interesting films this Sunday as their Silent Sunday pick, that being 1920’s Within Our Gates. Telling the story of a black schoolteacher who heads north on the hunt for monetary support for an all black school, the film is a breathtaking piece of melodrama that looks at multiple levels of perceived racism. Gorgeously made and relatively hard to find on home video, the film is an absolute cultural touchstone that, coming opposite Birth Of A Nation which released just five years earlier, proves to be a deeply resonant piece of cultural and sociological filmmaking. Also, this is a nearly complete print that was discovered in Spain, with only a single sequence missing. A must watch for any cinephile this weekend.


4. Blue Ruin (Netflix)

One of two 2014 releases on this list, this fantastic thriller is one of the years most tense and powerful genre pictures, and is available to stream this second thanks to Netflix. From director Jeremy Saulnier, this breathless and white knuckle thriller is a slow burn, telling the story of a man named Dwight Evans who is on the hunt for some sweet, ice cold revenge. This is a sparse piece of filmmaking, a revenge tale that is as involving as it is isolating. Intimately shot and unflinching in its portrayal of violence, the film also has a distinctly bleak sense of humor, turning the picture into not only a tense thriller, but a pitch black dark comedy. Methodically paced and often times dead silent, the film is as distinct a genre picture as we’ve seen in ages, a film from a director with a voice all his own. Saulnier is a director to keep the keenest of eyes on, and with this film now available to stream on Netflix, it’s time to get on the bandwagon early. This is one not to be missed.


3. Dead Silence (Netflix)

James Wan is the best genre director alive. There, I said it. With films like Insidious and The Conjuring turning the Saw director into a full blown Euro-horror influenced auteur, the first time we truly saw the director spread his wings was with this underrated and oddly maligned bit of genre cinema. Telling the story of a man who has his life forever changed after the appearance of a mysterious ventriloquist doll on his doorstep, Wan’s unsung gem is currently available on Netflix. Campy as all get out and completely convicted to this Jess Franco-esque Euro-horror aesthetic, Wan’s picture is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship, with all the now typical Wan touches. Often startling camera moves, brooding blue hued photography and the overall atmosphere of a film akin to those from names like Jean Rollin, this fantastic piece of genre cinema is just the right bit of fright-inducing filmmaking that will get you in the mood just one month before we hit October. Toss in a few good performances and you have a film that shouldn’t be glanced over when perusing one’s Netflix queue.


2. Young And Beautiful (Netflix)

From director Francois Ozon comes this, the second of two 2014 releases highlighted this week. A recent addition to Netflix, this gorgeous coming of age tale follows the story of a 17 year old girl who, after having sex with her boyfriend, discovers a whole new world of sexual freedom. A tale of sexual awakening and discovering one’s very own self identity, Ozon’s film gets a fantastic performance from newcomer Marine Vacth and while it may not be as dense a look at one’s sexual coming of age, it is a beautiful crafted and emotionally involving piece of work. Stayed and erotic without being grotesque or exploitative (the film does involve a 17 year old lead, so it may be a little abrasive for some), Ozon is at his very best here, getting some gorgeous cinematography and using it to paint a film that is expressive and hotly focused. Turning the idea of one’s sexual self discovery into something more impulsive and in some ways innocent instead of something to hide or shameful, Ozon’s film is insightful and worth every second of its roughly 90 minute runtime.


1. Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow (Netflix)

There isn’t a film quite like this. Almost universally panned and often loathed, writer/director Kerry Conran gives us Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow. Telling the tale of a reporter who teams with a legendary pilot to take on a massive squadron of flying robots hell bent on taking down not only New York City, but ultimately the entire globe in a vicious plot set in motion by a famous scientist, Conran’s film is an underrated film in dire need of a re-evaluation. Influenced heavily by sci-fi/action serials from generations long ago, the CGI-centric picture is both entirely esoteric, and yet oddly compelling. Gorgeously crafted and ultimately unforgettable, the film takes the idea of its genre and its tropes and instead of making turning the actors into caricatures exposing these cliches as nothing more than actors seemingly playing dress up, it gives each and every beat a startling sense of conviction really breathing life into the film. Dated indeed, the film is just the right mix of camp and genuinely thrilling to get over some of the initial aesthetic humps one may have issue with. Again, a seemingly odd choice to top this list, the film is more than deserving of a re-watch if you haven’t seen it in a while, or it’s more than worth a first time viewing if you haven’t had the pleasure yet.

Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.