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HULU

Sept 2017: Best Movies and TV on Hulu

September 7, 2017 by beststuff No Comments
  1. The Addams Family

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Screenplay: Caroline Thompson

Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd

They really don’t make them like they used to, do they? I mean, come on, The Addams Family was funny without being too crude, dark without being dreary and with cartoonish violence in spades—a kids movie good enough for adults.

  1. Addams Family Values

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Screenplay: Paul Rudnick

Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd

How great is Wednesday’s speech about American colonial exploitation and the genocide of the Indigenous American population before she completely annihilates the whole camp? Nobody was doing stuff like that back then.

  1. An Inconvenient Truth

Director: Davis Guggenheim

Starring: Al Gore

Al Gore went from being boring to being the most woke bummer at the party. Here’s a movie about how we’re all screwed by climate change. Thanks, human race.

  1. Batman

Director: Tim Buron

Screenplay: Sam Hamm

Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson

Batman had to go through some rough patches before we were treated to the Dark Knight Trilogy. This movie isn’t perfect, Joker’s stroll through the art gallery to Prince’s “Partyman” is particularly cringe worthy, but overall it was pretty good.

  1. Batman Returns

Director: Tim Burton

Screenplay: Daniel Waters

Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny Devito

Batman Returns is where Tim Burton really hit his stride with his time at the helm of the franchise. It was dark, it was, at times, disgusting, and where Batman seemed to be Burton a bit too hemmed in, Batman Returns allowed him to make the movie truly his.

  1. Carrie

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenplay: Lawrence D. Cohen

Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie

One of the original body-horror classics and it’s probably an hour-and-a-half long euphemism for puberty.

  1. The Dark Half

Director: George A. Romero

Screenplay: George A. Romero

Starring: Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker

Stephen King’s cocaine years were a hoot, man. In this semi-autobiographical film, an author creates a separate persona who writes separate novels (which happened in real life with King’s Richard Bachman) but the public gets wind so he has to have a real-life burial… for the persona. It’s all very heady stuff but then there are some murders and the persona might be to blame? You probably can guess where this is heading.

  1. Disturbing Behavior

Director: David Nutter

Screenplay: Scott Rosenberg

Starring: James Marsden, Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl

In the 90s adults were so afraid of teenagers and this fear spawned a myriad of “terrifying teen” films. Nowadays, most teenagers are so busy trying to buy Supreme gear and curating their SnapChat feeds that adults are more or less just confused by them.

  1. Lars and The Real Girl

Director: Craig Gillespie

Screenplay: Nancy Oliver

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider

In the future, we probably won’t even date or marry flesh and blood humans. In fact, we probably won’t be able to tell advanced androids and humans apart. We’ll go back and look at films like this and say, “What was so weird about that?”

  1. The Loved Ones

Director: Sean Byrne

Screenplay: Sean Byrne

Starring: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy

The Loved Ones is probably one of the best horror movies to come out in the last ten years. The less you know the better but it’s a twisted revenge film starring a power drill. Funny, bloody and a very good time.

  1. The Men Who Stare at Goats

Director: Grant Heslov

Writers: Peter Straughan (screenplay)

Stars: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey

This movie had it all: great cast, great source material and a competent director (the guy who did True Lies!) but for some reason it just wasn’t very good. Actually, we take that back, it’s a great movie to put on while you’re folding laundry or writing a paper—fantastic background music.

  1. My Girl

Director: Howard Zieff

Screenplay: Laurice Elehwany

Starring: Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd

It’s all fun and games until you start throwing rocks at beehives. How are you seriously going to do that when you know you’re allergic? C’mon, Tommy!

  1. My Girl 2

Director: Howard Zieff

Screenplay: Janet Kovalcik

Starring: Anna Chlumsky, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis

The main character of these two movies is named “Vada Sultenfuss,” which sounds like a throwaway name for your newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

  1. The NeverEnding Story

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Screenplay: Wolfgang Petersen

Starring: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver

If you didn’t watch this movie as a kid, I feel sorry for you. What was your childhood even like? When Artax dies in the Swamp of Sadness, forget about it—waterworks. Honestly, how could you do that to children? Second thought—maybe you were better off never knowing the tragic story of Atreyu and Artax.

  1. River’s Edge

Director: Tim Hunter

Screenplay: Neal Jimenez

Starring: Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye

If River’s Edge had never come out, the world may have never been introduced to the genius of Keanu Reeves. In addition, we’re treated to the absolute insanity of Dennis Hopper opposite Hollywood-madman Crispin Glover. This film is a true classic of wayward teen cinema.

  1. Robocop

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Screenplay: Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen

It’s weird that there are so many movies from the 1980’s that tackle themes that are so prevalent today. The first Robocop expertly examines themes of gentrification, the militarization and privatization of the police force and capitalism run rampant. Also, it’s gory as all hell.

