Welcome to WTI’s Weekend Streaming Recommendations where I recommend 4-5 films that under-watched, under-appreciated, or just plain old personal favorites. My goal is to take the hassle out of deciding which film to stream on the plethora of streaming sites that populate the internet. To make your streaming life easier, I include which platform each film is available on along with a link to the trailer. Now sit back, relax, and click on play!

The Hunt

This Danish melodrama, by Thomas Vinterberg, about a school teacher wrongfully accused of sexual misconduct at the school he teaches at is tense throughout. The acting is considerably strong by all involved, but everyone is outdone by an exceptional lead performance by Mads Mikkelsen. The Hunt will leave you shaken to your core by the time the end credits roll – Watch the trailer

Into the Wild

Sean Penn’s true life story about free spirit Chris McCandless is a love letter to everyone who is fed up with the monotonous daily routines of everyday life. The film is beautifully shot and is backed by a gorgeous soundtrack from Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder. Penn lets his film promenade from one exquisite scene to the next as McCandless meets a whole bevy of people who shape his life. Into the Wild is mesmerizing. – Watch the trailer

From Beyond

Stuart Gordon has made a few movies based on HP Lovecraft source material. The most famous two are Re-Animator and this film, From Beyond. In my opinion, From Beyond is the far better of the two. Scientists are working on a device that will stimulate the pineal gland to access other dimensions. When the experiment works, the scientists are immediately attacked by ungodly life forms that are seemingly around us at all times. The film is fantastically disgusting and revolting. Gordon lets his film revel in its excesses; which are essentially lots of gore and oodles of sticky goo that is brought upon by the otherworldly life forms. Both are bountiful here. Horror fans will love this underappreciated gem. – Watch the trailer

Abre Los Ojos

This Spanish film, which was later remade as Vanilla Sky by Cameron Crowe, is a film whose details I dare not reveal. The film is dazzling from beginning to end. Eduardo Noriega stars as a young, rich man whose life changes when he meets the woman of his dreams and the next morning gets in the wrong car. You never know which way is up or down, or left or right, and you will be on the edge of your seat until the very last shot as the film comes to a sensational climax atop of a skyscraper overlooking the majestic Madrid skyline. ‘Glued to the screen’ is an understatement. – Watch the trailer

Strange Days

Before she conquered the Oscars with The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow made this epic two and a half hour science fiction film about a former cop Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) who buys and sells data discs that contain people’s memories and experiences. People buy them to experience things they might not be able to and are willing to pay top dollar for them. When one of the discs turns out to contain the murder of a controversial music figure by a couple of L.A. police officers, everyone starts gunning for Lenny. All this leads to an intense finale that also happens to coincide with the final hours of the 20th century. Strange Days is criminally overlooked. Do yourself a favor and have your mind blown by this special film. – Watch the trailer

Welcome the feature where I recommend 4-5 under watched, under-appreciated or films that I just personally love. My goal is to take the hassle out of deciding on which film to stream on the plethora of streaming sites that populate the internet. To make your streaming life easier, I include which streaming platform each film is available on along with a link to the trailer. Now sit back, relax, and click on play!

Hoop Dreams

If not the best documentary ever made, surely the best sports documentary ever, Hoop Dreams is one of my favorite films, period. Director Steve James follows two inner city basketball prodigies for nearly all of their high school years as we watch the boys, William Gates and Arthur Agee (and their families), struggle through practices, games and everything that life throws at them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll shake your fists in anger and eventually you’ll jump up and cheer. What makes Hoop Dreams so good is how the filmmakers are allowed to get so close to the families and see their day to day struggles. Yes, the film is 3 hours long, but they fly by and you’ll hardly notice. I’ve seen the film 3 times now and I can’t wait to see it again. – Watch the trailer

