Movies I've Streamed On Netflix Instant Watch

This was a fun little thing to watch. I always have an appreciation for some quality animated short films. Usually, Pixar is more often associated with beloved short films but Disney has their fair share of quality shorts as well, as this collection proved. One thing I particularly liked about this collection was the fact that there was a brief behind-the-scenes featurette in the beginning of every short. It served not only as a good introduction but also provided some fascinating trivia for the short itself. I liked all of the shorts presented. My favorites were "John Henry", "The Little Matchgirl", "How To Hook Up Your Home Theater", "Tick Tock Tale", "The Ballad of Nessie", "Paperman", "Get A Horse!", and "Feast". The Disney movie spin-off shorts ("Tangled Ever After" and "Frozen Fever") were my least-favorites. They were pleasant shorts but I felt like I was watching less-interesting B-material from this movies instead of original short films. They felt the most out-of-place from the collection but I understand why they put it here. They really wanted those Frozen characters on the cover. Overall, I enjoyed this collection. Nothing special but I definitely enjoyed it.

I remember reading some of the early Captain Underpants books when I was in like fourth or fifth grade. I was a big fan of the book's art style, creative storytelling, unique bad guys, and of course the juvenile toilet humor. So when they announced a Captain Underpants movie, I was casually intrigued to see what how they would make it. The more I saw of the movie, the more I became interested. I liked how the animation emulated the book's art-styles. I think the rubberhose-style animation worked for this kind of ridiculous story. The humor I think is the right mix of self-aware and silly ridiculous. A nice mix to where I can see both kids and adults laughing at this film. I really like the performances in this movie. I was initially put-off by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch as George and Harold since they sounded too old to be playing fourth-graders. But I eventually got used to their voices and I liked how they embodied these mischievous characters. I thought Ed Helms was perfect as both Mr. Krupp and Captain Underpants, playing both extreme personalities very well. The plot felt like it came right out of the books. They took some of the best elements of the novels and spliced it together to make something that felt like it came straight from Dav Pilkey's pages. The character of Edith was also just adorable and the romance between her and Krupp was just sweet and helped give the bastardly principal a bit of heart. There is a lot to like in this movie: the self aware humor, the changes to different forms of animation for certain scenes, even the use of the "Flip-O-Matic" is a beautifully meta scene. If you grew up on the Captain Underpants, you should definitely check this book out. Even if you aren't, I think it's a fun watch. There's even a Weird Al song in it. What's not to like?

After doing a Disney movie, I went back to a Warner Bros. money with the classic Looney Tunes. Now when people think of a movie that incorporates the classic Looney Tunes characters into a live-action setting, many people think of Space Jam. Unfortunately, fewer people think about the next film made with the characters, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, which is a shame because it is the superior movie. First of all, this movie does much better at representing the Looney Tunes's slapstick and personalities better than Space Jam where all the Looney Tunes are portrayed as best buddies working together to stop a generic alien threat. In comparison, in this film, all of the Looney Tunes characters play a role appropriate to their roles in the cartoons with the antagonist characters being antagonists and Bugs and Daffy saving the day this time. I have to say that Bugs and Daffy really stole the show in this film. Especially Daffy who kind of grows as a character and is endearing through his dismay of being second banana to Bugs all the time (Don't worry, Daffy, you were always my favorite). I have to give Joe Alaskey (may he rest in peace) for effortless portraying both Bugs and Daffy phenomenally. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the human characters. Jenna Elfman was alright if unmemorable and Steve Martin I was surprised to find pretty funny despite my memories of finding him hammy and annoying. He is a bit of that but brought out some funny moments. But Brendan Frasier... wow, he was just awful in both his performance and comedy. I'm not why but he felt off for this movie. He did alright in interacting with the Looney Tunes and even did a good performance as the Tasmanian Devil but otherwise, his performance felt off. But still, I have to give praise to the way the film incorporated live action and the cartoon characters together. It's no Roger Rabbit but still pretty impressive. In spite of its rather nonsensical plot, the film is full of comedic highlights including the Louvre scene, the Area 52 scene with some iconic B-movie monsters, and even some jokes like cartoon Shaggy complaining about Matthew Lillard's performance (hilarious in hindsight, since the man is now the current voice of Shaggy). This isn't a perfect film but it is a really underrated film. It's a shame that this film ended up ruining the popularity of the Looney Tunes and didn't bring out a successful Looney Tunes revival because this is a funny and faithful Looney Tunes product.

This movie was a staple of my childhood which is weird since I wasn't a big fan of the House of Mouse show. But I really enjoy watching this on my VHS plenty of times even when it wasn't October. It was just amazing to see all these classic Disney villains join together to take over the House of Mouse all while singing a badass Villain Song. Unfortunately, this film is rather light on plot as that villain takeover takes about an hour to begin and then, gets resolved rather quickly. Jafar and the Villains don't even do anything when reclaiming the House of Mouse but watch cartoons. You know THE THING THAT THEY WERE DOING PREVIOUSLY. But honestly, the plot wasn't what really got me into this special. It was the cartoons. This VHS was basically a compilation of Disney's horror-themed shorts. Some of them were shorts from Mickey Mouse Works as per usual for House of Mouse episodes while others were old-fashioned classic Disney animations going all the way back to the 1930s when Walt Disney was voicing Mickey Mouse. I love watching these animations to this day. The classic shorts are full of fluid animation that adds to its humor. Even the modern counterparts manage to provide some humorous jokes, impressive animation (for a TV-cartoon budget), and even some surprisingly dark and messed-up moments. So while the actual plot of this special was disappointing, the cartoons being showcased are more-than-worth the price of admission to the House of Mouse.

