From IMDB:
Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.
From Kanopy and Amazon Prime you can stream this 35 year old comedy which lasts 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Needless to say, if one of the actors is Steve Martin, we are probably talking about a comedy. Michael Caine is the perfect matchup against Martin.
Old but still lots of fun and plot surprises.
From IMDB:
A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist’s patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.
From Kanopy or Amazon Prime you can stream this 43 year old film starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson.
While watching this vintage film, I was struck by how young the actors were, how sexually daring this film must have seemed way back then, how acting has changed, and what a good story and plot shock the film still provides.
Give this piece of film history a try.
From IMDB:
A mob enforcer’s son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
From Netflix (and Kanopy) you can stream this 1 hour 57 minute Irish mob classic film which earned five Academy Awards nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Paul Newman. Originally the story was a graphic novel.
Tom Hanks bemoans the seeming obscurity of the film. He is quoted as saying “For one reason or another, no one references Road to Perdition, and that was an incredibly important movie for me to go through.” In fact, it was just his comment that motivated me to watch the film.
Consider the outstanding actors involved:
Of course, it is a violent gangster film, but a tasteful one (if that is possible). At the center of the film is the son Michael who is an essentially good kid that worships his father and whose salvation is at stake.
DO NOT MISS!
From Kanopy:
When two paramedics are called to a series of strange accidents, they blame a new street drug. But when one’s daughter disappears, the other happens upon a terrifying truth that challenges everything he knows about reality—and time itself.
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute sci-fi film.
Besides being a sci-fi film related to time travel, the film features quite a bit of philosophical discussions between the two paramedics. In fact the close friendship between the two men Steve (played by Anthony Mackie who also played Takeshi Kovacs in “Altered Carbon”) and Dennis (played by Jamie Dornan who also play to creepy success the serial killer Paul Spector in “The Fall”) figures heavily in the final brave act of self-sacrifice.
Clever episodes of time-travel accompany a genuine tale of friendship.
From IMDB:
One day, driving aimlessly around the outskirts of town after a trivial domestic quarrel, a writer named Tomas accidentally hits and kills a child. Will he be able to move on?
From Kanopy:
A horrific car accident alters the lives of James Franco & Rachel McAdams in legendary director Wim Wenders’ gripping film about love and redemption.
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 59 minute drama film.
Slow, quiet, heavy on conversations between Tomas (played by James Franco) and one of the many people in his life, this film doesn’t drive toward some conclusion, but rather seems to want to understand Tomas’ character. You should draw your own conclusions about Tomas. Is he a selfish, unfeeling narcissist? Does he really care about the people he affects?
While watching the film, at several points I asked myself “Why am I enjoying this really slow, understated story that seems to jump from one point in Tomas’s life to some later unrelated point?”
Would someone volunteer their reading of Tomas?
From Kanopy:
The biggest hit of the year in its native Argentina, DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES is a gripping police thriller about corruption, paranoia, and the secret gay lives of the wealthy elite of Buenos Aires during the politically tumultuous 1980s. At the scene of a murder of one of the city’s high society figures, veteran police inspector Chavez (Academy Award nominee (A Better Life, 2011) Demian Bichir, runs into Gomez (Chino Darin), a.k.a. “El Ganso” (The Goose), a handsome young rookie cop with dreams of advancement. When Chavez uncovers that the murder may be linked to a small-time hustler, and the gay nightclub La Manila, the detective sends the rookie undercover to pose as a gay newcomer on the prowl for an older benefactor. As they come close to luring out the killer, the erotic charge of their new surroundings triggers changes in both Chavez and Gomez. Director Natalia Meta’s deeply involving debut film delivers rich, multi-faceted characters that match the complexity of its riveting story.
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 32 minute Spanish language thriller. Subtitles in English.
Murder, corruption, gay characters, sociopathic personality, personal betrayal, drug dealing, marital infidelity : you name it, it’s in the plot. In addition the film is also a mystery which hopefully by the end you will solve.
Damián Bechir who plays the detective Chavez also stars as the father in the Showtime series “Let The Right One In.”
Confusing, but certainly not dull with a surprise ending.
From KANOPY:
Peter Sellers returns as the hapless Inspector Clouseau in this hysterical comedy which introduces Herbert Lom as the long-suffering Dreyfus, and Burt Kwouk as Cato. Mistakenly assigned to a high-profile case, Clouseau finds himself falling for the prime suspect — a beautiful maid named Maria (Elke Sommer), whose talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time rivals Clouseau’s. But as the body count grows higher, Clouseau must find the real culprit quickly, or his career will be finit!
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 42 minute old classic British comedy.
Recently, I reviewed a 2006 remake of this film called “The Pink Panther” starring Steve Martin. In comparing the new version with the old 1964 version starring Peter Sellers, my personal belly laugh count was a bit higher with the newer version.
Try both, the plots of each film differ from one another.
From IMDB:
It follows a young woman living on the fringes of society who becomes intoxicated by a stranger who overwhelms her quiet life.
From Kanopy:
Kate (Ruth Wilson) is sleepwalking through life when a chance sexual encounter with a charismatic stranger (Tom Burke) awakens her. High on infatuation, Kate is headed for an intoxicating car crash.
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute film.
Ruth Wilson first came to my attention as the villainous Alice Morgan in “Luther.” In this rather nihilistic tale she has a sexually explicit affair with the uncommitted Blond, (we never learn his name) played to seductive success by Tom Burke, which starts her down a path to what is possibly of life of irresponsibility.
Never boring, but such a downer that I fear to recommend this film.
From IMDB:
As a Juilliard professor is interviewed by a woman and her husband for her dissertation on the history of dance in 1960s New York City, it becomes increasingly clear that there are ulterior motives to the couple’s visit.
From Kanopy:
Patrick Stewart is riveting as a Manhattan ballet instructor concealing a sordid past in this explosive drama of sex, secrets, and lies based on the Tony(R)-nominated play.
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 32 minute film drama.
There are three characters in this superb but harrowing drama:
You may never have heard of Gugino or Lillard, but their IMDB resumés are extensive.
Once again, it would be worthwhile to join Kanopy (it costs nothing) just to see “Match”.
DO NOT MISS!
From Kanopy:
This haunting thriller is set in 1921, in a post-war England where many of the bereaved seek solace in spiritualism. Haunted by the death of her fiancé, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is committed to debunking supernatural claims. When she is asked to visit a boarding school in the countryside to investigate the alleged sightings of a ghostly young boy, she feels compelled to take the job.
She sets to work, laying traps and gathering scientific evidence. Gradually secrets begin to unravel and the mystery surrounding the ghost appears nothing more than a prank. As Florence is set to leave, however, she experiences a chilling encounter that defies all reason.
From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 47 minute English ghost story.
As opposed to many ghost films which are often somewhat clichéd, this film presents a serious drama full of well-known British actors some of whom were:
Worthwhile as this year’s Halloween entertainment.