Oldboy

By now you’ve probably seen this thrilling master class from South Korea about a man who is released after 15 years of imprisonment (for reasons unknown) only to be told he has 3 days to figure out why he was locked up. Chan Wook Park lit the world afire when he released this astonishing thriller back in 2003. But since Spike Lee, in all of his infinite wisdom, decided to remake it, I felt like it was a good time to remind people of the brilliant original. If you haven’t seen Oldboy yet, stop reading anything about the film and watch it now. The final 30 minutes will blow your mind. Rarely am I as devastated after a movie as the time when I finished Oldboy. – Watch the trailer

Mystery Team

I’m not entirely sure I even like Mystery Team. But what I am sure of is that I love the concept the film presents. The film also made me laugh A LOT. We’ve all seen the kid’s movies where a 10 year old has a detective service where he is hired by neighborhood kids to find their lost teddy bears. Ok, how about a movie that takes that same idea but ages the kid detectives to their late teens but they still have the same innocent childish mentality of a 9 year old? That’s Mystery Team. Donald Glover (Community) stars as the leader of the Mystery Team, a trio of completely innocuous “detectives” who are trying to solve a local mystery that is completely over their heads. While the film has a lot of great (and VERY funny) moments, I’m not entirely sure the film works overall. I still think the film is worth seeking out; especially if you’re looking for something slightly different from normal comedic fare. – Watch the trailer

Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers about four girls who travel to Florida to take part in America’s annual festival of sex, drugs and dub step is a full on assault on the senses. He takes Spring break to the extreme. Everything that happens during the two week escape for college kids is on full display. Korine shies away from nothing; his film is FILLED with gratuitous female nudity, drug use, drinking and even shootouts. At the core of all this is an unbelievable performance by James Franco as a rapper/gangster who goes by the name, Alien. By far his best performance; he steals every scene he’s in. Another highlight is a montage of Alien and his four new friends as they beat up and rob innocent people in a slow motion montage set to Britney Spears’ “Everytime”. It’s a scene that has to be seen to be believed. Korine pushes all the extremities of Spring break to its limits. And you’ll be watching mouth gaping until the end while Korine sits in the corner smiling as you pick your mouth up off the floor. – Watch the trailer

Welcome the feature where I recommend 4-5 under watched, under-appreciated or films that I just personally love. My goal is to take the hassle out of deciding on which film to stream on the plethora of streaming sites that populate the internet. To make your streaming life easier, I include which streaming platform each film is available on along with a link to the trailer. Now sit back, relax, and click on play!

Only God Forgives

Nicolas Windig Refn lit the world on fire 2 years ago with his flashy, bubble gum bursting, pop music fueled love letter to Westerns and 70s action flicks with Drive. The film launched both Refn and star Ryan Gosling into the stratosphere and the two haven’t looked back since. Well here they are together again with this violent, ugly and downright mean spirited thriller set in Bangkok. Gosling plays the owner of an illegal Maui Thai boxing arena (where he also sells drugs), whose brother (a sadistic and vile rapist) is murdered by a Karaoke worshipping detective who dishes out justice with a finely sharpened sword. Gosling is urged by is unloving and unscrupulous mother (the scene stealing Kristin Scott Thomas) to seek vengeance. Gosling barely says 30 words in the film (literally) and Refn’s tone is unbelievably baroque and nightmarish; the colors are vibrant and assaulting all at once. The film really doesn’t amount to anything in the end, but boy is it a wild ride. Only God Forgives isn’t for the squeamish. – Watch the trailer

Promised Land

Director Gus Van Zant teams up with frequent collaborator Matt Damon once again for this small town drama. Promised Land, the least meaty of their efforts thus far, is about a salesman (Damon) for a huge natural gas company who, along with his partner played by Frances McDormand, is tasked to get the trust of a small town so his company can drill on their land. Things don’t go smoothly as they had hoped as they run into an aging school teacher (Hal Holbrook) who challenges them at every step. Also complicating matters is John Krasinski, a grassroots activist who decides to counter every move Damon and McDormand make. Even though it’s nowhere near the level of Good Will Hunting or even Gerry, Promised Land is very good drama. All the acting is great, especially Holbrook who (like every other film he’s been in) steals nearly every scene. The screenplay, co-written by Damon and Kransinski, is finely tuned and graciously allows the characters room to breathe and the story to fully blossom. An underrated gem. – Watch the trailer