I've had an interesting history with this film. I planned about 2 years ago to watch this film for my aborted Netflix Romancethon project. Then, I decided to quit watching it about 30 minutes into the film. I really hated the film at the point and did not feel like continuing it... until today. Now, I appreciate the film a bit more than I saw a part of it for the first time. It still has it's problems. Absolutely. But I did enjoy it for various reasons. The music is incredibly catchy and while John Travolta isn't the greatest of singers, I got used to his voice to enjoy the music. With some classic songs like "Grease", "Summer Nights", and "You're The One That I Want", how could you not make it an enjoyable musical. Also, there were certainly some great musical sequences that featured awesome choreography and some incredible cinematic shots. That being said the story is nothing to write home about. I didn't found any of the characters that memorable or interesting and I didn't really care about the main relationship between Danny and Sandy. Despite my love for "You're The One That I Want", I really didn't like Sandy's transformation as I didn't like the sudden drastic change without any proper foreshadowing to it. Overall, this was a very mixed experience but I'm glad I got the chance to see it at least once. The music, the dancing, and some of the directing is really awesome but everything else is not as interesting.

This is a stupid movie about really stupid people. I remember watching a snippet of the film's beginning when I was really young. But what really got me into seeing this film was watching some funny moments compilations of this film on Youtube. That got me interested in seeing this film but it wasn't initially available on Netflix for me. But when it finally did appear, I decided to check it out. I will say I don't find it a particularly amazing film or that hilarious but it did give me some chuckles. I will admit the plot was inane but still very enjoyable. I didn't really find Will Ferrell that funny, honestly, but I was surprised by how funny I found Ben Stiller's and Owen Wilson's performances as borderline mentally-challenged models. So yeah, at this time, I'd just say watch some clips of it on Youtube. If you found them funny, check out the film. If not, stay far far away from this movie.

Been a while since I saw a documentary on Netflix and since I'm a bit of a gamer, I was definitely interested in giving this a watch. I felt this film did a really great job of presenting video games as a valid medium of artistic expression. It goes over the history of video games's creations, along with showing how their development has influeneced the lives of many. It is fascinated how far video games have grown in such a short time. Some of the earliest innovators of video games were still alive and able to interviewed for this film. Aside from these video game legends and developers, this film also features interviews from geek icons and actors expressing their history with and admiration of video games. This film overall has a great presentation of video games's history and importance to today's society. That being said, there are certain moments where it can feel repetitive and can get a tad boring sometimes. But overall, I'm glad I go to see this film as it gave me an even deeper appreciation for this lovable medium. And as this movie shows... video games are only going to get better and better from here.

Been interested in checking out the early 2D-animated Dreamworks films, this one has certainly a lot of fans. The concept for this film was very promising, focusing on the two characters that would normally be funny side characters and putting them on a Bing Crosby and Bob Hope style comedic adventure. I rather enjoyed this one and it's honestly a shame that this didn't become a franchise as was originally planned. Would have loved to see more adventures with Tulio, Miguel, and Chel. Anyhow, this was a fun little romp of a film. The songs done by Elton John and Tim Rice are really good (highlights being "El Dorado" and "It's Tough To Be A God"). Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh make a great comedic duo as the main characters. The animation is also incredible. It's another shame that Dreamworks have not tried to return to 2D-animation like Disney occasionally does with works like The Princess and the Frog and Winnie the Pooh. It's nothing too groundbreaking but it's definitely worth a watch.

Wow, this was a bad one. I wasn't expecting great things from this film. I saw the really bad reviews it got on Netflix plus the footage I saw of it didn't look that great. But wow, this was a snoozer. I will say that I'm not the biggest fan of the original Faulkner novel it was based on. It was one of those books I was forced to read in high school. But still, I was morbidly curious to see unexperienced David Franco's take on the novel. But wow, this look amateurish like a film student's first arthouse piece. Full of amateurish film techniques like slow-down effect and the sidescreen effects that happen all over this movie. Faulkner is a very hard author to adapt to film but if there was a way to adapt his works right, this was certainly not it. The way they turned passages into monologues was forced and many of the performances were just awkward. From what I'm seeing of Franco's film directing efforts, he does not seem to have much critical support behind them. I'm certainly not going to see another one of his films, especially whatever he did to The Sound and the Fury.

