January 16, 2013

Noteworthy On Netflix - 1/16/13

Noteworthy On Netflix banner

     These are by no means the only worthy genre related movies on Netflix streaming, just a sampling of movies that I'm familiar worth that I think might otherwise be overlooked.  You'll notice a television show and a few documentaries in there, as well.  Sometimes a guy just needs a change of pace.

     Availability changes often, but all of the following titles were available to stream from Netflix at the time of this posting.  The genre listed after the title (Documentary, TV Shows, Horror, or Sci-Fi & Fantasy) describes where you'll find each movie in your onscreen groupings.  Try doing a manual search if one seems to be missing.

     If you have recommendations of your own, please share in the Comments section below.  You can check out a trailer for each entry by clicking the title.

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American Grindhouse (2010) poster
American Grindhouse (2010)
Documentary / 1hr 21min / NR / HD 

     Fantastic overview of the exploitation genre.  It's loaded with great clips and features commentators like Jack Hill, John Landis, and Joe Dante.  Keep a note pad handy, because you'll be jotting down titles on your "Must See" list from beginning to end.

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This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) poster
 This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Documentary / 1hr 37min / NR / Standard

      Have you ever wondered how the Motion Picture Association of America decides upon the ratings for all of those movies you watch?  You'll probably be a little aggravated by the answer.  Though it's now a bit dated - the MPAA now allows filmmakers to cite other film's ratings for comparison - this is still a fascinating look at how an elite few decide what is and is not appropriate for the masses.    

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The Monster That Challenged The World (1957) poster
The Monster That Challenged The World (1957)
Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy / 1hr 24min / G / HD

     When's the last time you treated yourself to a good, old-fashioned black and white monster movie?  This one features a surprisingly good prehistoric mollusk monster from the depths of the Salton Sea.  I still vividly recall seeing this as a youngster hosted by the Bowman Body on Shock Theater.

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American Horror Story (2011) poster
American Horror Story (2011)
TV Shows / 42min / TV-MA / HD

     The Walking Dead gets more press, but I find American Horror Story more consistently entertaining.  The second season is just now winding up on FX, so Netflix only has Season 1.  If you missed the first season, seize the opportunity to catch up.  I love the idea of making each season a self-contained story arc, and Jessica Lange was awarded both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her incredible performance here.

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Nightmares In Red, White, And Blue (2009) poster
Nightmares In Red, White, And Blue (2009)
Documentary / 1hr 36min / NR / Standard

     The American Nightmare (2000) - not currently available on Netflix - covered much of the same ground to arguably greater success, but this examination of the evolution of the American horror movie is still worth a look.  Narrated by Lance Henriksen and featuring commentary from the likes of John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, and author John Kenneth Muir.    

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Pontypool (2008) poster
Pontypool (2008)
Horror / 1hr 36min / NR / HD

     If you haven't seen Pontypool and have no idea what it's about, I envy you.  I'm not going to ruin your opportunity to be pleasantly surprised by one of the most original and spellbinding genre movies of the last ten years.  You can thank me later.  Rumor has it we may get a sequel called Pontypool Changes in the not so distant future.  I hope so.  This one was a big crowd pleaser at the Movies At Dog Farm II Pre'Ween Picture Show last year.

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S@Man (2006) poster
S@Man (2006)
Horror / 1hr 24min / R / HD

     It probably sounds like a cop-out, but this exploration of the sleazy underground genre of fetish films is another one you'll get the most from by watching cold.  Even the most jaded horror enthusiasts will likely be skeeved out by the subject matter.

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Sssssss (1973) poster
Sssssss (1973)
Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy / 1hr 38min / PG / HD

     This supremely entertaining B-movie gem starring Strother Martin and Dirk Benedict (the original Starbuck!) somehow escaped my notice until last year.  Lots of real snakes add verisimilitude, making Sssssss more squirm inducing than its silliness would seem to dictate.  An incredibly cheesy transformation at the end is the icing on the cake.

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Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010) poster
Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010)  
Documentary / 1hr 24min / NR / HD

     . . . and one final documentary, this one exploring the sub-genre of Filipino lensed exploitation and horror movies from the 70's and 80's.  The doc benefits from the specificity of its topic.  Funny and enlightening.  This one will have you digging through the delete bins for heretofore unknown gems, too.

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V/H/S (2012) poster
V/H/S (2012)
Horror / 1hr 56min / R / HD

     V/H/S was probably one of the most polarizing horror movies of 2012.  See it for yourself and decide - is it ambitious and original or over-hyped and tedious?  It has the earmark of almost all anthologies in that the quality of its five segments varies wildly, but at least three of the five segments are solid and unnerving.  I jumped more than once, and isn't that what horror movies are all about?  I love the segment entitled 10/31/98 that closes the movie.

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7 comments:

  1. Really great selection here! I had no idea The Monster That Challenged the World was on Instant!

    All four of the documentaries you have here are spectacular. I just watched American Grindhouse for about the fifth time the other day. Pontypool is hands down one of the best modern horror films. Haven't seen American Horror Story cause that amount of hype generally turns me off of something. And I will absolutely give S&Man a shot now.

    However, I've gotta say V/H/S for me was most definitely 'over-hyped and tedious'. Ti West's segment was the best, but damn what a sloppy attempt at changing a long dead sub-genre. Polarizing is right though, I've been in many a debate since forming my opinions lol.

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  2. just to let you know... good friends of mine offer the soundtrack to...

    The Monster That Challenged The World (1957)

    http://www.mmmrecordings.com/Monster_Challenged/monster_challenged.html

    love the art you chose to help the hba... never thought of using it for a banner... great idea!

    and this post is awesome... i love the idea to pontypool. and many of the others are on the list to see!

    thank you!

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  3. and sorry about the boob promise... it draws you in like a trap....

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  4. Jonny, I have a real weakness for genre related documentaries. I was initially only going to include This Film Is Not Yet Rated and kept thinking of others to add. I figured most folks are even less likely to wade through the documentaries than the movies.

    I think my biggest aggravation with V/H/S was that the framing story made little sense and did a poor job of pulling the other segments together. Adrienne and I both wondered if we'd missed something. I don't think we did - it was just sloppy. lol On the other hand, I've yet to show Pontypool to anyone who didn't love it. I already knew the central conceit of the movie before watching it, and I really wish I could have watched it cold like most of my friends did. The import Bluray has "Pontypool - The Radio Play" on it!

    Jeremy, that limited edition soundtrack for TMTCTW is awesome! You guys keep turning me on to all this cool stuff and I'm going to go broke.

    I never thought that art was intended as anything other than a banner. lol I just felt like it blended a little better with my template than the one I usually see.

    Thanks for dropping by, guys!

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  5. i felt bad for the not giving you a post... so today i give you the best thing [for me] in a gift...

    and if you get a chance that label is got some great classics. i think i mentioned my howlin' wolf site is having a modern classic giveaways. i think only one person entered.

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  6. nope any excuses to show kate upton... thanks for stopping by...

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  7. Well now I'm going to search for that import!

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