My wife and I love to watch movies and our favorite way of doing that is by accessing our Netflix account. Some of the movies come in the mail as DVD’s. The other way we watch them is directly on the TV by way of a Roku interface. We get all that for one monthly fee that is less than $10.00 per month. Now Netflix has announced that the service will be split into two, DVD in the mail and Instant. You have the option of subscribing to both or one or the other. Of course the monthly combined fee for both is quite an increase (I believe it goes up to $16.00 per month). We like the service so much that we will be keeping both delivery methods active. They are worth it when you watch a lot of movies.
One criticism of the Netflix service has been that the older and less popular movies are reserved for the Instant service while the latest and greatest must come by way of DVD in the mail. We have found that this is true so far as getting the latest big budget movies.
They tend not to make it to Instant for some time. The idea that the Instant movies are of a lesser quality is probably due to the fact that there are so many available,
many of which are indeed turkeys. It is possible to find plenty of good ones if you search, though. The list that I am providing here may help you find the winners a lot sooner. These short movie reviews are all for films available through the Instant platform. I have judged every one to be superb. If you find that your taste matches mine you will be able to spend less time looking for movies and more time watching them by just taking my advice and selecting these films. Each film has a link to a You Tube trailer so you can get a better idea of what I am talking about. Let’s get to this month’s list!
My Name is Modesty, 2004, 1 hr and 17 min. ; Action/Adventure; Rating: 10/10
Modesty Blaise is a cartoon super-spy who comes to life in this engrossing movie. The film traces her beginnings as an abandoned orphan and her ultimate rise to the position of casino manager. The action and the story are top-notch. I was really surprised by
this one. Watch it!
Starring: Alexander Staden, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Raymond Cruz
Beautiful Creatures, 2000, 1 hr and 29 min.; Action/Comedy; Rating: 10/10
The director sets the stage by presenting to the audience two women who are both abused by their boyfriends. As things move along the two become accidentally acquainted and end up getting even with their abusive partners. They get way more than even – lots of violence and blood in this one .. all done with good humor. We could classify this as a female buddy/comedy/action movie. This British flick was lots of fun.
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Susan Lynch, Jake D’Arcy
My Name is Jerry, 2009, 1 hr and 40 min.; Quirky Independent; Rating: 10/10
Sometimes we will watch 3 or 4 Instant films in a row for about 7 minutes each. That is just enough time to determine that they stink and we have to move on to the next one. We were unsure about this one and thought it might end up fitting the 7 minute category. We were wrong.
Jerry is a middle-aged book salesman (read that as suit and tie, straight as an arrow) who makes some sudden and significant changes to his life. These changes include hanging out with punk rockers and getting to know his daughter. Great movie! (Isn’t that strange, two movies that begin with ‘My Name is’?)
Starring: Doug Jones, Katlyn Carlson, Allison Scagliotti.
Operation Condor, 1991, 1 hr and 29 min.; Action / Comedy; Rating: 10/10
If you enjoy Jackie Chan movies, you will love this one. He is at his energetic best throughout the film. He plays a guy who is somehow roped into looking for long-lost Nazi treasure that is supposedly hidden in the Sahara Desert. The plot consists of
tissue paper, but who cares? The action is nonstop and Jackie is always surrounded by beautiful girls. Enjoy!
Starring: Jackie Chan, Carol Cheng, and Eva Cobo
Texas Rangers, 2001, 1 hr and 32 min. ; Western; Rating: 10/10
This is the story of the origins of the Texas Rangers. Leander McNelly heads the band of poorly trained recruits. This has to be one of the best westerns ever! Be forewarned
that there is excessive violence.
Starring: James Van Der Beck, Rachael Leigh Cook, Ashton Kitchner.
That’s it for this month. If you want to encourage me to make some more of these lists, just provide some feedback in the comments section. There are a lot more recommendations where these came from. Thanks!
Just finished watching Beautiful Creatures, I enjoyed the movie, especially the female actors , Rachel Weisz and Susan Lynch. I also enjoyed the Dog, I forgot the dog’s name, he was very funny, especially when he bite off the finger with the ring.