Category Archives: Instant Gratification

Instant Gratification: “Life Partners” and four other good movies to watch on Netflix

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The start of a new month means a whole mess o’ new movies arriving on Netflix. Some of these I swear have been on Netflix before, but, either way, they’re here now!

Pick of the week: “Life Partners“ — My full review is here. In this very funny comedy about female friendship, Gillian Jacobs and Leighton Meester play lifelong buds whose bond is tested when Jacobs falls into a serious relationship. The fact that one of the two friends is gay is the source of some gags but is otherwise refreshingly irrelevant.

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Instant Gratification: “Kingdom of Dreams and Madness” and four other good movies new to streaming

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Pick of the week: “Kingdom of Dreams and Madness” (Netflix) — My full review is here. This illuminating fly-on-the-wall documentary looks inside the unassuming home of Studio Ghibli, as Hayao Miyazaki and his team of hand-drawn animators work on “The Wind Rises” and idly wonder if it will be their last film.

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Instant Gratification: “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and four other good movies now on Netflix

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Pick of the week: “How To Train Your Dragon 2” — Apparently the first movie didn’t provide ample dragon-training instruction, as there’s a sequel. But it’s a sequel that improves on the already strong first movie, with dazzling action sequences, sharp humor and a genuinely affecting family drama at its core. Plus dragons.

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Instant Gratification: “Listen Up Philip” and four other good movies to watch on Amazon Prime and Netflix

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Pick of the week: “Listen Up Philip” (Amazon Prime) — My full review is here. Jason Schwartzman is hilariously awful as an arrogant young writer who finds that success only feeds and confirms his misanthropy in this acerbic comedy from Alex Ross Perry.

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Instant Gratification: “Groundhog Day” and four other good films to watch on Netflix

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Pick of the week: “Groundhog Day“: You’re exactly a month late on this one, Netflix. But it’s still wonderful to see Harold Ramis’ 1992 comedy, which wraps a beautiful message on how to live a better life inside a hilarious comedy. No wonder Bill Murray moved away from being a leading comic actor — he could never top this.

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Instant Gratification: “20,000 Days on Earth” and four other movies to watch on Amazon Prime and Netflix

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Pick of the week: “20,00o Days on Earth“  (Amazon Prime) — My full review is here. Nick Cave’s baroque fictionalized documentary mixes the mythos and the man to create a film that both celebrates his larger-than-life and provides surprising insight into his creative process.

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Instant Gratification: “Chef” and four other good movies to watch on Netflix Instant

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Pick of the week: “Chef“ — My full review is here. While some elements of Jon Favreau’s indie hit strain credulity (I can’t imagine Scarlett Johansson really getting that worked up over someone making spaghetti), this is an amiable film about pursuing what you love, and a celebration of American cuisine. And it will teach you how to make a great grilled-cheese sandwich.

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Instant Gratification: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s and four other good movies to watch on Netflix

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Pick of the week: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” — If you can get past Mickey Rooney’s incredibly racist performance as a Japanese landlord (just wow), this Truman Capote-penned film giving Audrey Hepburn one of her best roles as a party girl in no hurry to settle down, until a writer (George Peppard) finds the real woman behind the dazzle.

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