I have never seen a Matrix movie before but I was still greatly interested in checking out this particular film. This movie greatly reminded me of Batman: Gotham Knight and I understand that movie was definitely inspired by the critical success of this one. I even remember Codename: Kids Next Door doing a parody of one of the shorts in this anthology. I haven't seen the original Matrix yet but if it's as good as this film that I will certainly call it a classic. I do greatly enjoy anthology films as well anime films. This just matched up perfectly. The animation for all of the shorts are incredible. All of them have various styles: one uses some incredible CGI, another does the style of Aeon Flux (done by the same guy), another emulates a gritty noir setting, etc. I honestly couldn't name a single segment that I would call particularly bad. There was some cool or awesome about the story or the animation that draw me into this narrative that I was not entirely familiar with. Some highlights include the iconic "Second Renaissance" which showcases some nightmare-inducing scenarios as well as an heart-reaching narrative about how the robots rise and how the Matrix got created. "Matriculated" is another wicked tale that features some incredible trippy visuals at the midpoint of the film as well a emotional story of a reforming robot. "Program" has some incredible storytelling as well as some kick-ass samurai fight scenes. Overall, this is one of the few consistently high-quality anthology films I've ever seen despite exploring different styles of animation and storytelling. It all combines to reflect the messed-up cyberpunk world the Wachowskis made.

Netflix Instant Project 2016
Recommended by the giraffe

This movie honestly surprised me. I was not really that impressed by the trailers for this film. Didn't help that it starred the annoying kid from the god-awful "Incredible Crew". But I decided to give this film a chance and was surprised at the experience I got. First off, the film has a lot of charm which comes mostly from Rick Famuyiwa's quirky directing-style, the plethora of awesome '90s hip-hop jams, and the surprising grand performance from the up-and-coming Shameik Moore. But Shameik was not the only actor that surprised me with their performances, A$AP Rocky does a good job playing the street thug that puts our nerdy main character onto the dark path. He's already reached Eminem levels of rapper performances that were not awful. But even beyond all the quirks and the humor, the film does instill a great amount of tension that comes from the dangerous 'hood lifestyle along with providing poignant moments of social commentary on education in poor areas and racial stereotypes. So yeah, this was a great movie, highly recommended, and I'm interested to see how Famuyami's and Moore's careers takes off after this spectacular flick.

This was the Robert Rodriguez movie I've been waiting to see for the longest time. I was one of those millennials who grew up watching Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids films as a kid, completely unaware of the completely violent side to this well-known director. And this film is definitely violent. Even as a guy who is accustomed to gratuitous amounts of violence, I was honestly taken aback by how excessive violent this film was during some moments... but that only adds to the appeal of this flick. This is a film that's full of style, honestly, some of the most gorgeous visuals I've ever seen. This feels like a classic noir/pulp novel told in a modern-day context. But even if it's more style than substance, there is still substance to this movie. Despite being an anthology of different stories all taking place in the twisted Basin City (get it!), the film is well-paced with all of the individual segments being the proper time and feeling like a well-constructed narrative. There are even some grand performances in this movie from the iconic Marv played magnificently by Mickey Rourke to the hardened badass Hartigan played by Bruce Willis to the valiant Dwight played by Clive Owen. From beginning to end, this is an adrenaline-rushed overtly-masculine experience which off-courses can lead to fatigue at times but is still exhilarating.

Winnie the Pooh has been a part of my childhood but surprisingly, I didn't watch many Winnie the Pooh movies as a kid. Especially the original Walt Disney classic that started it all. Now, watching it as a young adult, I kind of wished I had gotten the chance to view it as a kid. I'm certain I would have loved this movie. While Disney certainly has a wide appeal, this film did feel very children-oriented. Mainly from its' slice-of-life conflict-less stories with adorabe characters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing and it helps give the film a nostalgic feel. The characters in the Hundred Acred Woods are iconic beloved characters that have stood the test of time. Every single one of them is memorable with unique personalities and characteristics. It is not groundbreaking or spectacular but is smothered in charm that will leave you in a grin throughout the entire picture.

I heard people call this one of the funniest movies ever. Despite this, I was initially reluctant to check this film out until I discovered it on Netflix. Besides the awesome Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, I'm not entirely familiar with Edgar Wright's work. This film reminds me of a group of cheeky British people: full of clever humor, cool callbacks, strong personalities, and a lot of funny accents. A hilarious deconstruction of ridiculous action movies mixed with the classic buddy cop formula. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the perfect comedic duo in any film they star together. The fact that these two are playing buddy cops makes things funnier. I don't know what else I need to say that hasn't been said about this movie already. It's a well-written hilarious comedy with all the wit and talent you can expect from a British comedy. I'll admit I was probably more impressed with the film's humor than laughing at it at times but it's still strongly recommended.

SIDE-NOTE: This was going to be my 100th movie watched on Netflix but I remember watching The Silence of the Lambs and High School Musical 2. So, it was pushed down 2 spots with The Wolf of Wall Street replacing the honor. Still this acclaimed movie would've made a good 100th film watched.

I love watching fun documentaries like this one that focused on some unappreciated fields of entertainment. Honestly, voice actors are the unsung heroes of entertainment. Their jobs requires an impressive range and have work as hard as any mainstream celebrity with not nearly as much credit given. This documentary shows these voice actors in the spotlight with a lot of fascinating insight of the voice-acting process. The documentary does have its issues. While the moments where the voice actors do their famous performances has its appeal, there are also moments where it gets grating. Also, the structure of the film is kind of iffy as it doesn't have a clear flow in its presentation. This also causes the film to go on a bit too long, especially when there are moments where it seems the film is ending but then the next segment happens. Despite my complaints, I think this film still provides a fun watching experience, especially for anyone who grow up or still enjoy watching cartoons.

