We Got Netflix Covered: Wes Anderson, A Horror Musical, And More Zombies!

Welcome back to our recurring recommendation article, We Got Netflix Covered, a place where numerous writers will be discussing their specific genre-based favorites that you can stream on Netflix Watch Instantly this very second. To prove that we certainly do have this covered, we’ve developed a list of genres that we’ll be providing recommendations for every other week – 11 total genres – and the writers responsible for each section have been established. While these might change week to week, here’s today’s roster: Independent: Sarah Myles Classics: Lauren Humphries-Brooks Television: Eric Hall Action & Adventure: James Garcia (no entry this time) Foreign: Paulo Lazo (no entry this time) Documentaries: Adam Donaldson Dramas: Isaac Feldberg (no entry this time) Horror: Matt Donato Family/Children’s Movies: Christian Law (no entry this time) Comedies: Gem Seddon (no entry this time) Sci-Fi: Al Lowe Look at those names – a real “almost” Dirty Dozen if I do say so myself. Enough chatting though, let’s see which Netflix movies you should be streaming this week! Independent Pick: Rushmore (1998) The thing about Wes Anderson is that his films are beautiful, without exception - wonderfully shot, and exquisitely written. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is about them that makes them so enjoyable, though, since they are all deeply unusual. This actually says more about modern filmmaking than it does Anderson, to be fair, because I suspect what makes his films feel different is the universal lack of a standard crescendo. Most films follow the three-act narrative rule, building to an inevitable dramatic peak, before reaching a resolution. Wes Anderson films don’t peak so much as unfold rhythmically until the conclusion. It’s almost more naturalistic that way, since the ‘peak’ is a purely dramatic device we rarely see in our day-to-day lives. Rushmore – directed by Anderson and written by both him and Owen Wilson – unfolds rhythmically, too, aided by stellar performances from Jason Schwartzman (in an impressive debut), Bill Murray and Olivia Williams. Schwartzman plays Max Fischer, an eccentric 15-year-old focused almost entirely on extra-curricular activities at his private High School, Rushmore Academy - where he enjoys a scholarship. Bill Murray plays Herman Blume, a successful but weary businessman, and one of Rushmore’s most generous benefactors. Blume develops an admiration for Fischer’s idealistic nature, and both develop a deep affection for widowed first grade teacher Rosemary Cross – played by Olivia Williams. With Brian Cox and Luke Wilson lending able support, the story of Rushmore winds its way through expulsion, rejection, revenge and redemption, with Fischer discovering an admirer of his own, and Blume discovering a new lease of life. The film is warm, funny and curious, and - as Anderson’s second feature length film – is as great an introduction as any to his work, for those unfamiliar. Classic Pick: The Lady Vanishes (1938) Unfortunately for the world at large, there is only one Alfred Hitchcock film available for streaming on Netflix. Fortunately, it is one of his best: The Lady Vanishes, Hitchcock’s final British effort and the one that effectively got him the gig with Selznick in America. The Lady Vanishes tells the story of Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), a young woman journeying from the fictional country of Bandrika to England, where she has intentions of marrying a “blue-blooded cheque-chaser.” En route, Iris gets hit on the head and subsequently meets Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty), with whom she shares a train compartment. When Iris awakens from a nap, she discovers that Miss Froy is missing…and no one on the train remembers seeing her. She suspects foul play, enlisting the help of charming musicologist Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) to investigate. The Lady Vanishes contains so much charm and effervescence that it’s difficult to boil down to the essentials. The first twenty minutes of the film play like a screwball comedy when an avalanche strands a disparate group of people in a mountain hotel. These characters will all play a role in the solution of the mystery, as each has a reason for questioning Miss Froy’s existence. The film bubbles over with excellent character actors, including Naunton Wayne, Basil Radford, and Paul Lukas (if you don’t know those names, you might still recognize the faces). There are the requisite “Hitchcockian” and scenes involving a fight with magicians’ equipment, the image of a poisoned drink that Orson Welles claimed inspired his love of deep focus, and a final act that answers all the questions in an exciting and amusing way. If all you’ve ever seen of Hitchcock are the required “masterpieces,” check out The Lady Vanishes and see how it all began. Television Pick: Rectify (2013 - ?) Prior to this year, I never thought that I would enjoy the summer television season more than the typical fall-spring season. Sure, there were some disappointments (The Strain, True Blood, Tyrant), but high-quality programming was found on several different channels. One of these networks would be Sundance TV, which not only featured the excellent The Honourable Woman, but also the second season of Rectify, which currently has one season on Netflix. Starring Aiden Young and Abigail Spencer, Rectify centers around Daniel Holden (Young), a former death row inmate who was freed following new DNA evidence in his favor. Having been imprisoned since he was 16 for the murder of his then 16-year-old girlfriend, Holden must now adjust to a life he has never had the chance to experience. While he attempts to piece everything back together, his family and the townfolk of Paulie, Georgia must learn to adjust with the events as well. I have always been a fan of the slow-burn drama genre (See: Treme), and my thoughts on Rectify are no different. A good drama shouldn’t have to resort to outlandish tricks and turns in order to bring viewers in. It just needs to present compelling situations, with dynamic acting, in order to be a success. Luckily, the guiding hands of actor/producer Ray McKinnon and producer Mark Johnson have been able to craft a