  1. Robocop 2

Director: Irvin Kershner

Screenplay: Frank Miller

Starring: Peter Weller, John Glover

Robocop 2 wasn’t as smart as it’s predecessor but it did prove to be prophetic as the city of Detroit did eventually go bankrupt. Unlike in the film there isn’t a greedy corporation hell bent on owning it afterwards (though the guy who invented Quicken isn’t far off).

  1. Surfer, Dude

Director: S.R. Bindler

Screenplay: S.R. Bindler

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Willie Nelson

Forget Dallas Buyers Club. Forget True Detective. This is peak McConaughey. Here, he plays a surfer who’s just trying to ride this big wave we call life, man.

  1. Saw the Devil

Director: Jee-woon Kim

Screenplay: Hoon-jung Park

Starring: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi, Joon-hyeok Lee

I Saw the Devil is consistently ranked one of the scariest movies of all time. The film is classic revenge torture porn but classy.

  1. Let the Right One In

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Screenplay: John Ajvide Lindqvist

Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar

The English language version entitled Let Me In is a decent approximation but, really, you should watch the original Swedish version to get the full picture. This movie came out right when vampires were all becoming apathetic, brooding teenagers and totally reinvigorated the whole genre.

Bonus: Old School TGIF Lineup

Hulu is completely upping their game by releasing the entire series of the all old school TGIF lineup sitcoms. It looks like Boy Meets World is still being held on tightly by Disney but all the other shows are present and accounted for:

Family Matters, complete series

Full House, complete series

Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, complete series

Perfect Strangers, complete series

Step-By-Step, complete series

 

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HULU

August 2017: Best Movies and TV on Hulu

August 14, 2017 by beststuff No Comments
  1. Arthur

Arthur

Director: Steve Gordon

Screenplay: Steve Gordon

Starring: Dudley Moore, Lisa Minnelli

Dudley Moore is known better now because he was perceived in his real life to be much like his onscreen counterpart, Arthur, that is, perpetually drunken and looking for love in all the wrong places. The truth is, he was an accomplished humorist, painter and pianist as well. And who doesn’t like to drink a bit?

  1. As Good as it Gets

As good As it Gets

Director: James L. Brooks

Screenplay: James L. Brooks, Mark Andrus

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Greg Kinnear, Helen Hunt

As Good as it Gets is another “bad-boys-being-bad-and-looking-for-love” movie. Jack Nicholson plays a lauded writer who’s also a giant ass. The film comes off as a bit anachronistic now but remains a solid piece of cinema.

  1. Bad Boys

Bad Boys

Director: Michael Bay

Screenplay: Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, Doug Richardson

Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence

Michael Bay has only made three good films in his long career and they all have Bad Boys in the title. He’ll increase that number when Bad Boys 4 drops next year.

  1. The Big Chill

The Big Chill

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan, Barbra Benedek

Starring: Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum

The ultimate movie about old friends coming together and realizing that life ain’t always what it’s cracked up to be. It also singlehandedly ruined “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for an entire generation.

  1. Bloodsport

Blood Sport

Director: Newt Arnold

Screenplay: Sheldon Lettich

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme

For a plotless crawl through the world of underground martial arts, Bloodsport remains surprisingly compelling. We assume it has something to do with the dramatic flaring of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s nostrils.

  1. Breakdown

Breakdown

Director: Jonathan Mostow

Screenplay: Jonathan Mostow

Starring: Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan

A man’s wife is kidnapped after their car breaks down (hence the title) in the middle of the New Mexican desert. Now, he’s on a race against time (and his own mind) to find her in this “taut” “surreal” thriller. Also, makes for a cautionary tale explaining why you should never trust banjo-picking desert people.

  1. Clue

Clue

Director: Jonathan Lyn

Screenplay: Jonathan Lyn

Starring: Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd

Board game movies are almost never good (except for Battleship of course) but Clue broke the mold. In keeping with the spirit of the game, the film had three different endings, which went to different theatres around the country so you might have seen a different ending of the movie in California than the folks did in New York.

  1. Clueless

Clueless

Director: Amy Heckerling

Screenplay: Amy Heckerling

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash

Though Clueless came out over twenty years ago, it stays remarkably relevant throughout vast generational shifts. We have a hunch it has something to do with the timeless source material—Jane Austen’s Emma.

  1. Finding Forrester

Finding Forester

Director: Gus Van Sant

Screenplay: Mike Rich

Starring: Sean Connery, Rob Brown

Okay, so this movie really just rode the coattails of Good Will Hunting, but it did give us one of the greatest Internet memes of all time—“You the man now, dog.”

