The Messenger

Movies to See Right Now

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Harry Dean Stanton in LUCKY. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

This weekend, I’m going to try to catch The Florida Project and Mark Felt – The Man Who Brought Down the White House. Of the movies that I HAVE seen, I like the often funny and stealthily profound Lucky, starring the late Harry Dean Stanton.

My DVD/Stream choices of the week are Woody Harrelson’s overlooked gems. The best, Rampart, is available on DVD from Netflix and Redbox and streaming from Netflix Instant, Amazon, YouTube and Google Play. But check out The Messenger, Zombieland and True Detective, Season 1, too.

As they say, life begins with fifty Gs.  On October 22, Turner Classic Movies presents Raw Deal (1948), with some of the best dialogue in all of film noir, a love triangle and the superb cinematography of John Alton.

Claire Trevor in RAW DEAL
Claire Trevor in RAW DEAL

DVD/Stream: Woody Harrelson’s overlooked gems

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Woody Harrelson in RAMPART

Woody Harrelson has come a long way from his cheerfully amiable dunderhead bartender in Cheers.  As an actor, Woody swings for the fences and is attracted to larger than life roles.  He’s also famous/notorious as an off-screen provocateur.

And Woody works a lot.  This year, he’s featured in War for the Planet of the Apes,  Wilson, The Glass Castle and LBJ.

Here are some of Woody’s overlooked gems:

  • Rampart: In a sizzling performance, Woody plays a corrupt and brutal LA cop trying to stay alive and out of jail. If you’re looking for Woody Harrelson’s best performance, you should try this movie.  Available on DVD from Netflix and Redbox and streaming from Netflix Instant, Amazon, YouTube and Google Play.
  • The Messenger: Woody plays a veteran soldier helping a younger one (Ben Foster) through his new assignment: visiting military next of kin to inform them face-to-face of their loved one’s death in combat; Despite the challenging material, most people will appreciate Woody’s brilliant performance.  Available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Amazon, iTunes, YouTube and Google Play.
  • Zombieland: Woody plays a master zombie killer is this riotously funny satire of zombie movies. Zombieland also features performances by Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Amber Heard and Abigail Breslin very early in their careers, and a priceless cameo from Bill Murray).  Available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.
  • True Detective, Season 1: It’s a dark tale of two mismatched detectives – each tormented by his own demons – obsessed by a whodunit in contemporary back bayou Louisiana.  Woody is very good – but Matthew McConaughey’s performance may have been the best on TV that year. Available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from HBO GO, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.

This week's Movies To See

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Gene Evans in Sam Fuller's The Steel Helmet

 

Click here for this week’s recommendations.  Scroll down this blog to watch trailers.  My top recommendations are Toy Story 3, The Secrets in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), Micmacs and Iron Man 2. You can still find The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in theaters.

My top picks on DVD is The Deep End. Last week’s pick, Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains and The Messenger are also good choices on DVD.

To Kill a Mockingbird and The Steel Helmet are on TV.

Movies to See This Week

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Click here for this week’s recommendations.  Scroll down this blog to watch trailers.  My top recommendations are Toy Story 3, Micmacs, The Secrets in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), and Iron Man 2. You can still find The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in theaters.

My top picks on DVD is Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains. The Messenger, Crazy Heart and Broken Embraces (Abrazos Rotos) are also good choices on DVD.

Monkey Business, All The King’s Men, The 400 Blows and The Shootist are all on TV.

The Shootist

This week's Movies to See

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Click here for this week’s recommendations.  Scroll down this blog to watch trailers.  My top recommendations are The Secrets in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos), Iron Man 2 and, of course, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

My top picks on DVD are still The Messenger, Crazy Heart and Broken Embraces (Abrazos Rotos).

Some Like It Hot, Diabolique and Monkey Business are all on TV.

DVD pick of the week: The Messenger

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The Messenger:  A soldier’s (Ben Foster) new assignment is visiting military next of kin to inform them face-to-face of their loved one’s death in combat; after you see this movie, you won’t complain about your own job for a while.  Despite the challenging material, most people will appreciate this movie because of the brilliant supporting performances of Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton. There are only 3 or 4 “notifications”, which set the stage for the characters played by Foster, Harrelson and Morton.  The plot is leavened by laughs and the possibility of romance.