Brick

Long before Rian Johnson knocked out Looper and a few (of the best) episodes of Breaking Bad, he wrote and directed this sizzling high school drama about the murder of a young girl. Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a loner who one day finds his ex-girlfriend murdered in a massive drain near his high school. He decides to investigate. On his own terms, Brendan scours the hallways and classrooms that are populated by the shady characters of his school for clues or any information leading to who might’ve committed the murder. What sets Brick apart from other modern day “who-dunnits” and high school dramas is the way Johnson sets up his story. Brendan is the Bogart-esque detective hot on the trail of the murderer. There are damsels in distress, heavies and then of course there’s the sinister mastermind who is behind everything; all of whom spit out dialogue as if they were Sam Spade. All of the film noir stuff fits in great with the sadness and regret that fills Johnson’s film. My only complaint, which is small, is that the film has some bad pacing issues at times. In my opinion though this is a career high for both Johnson and Levitt. – Watch the trailer

End of Watch

For me, this was one of the very best films of 2012; penetrating on a level I hadn’t experienced in quite some time. Anchored by brilliant performances by both lead actors (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) and supported by a screenplay that tip toes a high wire of an outright intense police procedural along with great scenes involving the officers’ personal lives. Gyllenhaal and Pena play cops who roam some of L.A.’s toughest streets. A deadly Mexican drug cartel starts moving into the city in a big way and the officers start making catch after catch. Guns, drugs and human trafficking; they find it all. The cartel puts a bounty on the officers’ heads and soon enough the streets become a warzone. Writer/director David Ayers films nearly the entire film with hand held cameras that are attached to both Pena and Gyllenhaal, so everything you see is from their perspective. This choice, along with the subject matter, makes for one extremely tense cop picture. End of Watch will have you gripping the arm rest while your heart pounds at your rib cage, but the end result is one of the most satisfying cop films that has ever been released. – Watch the trailer

We’ve all been there. We sit on our couch for minutes on end trying to find something to watch. Heck, one time I was on Netflix looking for something to watch and before I knew it, 40 minutes had passed. Well we here at Way Too Indie recognize this issue and are looking to alleviate any future headaches. Welcome to a new feature where I recommend 4-5 under watched, under-appreciated or just films that I personally love. All the films featured in this column will be available on many of the streaming sites that populate the internet.

Immortals

Indian director Tarsem made his debut feature with the psychological thriller The Cell before stunning audiences worldwide with his two hour moving painting of a film, The Fall. Immortals, his third feature, is an effects heavy “swords and sandals” epic that is heavily inspired (aesthetically) by 300. The story of Theseus (Henry Cavill), a mortal man who is plucked by the almighty god Zeus, to take on King Hyperion who is looking to end humanity as we know it. I’ll be completely honest; the film is utter garbage. I’m recommending it strictly on how gorgeous the film is. Tarsem paints in all the corners of the frame. Everywhere you look there is something sensational to look at. The film is also loaded to the brim with excessive blood and guts as well as some cheesy, groan inducing performances. It will be difficult, however, to find more dazzling beauty than this brutal fantasy flick. – Watch the trailer

Graceland

This thriller from the Philippines will take your soul and in 90 minutes completely crush it. When the chauffeur of a corrupt official in Manila has his own daughter kidnapped instead of the official’s (they’re best friends and together when the kidnapping happens), he tries desperately to get her back from a group of thugs who are holding her for ransom. The film is very intense for the final hour as Marlon frantically flies through the Asian capital doing anything in his power to save his daughter’s life. A word of warning, Graceland does feature some questionable material involving underage children. But the film is easily one of the best thrillers of the year and rightfully deserves a wider audience. – Watch the trailer