  1. The Foot Fist Way

The Foot Fist Way

Director: Jody Hill

Screenplay: Ben Best, Jody Hill, Danny McBride

Starring: Danny McBride, Ben Best

Sure, Danny McBride basically just plays the same character in every film/television series—a foul-mouthed southerner with a tough exterior but truly a heart of gold. This, the first feature-length collaboration from the guys who’d go on to do Eastbound and Down is no different. But it’s hilarious all the same.

  1. Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks

Director: Tim Burton

Screenplay: Jonathan Gems

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Lukas Haas

Who’d have thought that a trading card series from the 60s would make such a fine film? Tim Burton. That’s who. Little green men invade Earth and hilarity ensues.

  1. Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Once Upon A Time in Mexico

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp

The third, and final, film in Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy (along with El Mariachi and Desperado) is ambitious if uneven with a head-scratcher of a plot. Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp kill it as usual and Willem Dafoe takes his drug lord character to incredible heights.

  1. Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan

Director: Steven Spielberg

Screenplay: Robert Rodat

Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon

There’s a popular Internet meme that gets circulated theorizing the amount of money the United States government has spent saving Matt Damon. Currently, the estimate is at about $900 million.

  1. Spider-Man

Spider-Man

Director: Sam Raimi

Screenplay: David Koepp

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe

With Spiderman: Homecoming, the wall-crawler is currently on his third iteration but, with those glassy eyes and boyish good looks, Tobey Maguire will always be Spiderman in our hearts. Plus, this one had Evil Dead Trilogy director Sam Raimi at the helm.

  1. Teen Wolf Too

Teen Wolf Too

Director: Christopher Leitch

Screenplay: Tim Kring

Starring: Jason Bateman, Kim Darby

Before he was plugging holes as Michael Bluth, Jason Bateman was sinking baskets in this inexplicable sequel to Teen Wolf, which has recently been reboot as a sexy MTV teen drama. We’re sure there’s something redeeming in this film and we challenge our readers with finding it!

  1. The Toy

The Toy

Director: Richard Donner

Screenplay: Carol Sobieski

Starring: Richard Pryor, Jackie Gleason

With fresh, 2017 eyes, a black man being purchased for the son of a mega-rich news magnate seems pretty problematic. But, hey man, this was the wild and free 1980s when nothing seemed to matter.

  1. Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky

Director: Cameron Crowe

Screenplay: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz

Despite making a handful of really great movies, Cameron Crowe can’t seem to catch much of a break. He makes understated rom-coms like Elizabethtown and critics dump on him for playing it too close to the vest. He makes big, heady narratives like Vanilla Sky and critics dump on him for overreaching. Despite some snares, Vanilla Sky is good.

  1. Hamlet (1990)

Hamlet

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

Screenplay: Franco Zeffirelli, Christopher De Vore, William Shakespeare

Starring: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close

Alright, here’s the definitive hierarchy of Hamlet adaptations made between 1990 and 2000:

  1. The Lion King
  2. Hamlet (1996)
  3. Renaissance Man (starring Joe Pesci)
  4. Let the Devil Wear Black
  5. Hamlet (2000)
  6. Hamlet (1990)
  1. Universal Soldier

Universal Soldier

Director: Roland Emmerich

Screenplay: Dean Devlin

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren

Universal Soldier is an… imaginative (?)… depiction of PTSD in the wake of the Vietnam War. You know the old tale—two soldiers (one insane) die and are then reanimated as super-soldiers in service of the U.S. government.

  1. Coming to America

Coming to America

Director: John Landis

Screenplay: David Sheffield

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall

The classic fish-out-of-water story but set in the 80s and in Queens, New York. It’s worth the watch just to see Eddie Murphy play every single character (including an old Jewish man) in the barbershop scene.

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HULU

July 2017: Best Stuff Streaming on Hulu

June 28, 2017 by beststuff No Comments

 

  1. Beverly Hills Ninja

Beverly Hills Ninjaa

Director: Dennis Dugan

Screenplay: Mark Feldberg, Mitch Klebanoff

Starring: Chris Farley, Nicollette Sheridan

In an alternate reality, Chris Farley is still around and making great American comedy films. Unfortunately, this was one of the final three films the comedic titan made and it’s kind of a dud, but still worth watching for Farley’s manic performance.

  1. The Blob

The Blob

Director: Chuck Russell

Screenplay: Chuck Russell, Frank Darabont

Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith

The 1998 remake of this classic fifties film didn’t get much appreciation when it came out but it had its campy thrills. It’s since become a cult classic in part for its damn decent special effects and in part because of the incomparable Matt Dillon.

  1. Melancholia

Melancholia

Director: Lars von Trier

Screenplay: Lars von Trier

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg

Lars von Trier has gotten recognition for taking women and putting them into dangerous situations oftentimes to great detraction by the critics. In this beautiful film, he tackles depression with an incredible—honestly, shocking—performance by Kirsten Dunst.

