Every year a select few films are released that evoke very strong reactions from their audiences. There is often no middle ground with these films. These films elicit one of two reactions “love it” or “hate it”. I wish more of these films were released. These films cause discussion, discussion causes people to think, when people are forced to think this causes the film to be memorable. Memorable films, loved and hated, are what filmmaking is all about. Directors set out to make films that people will talk about and ultimately remember.

Director Vincenzo Natali has effectively done this twice now. He first caused many to talk about one of his early films Cube. It is difficult to find a sci-fi/horror fan that did not see that film. I remember having many discussions in this ancient thing called a chat room about Cube. It was either love or hate back in 1997 when that film was released. Fast forward to 2010 and Natali’s Splice is causing the same discussion among audiences.

I believe people are not comfortable with being uncomfortable. Splice makes you uncomfortable from the opening credits until the final fade to black. Splice is meant to disturb and in some cases horrify audiences. I went into this film fully expecting to see some disturbing images of violence and gore. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case. I found the characters and relationships in the film to be far more disturbing than most violence and gore that could have been put on the screen. We are introduced to a family dynamic in this film unlike any we have seen on the screen before, especially in a film marketed by a major studio like this one.

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are in excellent form here. Both of them succeed in portraying the feelings many new parents experience as they are learning to raise a child for the first time. Many of these experiences are extremely exaggerated of course. However, the basics are still there like the frustration of not understanding what your child wants/needs and the anguish of seeing your child in pain and not knowing how to help or what to do and also the frustration of dealing with maturing teenagers. This film introduces most American audiences to Delphine Chanéac who plays the character of Dren, the creation of the two scientists (Brody & Polley), with an eerie animal like performance. Chanéac’s movements as the childlike creature are quick and precise like the animals that have been spliced with her human DNA and yet she has this innocence about her that is so effectively childlike as if she really is experiencing everything for the first time. The fear and curiosity in her eyes is something few actors are capable of pulling off so effectively.

Splice, in it’s first two acts, is superb at building the tension and causing the audience to really get involved in the film and invest in the characters. The third act however, starts off strong, but an expected “change” takes place and the movie falls into some conventional horror movie pitfalls. I felt everything in the last 10 minutes of the film was too forced and out of sync with the rest of the film. Thankfully the ending did not ruin the film for me though. I thought as a whole it was well written, well acted, and well directed. This equals a win in my book. I commend everyone involved with making Splice for taking a bold new step into the world of sci-fi/horror and giving us something original to remember and discuss for years to come.

I like recommending films to people, especially now that people have so many films that they can Watch Instantly on Netflix. It makes it so much easier. So, with that said, I’m starting this little section that is devoted to film recommendations based off of what is currently available on Netflix Instant. These won’t archive very well as the Netflix films rotate in and out of Instant Watch, but I’ll still keep old posts up in case you decide to add the film to your regular queue.

I am not going to do big write-ups on the films I recommend, just maybe a sentence or two. Preceded by a link and brief synopsis from Netflix. I will list them by categories (and with icons), which you can find below. You can find a brief explanation of each category if you’re a little confused as to why I’m recommending certain films. I’ll probably only recommend a handful of the following categories with each post. I won’t be able to do every category like I am demonstrating here.

Lastly, I will be posting these randomly, I won’t be posting once a week or anything. I’ll try to get a couple up each month. I will number the posts too so that’s easy to keep up with how many there have been. If you watch any of the recommendations please leave a comment letting us know if you liked or disliked the film. Happy movie watching!

CLASSIC (Oldy, but goody. Most likely B&W, and undeniably good.)

RASHOMON Considered one of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s masterpieces, this Oscar-winning crime drama unfolds as four witnesses to a rape and murder report their versions of the attack, leaving the viewer to decide what really happened.

Kurosawa, Mifune, and samurai swords. What more do you need?

DRAAAMA (Heavy-hitting Drama that will drain you emotionally, but a great film nonetheless.)

PARIS, TEXAS Director Wim Wenders is at his offbeat best in this “road movie” about weary drifter Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton). In a quest to rebuild his life and reconnect with his son, Travis — who’s been gone four years — tries to untangle his thorny past with his wife (Nastassja Kinski).