This is my 100th movie I've streamed on Netflix Instant Watch and we're back to the masterful Martin Scorsese with his most recent project, The Wolf of Wall Street. It seems sometimes that Martin Scorsese can do no wrong. I have only seen three of his films so far and all three of them have gotten a perfect 10/10 for me. From what I've seen, he seems like a master director. Considering he's been in the profession for 30 years now and still producing amazing films, Martin Scorsese is a filmmaker who I'm definitely interested in checking out more of his films. Now onto Wall of Wall Street, what can I say it is a phenomenal film. It's three hours long but it moved at a breezy pace (certainly an impressive feat since I'm the type to found LOTR to be a slog, sometimes). It is also incredibly hilarious which certainly surprised me. Also surprising is how incredible the performances are in this movie, especially from Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. I definitely heard tons of praise given towards the two for their performances but honestly didn't expect them to be this good. They both portray their characters so well that I sometimes forget that it's Leo and Jonah in these roles. They just transform into these characters. The story of this film is also interesting just in showing what rich people can do with their mountains of money. Mostly sex with prostitutes, a lot of drugs and alcohol, and maybe the occasional yacht as a wedding present. Part of the film's appeal is how much fun you get seeing the crazy shit they get to do. Some people claimed it was glorifying the characters and their irresponsible actions but I believe this film portrays a lot of excess and vice with greedy, selfish, sleezy piece-of-shit characters doing every horrible thing imaginable with their bundles of cash excluding murder. Similar to how he portrayed gangsters in Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese doesn't shove it in your face that the actions the characters are doing are wrong. He does indulge in showing how entertaining that lifestyle would be, understandable because why else would anyone perform such blatantly morally bankrupt acts if there wasn't something so thrilling about it. Despite how fun the lifestyle appears, Scorsese shows that such a life has its drastic consequences and things do fall hard for Jordan Belfort. In fact, this film does remind me a bit of Goodfellas but not to its detriment. The film stands its own but does show why Scorsese's film style works so well (besides, it isn't bad for Scorsese to take elements from one of his best films ever). The ending does have its dodgy moments, mostly from its forced featuring of the real Jordan Belfort but that doesn't prevent Wolf of Wall Street from being such an incredible movie.

SIDE-NOTE: Don't think I didn't notice the incredible French leading man, Jean Dujardin, make an appearance in this film! Such a pleasure seeing him in an American production.

After watching the first Nightmare on Elm Street film, I noticed the direct sequel was available of Netflix. So I decided why the hell not. I know this film has a lot of notoriety for its homosexual overtones and just not being the classic the original was. Even my cousin called this movie "that gay one"! Honestly, I don't mind it that much. There are certainly moments where it goes a little overboard (like the towel scene) but overall, the manservice isn't bad. It's kind of refreshing, actually. But still, this was such a conflicting movie for me. It seems like this film is constantly switching between freaky scenes and just plain ridiculous scenes. The horror doesn't always work. Especially with such laughable moments as the infamous parakeet scene. Yet while the horror is not always consistent, the film does have its genuinely effective scenes of disturbing horror. For example, the opening scene was rather surprising and had some cool visuals. But rather than focusing exclusively on dream sequences, this film deals with the concept of Freddy possessing somebody to commit murders while simultaneously blurring the line between reality and nightmares. I'll give this sequel credit for not being a rehash of the first film. It adds new elements to the Freddy lore while also sprinkling reminders of the events from the first film. But really it was the last third of the film that really saves it for me. That is where they really bring out the scares: body horror, brutal kills, freaky imagery, and the occasional scene of gloomy atmosphere. The ending is as bizarre and stupid as the first film's as well. Overall, this film does have its cheesy moments and isn't as good as the first film (not many films are) but I still found Freddy 2 to be enjoyable. Maybe it was my lowered expectations but honestly, this film is just not as bad as some people say, in my opinion.

To celebrate my 13th birthday and becoming a teenager, my older cousin wanted me to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was able to watch the first few minutes of it but eventually, my cousin turned it off because he thought I would be too scared to watch. Since then, I wanted to finish watching this film because the stuff I got see beforehand had some awesome visuals and incredible atmosphere. Years later, I got the chance to get a complete viewing of this film. It's such a shame that this only brought my interest because of Wes Craven's recent death. This film is just full of iconic horror scenes (the body going through the walls, the claw hand coming out the tub, the gushing fountain of blood coming out the bed, Freddy cutting his own fingers, his face getting pulled off, the girl getting killing on the ceiling, etc.). Plus, this film introduced the iconic villain, Freddy Krueger. While some of the later films turned him into a pun-making comedic monster performing ridiculous deaths, this Freddy is much more serious and genuinely freaky all thanks to Robert Englund's amazing performance. The soundtrack only adds to the film's freaky tone. This is, no doubt about it, a horror classic but some slightly goofy scenes and a just-plain bizarre ending keeps it from being a full 10/10.

SIDE-NOTE: Of course, we get an early appearance from a certain somebody named Johnny Depp. He certainly has come a long way from being just another Freddy Krueger victim.