  1. The Devil’s Advocate

The Devils Advocate

Director: Taylor Hackford

Screenplay: Tony Gilroy, Jonathan Lemkin

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino

Al Pacino is the devil. Keanu Reeves somehow got a law degree.

  1. Encino Man

Encino Man

Director: Les Mayfield

Screenplay: George Zaloom, Shawn Schepps

Starring: Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Pauly Shore

Before Sean Astin was adventuring with Frodo, he was making nineties classic like Encino Man and The Goonies. In addition to the star-turn performance of Brendan Fraser, this movie represents the apex of the Golden Age of Pauly Shore.

  1. The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October copy

Director: John McTiernan

Screenplay: Larry Ferguson, Donald E. Stewart

Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin

Those pesky Russians are at it again, and only CIA agent Jack Ryan can save us all in this thriller, which you can see on repeat every Father’s Day on either TBS, TNT or USA Network.

  1. La Bamba

La Bamba

Director: Luis Valdez

Screenplay: Luis Valdez

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Danielle von Zerneck

The tragic story of teen pop icon Richie Valens comes to life with Lou Diamond Phillips. Can anyone tell us where the hell LDP is now?

  1. The Mask

The Mask

Director: Chuck Russell

Screenplay: Mike Werb

Starring: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz

This film and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective came out in the same year. Can you imagine how exhausted Jim Carrey must have been in 1994?

  1. Misery

Misery

Director: Rob Reiner

Screenplay: William Goldman

Starring: Kathy Bates, James Caan

Misery comes across as a weird form of fantasy fulfillment for author Stephen King as well as a word of warning for potential authors: don’t cross your fans and don’t kill off beloved characters. You might just end up tied to a bed with your feet broken.

  1. Road House

Road House

Director: Rowdy Herrington

Screenplay: David Lee Henry, Hilary Henkin

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch

Let this be a warning to any person who thinks they should get their PhD in the soft sciences or humanities: you’ll probably just end up working as a cooler in a Texas roadhouse. If that’s your aim, then let this film be your guide.

  1. School Daze

School Daze

Director: Spike Lee

Screenplay: Spike Lee

Starring: Larry Fishburne, Tisha Campbell

An interesting exploration of colorism at a historically black college.

  1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

TMNT I

Director: Steve Barron

Screenplay: Todd W. Langen, Bobby Herbeck

Starring: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas

The original 1990 film followed much more closely to the decidedly dark and gritty TMNT comic books while still keeping some of the levity of the children’s TV show. Unfortunately, all of that was lost in the subsequent sequel.

  1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

TMNT 2 Secrets of the Ooze

Director: Michael Pressman

Screenplay: Todd W. Langen

Starring: Paige Turco, Ernie Reyes Jr.

The highlight of this film is the animatronic creatures created by Jim Henson who died before he could see the debut of the film. The movie is the last in his legacy and is worth watching for that reason alone.

  1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles in Time

TMNT 3

Director: Stuart Gillard

Screenplay: Stuart Gillard

Starring: Elias Koteas, Paige Turco

Imagine the Last Samurai meets the Ninja Turtles and you have this gem of a film finding the four amphibian brothers in feudal Japan.

  1. The Eric Andre Show: Season 4

The Eric Andre SHow

Created by: Eric Andre

Starring: Eric Andre, Hannibal Buress

Eric Andre might actually be insane, which makes watching his show all the more interesting. Not recommended if you have a soft stomach.

  1. Prince Avalanche

Prince Avalanchee

Director: David Gordon Green

Screenplay: David Gordon Green

Starring: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch

Bear with us because this movie is about two guys in the middle of nowhere in Texas walking around and painting lines on the highway and talking and not talking. Y’know, guy stuff. But it’s pretty good and the soundtrack rules.

  1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek The Motion Picture

Director: Robert Wise

Screenplay: Harold Livingston

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy

Hulu is unleashing the entire collection of original Star Trek films so cinephiles can see exactly how much better they are than the new, shiny CGI train wrecks. You know the story here—they’re boldly going places no man has gone before for about an hour and a half to two hours.

  1. John Dies at the End

John Dies at the End

Director: Don Coscarelli

Screenplay: Don Coscarelli

Starring: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes

The film is all over the place and kind of a mixed bag of good and bad but it’s fun and worth the view. Earth is being invaded via a new street drug and the title is true.

  1. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Talladega Nights

Director: Adam McKay

Screenplay: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay

Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly

The film is the second best cinematic representation of auto racing just behind Days of Thunder and certainly one of the best Ferrell/Reilly/McKay comedies.

