I’ve been thinking of adding a new attachment to my blog and I think I have it. When I took my literature and film class, analyzing the work of directors Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock, I began my free trial with Netflix. My plan was to use Netflix for the duration of the class and then stop my Netflix subscription.
The Rundown (2003) – One of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first movies, he plays a bounty hunter named Beck. While he is looking to retire, he is sent on one last assignment to Brazil to recover his employer’s rebellious son (Seann William Scott). While in Brazil, Beck comes up against a greedy mining operator, Hatcher (Christopher Walken), and it makes a last easy assignment more difficult than it seems.A movie that help solidify Dwayne Johnson as a bankable movie star, this film is definitely worth a look when you have nothing else planned.
Solomon Kane (2009) – This origin story film, based on the pulp magazine character, tells the redemption tale of Solomon Kane (James Purefoy), a former privateer who is traveling back to his home to try and save his soul. On his journey, he meets a Puritan family but are attacked by followers of an evil sorcerer. Solomon goes after the young daughter of the family to redeem himself. A film that had delayed theatrical release in the U.S., the film was uploaded to Netflix and has gained a positive following. Purefoy’s performance along with the atmosphere of the film has helped its positive buzz and given it a strong following in the U.S. The only problem I had was that Kane looked a lot like Van Helsing but that’s just me.
The Road (2009) – This film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s stars Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Kodi-Smit-McPhee as a father and son pair in a post apocalyptic wasteland. McCarthy’s book is truly haunting and will keep you up if you have read it before. The visual look of the film along with the performances helped make the film strong but it’s marketing worked against the movie. It definitely had the potential to be Oscar-worthy but you can watch this haunting film on Netflix anytime you want. 
Arbitrage (2012) – This independent movie has received a lot of praise, despite not being presented with the fanfare of a typical big-budget, box office film. Richard Gere plays Robert Miller, a sixty-year-old magnate who manages a fund with his daughter to sell for a huge profit. However, Miller is not what he seems and an accident involving himself and his mistress triggers Miller’s drive for self-preservation as he teeters on the line between right and wrong in this tense thriller. Gere’s performance has been hailed as one of his best so I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of Richard Gere and loves a good thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. 
The Avengers (2012) – The culmination of Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought us the highest grossing movie of last year. When Nick Fury (Samuel. L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D. come up against Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the unlimited energy of the Tesseract, he recruits Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Captain America (Chris Evans) to stop an alien invasion of Earth. Marvel fans waited years for this movie to come to fruition and went into a frenzy when it was released. As someone who saw the movie many times, if you are a fan of any of the Marvel films, you will be ecstatic at the first ensemble superhero film, led by the genius direction of Joss Whedon (Firefly).
I hope everyone looks into one, two, or all of the movies I listed. I’ll be back again soon with another update! Enjoy the Netflix movies!
One Scene at A Time 