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

I had heard a lot of good things about David Gelb’s film before watching it. Bored one night I placed my cursor over the film, left-clicked it and threw any doubt under the rug. I think it took me about 10 minutes to fall in love with Gelb’s film. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a mesmerizing documentary about the life of Jiro Ono, a sushi master, whose restaurant is quietly tucked away underneath Tokyo’s massive subway system. What I loved about the film was how beautiful it looked, how delicate the film was handled (the cinematography and slow motion photography combined with the lush classic music are devastating on the eyes and ears) and the tiny details of Jiro’s life that Gelb features. For foodies, it’s a full 90 minutes of food heaven, while film geeks will get the beautiful story of one man’s life dedication to his art exquisitely captured in high definition. – Watch the trailer

Run Lola Run

We all remember this incredibly fun and inventive German film from the late 1990’s about a young red haired Lola, the undeniably cute Franka Potente (in a breakout role), who only has 20 minutes to deliver 100,000 Deutschmarks to her boyfriend (who owes some nasty thugs) before he robs a supermarket. Tom Tykwer’s film literally never stops for a second as you try to keep up with Lola. Run Lola Run is told 3 different times each with different outcomes. Aided by an electronic score that will pulsate through you, Tykwer’s film is kinetic from beginning to end. Tykwer and Potente would team up again in the even better (yet completely different) The Princess and the Warrior. This is one of the most entertaining movies I think I’ve ever seen. – Watch the trailer

Goon

Goon, I’ll admit, isn’t a great film. It’s barely a good one. But it’s very rare that I have a grin on my face for the entire duration of a film and Goon managed to do just that. Seann William Scott (in easily his best film role to date) plays Doug, a loner who is going nowhere in life. One night he happens to catch the eye of a coach of a semi pro hockey team in Canada when he is seen kicking the crap out of a guy. Doug is terrible at hockey, but he excels at causing mayhem. Picked up essentially be an enforcer on the ice, Doug ends up leading the team to glory against a former hockey pro (Liev Schreiber) who made a career out of being a mercenary on the ice; he as the missing teeth to prove it too. The film contains a lot of great moments that will please both genders. Girls will get a fuzzy romance subplot as guys will get their sports fix. Goon is an under-appreciated sports comedy that is a must see. – Watch the trailer

Halloween is upon us and there you are stuck in front of TV with a browser window open (shame on you IE users!) with Netflix on it. You’re probably thinking, “Hmmmm, what should we watch tonight? If only I had someone to help me out on this.” Fear not! I am here to help you navigate the plethora of drudgery that populates the popular streaming site’s library of horrific carnage.

It’s the same story every year. You hover your mouse over a few different choices, unsure of which movie to click on. Well, this year you’re in luck. I’ll be up front and admit that some of these are not the greatest films horror has to offer. But what I am willing to bet is that you either haven’t seen, or even heard of, some of these hidden gems. So here are 7 horror films I’ve picked out for you to try on Halloween night (after you’ve put the kids to bed of course). Maybe even sandwich one or two of these picks in between a classic like Halloween or The Shining. Enjoy!

7 Scary Movies To Watch On Netflix This Halloween

The People Under the Stairs

This film, from Horror legend Wes Craven, is an absolutely bizarre tale about a teenager from the ghetto who gets roped into looting a house that supposedly has countless priceless gold coins that liter the basement of the archaic home. What they end up finding out is that the house is owned by a psychotic married couple who keep people locked up without any hope of escape. The film is essentially a fairy-tale masquerading as a nightmarish clash of classes between the wealthy suburbanites of L.A. and the unfortunate souls of the city’s inner quarters. The film is shocking at times and Craven lets the blood flow in a few scenes, but the film is engaging on multiple levels and will appease viewers who not necessarily adore the Horror genre.