  1. Dark City

Dark City

Director: Alex Proyas

Screenplay: Alex Proyas, David S. Goyer, Lem Dobbs

Starring: Rufus Sewell, Jennifer Connelly

This is one of the great forgotten science fiction films of, not just the late nineties, but perhaps all time and ranks up there with Metropolis or Frankenstein. The film is a neo-noir set in a fictional nowhere city, John Murdoch wakes up with no knowledge of his past and blood on his hands. WATCH THIS FILM.

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HULU

June 2017: Best Stuff Streaming on Hulu Right Now

June 5, 2017 by beststuff No Comments

 

  1. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Director: Tom Shadyac

Screenplay: Jim Carrey, Tom Shadyac, Jack Bernstein

Starring: Jim Carrey, Courtney Cox

Jim Carrey remains one of the most absurdly quotable actors in history. Even though few people can recall the plot of Pet Detective (something about Dan Marino’s Super Bowl Ring and a missing dolphin), the epic quotes live on.

  1. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

Ace ventura When Nature Calls

Director: Steve Oedekerk

Screenplay: Steve Oedekerk

Starring: Jim Carrey, Ian McNeice

While the first film in the series may have birthed pop culture gold, When Nature Calls birthed Jim Carrey out of the back of a giant fake elephant.

  1. Aeon Flux (2005)

Aeon Flux

Director: Karyn Kusama

Screenplay: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi

Starring: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand

It certainly had its moments, but when the creator of the original, groundbreaking animated series Aeon Flux tears the Hollywood version to shreds, you know it can’t be good. There’s plenty of action here, but with none of the dominatrix/fetish/Marxist stuff that made the original show great.

  1. Con Air (1997)

COn Air

Director: Simon West

Screenplay: Scott Rosenberg

Starring: Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich

There’s nothing quite so comforting as kicking back and watching a great Nic Cage film. You know the old tale—a man kills in self-defense, gets sent to prison and must hijack a plane with the nation’s most dangerous killers to get his wife back? You know what? Don’t overthink it.

  1. Dances with Wolves (1990)

Dances with Wolves

Director: Kevin Costner

Screenplay: Michael Blake

Starring: Kevin Costner, Graham Greene

Kevin Costner shows off his chops behind the camera in this tale of a Civil War defector who shacks up with some Native Americans and feels the white man’s burden hard.

  1. Blow Out (1981)

Blow Out

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenplay: Brian De Palma

Starring: John Travolta, Nancy Allen

John Travolta gets caught in a web of lies and conspiracies when he finds the body of a dead man who was set to run for president. Things get worse when he begins to fall for the femme fatale.

  1. Blue Velvet (1986)

Blue Velvet

Director: David Lynch

Screenplay: David Lynch

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper

It starts with a severed ear and then continues on one of the strangest journeys ever committed to celluloid. Dennis Hopper is at his absolute best as a drugged-out-pseudo-sex-demon opposite Kyle MacLachlan’s wide-eyed Irish innocence.

  1. Ghost Rider (2007)

Ghost Rider

Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Screenplay: Mark Steven Johnson

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes

Ghost Rider might be one of the most beloved anti-heroes in Marvel comics history. Unfortunately, even with the mighty Nicolas Cage, they couldn’t get the ol’ flaming one right. It’s not without it’s charms, though.

  1. Boogeyman (2005)

Boogeyman

Director: Stephen Kay

Screenplay: Eric Kripke

Starring: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel

Even though his father was killed by the boogeyman (yes, the boogeyman) all those years ago, Tim’s mother refuses to believe his fears. It’s not until he must return to his childhood home and defeat said spirit that people finally begin to believe him.

  1. The Ides of March

Ideas of March

Director: George Clooney

Screenplay: George Clooney

Starring: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling

Plenty of people slept on this Clooney penned-and-helmed political thriller but it was pretty great all things considered. Gosling and Paul Giamatti play fantastic side roles to Clooney’s governor hopeful.

  1. Joe Dirt (2001)

Joe Dirt

Director: Dennis Gordon

Screenplay: David Spade, Fred Wolf

Starring: David Spade, Dennis Miller

Southern epics aren’t just reserved for Faulkner. David Spade shines as the archetypical slack jawed hillbilly. Unfortunately, Dennis Miller is also in this film.

  1. Bullwhip (1958)

Bullwhip

Director: Harmon Jones

Screenplay: Adele Buffington

Starring: Guy Madison, Rhonda Fleming

The film is a classic yet unsung proto-feminist western about a hard woman who saves a man from his own hanging with a bullwhip.

  1. Madeline (1998)

Madeline

Director: Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Screenplay: Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett

Starring: Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne

The iconic children’s series about the experiences of an orphaned girl comes to life with the help of Frances McDormand.

