Sure-Fire Streaming: Indian Horse, 47 Meters Down, Hostage, and more!
By Jordan Parker
https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com/
Indian Horse – Available On Netflix
There is perhaps no film more timely hitting Netflix right now than Indian Horse.
It follows young Indigenous man Saul Indian Horse as he makes his way through a rough, tumultuous life.
He goes through the residential school system and finds solace in playing hockey. The 1970s-set film focuses on the ingrained racism and absolutely horrific difficulties faced by Native Canadians.
Saul's fight against alcoholism, poverty and the oppression his people have faced their entire lives marks this difficult, poignant film.
The acting from Ajuawake Kapashesit, Wayne Baker, Sladen Peltier, and Michiel Huisman are incredible. But it's Forrest Goodluck as 15-year-old Saul who really makes an impressive mark.
Directed by Stephen S. Campanelli and based on the novel by Richard Wagemese, it's a portrait of a life everyone has to see to believe.
47 Meters Down -- Available On Netflix
As this film was sold by Dimension Films to Entertainment Studios, it seems 47 Meters Down got lost in the shuffle.
The film hit the Internet long ago for pirating, under the title In The Deep. But someone at the new company knew they had a hit on their hands. After star Mandy Moore hit it big again with show This Is Us, the shark film was released in the summer of 2017.
With the new title, it became an unexpected success and grossed $44.3 million in the U.S. And Canada, becoming an indie hit and spawning a sequel.
It was a tumultuous production and release, but frankly, I found 47 Meters Down absolutely terrifying.
When two sisters vacationing in Mexico decide to go sightseeing underwater in a shark cage, they become trapped in the bottom of the ocean when the chain holding them to the boat breaks.
Surrounded by predators and running out of oxygen, they must find a way to get to the surface safely.
Co-writer and director Johannes Roberts uses the darkness of the ocean and some slick cinematic tricks to make this one distinctive in the genre.
Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, and a supporting turn from Matthew Modine mean strong performances for this creature feature.
It may not hit the same heights as Jaws or Deep Blue Sea, but for pure freaky entertainment, you can't go wrong with this one.
Hostage – Available On Prime Video
It's not really a stretch to say Bruce Willis's 2000's actioners that haven't exactly lit the world on fire.
But of all the films on his resume in the last 20 years or so, this home invasion thriller Hostage stands out.
When a wealthy family is taken hostage, a former hostage negotiator comes to the scene. He's facing a lethal dilemma – his family has also been taken. Does he try to save his own or save the family he's never met?
It's a well-executed film that has a far more twisty plot than you'd expect from that logline.
Willis is at the top his game, and it helps that he's surrounded by some familiar, incredible talent. Kevin Pollak and Rumer Willis are on-board, as are villains Ben Foster and Jonathan Tucker. It's a formidable cast and they work well.
I really love this movie, and even if it can be formulaic, it's got some incredible action sequences and everyone is at the top of their game.
The King – Available On Netflix
Timothee Chalamet is one of the most talented young actors working, and his Netflix film The King is a triumph all the way around.
Writer-director David Michod – known for hits Animal Kingdom and The Rover – makes an accomplished sword-fighting epic here.
When Hal – a young prince whose father, the king, ruled with a terrifying iron fist – becomes king, he has to deal with the wreckage his father left in his wake.
Now crowned King Henry V, Hal must rule the kingdom while dealing with his tumultuous personal life.
The performances make it. Chalamet is incredible, Robert Pattinson is formidable, and supporting stars Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton and Dean-Charles Chapman are all engrossing.
It's an epic worth writing home about, in every single sense.
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood – Available On Prime Video
I think I was one of the only people in my circle not excited for this movie when it came out. But this wonderful, absolutely warm tale actually took me by surprise.
It follows the true story of journalist Lloyd Vogel as he plans to write a story about Fred Rogers, and the unlikely friendship that forms as a result.
Tom Hanks is a revelation as Rogers, the entertainment icon and certified nice guy. He absolutely embodies him, and earned an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor as a result.
With actors like Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, and more aboard, it's a lovely ensemble. But make no mistake, it's Hanks who owns this one.
This will pull right at your heartstrings, and it's one of the most sentimental, purely beautiful films I've seen in a long time.