Sure-Fire Streaming: Take This Waltz, The Hunt, The Deer Hunter, and more
By Jordan Parker
The best in TV and film from your living room.
Take This Waltz – Available On Netflix
One of the most poignant, beautiful and romantic Canadian films ever made, you want to surrender yourself to this Waltz.
Writer-director Sarah Polley – Oscar-nominated for the Away From Her screenplay – shows a talent and poise with this artful work that represents her best.
It follows a married woman who reluctantly falls in love with the free-spirited artist who lives across the street from her. But the complexities and emotions of it all soon strain everyone.
Michelle Williams, a career-best turn from Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, Luke Kirby, and Aaron Abrams star in this terrific picture.
It's a sight to behold, and one of the most lovely experiences in Canadian cinema.
The Hunt – Available On Netflix (Sunday)
This intensely violent, truly insane film was all about the marketing here.
In a more gruesome Hunger Games-style outing, it follows 12 strangers who wake up confused in a clearing. They have no memory of who they are or where they're from.
They are tracked by an unknown enemy in a vicious game called The Hunt, and must fight to survive.
Co-writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers, Lost) crafted a screenplay for a film that stirred a ton of controversy around screen violence upon its release.
Director Craig Zobel – who did Mare Of Easttown and Compliance – creates a witty, genre-blending film with an amazing ensemble.
Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Wayne Duvall, Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Sturgill Simpson, Glenn Howerton, and Reed Birney are just a few names attached, with Oscar-winner Hilary Swank adding to the proceedings as well.
It's a bit off tonally, and not everything works, but it's an interesting commentary nonetheless.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage – Available On Prime Video
This interesting sequel to the giant comic-book hit Venom was inevitable.
The critically-maligned original was a massive hit with audiences, who fell in love with the deft blend of action and comedy.
There's good news and bad news for this sequel – It takes all the things audiences loved in the original, and amps them up to 11 – to mixed results.
In my estimation, they lean a whole lot more into comedy in this iteration, which makes the tone offputting.
That said, the story of journalist Eddie Brock and the symbiotic monster inside him is lent a whole lot more visual finish by a big script and bold vision from director Andy Serkis, best known for his motion-capture performance as Gollum in Lord Of The Rings.
The addition of Cletus Kasady – a serial killer and the man who becomes main antagonist Carnage – is for the better.
It's a brisk affair – at 85 minutes – and performances from Tom Hardy and a revelling Woody Harrelson are particularly fantastic. It's unfortunate female leads Naomie Harris and Michelle Williams, both amazing actresses, take a back seat to the men, but it's an overall well-cast endeavour.
It dials up the ... carnage ... and the quick wit, and becomes almost cartoonish in its storytelling, which will please some and repel others. I'll let you decide which side you land on.
Grace and Frankie – Available On Netflix
This hilarious show is ending its run with a final batch of episodes on April 29, 2022.
Over seven seasons, we've been entertained by beloved veteran actors, and it's been a wonderful showcase of talent.
When free-spirited Frankie and up-tight Grace realize their husbands have, in fact, been both business partners and lovers for decades, the ensuing splits upend the families.
Robert and Sol begin living as openly-gay men together in their twilight years, while Grace and Frankie form an unlikely bond.
Created by the folks behind Friends, this amazing little comedy was one of Netflix's first big hits, and now it's coming to a close.
Be sure to catch Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterson in this amazing shows that will make you bust a gut and cry in the same episode.]
The Deer Hunter – Available On Prime Video
One of the most affecting films ever made, The Deer Hunter caught ahold of me and never really let go.
A harsh examination of the realities of the Vietnam War, and the effects it had on veterans, it's a terrifying exploration of the fallout of war.
When a group of friends from a steel mill town in Pennsylvania all go to war, their surrounding and experiences shape them for the rest of their lives.
Co-writer and director Michael Cimino (who won two Oscars for the film) creates a stirring, difficult portrait.
Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep are absolutely fantastic, but Christopher Walken gives an Oscar-winning, career-best performance here.
It's one of the most difficult movies I've ever watched, but definitely one of the best.