I adore this film. Beautiful cinematography and a wonderful performance from the incomparable Harry Dean Stanton. One of the best films I’ve ever seen on the subject of divorce, and lost love.

WHAT’S ON TV? (TV Shows worth investing in.)

BRICK CITY Mayor Cory Booker, Police Director Garry McCarthy and Central High School Principal Ras Baraka join the citizens of Newark to fight an uphill battle against crime, poverty and corruption in the New Jersey metropolis.

This is a 5 part mini-documentary-series that originally aired on The Sundance Channel. The access that the filmmakers have here is phenomenal. This show is so engaging, it’s some of the best TV programming I’ve seen in a loooong time. You can’t write stuff this good, unless of course you’re a writer for The Wire. Which by the way, if you are a fan of The Wire, this show is an absolute MUST.

JUST MISSED IT (New movies to Netflix Instant that were recently in theaters.)

MOON As he nears the end of a lonely three-year stint on the moon base Sarang, astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) begins to hear and see strange things.

Ok, so it was probably over a year ago that this was in theaters, but that’s ok because I think most people missed it. A great psychological thriller with some sci-fi elements and an amazing performance by the great Sam Rockwell. Worth watching for the Clint Mansell score alone.

WORD OF MOUTH (Smaller Indy films that up might not have heard of, but are definitely worth seeing.)

SHOTGUN STORIES Set in southeast Arkansas, this cautionary indie tale from director Jeff Nichols tracks a blood feud that erupts when two sets of half-brothers come to blows at their father’s funeral.

A powerful, but subtle, revenge film. Doesn’t focus on the violence of revenge but rather the consequences. I loved the fresh take on this genre. I also loved the fact that the feud is between two sets of brothers all with the same father, such great writing.

YOU COULD DO BETTER (You probably could have done a better job making this movie. So bad it’s good.)

CON AIR When the government puts all its rotten criminal eggs in one airborne basket, it’s asking for trouble. Before you can say, “Pass the barf bag,” the crooks control the plane, led by creepy Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich).

This first 5 minutes of this movie get me every time! So, so, soooo funny! Some of the worst acting you’ll ever see from some of the best actors working today, Cage especially.

FOR THE FAM (Bust out the popcorn, a movie the whole family can enjoy!)

3 NINJAS A neat twist on The Karate Kid finds three youngsters — Samuel, Jeffrey and Michael — aiding their grandfather (Victor Wong III) in his fight against an old “friend” named Snyder, who turns out to be a corrupt FBI officer.

“We should run, we should hide, we should kick their butts!” With the new Karate Kid coming out, this is a good warm up. If you’re afraid this is just a movie for the boys, and the girls in the family won’t enjoy it, boy are you ever wrong! There’s a girl in it… somewhere. Anyway, also make sure to take note of the basketball scene, not since White Men Can’t Jump have I seen such moves put on screen.

PAY TO SEE (May not be the best thing you’ve ever seen, but entertaining and worth the price of admission.)

SINGLES Generation X neighbors share their bittersweet, intertwined stories of the single life in director Cameron Crowe’s quirky relationship comedy set against the backdrop of Seattle’s grunge music scene in the 1990s.

For the ladies, this is basically the original Sex and the City. Definitely dated, and not that great, but fun to look back on. Grunge is actually back in style, so the ripped jeans and flannel shirts won’t look too unfamiliar. Full of Cameron Crowe’s (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) sappy dialogue.

I LIKE AVATAR (If you like Avatar, and Jason Statham is your favorite actor, this is for you.  Light on story and heavy on blowing crap up!)

THE ROCK When a disgruntled ex-Marine (Ed Harris) seizes Alcatraz prison, taking hostages and threatening to blanket San Francisco with nerve gas, the feds send in a strike force led by a chemical-weapons expert (Nicolas Cage) and an ex-con (Sean Connery) who broke out of “the Rock” years earlier.

Pure action awesomeness.

REEL LIFE (Documentary recommendation.)