My family and I are big fans of Gabriel Iglesias's stand-up comedy. So when I discovered this film was on Netflix, I brought my parents out to see it with me. We were definitely laughing at a bunch of stuff in this film. I think Gabriel Iglesias's comedy works because of his enthusiastic personality, vocal range, and use of brick jokes spread throughout his routine. Plus, in this film, his routine is cleverly connected in his discussions of his relationship with his step-son, his experience in India, and his recent attempts to lose weight (all of which lead to some hilarious bits of stand-up). My only issue is that it was being advertised as a feature-length movie when it was really just another one of Gabriel's stand-up comedy specials. Aside from the cinematic opening (which I thought was kind of unnecessary as was the Ray William Johnson cameo), there wasn't anything "theatrical" about this film. Still that doesn't really matter, the goal of this film wasn't be a blockbuster but rather to make me laugh and it accomplished it's goal with flying colors.

I don't what spawned my sudden interest of watching Jackass clips on Youtube but I did just that. I remember watching early Jackass episodes and some of their films when I was really young, but barely remember feeling anything but disgust. But after watching those clips, I had the strange interest in checking out some of their films on Netflix. While I didn't always laugh at all the stunts they were performing, I was entertained by all the painful and silly pranks these people performed throughout the film. I think what made this film work for me is the overall cast of characters. They all had great chemistry with each other and their willingness to do these harmful activities made this a fun watch. Some people call Jackass a guilty pleasure but I didn't feel guilty watching this. It was an alright flick.

I found Fruitvale Station to be a powerful, harrowing experience based on a real-life tragedy. Unfortunately, as the years pass, events like what happened to Oscar Grant seem much more common. But enough about that because the film does a phenomenal job portraying the final hours of this man's life. Special credits goes to Michael B. Jordan for his incredible performance as Oscar Grant who makes you feel like you're watching a real human being living his life rather than a character. The man has been in his fair share of stinkers but this performance shows the man has talent. Coogler's direction also deserves special mention for presenting a realistic tone and documentary-like filming style all the while adding subtle cinematic choices that makes this film really enjoyable on repeat viewings.

I honestly don't know what I was expecting. I was never the biggest fan of the High School Musical films, especially during their peak in popularity during the late 2000s. But years after irrevelance, I decided to give their second film a shot as I thought it was an slight improvement over the absymal first film. It's not amazing but I enjoyed it for the most part. Some of the music I thought was really catchy and fun to listen to in a guilty pleasure kind of way. Highlights include "What Time Is It?", "I Don't Dance", and "Fabulous". The plot is still uneventful but the whole aspect of avoiding a potential scholarship in place of your friends really doesn't resonade with a concerned young adult like myself. I liked most of the first half but the second half just dragged on and the rest of the songs in the film didn't really interest me. Overall, this was yet another cheesy Disney live-action straight-to-TV film and while it wasn't amazing, I have definitely seen much worse from the Mickey Mouse Corporation.

Back when I recorded my Netflix watches, I started getting into Quentin Tarantino's work by watching Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. I continue to go through his filmography today by watching the next film he made, Jackie Brown. I went into this film knowing that not many people regard this film as greatly as his others but I found myself surprisingly enjoying it a lot, actually. Immediately, the film had a slow start but when the first scene between Ordell and Jackie Brown occured , I knew the plot was getting going. Overall, this was an incredible thriller with lots of twists and turns and the overall plot that Jackie and Max pull is intriguing in how it manages to fool both Ordell and the cops. While the soundtrack this time isn't as memorable as Pulp's or Reservoir's, there were still some gems like "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time?" and "Across 110th Street". All the performances in the film were well-done, including some great work from Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, and even Chris Tucker managed to make a memorable appeareance. Not only is his appearance brief but he also gets shot. I wish more Chris Tucker roles went like this. The best part of this film for me was the relationship between Jackie Brown and Max Cheery, mostly in how unique it is. It is rare to see romance between middle aged characters, especially in a film like this. It was honestly sweet to see and I genuinely cared to see these two together by the end. I found Jackie Brown to be a surprisingly enjoyable film that showed a more low-key feel that's well-appreciated while still containing Tarantino's signature style that keeps people wanting more.

SIDE-NOTE: An (rather minor, in all honesty) issue to me with Pulp Fiction was its overuse of actors from Reservoir Dogs. Thus, I really appreciate how Tarantino for this film experimenting with a bunch of different actors (Robert DeNiro, Pam Grier, Michael Keaton, Robert Forster, Chris Tucker, Tom Lister Jr., etc.) instead of relying on his bunched actor posse (aside from the phenomenal Samuel L. Jackson, of course). Most of whom didn't appear in future QT films.