  1. Over the Top (1987)

Over the Top

Director: Menahem Golan

Screenplay: Sylvester Stallone, Gary Conway

Starring: Sylvester Stallone

Keep in mind that this isn’t just a story about a down on his luck trucker who also moonlights as a professional arm wrestler, but a story about a father and his son. It’s Shakespearean really.

  1. Mo’ Money (1992)

Mo' Money

Director: Peter MacDonald

Screenplay: Damon Wayans

Starring: Damon Wayans, Stacey Dash

You know what they say, “mo’ money, mo’ problems,” and this movie is proof of that because it’s full of consistency errors and plot holes.

  1. Money Train (1995)

Money Trainn

Director: Joseph Ruben

Screenplay: Doug Richardson, Vincent Patrick, David Loughery

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson

People don’t give enough credit to the powerhouse cinematic duo that was “Woody and Snipes.” In the spiritual successor to White Men Can’t Jump, Money Train has the twosome playing two brothers (?) who decide to rob a subway car.

  1. Moscow on the Hudson (1984)

Moscow On the Hudson

Director: Paul Mazursky

Screenplay: Paul Mazursky, Leon Capetanos

Starring: Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso

Moscow on the Hudson is either one long Yakov Smirnoff joke made real or some kind of Hollywood anti-Cold War subversion technique on celluloid. But it’s a pretty good Robin Williams film either way.

  1. Mr. Mom (1983)

Mr.Mom

Director: Stan Dragoti

Screenplay: John Hughes

Starring: Michael Keaton, Teri Garr

He’s MISTER Mom. Get it? Because he loses his job and has to stay home with the KIDS! It’s so difficult when the man has to stay home. How will they explain it to the children?

  1. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Peggy SUe Got Married

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Screenplay: Jerry Leichtling, Arlene Sarner

Starring: Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage

Kathleen Turner goes back in time to save herself from herself in this Francis Ford Coppola dramedy starring Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew, Nicolas Cage.

  1. Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine (Hulu Documentary)

Dumb the story of big brother magazine

Director: Patrick O’Dell

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Tony Hawk, Spike Jonze

The people who lived it finally tell the story of one of the most beloved skate magazines. Expect dirty jokes and bad falls from these Jackass proto-martyrs.

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HULU

May 2017: Best Stuff Streaming on Hulu

April 28, 2017 by beststuff No Comments
Twin Peaks - Best Stuff Streaming on Hulu

Probably all you need to know is that, yes, Hulu still has every episode of Seinfeld streaming on its service. But, yeah, it’s also got some cool movies and a bunch of TV shows coming in May as well. Let’s take a look!

25. American Muscle

AMerican Muscle

The movie is a throwback to the muscle-bound action movies of the 80’s and early 90’s (if the title didn’t give that away). A man has 24-hours to hunt down and murder the men who sent him to prison!

24. Barbershop

Barbershop

Let’s not mince words here: Ice Cube should have been nominated, if not won, an Oscar, or at least an Independent Spirit Award, for his seminal Barbershop. The movie centers on the titular barbershop, its inhabitants and, eventually, an ATM robbery.

23. Barbershop 2: Back in Business

Barbershopp 2

Some say that sequels are pre-designed to be worse than the original, but we don’t think that’s the case here. In Barbershop 2: Back in Business, a chain called Nappy Cuts threatens the titular barbershop leading Calvin to take action.

22. Flubber

Flubber

Now here’s a remake that is truly better than the original. But don’t get it confused: Flubber, which came out in 1997, is based on the movie The Absent-Minded Professor, not to be confused with the Nutty Professor, which was made in 1961 and spawned a remake of the same name that came out in 1996 starring Eddie Murphy.

21. Free Willy 3: The Rescue

Free Willy 3

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home is also coming to Hulu in May, but, honestly, Free Willy 3: The Rescue is a far superior film than the sequel. But, no, it’s not better than the original. Although, all that stuff that came out about Killer Whale treatment maybe casts a dark shadow across the whole trilogy.

20. He Got Game

He Got Game

Some of Spike Lee’s late-period movies can be hit or miss but He Got Game combines his trademark visuals and fine acting from mid-period Denzel to tell the story of a prisoner-father who strikes a deal to get out early by convincing is son to play basketball for the Governor’s alma mater.

19. What About Bob?

What About Bob

Dreyfuss and Murray playing off each other as two people barely hanging onto reality. Maybe it hasn’t yet been recognized as the comedy goldmine it truly is, but soon or later… it might?

18. Clue

Clue

Board game movies are almost never good (except for Battleship of course) but Clue broke the mold. Did you know that, in keeping with the spirit of the game, the film had three different endings, which went to different theatres around the country? Pretty cool.

17. Big Fish

Big Fish

The story of a man and his father and the tall tales we tell—a real “guy cry” movie.

