Finally, the week everyone up to their ears in schoolwork has been waiting for is here:
Spring. Fucking. Break.
In this digital age of distraction, an entire week off is long enough for you to forget you even go to college. Therefore, the burning question isn’t “how much homework can I get done?” It’s “how much of my Netflix queue can I get through?”
It’s time to catch up on all the good television you’re itching to sear your retinas with. But before you tear through season two of “Kevin Spacey burns down Washington” (a.k.a “House of Cards”), you might want to consider some of these classic (or soon-to-be classic) movies Netflix has made available through streaming.
There are certain films everyone should see at least once in their lives, and these top the list of the ones you probably haven’t gotten to yet. Throw your textbooks out the window and watch these five great films on-demand.
Taxi Driver: Not much can be said about this classic Martin Scorsese flick that hasn’t already been said. It is one of the classic “vigilante” films that seemed to be popular in the 1970s, and showed the world that Scorsese was a force to be reckoned with, following his stellar mob flick, “Mean Streets.”
What sets “Taxi Driver” apart from the rest of the guy-with-a-gun movies is the purposefully shady performance by a young Robert De Niro, who plays the infamous Travis Bickle. His subtle approach to a mentally unbalanced man who can’t accept the ugliness in the world makes the brutal ending all the more surreal. If you’re in the mood for “Death Wish” with a brain, this one is for you.
The Crow: Released in 1994, “The Crow” is one of those effects-heavy, fantasy films done in the 90s that paved the way for the visual style of similar movies for years to come. This movie also has a sad, real-life story behind it, being that it was the last major motion picture to feature rising star Brandon Lee in the lead. The story follows Eric Draven (Lee), a ghost with supernatural abilities, looking to settle a score with the gang that killed him and his girlfriend a year prior.
Based on a graphic novel, “The Crow” definitely has a superhero feel, but the gritty and tragic events of the plot set it apart from the usual Marvel-based familiarity we’ve all become accustomed to.
Fargo: The bizarre crime, the odd setting, the crazy characters and who can forget those accents? “Fargo” is the Coen Brothers at their off-beat best. If you’re looking for a classic crime film, but aren’t looking to predate the 90s, this is going to be your best bet.
The movie centers around Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), an intuitive (and very pregnant) cop who can’t make heads or tails of the strange events plaguing her small town.
With Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy and Peter Stormare all letting loose in supporting roles, “Fargo” is what happens when a story and its characters are in perfectly discordant harmony with one another.
Later this month, FX is airing a 10-episode TV series based on the film.
Evil Dead 2: Here’s the thing — you actually don’t have to watch “Evil Dead” to watch “Evil Dead 2.” Confused? Don’t be.
This creepily gleeful horror/comedy hybrid was meant to be a stand-alone film. The demonic shenanigans stir up quickly after our hero, Ash (Bruce Campbell), opens the Necronomicon, or Book of the Dead, and begins reciting incantations, waking the malevolent forces that lurk outside the cabin he is trapped in. Since its release in 1987, the “Evil Dead” series has seen plenty of imitators and a reboot in 2013, but none of them come close to the original.
Spring break doesn’t exactly incite the demand to get scared, but “Evil Dead 2” works as a frightful romp that knows how to shake up the conventions of it’s horror predecessors.
In Bruges: Though definitely not a “classic” yet, because “In Bruges” isn’t even past the ten-year mark, this movie is undoubtedly essential to this list. It marks the feature film debut of playwright, Martin Mcdonagh, who brings a quirky sensibility to the seemingly simple plots of his work. “In Bruges” doesn’t disappoint on that front, when Colin Farrell’s character, Ray, accidentally kills a kid during a hit and must go into hiding in none other than the charmingly medieval city of Bruges. Things go from sad to funny to weird to sad and then ultimately tragic as McDonagh twists his narrative in unexpected and amusing ways to flip the “brooding-hitman” genre on its ass.