I remember watching this film when I was around 2. I found the despairing and sometimes disturbing imagery along with the grostesque villains to be too much for a children's mind, instantly disliking this. In fact, I previously rated this film LOWER THAN Batman and Robin. Honestly, I'm usually not that much of a low-rater and I've even become a Tim Burton fan, so I decided to give this film another chance before it leaves Netflix Instant Watch. In all honesty, I felt this experience to be a lot more middling. On one hand, I found the gloomy atmosphere, Christmas-type experience, and Danny DeVito's interesting depiction of the Penguin to make this film much better than a 2-star film. However, elements like some of the corny dialogue, the weird characterization of Catwoman, and just the overall lack of focus on Batman IN A FRICKING BATMAN MOVIE! People have said this before but Batman is a supporting character in his own film (the first half of this film is mostly consisted on Penguin, Catwoman, and Max Shreck scenes with only a few minutes of Batman in them). Compared to how campy people say Schumacher's Batman films are (trust me, I'm not trying to deny it. They are pretty campy), Batman Returns has similar issues with corny dialogue, almost cartoonish weapons and gadgets for the villains, and Batman goes DJ in a scene as well. I feel like Batman Forever is underrated because it envokes the intentionally campy nature of '60s Batman while still having an enjoyable and fun-tone (Batman and Robin is still stupid and awful). However, Returns can be just as campy but the weird dark tone (even darker than the first) to this film really contrasts it to make it enjoyable. Really the weirdest element that doesn't work for me is Catwoman. The performance by Michelle Pfieffer is fine, it's felt like they turned her into a walking cat cliche (tried to eat a bird, landing in kitty litter, APPARENTLY HAVING NINE FUCKING LIVES ). Now, Penguin was really just a business who looked like a penguin so I prefer the more creative liberties they took with his character. But Catwoman was a more subtle and interesting anti-hero than the weirdly sexual manglement of S&M bondage imagery and cat cliches that was Tim Burton's version. Really I don't feel like Tim Burton's films really did get Batman as a character, he really doesn't see any qualms with killing and is constantly getting overshadowed by the villains in his films. The regret over these actions in Batman Forever shows development in his character that both Tim Burton films seem to lack. However, I have changed my film on this film. It isn't awful, it's not the worst Batman film (you know what that one is), and it's not even the worst Tim Burton film I've seen. That honor now goes to his boring and lifeless adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

I don't usually like horror films as I don't find the experience of viewing disturbing imagery and pessimistic story-lines as entertaining or emotionally fulfilling. Seven proves to be the incredible exception as I viewed a euphoric cinematic masterpiece. The deaths committed by the serial killer are disturbing and brutal but not unrealistic or ridiculous. Brilliant is a word that could best describe this film, its characters, the performances, and especially this well-constructed plot. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are incredible as these dynamic three-dimensional detectives trying to play catch up to the schemes of a masterful serial killer. The grimy cinematography helps establish the almost literal hellhole that sets the cynical mode for the entire film. In my opinion, Jonathan Doe is a scarier murderer and better performance than Hannibal Lecter. This is the kind of masterful filmmaking that I'm ashamed I haven't seen before. Unfortunately, this is one of those films where I knew the major spoilers to before watching. Luckily, that didn't stop this film from being suspenseful, intriguing, and overall an spectacular horror masterpiece. I haven't seen any David Fincher films before watching this one, now I must check out his filmography.

As a fan of Robert Zemeckis's films, I was interested in checking this film out as Zemeckis returns to live-action film. From the incredibly intense airplane scene to the scenes showcasing Whip's downward spiral, Zemeckis proves to still be a quality film director. However, the best part of this film is Denzel Washington's incredible performance as the pilot whom prevents a plane crash while dealing with the legal repercussions of his alcoholism during the flight. While some of the religious themes get a little too heavy-handed, Flight is still an impeccable drama with a prime performance from Denzel Washington.

Mulan is a great animated movie. The Secret of Kells is an amazing animated movie. This is just an absolutely beautiful film and is just full of charm that many mainstream animated films can't emulate. The story feels like an old legend that was passed down from generations being brought to life in the most visually-satisfying way. The characters are interesting and believable but special mention goes to Aisling whom really steals the movie. She's such an adorable, badass child-like character with an air of mysticism. Honestly, the animation is absolutely memorizing during certain sections of the film, especially any scene involving the making of the Book. Despite the child-friendly designs, there is certainly some intense moments that is capable of frightening little children (but these are the moments we love in our animated films). So yeah, not much else needs to be said. This movie is awesome and you should totally check it out.

A film class that I am taking in High School encouraged me to check out this film on Netflix, so I decided to give this film a shot. I definitely heard a whole lot of accolades about this movie, especially with it winning every major Oscar category. But still, I was a bit surprised by how high quality this cinematic experience was. Full of incredible performances, disturbing moments of horror, and thrilling moments of tension. Jodie Foster gives a rather underrated performance as Clarice Starling. Foster's presence and subtleties was greatly missed in the sequels. Equally phenomenal was Ted Levine's performance as Buffalo Bill who honestly steals the show with his freaky depiction of a disturbed serial killer who wants to be a woman. Honestly, I will admit I found Anthony Hopkin's performance as Hannibal Lecter to be a tad overrated. It is certainly an iconic performance but I was not quite as intimidated or unnerved by the man as many others have. This film has one of the most well-constructed stories I've ever seen with a whole bunch of layers, symbolism, and really uses the visual language to explore its' story. This is a classic modern-horror film full of brilliant storytelling, incredibly disturbing content, and phenomenal performances.