16. Batman & Bill (Hulu Original)

Batman and Bill

Despite the fact that Bob Kane is often considered the sole creator of Batman, this documentary is attempting to retcon (comic term here, y’all) all that by introducing you to Bill Finger. Why was Finger omitted from Batman’s history? Well, you’ll have to watch to find out.

15. Becoming Bond (Hulu Original)

Becoming Bond

Does the name George Lazenby ring any bells? No? That’s because he played James Bond one time in one of the least recognized Bond films of all time. This documentary traces the arc of the career that just burned too bright too fast.

14. Gladiator

Gladiator

This is the classic tale of the betrayed Roman general fighting in the arena for his life, and his family’s honor. There’s going to be a sequel believe it or not.

13. Naked Gun from the Files of the Police Squad

Naked Gun from the Files of the Police Squad

I don’t think anyone can really describe the plot of a Naked Gun film but they’re always uproariously funny thanks in no small part to the genius of Leslie Nielsen. We think this one is about Det. Drebin trying to thwart an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth.

12. Naked Gun 2 & ½: The Smell of Fear

Naked Gun 2

Robert Goulet is in this one.

11. Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Naked Gun 33

Okay, so this one is about a bomb threat at the Academy Awards. The film came out at a time when all comedies inexplicably had mass amounts of cameos from various celebrities.

10. Nick of Time

Nick Of Time

The film is a thriller that unfurls in real time with Johnny Depp starring opposite Christopher Walken as a father who’s just trying to do the right thing (by potentially assassinating the governor).

9. License to Kill

License to Kill

Tim Dalton was almost the other forgotten Bond after The Living Daylights received lukewarm reviews but License to Kill changed all that. The film is a modern take on Japanese Ronin tales and is markedly darker, grittier and more violent than the Bond films that came before it.

8. Moonraker

Moonracker

Until GoldenEye, 1979’s Moonraker was the highest grossing Bond film of all time. This one takes Bond to space as he tries to thwart a plan to scorch the Earth and repopulate it with a master race.

7. Jackson

Jackson

A documentary following the complex issue of abortion in the Deep South through the eyes of three women—the director of the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, an anti-abortion activist and a woman faced with another unplanned pregnancy.

6. Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry

The first-person/video game-y action movie seemed an interesting gimmick but was perhaps a bit too two-dimensional (get it?) for most. It made a much better short film.

5. Coming to America

Coming to America

You shouldn’t need a blurb to convince you to watch this cinematic landmark. All you need to know is that “the royal penis is clean.” (That’s a famous quote from the movie).

4. Vikings: Season 4B

Vikings Season 4B

History channel’s Vikings is back for an astonishing fourth season. Expect more bare-chested men, skull crushing and familial intrigue.

3. Line of Duty: Season 4

Line of Duty Season 4

Full disclosure: never seen this show but it’s a British procedural drama and this season has Thandie Newton. How could it be bad?

2. Casual: Season 3 (Hulu Original)

Casual Season 3

A bachelor returns home to help his recently divorced sister raise her teenage daughter as they both navigate the dating pool.

1. Twin Peaks: Season 3

Twin Peaks

Are you ready to get weirded out all over again or for the first time? The groundbreaking David Lynch crime drama returns after 26 years. Will we finally find out who killed Laura Palmer? (Wait, didn’t we do that already?)

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HULU

April 2017: Best Stuff Streaming on Hulu

April 6, 2017 by beststuff No Comments

25. Seinfeld

Seinfeld

The entire series of the Show About Nothing is streaming on Hulu. This alone is enough reason to get a subscription.

24. Days of Thunder

Days of Thunder

The best movie about NASCAR racing that isn’t Talladega Nights. Two bitter rivals become friends after dual injuries sideline their careers. Days of Thunder also boasts some of the best character names for a movie about fast cars—Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise), Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker) and Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes).

23. The Babadook

The Babadook

A monster haunts a family from the pages of a children’s book. This is a scary-ass movie about how much it sucks to be a single mom.

22. Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

Aint Them Bodies Saints

A rambling but beautiful film centered on a man who is released from prison and goes to find his former lover and the child she bore. The allusions to Terrance Malick are earned and Casey Affleck is at his mush-mouthed best.

21. Cadillac Man

Cadillac Man

Robin Williams plays a sleazy car salesman who’s deep in debt. In an effort to save his skin, he attempts to sell off his entire stock of Caddies. Unfortunately, things get complicated when the scorned lover of one of his many girlfriends (Tim Robbins) comes into the dealership armed with an automatic weapon!

20. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Every kid who skipped school in the 80s and 90s probably imagined their day would go a lot like Ferris Bueller’s—fancy restaurant, art museum, cool car, etc. For most kids, though, it was probably staying home and watching reruns of Wings.