Let the Right One In

If you like your Horror with a heavy dose of devastating drama, look no further than this Scandinavian vampire film. While I prefer the American remake (yeah I said it), this Swedish original is heartbreaking in its telling of a lonely young lad who is constantly alone and picked on by kids at his school. Enter Eli; a young vampire who has lived for decades living off the blood of innocent people. Together they form a close bond and must rely on one another to survive their daily plights. Yes, it is bleak (the American remake even more so). And yes, it is sad and hard to watch. But this is one of the best (and overlooked) vampire movies in recent years.

Also streaming on: Amazon Prime, YouTube (paid subscription)

Resolution

Now this is an interesting Horror movie that tries to rise above its genre and for the most part, it succeeds. Michael gets a message from a friend, Chris, who is camped out in an abandoned cabin as he battles a meth addiction. Mike decides to head out there to have one last go at Chris to help him go cold turkey. He gets to the cabin and immediately hand cuffs Chris to the wall. Everything seems to be going fine until the two friends start getting strange messages from the future. In one instance Michael’s laptop turns on by itself and shows the two friends a video from literally a minute into the future and in another they play a CD in a car stereo that involves dialogue from them at a later period. The film naturally builds to a bloody, final conflict that will either have you clapping or throwing the remote at the TV. I personally loved it.

Our review of Resolution

Maniac (2013)

To be completely honest, I’m not necessarily sure this movie is even that good so much as it is something different. Maniac offers up some real treats in terms of visuals and pulsating, vibrant score that oozes dark 80’s synth pop at every corner. The film is primarily told from a first person perspective of a man who is clearly mentally ill. He prowls the city streets for beautiful young women to scalp for his mannequin shop that he inherited from his parents. The movie at times is pretty disgusting and Elijah Wood (as the killer) is pretty unconvincing and non-threatening. But aesthetics and killer (no pun intended) are something to behold.

The Host

About 7 years ago, Asia (particularly South Korea) had a stranglehold on world cinema, churning out all kinds of instant classics. One of those is one of the best monster genre flicks of the past 20 years, The Host. When a shadowy (U.S. based) military outfit dumps a chemical into the drain that leads into Seoul’s main river, it creates a beast that years later comes back to wreak havoc on the city and in particular one family. What The Host does so well is that it focuses on the intimate details of what makes a close knit family tick. In return the viewer is heavily invested in what happens to them. The film runs 20 minutes too long, but there is no denying the insatiable power that director Joon-ho Bong creates along the way.

Also streaming on: Amazon Prime

The Howling III

I will be the first to admit, The Howling III is a terrible movie. But it is so bad that it must be seen to be believed. It takes place in Australia and couldn’t be wackier if it tried. If you are unfamiliar with The Howling series, it’s essentially about werewolves. Most of the films are unrelated with some stories, like this one, taking place in different countries around the world. An odd race of human-like marsupials is discovered in the land down under and things get ugly when they start attacking citizens of the lovely city of Sydney. There are some scary scenes, there are some comedic scenes and then there are scenes that are completely baffling, including one that hilariously breaks the fourth wall.

Also streaming on: YouTube (with ads)

Pontypool

This Canadian Horror film was very much overlooked upon its release more than 4 years ago. Unjust, if you ask me. A former shock jock (the magnificently underrated Stephen McHattie) is sent to the small town of Pontypool to do the morning show of the local radio station. On this particular morning a massive snow storm hits and the residents start going insane. Taking place inside of a basement of a church for literally 99% of the runtime, Pontypool is all claustrophobic horror as everything you hear about the outside world and how its crumbling is experienced through only 2-3 people in a small room. As the walls start to close in on our heroes, we watch, helplessly, as they maneuver the perilous situation and try to figure out how to survive the apocalyptic event. Pontypool is a fun lark away from the usual Horror fodder that populates your usual Halloween viewing.