From NetFlix:

At the turn of the 20th century, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis,
in an Oscar-winning role) becomes a tycoon when he buys the oil
rights to a California family’s ranch. Meanwhile, as the simple
village becomes a boomtown, a charismatic young preacher (Paul Dano)
fights his community’s growing greed. Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciarán Hinds
and Russell Harvard co-star in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s
Oscar-nominated adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!

I had to classify this as “Basically Violent” not so much because there is bloodshed (and indeed there is) but because the sociopath Plainview goes out of his way to destroy people’s souls. Daniel Day-Lewis is mesmerizing. There is nothing feel-good about this movie. On another level this is a competition between two con artists: the oil man and the preacher. I was glued to the screen.

You are warned.

From NetFlix:

Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser and Sarah Michelle
Gellar star in this Jieho Lee-directed drama that mines four
basic human emotions — love, pleasure, sadness and joy — for
inspiration. A banker discovers true happiness; a mobster finds
hope; a celebrity sees life lose its luster; and a doctor wrestles
with matters of the heart that can’t be addressed within the
confines of an operating room. Julie Delpy and Andy Garcia co-star.

This is a VIOLENT movie. I give it a B because the interconnecting of the 4 lives is a bit sloppy. This is the first movie I can remember in which Brendan Fraser has a dark, serious role. At first I thought I could not recommend this movie, but the story held my attention.

From NetFlix:

A hunter (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a dead
body, $2 million and a stash of heroin in the
woods. He absconds with the cash, but
brutal thief Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem)
comes looking for it, with a local sheriff
(Tommy Lee Jones) on his trail. The roles of
hunter and prey blur as the violent pursuits
of money and justice collide. Joel and Ethan
Coen direct this dark morality tale, which
won four Oscars in 2008, including Best Picture

It can’t get much more violent. Could this film be a put-on ? The plot is as follows: Javier Bardem murders many people and then the film ends. Some viewers report being more than dissatisfied. However, if nothing else the plot is an intriguing cat and mouse game. Killer Bardem is VERY clever. I am told the book is great.

Hate it or love it, you are warned.

From NetFlix:

The perfect crime goes horribly wrong when Andy and Hank
( Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke) botch a robbery
of their parents’ jewelry store in this wrenching drama from
legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet, who was 82 when he
directed the film. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris co-star
as the unsuspecting parents, while Marisa Tomei plays Gina,
who cheats on her husband, Andy, with Hank.

I have friends who cannot like a movie if they find the
characters repellent. Somehow I can divorce myself
from such characters and just enjoy a well-made film.
This film is the downer of all downers. Philip Hoffman
plays a man for whom one dishonesty leads to another
and another etc. He is at the bottom when the film
starts and still exudes a slimy confidence. You couldn’t
ask for a better cast. Albert Finney was born in May 1936,
so he is almost 72. Unbelievable !

You have been warned,

From Net Flix:

Jodie Foster won an Oscar for her portrayal of Sarah Tobias in
this fact-based drama. After being raped by three men in a local
bar, Sarah, enraged at the light sentence her attackers receive,
persuades attorney Kathryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) to press
charges against the men who cheered on the attack. But it won’t be
easy: Sarah has a shady past that could be used against her in court.

This is a VIOLENT film. Towards the end there is an ugly gang-rape scene. But Jodie Foster’s facial expressions alone are worth the entire film. It’s probably the best Jodie Foster film I have seen.

From NetFlix:

Writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s indie debut and his big-budget follow-up are both featured on this disc. Sundance Film Festival winner El Mariachi chronicles the travails of a traveling musician (Carlos Gallardo) who’s been mistaken for an assassin who carries his weapons in a guitar case — and whom the local crime lord wants dead. In Desperado, the mariachi (Antonio Banderas) returns — this time seeking revenge. Salma Hayek co-stars.

Antonio Banderas was so impressed with El Mariachi that he wanted
to do it over again in Hollywood style and spent a fortune doing it.
Expect crazy technical violence. This is NOT a great film !!!!!!!!!!