Sure-Fire Streaming: This Is 40, Run, Tropic Thunder, and more!
By Jordan Parker
https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com/
This Is 40 – Available On Netflix
The spiritual sequel to hit comedy Knocked Up may not hold up the same, but it’s still an absolute riot.
This film focuses on supporting couple, married Debbie and Pete, in this film, and they prove that these characters are more than ready to take centre stage.
As the two hit the verge of 40, they’re still dealing with the ins and outs of marriage, parenting, and running their businesses. Their chaos is our hilarity.
Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann have breezy charm that’s hard not to love, and with director Judd Apatow’s adorable kids Iris and Maude playing the children in the film, it’s a slam-dunk family.
But this is far from a family film, with supporting cast Jason Segel and Megan Fox helping turn up the crude factor.
This is a very funny – very adult – film that you’re bound to get a few belly laughs out of.
Run – Available On Netflix
A wheelchair-bound girl on the cusp of heading to college begins to question everything she’s been told by her doting, somewhat overbearing mother.
The girl was born with a heart issue that has caused issues with motor functions, and she spends much of her time in the house with her mom, who homeschools her.
But as she sifts through the debris of perceived lies her mother is telling her, she begins to suspect something is amiss. Young Chloe has to figure out what is real and imagined, while trying to battle the issues in her own head.
Kiera Allen and Sarah Paulson are freaking amazing here, and the sparring they do reminds me of Kathy Bates and James Caan in Misery. This is a claustrophobic, insane movie, and I loved every second.
Tropic Thunder – Available On Prime Video
Director Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder is a satirical gem, and it’s one of the funniest films I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.
A skewering and send-up of Hollywood, it’s about the making of a war film based on an autobiography, and the slew of diva actors cast in it. When the director decides to go guerilla style to get some real reactions, he’s unaware he’s dropped his cast into a war zone.
They are equally unaware, leading to some of the best comedic sequences put on film of the 2000’s.
Ben Stiller plays an action hero past his prime trying to go legit, Robert Downey Jr. is a hyper-method actor with Oscars who will do anything to get into character, and Jack Black plays an addict comedian whose claim to fame is films reminiscent of The Nutty Professor.
The three give some of the best performances of their careers, and Downey Jr. nabbed a well-deserved Oscar nomination.
Perhaps one of the best parts of the film is a thinly-veiled impersonation of Harvey Weinstein by a bald-capped Tom Cruise, in full insanity mode.
Love and Monsters – Available On Netflix
One of the biggest surprises of 2020, this little action film follows a man on a quest through the scariest of territory for love.
Joel lives in a world where monsters have taken over and survivors hide away, and he sets out to find his girlfriend, living in another sanctuary just 85 miles away. He must overcome his own fears to go find her.
You’ll recognize star Dylan O’Brien from The Maze Runner series, but he shows depth and emotion here you’d never expect. Michael Rooker, of The Walking Dead fame, makes a fantastic appearance as an apprentice.
Finally, Game Of Thrones alum Jessica Henwick is charming and interesting here, and I can’t wait to see more of her.
Love and Monsters is nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects this year, and it’s a vast showcase for what an fun monster movie really could be.
99 Homes – Available On Prime Video
This indie caught me by complete surprise when I picked it up from a movie rental store on a whim six years back.
It struck me immediately, and the story of a young man who joins forces with a malicious real estate broker to prey on foreclosed home owners is absolutely gut-wrenching.
Writer-director Ramin Bahrani creates a tense, difficult film which still ranks as the Oscar nominee’s best all these years later.
Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield are absolutely incredible together, and their fantastic interplay makes the film.
This is an acting tour-de-force, and I’m so happy to recommend it.