19. The Hours

The Hours

Three women and the book that unites them. Nicole Kidman is unrecognizable as Virginia Woolf attempting to write her opus, Mrs. Dalloway, while Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore read the book in the future, and it changes their lives. Ostensibly, they were not forced to read the novel in AP English.

18. JFK

JFK

With a nod and a wink, Oliver Stone examines one of America’s most famous conspiracies. Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) begins to doubt the findings on the Kennedy assassination and begins a little investigation of his own.

17. Payback

Payback

Mel Gibson finally gets vengeance on all those nasty folks who’ve done him wrong.

16. The Puffy Chair

The Puffy Chair

A landmark mumble-core film starring the second-to-last funny guy from The League. In all seriousness, most people don’t know that the Duplass brothers were “important filmmakers” until one of them ended up on a show about upper-middle-class fantasy sports enthusiasts.

15. RoboCop 3

Robocop 3

Written by famed anarcho-libertarian comic book scribe Frank Miller, RoboCop 3 kind of goes off the rails. There are robot ninjas, and the filmmakers were panned for trimming all the good stuff to get it down to PG-13. You have to understand, by this point in time there were RoboCop cartoons, lunch boxes and toys. Just seven years earlier, the original RoboCop was a cyberpunk bloodbath tackling gentrification, corporate greed, and the militarization of the police force among other, timely themes.

14. The Straight Story

The Straight Story 1

A guy drives a tractor to tend to his estranged brother who has just had a stroke. This entire film was made just to prove that David Lynch could do “normal.”

13. The Warriors

The Warriors

A colorful New York City gang fights through the night to get back to Coney Island in probably one of the best films ever made.

12. Prison Break: Season 5

Prison Break Season 5

Apparently Prison Break was a Big Deal way back in the early aughts. Its return hints that Michael Scofield might not be dead and the biggest jailbreak ever is yet to come. Just for the record, there are characters named “T-Bag,” “C-Note,” and “Sucre.”

11. Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation

Cesar Milan Dog Nation

In the words of Cesar Millan, “You have to establish dominance,” but anyone keeping up with national politics probably already knows that. The show finds the Dog Whisperer crisscrossing the country looking for problem hounds to mansplain.

10. The Handmaid’s Tale: Series Premiere

The Handmaids Tale

Margaret Atwood’s gripping novel comes to life just at the exact right moment in history when we all need a little more of a reminder that, yes, we are indeed living in a fascist dystopia.

9. Tapeheads

Tapeheads

John Cusack seems to be doing a Gomez Addams cosplay here in this pseudo-love letter to the Los Angeles music industry. The film is centered on two down-on-their-luck music video directors who accidentally catch a public servant in the act. There are some interesting themes here about censorship and commodity that barely get scratched but Tim Robbins is having fun and really that’s all that matters.

8. The Switch

The Switch

People really lambasted this movie because it had Jennifer Aniston playing Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman playing Jason Bateman, but, honestly, what more could we ask from them? Jeff Goldblum’s bit part as Bateman’s friend is worth the price of admission alone. Oh, and it’s about a guy who inadvertently becomes his friend’s sperm donor after he spills the original donor sperm somehow.

7. The People vs. George Lucas

The People vs George Lucas

If someone asks, “Did you see the People versus…?” you will probably be thinking of something entirely different. But this is a different thing, about a different guy. It’s actually a decent examination of the Star Wars film franchise and the nature of art i.e., when is art no longer the property of the artist and becomes, really, the property of the admirer?

6. Lincoln

Lincoln

Someday, someone should make a documentary about the creator of Lincoln Logs. Did you know John Lloyd Wright, the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, invented Lincoln Logs in Japan? And that Lincoln Logs structures are earthquake proof? Anyway, this movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in a movie about Abraham Lincoln. It’s called Lincoln.

5. Tombstone

Tombstone

“I’m your Huckleberry.”

4. 1408

1408

Seriously, this movie is not bad. All things considered, it’s actually pretty good. John Cusack stars in this adaptation of a Stephen King story about a failed writer (duh) who doesn’t believe in ghosts. He checks into a notoriously haunted room and, well, I bet you can guess what happens (hint: there are ghosts).

3. Major League

Major League

A hard luck team of misfits is able to scratch and claw their way to the top of the MLB much to the chagrin of their greedy owner.

2. Serpico

Serpico

Based on a true story, Serpico finds Al Pacino doing his best Charlie Day impression. A story about crooked cops and the one guy who puts his life on the line to stop them.

1. Preacher: Season 1

Preacher Season 1

AMC is straight killing it with their television programming and this adaptation of the beloved comic book series is no different. For fans of the books, you’ll have little time adjusting once you settle in to the minor aesthetic differences of the characters. Season 2 drops June 19th and we couldn’t be more excited.

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