unique, always engrossing tale, while also managing to rope in some excellent performers. Both Young and Spencer deserve the lavish praise they have received, as their performances are revelations. Young, who until now, was best known for bit parts in Killer Elite and I, Frankenstein, is excellent as portraying Daniel as a stranger in an unknown land. Spencer, as Amantha, one of the few who believes Daniel is innocent, is even more impressive. Sundance, which has brought a number of excellent independent films to the minds of movie-goers, picked the right horse to back in the television landscape with Rectify. It’s the type of slow-burn, gorgeously shot show that only premium channels used to be known for. Even without the large budget of its contemporaries, Rectify stands out as one of the most engrossing and original dramas currently on television - period. With the first season only consisting of 6 episodes, this is the perfect show to watch as summer winds down. Documentary Pick: Dirty Wars (2013) In honor of James Foley, an American journalist who was murdered by ISIL terrorists in Iraq this past week, I searched the Netflix line-up of docs for something about the dangers that journalists on the frontline of combat zones face. My eye came to Dirty Wars, the Academy Award-nominated doc about The Nation magazine’s war correspondent Jeremy Scahill, and his pursuit of allegations of war crimes against the United States military. A highly-stylized doc that follows the ins and outs of process, and the risks some investigative journalists take to get the story beyond the press releases from CENTCOM, Dirty Wars is both fascinating and concerning. Accompanying Scahill’s book, Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield, the cameras of Richard Rowley follow the reporter as he makes his way from Afghanistan to Washington to Yemen and Somalia, all to investigate these mysterious operations committed by units never identified, against people who are never named, for crimes that are never revealed. Scahill’s pursuit leads to his discovery of JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command, a shadowy division of the armed forces that is answerable only to the White House. Along the way, Scahill and the audience come to realize that the War on Terror is much bigger than Afghanistan and Iraq. Working in nebulous areas of national security and military protocols, not to mention the dangers of some of these places where journalists are actively dissuaded from venturing to, Scahill pursues a troubling story. You have to admire his bravado and dedication, and while the movie sometimes strikes one as a little too in love with itself at times, there’s no doubt that it’s trying to make an important point under very difficult conditions. Like All the President’s Men, which, albeit, was a dramatized take on a true story, this film is as much about the walls that power puts up between journalists and the truth as it is about the truth behind those walls. Scahill’s dedication is admirable, but the there’s a bittersweet sensation in watching Dirty Wars that he’s already on the losing end of the battle. Horror Pick: Stage Fright (2014) It gives me great pleasure to share with you my favorite film from this year's South By Southwest, and easily one of my favorite horror films of the year - Jerome Sable's Stage Fright. Blending the musical stylings of Glee (bear with me) with 80s slasher mentalities, this rock opera is an absolutely raucous horror musical that ends up being entirely more fun than anyone could have expected. Yes, even I was skeptical reading the above description, especially coming from a PR company, but Stage Fright delivered everything I could have wanted, and then some. Hilarious songs poke fun at theater culture, 80s hair metal shreds, the kill sequences hold nothing back and for the cherry on top, freakin' Meatloaf is a major player. Again - everything you could want in a horror musical. If you've ever seen Sable and co-composer Eli Batalion's short film The Legend Of Beaver Dam, then you understand the fun-filled nature of their horror filmmaking. Scares aren't necessarily on the forefront of their planning, but this is made up for through a splattering of genre love that leaves bodies dismembered and excitement levels high, paying proper tribute to the practical-effects-driven horror films of yesteryear. It's a bit like John Carpenter meets Phantom Of The Opera, loaded with more theatrical talent than a Broadway audition. Come for the music, stay for the horror, and love every bloody second. That's my best recommendation. And if you still need convincing, check out the awesome red band trailer below. Sci-Fi Pick: Re-Animator (1985) This week's sci-fi/fantasy recommendation could also easily fall in the horror category, but that doesn't make it any less worthy of a pick. Based on an HP Lovecraft story, Re-Animator shows all the horrors that can come about from using science to bring people back to life, and let me tell you, those horrors definitely outweigh the positive aspects any such science could have. If you want a break from the whole, space/time travel/journey-based genre films, then a horror option is definitely a solid choice. As far as the current Netflix selection goes, there are few better than Re-Animator. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is a medical student who comes to America to continue his studies after "killing" his already dead professor. He rents a room from fellow medical student Dean Cain (Bruce Abbott), and things begin to get weirder and weirder until Cain's fiance wants nothing to do with the house. Dean, however, is intrigued by the studies after seeing that Herbert has brought a cat back to life. They take to the basement lab like mad scientists and are able to concoct a reagent that should do the trick. Then, they head to the morgue in order to try their serum on a dead body, and it works like a charm. Unfortunately, this re-animated body goes on a rampage, killing everyone it can until it's decapitated by Herbert's bone saw. Things spiral from there, and yet the tests never stop. In the '80s, the film was a terrifyingly awesome cult classic. Today, it serves as the best example of the worst case scenario if you find a random roommate off Craigslist.