Mooreviews’ Must Watch/Might Not Have Heard of Movie Recommendations (April 2nd)
To make the current quarantine life a little easier, every two weeks I’ll be throwing out some recommendations of films that everyone can access across different streaming sites!
Low Tide
Where can you find it: Amazon Prime Video (HERE)
There’s never a bad time for a nail-biting thriller and the feature directorial debut of Kevin McMullin, Low Tide, NEEDS to be on your watchlist. This simple story of a group of friends being slowly torn apart by buried treasure constantly leaves viewers on the edge of their seats and is full of fast-paced thrills. The performances are incredible, especially from Jaeden Martell and Keean Johnson, and you become so invested and enthralled into the characters that you develop real feelings, both love and hatred, for them. There’s also a very genuine theme about masculinity and growing up that’s really intriguing and made even better through all of the great performances.
There’s no better time than now to delve into this Jersey Shore thriller, that’s more thrilling than any of the rides there, and get hooked on all the twists and turns that Low Tide has to offer.
Cam
Where can you find it: Netflix
Offering a new perspective on cam girls and delivering some skin-crawling horrors, Cam is truly a hidden gem in Blumhouse’s filmography. Following a cam girl who channel is hijacked by a strange entity that looks just like her, Cam constantly makes viewers uneasy and shows a side of the cam girl profession that’s truly unique. Writer Isa Mazzei, a former cam girl, looked to show a different and realer side to what being a cam girl is and delivers a very fleshed out look into the profession. Cam is truly a different kind of struggling artist story with horrifying consequences and a completely committed performance from Madeline Brewer that’s give new meaning to a breakout role. Not to mention, the film isn’t afraid to go to some strange places and send chills down a viewer’s spine every step of the way.
Cam is just waiting for Netflix subscribers to check it out and those that do will see one of Blumhouse’s best movies.
Game Night
Where can you find it: Amazon Video Rental (HERE)
There’re very few comedies that have made me laugh throughout its entire runtime in the way that Game Night has. The premise of a group of competitive friends being ensnared into one of their criminal pasts after their routine game night is hijacked seems simple but goes in so many directions with no bad turns. All the comedic performances are great and it’s a hilarious game with no weak players.
With plenty of strange hijinks, great banter, and a great scene featuring a dog, some blood, and Jenga, there’s no shortage of great moments and even greater laughs. What makes Game Night stand out though, is the great filmmaking and stylish transitions that show the true care that directors John Francis Daley, who makes a great cameo in the opening, and Jonathan Goldstein had in creating Game Night and wanting to make more than just another ensemble comedy.
Being one of my big favorites of 2018, I can’t recommend Game Night enough as it will leave you in stitches from start to finish.
Cold Pursuit
Where can you find it: Amazon Video Rental (HERE), Hulu, HBO Now
While Liam Neeson has made plenty of revenge thrillers in his career, there’s just something very different about Cold Pursuit. On paper, the premise of Neeson playing an snowplow driver seeking revenge on some local high-class gangster for killing his son sounds like just another revenge thriller, but the execution is what makes it so different. With Cold Pursuit, director Hans Peter Molland is actually remaking his 2014 revenge thriller In Order of Disappearance and while I haven’t seen that film, I can say that Cold Pursuit contains a dark humor in both style and substance that sets it apart from other revenge thrillers.
It constantly subverts expectations by opening viewers up to everything that’s going on in its world and giving viewers a good glimpse at all the players – both good and evil. It’s a revenge tale that’s much more realistic than most as its characters have strong motivations, personality, and action that are backed by excellent performances. Not to mention, there’s so much snow that fills up the screen that viewers will literally feel cold throughout.
Cold Pursuit might seem like another Neeson revenge flick on the surface, but there’s so much more to it and shows that Neeson is still more than meets the eye.
Sweetheart
Where can you find it: Amazon Video Rental (HERE), Netflix
Great creature feature come so rarely in the way that Sweetheart did and the Blumhouse horror flick utilizes simplicity to create an unnerving narrative. Viewers are placed on an uninhabited island with a young woman trying to survive after becoming stranded after a shipwreck and having to fight against an unrelenting force that comes out of the sea every night. There’s a sense of isolation that becomes very real, very fast once the film’s creature goes on the hunt every night and watching the stranded protagonist work everyday to improve her chances at surviving make you really connect with her as a viewer.
A powerhouse performance from Kiersey Clemons and steady direction from J.D. Dillard creates a sense of suspense that’s absolutely thrilling to watch and really keeps viewers invested. Not to mention, this creature absolutely kicks ass and the design and concept of the creature is so mysterious and alluring that you instantly become obsessed.
Sweetheart does a lot with very little and that’s the true sign of an absolute must-watch horror flick.
Honey Boy
Where can you find it: Amazon Prime Video (HERE)
There’s no doubt that actor Shia LaBeouf has seen some hard times and his latest film, Honey Boy, sees him flesh out his struggles in a very personal way. Although it’s not a biopic, the film’s story of a young actor recalling and reconciling his broken upbringing and fractured relationship with his father is based on LaBeouf’s real life. With LaBeouf writing Honey Boy, his presence gives the film an incredible sense of authenticity and the fact that he’s essentially playing his own father makes every scene more and more heartbreaking. The performances from Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as, essentially, young versions of LaBeouf are sheer perfection and the direction of Alma Har’el keeps things more personal and less flashy. It’s tear-jerking in how genuine it stays, and fans of LaBeouf will surely see him in a new light.
Honey Boy is not only a stunning feature directorial debut for Har’el, but also the comeback of a lifetime for LaBeouf and that just makes it a must watch in itself.
Mooreviews 