THE YES MEN This humorous documentary monitors the exploits of a group of jokester liberals who make names for themselves as they mimic members of the World Trade Organization at various venues across the globe.

Funny, entertaining, informative, and educational. The perfect ingredients for a great documentary. Watch it for 10 minutes and I bet you won’t be able to turn it off.

FILM BUFF (For the elite. The smug, film nerds that are willing to sit through a 3 1/2 hour B&W foreign film.)

FUNNY GAMES An affluent German family is settling into their lakeside vacation home when a young man named Peter (Frank Giering) comes to the door asking to borrow eggs. Anna (Susanne Lothar) is alone in the house while her husband (Ulrich Muhe) and son (Stefan Clapczynski) are off swimming.

This is the original one, I haven’t seen the remake yet. When I first saw this film it haunted me long after and I immediately wanted to track down everything by Michael Haneke. I was hooked from the moment that classical music turned to death metal in the opening title sequence. This film meets the insatiable appetite we Americans seem to have for violence in cinema. It pries our mouths open and forces it down our throats with a shovel.

OLD SCHOOL (Old enough to be on VHS, but not quite old enough to be a classic. Or good enough.)

THE PISTOL: THE BIRTH OF A LEGEND “Pistol” Pete Maravich (Adam Guier) pushes himself to the limit in this stirring biopic recounting the National Basketball Association all-star’s adolescence and first year on his high school’s varsity squad.

I used to watch this film religiously as a kid. It’s the story of Pete Maravich and how he learned the game of basketball. If you’re not into basketball then you could still watch the film and make a drinking game out of it. Take a shot every time there is a montage and you’ll probably blackout in the first 45 minutes.

Which brings me to our last category…

HAVE A DRINK (These ones will probably be best after you’ve had a few drinks)

THE OCTAGON A group of terrorist ninjas have been wreaking havoc on the life of a wealthy woman named Justine (Karen Carlson), so she hires former karate champion Scott James (Chuck Norris) to be her bodyguard.

Ok, I know the whole Chuck Norris thing is way played out, but this film is golden. This is the type of film that made Chuck Norris what he is today. You have to watch at least 15 minutes of it just to hear the hilarious, whispering voice-over that Norris does throughout the film.

be sure to check back on our Instant Pix section for more recommendations

I had the chance to see Macgruber while I was at SXSW and it was the longest line I had seen for any of the films there. Macgruber is definitely one of those guilty pleasures where the more stupid it looks, the more you want to see it. If for any reason you need any more confirmation that the 80’s are officially back, the release of a film inspired by the 80’s television show Macgyver should be all you the proof you need. However, Macgruber is not a parody of Macgyver, but rather a mockery.

Macgruber is based on the SNL sketch about an “Ex-special operative” that spends more time whining and moaning than he does diffusing the bomb that is seconds away from going off. This usually always ends with a mid-sentence cut to a huge explosion. How he was awarded “16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery” I will never know. It’s definitely funny, especially if you grew up watching Macgyver. Although, like I said above, the film as well as the sketch, don’t really have anything to do with Macgyver outside of the silly wardrobe, bad mullet, and similar sounding name. And unlike Macgruber, I don’t remember Macgyver having awesome lyrics to its theme song… or an excessive amount of “throat-ripping”.

I’m not going to get too much into the specifics of the plot here because um, it’s Macgruber. If you’re going to see this film for the plot, you probably shouldn’t go. In fact, if you are in an irritable mood or just irritable in general, do not see Macgruber.  However, If you’re ready to watch something that’s pretty mindless and you want to have a good time and laugh, Macgruber does the trick. A couple pre-show beers wouldn’t hurt either.

The last SNL movie made based off of a sketch was Ladies Man, that was over 10 years ago. SNL movies have a bad reputation of being well, horrible. Sometimes a sketch should just remain a sketch. Macgruber seems like it should be one of those SNL sketches that should remain just that, but surprisingly, it’s not. Macgruber succeeds as a feature length film, and a lot of that credit goes to co-writer/director Jorma Taccone. Taccone (of the comedy trio The Lonely Island) does a good job of never pressing on the breaks, he never even slightly reaches for some underlying “message”, but really just continues to push the absurdity of this film and keeps delivering on big laughs throughout. He also does a good job with directing some fairly big action sequences.

