Sure-Fire Streaming: Sahara, Army Of The Dead, Without A Paddle, and more!
By Jordan Parker
https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com/
Sahara – Available On Netflix
Before he was an Oscar-winning actor, Matthew McConaughey was primarily known as a rom-com stalwart. He starred in some good – mostly bad – flicks through the mid-90s and 2000s.
But action-comedy Sahara marked a fantastic change of pace for him.
McConaughey’s charms shone bright in this adaptation of the Clive Cussler novel, about explorer Dirk Pitt and his adventures in the West Africa desert.
He searches ruins for a Civil War battleship, along with a WHO doctor – played marvelously by the always-reliable Penelope Cruz – and Steve Zahn is his trusty sidekick.
The entire cast absolutely shines, with Delroy Lindo, William H. Macy and a very young Rainn Wilson also aboard.
It’s a really fun action-adventure movie that I love returning to.
Army Of The Dead – Available On Netflix
While its 2.5-hour runtime is bloated, for sure, Army Of The Dead signifies a no-holds-barred foray into the zombie genre.
Despite the feeling it would not have suffered by dropping a half hour on the cutting room floor, our director Zack Snyder delivers an original and impactful genre tilt.
The 300 and Justice League auteur goes for the fences, and makes it here in this flick about a robbery in the overrun Las Vegas.
With only a few days until a nuke will be dropped, leveling all the zombies contained in Vegas – and ruining the city – a group of mercenaries head into the quarantine zone to pull off a casino heist.
The cast is eclectic and interesting – fronted by Dave Bautista, who shows off his formidable acting chops – and they make the movie.
There’s gore, action, and a ton of comedic relief in this ode to zombie flicks of old.
Without A Paddle – Available On Prime Video
This movie has been a favourite of mine since I was 14, and always gets me in a nostalgic mood.
When a friend passes away, the three remaining pals come together after years of estrangement to go in search of D.B. Cooper’s treasure, in the name of their friend.
They go on a camping trip that becomes a whole lot more than they asked for, and rediscover their friendships along the way.
Starring Dax Shepard, Seth Green and Matthew Lillard, they all get their fair share of wonderful scenes and interplay. A cameo from Burt Reynolds also doesn’t disappoint.
It’s a whole lot of silly, but the heart in this movie and chemistry between the three leads is perfect.
Small Town Crime – Available On Netflix
This little unknown gem needs to be discovered, because it’s one of my favourites of the last five years.
It follows an alcoholic ex-cop with a tragic past who finds a woman dead on the highway side. He is hired as a private investigator to find the killer by her grandfather. But things aren’t all what they seem.
With John Hawkes, Anthony Anderson, Octavia Spencer and Robert Forster, there’s a great acting pedigree involved.
It’s a little noir thriller you won’t be able to shake once the credits roll.
Waiting For The Barbarians – Available On Prime Video
This heavy historical drama marks Johnny Depp’s best performance since Black Mass.
It’s about a colonial magistrate at an outpost in the middle of nowhere who becomes disenchanted with the rulers of the land.
He sees the oppression the locals face and the tactics used to torture them into spilling secrets about a possible uprising.
The film is absolutely beautiful, with a worthwhile aesthetic, and the acting from Mark Rylance, Depp and Robert Pattinson is absolutely top-notch.
It may not be the most incredible film you see all year, but watching the barbs and jabs between these three is worth it.