This is not one of our usual topics, but we’re a little discouraged.
We’re huge movie buffs and we’re finding it harder and harder to find movies that appeal to us (perhaps another get-off-my-lawn, curmudgeonly sign of aging?).
Even though these days anyone can just make their own and use this movie maker online to create professional promo videos for your company.
Our hope with this post is that we can all share recommendations.
We are full-time travelers that spend much of our time outside the United States. One of our homecoming rituals after an overseas excursion has been catch up on the movies we missed. So we rent a ton of movies and lay up for a few days watching them and sleeping off the jetlag.
Upon returning from our latest trip to South America, there wasn’t anything in the movie rental machines that we wanted to see. We shouldn’t have been shocked – prior to our trip we were lamenting that there were no good flicks in the theater – common sense should have told us that a rental problem would soon arise.
To make our movie-Jonesing matters worse, it’s next to impossible to find anywhere to rent movies other than the box machines anymore. They have their upside – being able to pick up a movie in one town and drop it off in another is glorious – but the selection is pretty limited. The days of access to hundreds of movies with a Blockbuster card that we could use in almost every town are gone.
In the age of downloaded movies, we are at a disadvantage, internet access is wildly variable and we won’t be streaming hours of bandwidth gobbling video on our little 3G WIFI card. Our wireless bill would end up looking like the price tag for filming one of those blockbusters.
So we are left with the box machines or buying, usually from the discount bins, to fulfill our flix fix. On the upside, we have found that there are often gems hidden away in both of those places.
Here’s a couple we have found recently, please pass along any that you have discovered:
Carnage
Yeah, yeah we know what you’re thinking, but the name is very misleading. It’s based on the play God of Carnage (not making it better, are we?) and has amazing performances by Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz. Just two couples trying to sort out an altercation between their young sons who end up finding that being civil isn’t any easier for them than it is for their kids.
A Perfect Family
Kathleen Turner is brilliant in this. The range of emotions she goes through in this film is staggering. A women who has successfully sheltered herself from everything that she doesn’t want to see
is blind sided by the real world pressing in on her. And somehow, it’s really, really funny.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home
We loved Susan Sarandon in this one. It deals with a lonely, single woman with two adult sons, one married and one that, well, lives at home. Jeff is a Boomerang “Kid” and his whole family is living the consequences. We liked this one because it felt real, yet has a magical undertone.
Bernie
Based on a truly weird true story, Jack Black (whodathunk?) and Shirley MacLaine deliver outstanding performances in this fact-is-stranger-than-fiction flick.
And a not-so-recent one:
Lars and the Real Girl
It’s amazing to us how few people know about this movie. Maybe because it must have been a marketing nightmare. Honestly, we’ve had so much trouble explaining to our friends and relatives how wonderfully funny, well-acted and touching this movie is once they find out (what seems to be) the plot. But trust us, the plot isn’t what it seems to be – at all. And you’ll love it so much that you’ll feel compelled to come right back here and thank us. It’s that good.
YOUR TURN: Have you seen any good movies lately?
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was searching for!
Nice share, Keep up the good work!!
Home bound and I really miss going to theaters – stuck with the unaffordable/unavailable streaming.
find me some recent movies PLEASE:)
trade, borrow, etc.
thanks, Theresa (boomer) Gibson
Maybe you’re on to something. An online movie exchange? Sounds interesting.
With all the depressing political squabbling in the world, hubby and I are currently all about escapist comfort-food flicks and political fairytales. Oh to get lost in a little Frank Capra!
Sounds like a good idea to us!
I haven’t read all the comments, but “The Way” with Martin Sheen should be a must see for anyone who travels a lot. Also, “Up in the Air” with George Clooney, as well as “The Descendants”. “Lars and the Real Girl” was better than all these and I would not have known about it without reading of it on a blog. Ha!
Haven’t seen The Way, we’ll check it out. Thanks!
If you are into foreign films, two we really enjoyed are “VITUS” with Bruno Ganz (German) and “KOLYA” (Hungarian). Both with child actors who will surprise and touch you.
We do like a foreign film now and then, thanks!
The Flowers of War with Christian Bale was good. Also good, but not an indy, was Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in Hope Springs trying to revive their marriage. Funny stuff.
Thanks! For some reason, we thought Hope Springs was a sob fest (not that I don’t love a sob fest!), but apparently not! And when Tommy Lee turns on the funny, it’s FUNNY! -Veronica
Jack Black is great in the movie Bernie. It’s a hoot.
YES! We forgot about that one – or we would have included it FOR SURE. Jack Black (whodathunk!) and Shirley MacLaine are both outstanding in Bernie! And extra points for being based on a truly weird true story. Actually going to add it to the post now. Thanks Rosie!
I have no recommendations but I’m taking two of yours. 🙂 Thanks for the list.
I have gotten to be a woman of a ‘certain age’ and actually paid full price to go see a documentary: Bill W. It’s about the man who is credited for starting Alcoholics Anonymous. It was worth 2 hours of my life.
Oh! and “In Bruges”. I watched it with my 23 year old son and we both laughed at the most seemingly inappropriate things.
Welcome back to the US, and thanks for taking all of us on a tour of South America. Thanks, too, for including Lars and the Real Girl on your movie list. It’s quirky, funny, and sweet. I especially love the reaction of the townspeople to Lars’ girlfriend!
altho i haven’t seen either movie, they came highly recommended: Intouchables and Robot & Frank
We JUST saw the preview to Robot & Frank – it looks REALLY good! A must-see for us. Good call!
The one with Tommy and meryl springs hope, was funny.
That one is on our radar! Is it really good?
Try Sundance Films! So many awesome ones!
If you don’t mind subscripts, there are some really good movies that have just come out. The flowers of war is outstanding. Christen Bale is in it. Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, is also a good movie.
We don’t mind them a bit – we’ve seen Flowers of War around, so we’ll have to rent it on your suggestion. Thanks!
My Way is also very good.
Hollywood seems to be producing nothing but bad remakes of classic films. I think they’ve run out of original ideas. Check out this link to a list of 50, count em’ 50 up coming remake films in the works!!! http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/upcoming-movie-remakes/
Wow. Just wow.
Not new, but if you’re still in a South America frame of mind and don’t mind subtitles: “El Secreto de sus Ojos” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_in_Their_Eyes
I saw it on a 13 hour flight from Toronto to Japan. A little on the gory side, but compelling. If you’re interested in history, it takes place during Argentina’s “Dirty War”—a time Argentines would like to forget, but which is not all that remote—proof that the veneer of civilization is quiet thin. On the other hand, maybe that truism is abundantly clear these days.
Sounds interesting, we’ll look for it. Thanks.
I adored “Lars and the Real Girl.” I always tell people about it when the topic of little-known movies comes up. Good call!
I know! And the cast is SO good.