Last time I posted about the worthwhile genre stuff on Netflix Canada, it was warm outside. Now it is cold, oh so cold. So, here are some hot titles that have recently been added.
One of my favourite films from TIFF 2013, the wonderful, brooding vampire piece Only Lovers Left Alive is now on Big Red. Anchored by two solid performances from Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton, it kept me engrossed throughout, even very little happens story-wise. As with 2012's Byzantium (also on Netflix), it is clear that in the hands of competent filmmakers, vampire lore still has some life left in it.
This is Roman Polanski at his most obtuse, and I love it. I discovered this movie in my twenties while I was seeking out movies sampled by the industrial band Skinny Puppy. This is a dark mind-fuck of a film that stars Polanski himself as a man slowly going insane inside his apartment. I guess you could say it's a male-centric version of his earlier film Repulsion. It certainly has just as many memorable visualizations of mental illness. As if you didn't need any more reason to check this out, it also stars the entrancing Isabelle Adjani.
Two films that were criminally mishandled by their distributors after successful film festival receptions were The Hole & All The Boys Love Mandy Lane. The former is classic Joe Dante and just the sort of eighties style kid-centric genre storytelling we should be getting back to, while Mandy Lane was a beautifully shot slasher with a breakout performance from Amber Heard. Oh well, they are here now. Watch 'em.
Cold In July is a really great crime thriller from always solid director Jim Mickle. Based on a story Joe R. Lansdale, I think you'll dig this yarn featuring Michael C. Hall and Don Johnson. It's got an early Coen Brothers feel to it, with lots of juicy twists and turns.
On the TV side of things, the first season of the British series Broadchurch is now on Netflix. It feels very much like AMC's The Killing, in that it's a contained murder mystery that is incredibly dark and depressing. The ensemble cast, that includes an even more animated than usual David Tennant, is fantastic. I really enjoyed this show and was glad to hear that even though its domestic counterpart Gracepoint has begun, a second series of Broadchurch is underway - which is more than I can say for Utopia *grumble grumble*
That should keep you busy I wager. Hopefully, we're back to warmer climes when I chime with ten-point-oh.
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