The moment when I wanted to rewatch this film was the moment I realized how awesome a song "Make A Man Out of You" is. Honestly, upon a further viewing, I thought this was a pretty great Disney film. The story, the characters, the animation, the songs. All of those Disney elements work really well in this film. Disney's take on Chinese culture didn't come off as offensive but rather good-natured. Mulan is a badass leading lady and not the typical Disney princess (she's not even really a princess in this film). Eddie Murphy's performance as Mushu is rather funny. "Make A Man Out of You" is still one of the most badass Disney songs ever. It can truly turn weaklings into warriors. The villain, Hun, is badass but also rather generic compared to the more memorable Disney villain lot. Overall, I found Mulan to be an enjoyable watch and a fun Disney adventure for all ages.

Netflix Romancethon #4

It is considered a signficant piece of cinema during the '60s and one of the most well-known musical films of all time. I am a big fan of musicals and believed this to be an appropriate film for me to watch on this Netflix Romancethon. Unfortunately, while the film might have been acclaimed and influential for its time, I don't think the film has aged as well. I don't know I just didn't really like this film. For one thing, the film is too long and there are just scenes that go on for minutes that feel like hours. I had to take breaks while watching this film feel because the pace left me exhausted. I am just not the biggest fan of 2+ hour films, even some of the good ones, because there is just a certain amount of time I can watch a slow-burner until I start to pass out from boredom. This was one such example. I didn't think the acting was particularly great, especially when they cast non-Puetro Rican actors in Puetro Rican roles. The music, which is the most important aspect in these kinds of film, I also didn't find that great either. I found some of the songs catchy but none were spectacular and I thought some were outright terrible and not well-song or wrought. The positive things I do have to say about it is that the cinematography is really well-done with incredible shots and presentation of colors and I definitely enjoyed the singing. Overall though, I find the film overhyped but it's not terrible at least. Next time on this Netflix Romancethon, I'll be checking out another well-remembered musical starring Vincent Vega himself.

Netflix Romancethon #3

This film won Best Picture of 1960 and will be the final Billy Wilder film I'll be watching on my Netflix Romancethon. I have to say this is a really good movie. It's well-shot, very funny, has great performances, and it is an overall interesting film. I can finally understand the context of the famous spaghetti scene and it portrays an interesting story about adultery and dog-eat-dog office politics. Jack Lemmon definitely does an interesting kind of performance from the one he did in Some Like It Hot, being more reserved and awkward instead of being the pure funny guy. Just like in the last few films, the romance in this film works especially compared to how other love triangles are done in films. Really not much needs to be said, this is just a really good movie... although, it works better as a Christmas/New Year's Eve movie than a Valentine's Day movie but whatever.

Netflix Romancethon #2

Proclaimed the funniest movie of all time by the American Film Institute, while that point is arguably but I have to say it is a really good movie. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play poor musicians that go in drag to escape the mob after they accidentally witness the St. Valentine's Massacre. Besides the great and hilarious performances from the two, Marilyn Monroe definitely improves from The Seven Year Itch going from a simple sex icon in that film to a more fully-fledged character in this film. Joe E. Brown doing a hilarious job falling in love with Jack Lemmon's character in drag and helps make the funniest moment in this film. The writing and dialogue is hilariously well-written. I admit I was not laughing as much as I would personally like but even without laughing that much, it is still a really good and impressive film that works even today despite it being over 50 years old. There is actually two very interesting relationships in this film: the one between Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe which involves Mr. Curtis pretending to be a millionaire doing a Cary Grant accent, and between Jack Lemmon in drag and Joe E. Brown which is really funny especially at the end. Both are interesting relationships that both really work in this film. But I have to say prior to watching this film, I saw the very last scene in this film and it is probably the funniest and best moment in the film. I really wanted to see this film because of how clever and hilarious that exchange between Jack Lemmon and Joe E. Brown was. While I didn't find the rest of the funny as funny as that last scene, it is still an incredibly well-written film that does deserve the praise that it gets.

Netflix Romancethon #1

In celebration of Valentine's Day, I decided to start the month of February with my own look at a genre of film that I don't really watch a lot of films from. Like what the Netflix Horrorthon did with horror films, this Romancethon will be taking a look at romance films of various genres, concepts, and relationships. I decided to start the Romancethon by taking a look at the earliest film I was interested in and one where the relationship I can actually relate to. The film that features the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe's skirt blowing up from the sewers, Billy Wilder's Seven Year Itch. This won't be the last Marilyn Monroe film or Billy Wilder film you'll be seeing in this Romancethon. I have to say I found this film to be incredibly clever and funny, and considering the time period, incredibly edgy. The film focuses on a repressed man played by Tom Ewell (whom gives a hilarious performance) whose wife and kid goes on vacation while he works. Eventually he comes across his new neighbor, a bombshell that is basically Marilyn Monroe being Marilyn Monroe. This is certainly the film that made me understand why she was (and arguably still is) considered one of cinema's great sex symbols. Despite being from the '50s, most of the film hasn't really been dated (and least nothing too noticeable). Nothing much else needs to really be said other then, this is a really enjoyable comedy and not at all a bad start to this brand new Romancethon.