Obviously Will Forte does a good job of carrying the film, otherwise it wouldn’t work, but you really don’t want to give much credit to Macgruber himself, because frankly, he’s an asshole. The tagline for this film couldn’t be more fitting “the ultimate tool”. Macgruber is definitely that, and if you see the film and still need further proof, check out his twitter @Grubes69. Kristen Wiig also does a great job here in probably her biggest role to date. Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillipe, and Powers Boothe basically play the straight men, sort of parodying a lot of the same roles they’ve played before, but this time for intentional laughs.

With the humor in this film being as lowbrow and crass as it is, I’m sure you can imagine it’s a hard R. A lot of the jokes are drawn-out almost to an exhausting extent, but luckily the jokes are funny enough that you continue laughing before they wear thin. Also, don’t go into the film thinking Macgruber is someone you’re going to root for, he has to be one of the worst protagonists ever put on screen. He’s a complete moron, a lowlife, and there is no real redeeming value about him whatsoever.  The only thing Macgruber would probably take a bullet for is his car stereo that he never leaves without. You can probably relate more to the villains in this film than you can Macgruber. The main villain is named Dieter Von Cunth by the way. That should give you a good idea of the type of humor in this film.

This is probably the dirtiest film SNL has ever released, it is from the guys that made “jizz in my pants” a household song though, so it’s no real surprise. If you like The Lonely Island humor and are a fan of the SNL digital shorts (the only thing good about SNL these days), this is in that vein. The Lonely Island crew also had a big part in the hilarious, and also lowbrow comedy, Hot Rod. That film was directed by Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer who serves as an executive producer on Macgruber. But due to the fact that Jorma was a a co-writer on Macgruber I would say it has more of their stamp on it than Hot Rod, even though the third member of the trio, Andy Samberg, had nothing to do with it. Most devoted Lonely Island fans (people that know what “Awesometown” is) will more than likely enjoy this film.

Macgruber, the man and the film, is obnoxious, crude, annoying, inconsiderate, psychotic, ignorant, irritating, and pretty funny too. There are many memorable scenes in this film, many of which you’d probably wish you couldn’t remember, but you’ll laugh nonetheless. Without spoiling anything I will leave you with this warning: Do not bring celery as a snack when you go to see this film and expect to not have an appetite for celery for a while after viewing it. You’ll thank me later.

Macgruber will be released in theaters on May 21st, 2010. You can view the trailer here

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The singer Haddaway once questioned in a song and dance club anthem, what is love? In the dark comedy Lovers of Hate, a formerly married couple, a brother, and a cabin in the mountains give us a few good examples.

The new film by relative newcomer Bryan Poyser is definitely a sight to be seen and Poyser is someone to watch. Shot in just 19 days after Poyser attended the Sundance Film Festival, he used a cabin he was staying at there as the backdrop for this simple yet complex tale of love and betrayal.

Lovers of Hate takes the story of two brothers, one successful and the other believing the success should have been his all along, and the older brother’s former wife, who is thrust in the middle of this sibling rivalry. What happens from there is something I won’t reveal for therein lies what makes this film so interesting. For as the story continues we learn more and more about this complex situation and how it came to be, adding just the perfect blend of story, structure, and mystery.

Written as a chance to show off many of these actors’ talents, the film does just that. To say these characters deliver “powerhouse performances” would almost be an understatement. The talent behind the acting in this film is so well-done simply because it’s so believable.

After the film ends, we ask ourselves, “what happens next?” and yet with the characters so well drawn out we don’t feel like we need more to make our own conclusions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film because it has a story and characters that never doubt the intelligence of the audience. Because whether or not we can relate to this particular situation or any of the characters themselves, the film gives us more than enough familiarity to find something to hold onto. I highly recommend this film, the story is rich, the actors are talented, and if that’s not enough for you to see this film, then maybe you’re just a lover of… you get it.

Lovers of Hate is currently available on IFC’s VOD. Check out the trailer here, and the official website here.

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