I am very surprised at how very similar to the experiences watching this film and Big Fish are. Not only do both films involve the showcase of one man's life and feature elements for seemingly every movie bringing out a mix of emotions. But I also learned that both films were going to leave Netflix at the end of the month through Portlander's lists, I decided to watch both films on the very last day it was going to stay on Netflix and both were the last films I watched before the beginning of a special movie marathon (in which I plan on elaborating on at the end of this). Both are pretty long films that I didn't have a problem watching all the way through. And overall, I think both films are amazing works of cinema with many great ideas and visuals, I give both films a perfect 10/10, and am possibly considering both films to be the best of their director's careers despite working on a bunch of other classic films. Fun fact is that summers ago in Puetro Rico, my family rented a used car with no radio and in the front drawer, there was the soundtrack to Forrest Gump. So throughout the summer, my family and I were just listening to a soundtrack filled of classic songs. Because of this film, I got to be introduced to such classics as "Hound Dog", "Mrs. Robinson", "Blowing in the Wind", and many other favorites. Robert Zemeckis is certainly a director of plenty spectacularly films. Films, such as Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and this film, are considered cinematic masterpieces and some of the best films in recent memory. This is a well-made, well-written, well-acted, well-directed endeavor that is filled to the prim with beautiful, memorable, and incredibly emotional scenes. Tom Hanks does an impressive performance as the incredibly likable titular character and this film, along with last year's Philadelphia, showed the world why Tom Hanks is one of the great actors of our generation. It is also impressive the various historic references that are made that really makes rewatching the film with more understanding of some of these elements more interesting. Also, the special effects to immerse the character into these historic moments is incredibly impressive and well-done. I admit I was surprised considering how some people critique this film as sentimental fluff when there are actually a bunch of dark and mature moments in the film from Forrest's mom having sex with the principal to keep him in school to Jenny's really depressing life that contrasts Forrest's optimistic and fulfilling life. There were moments that surprised me and moments that I could predict how they were going to turn out beforehand. While many people seem either passionately love or brutally hate this film, I am luckily in the former camp. While people can argue over whether this film really deserved to win Best Picture, I say this film wasn't a bad choice at all. Really I had a joyous experience watching Forest Gump and hope to continue having it through repeat viewings. So with the month of February rearing its head in and Valentine's Day is come closer and closer, I decide to hold another movie marathon where I again am exploring a genre of film I am not that familiar with: Romance films. See you in February where I'll be having my first ever Netflix Romancethon!

Netflix Instant Project 2014
Recommended by Hootsaidtheowl

The main reason I wanted to check out this film was because I wanted to see some of Nicolas Winding Refn's work to try to prepare myself to see Drive for possibly my 100th film. However, it turns out that Drive isn't available on Netflix anymore making the watching of this film pointless. But even still, this is one of those big "love it or hate it" films that I was interested to see purely to check out what the fuss was all about. I have to say it was certainly a unique experience but unfortunately not an enjoyable one. The best part about this film is its cinematography which is incredibly well-made. Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be said on the plot and acting... or lack thereof. Now, I understand that this is a big artsy film that is going to be filled with themes, symbols, and ideas that I might not understand the first time watching. I can't really hate against the acting in the movie as originally I thought Ryan Gosling (whom I praised and awarded for his performance in Lars and the Real Girl) was giving a really disappointing performance as Julian, the guy who just stands around with a blank face that could have been played by any random stranger on the street with zero acting chops. However, I don't blame Gosling or the other actors considering how they aren't playing "characters" but just things that are meant to portray ideas and move the plot along. Now, there were a bunch of ideas, themes, and messages that I didn't understand at all until I decided to check on a few videos "explaining" the plots of this movie. However, I do believe if Refn had tried making the story make little bit more accessible and presenting characters we could attach ourselves too, he could have made an incredible film that would not have been so polarizing for both critics and audiences. That being said, I don't really HATE the movie but I am slightly disappointed with how much I didn't really enjoy it. I am significantly less hyped about seeing the praised Drive, although I still will try to check it out when receiving the opportunity. Still if you are interested in checking this film out, I'd say give this film a chance as the very least it will provide one unforgettably unique experience.

Check the full version of my review here.

Netflix Instant Project 2014
Recommended by VierasTalo

This film is considered a science-fiction classic and I can definitely understand what they were trying to do being certainly impressive stuff for the '50s. However, I wasn't really that impressed when I decided to watch The Day The Earth Stood Still for the Netflix Instant Project 2014. I think for the time this film mostly worked. Some information, ideas, and effects are dated but there are some elements that still work to this day. The acting for example is pretty well-done with some interesting dialogue being presented, especially Michael Rennie's performance as Klaatu whose I think really makes this film work. Also, there is a great soundtrack presented in this film, especially from the opening title scene. The main problem I have with this film besides it being a tad slow at parts is actually the thing most people praise the film for its "anti-war message". While I'm not against the whole idea of an alien going down to Earth to try to make peace and stop conflicts, the way it was presented felt very hypocritical in its own right. So Klaatu is trying to stop paranoia and violence from occurring on Earth, while being paranoid about the idea of "self-defense" and trying to get the point across through the threats of violence... the exact same thing being done during the Cold War which is probably what the film was going against. In spite of not liking this film as much as others, I still think it is a good film that does deserve the acclaim it gets.