Stories We Tell 75 Stories We Tell got on everyone’s radar when, back in 2015, it made the list of the all-time top ten list of Canadian films.That speaks to both the caliber of this movie and its relevance to North America. It’s in fact a first-person account about (and made by) actress Sarah Polley (Mr. Nobody, Exotica, Away from Her, Take This Waltz).In the film, she investigates the rumor that she was the product of an affair, and that her father might not be her biological father. Her family and suspected fathers are all storytellers, and many of them Academy Award winners.Ultimately, the movie becomes about her family’s remembrance of her now-deceased mother (the famous actress Diane Polley). It’s an examination of how the same story can be told so differently by different people and across time. Lies get added and truths are hidden, and all of that enriches Polley’s pursuit. More On Prime Documentary Sunday2012
Logan Lucky 77 Two brothers played by Channing Tatum and Adam Driver decide to rob a local NASCAR event, the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.They put together a team to help them, with Daniel Craig as the demolition expert and Katie Holmes as the gateway driver. Other big names behind this project are actors Seth MacFarlane and Hilary Swank; and director Steven Soderbergh, who is best known for Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Thirteen, and Magic Mike.The main characters are cheerful and just goofy enough to be completely unpredictable. Their heist is as chaotic as it is random, which inevitably leads to many funny moments. The performances by the whole cast are amazing, Daniel Craig is almost unrecognizable.A friend once described this movie as Ocean's 7 Eleven, and it’s hard to come up with a better line. More On Prime Comedy / Drama Foreign2017
Cold War 92 Cinematography is a big part of Cold War, the story moves through stunning shots of the Polish countryside and later on an incredibly delicate portrait of Paris. All of that would be a waste if you watch it on an iPhone, so I really recommend watching this on as big of a screen as you can get your hands on.In 1950s Cold War Poland, a band of folk musicians find themselves used as a tool for Soviet propaganda. Their travel through the country is hijacked by this agenda, but it remains an incredible journey. It goes through different seasons and aesthetics uncovering lost Polish songs and poems.The leader of the band falls in love with one of the dancers, and the limits imposed on the couple under communist rule make them seek alternatives. Cold War is a statement on how far artists go for their art, especially when they become constrained not only by politics but by romance.It’s a poetic yet quiet movie that doesn’t scream its point but rather invites you to come to your own conclusions. More On Prime Drama Foreign1 2018
Patriot 90 Patriot is about a secret agent who is assigned meddling with the Iranian elections to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.Sounds serious? It is and it is not. What Patriot is really about are the bureaucratic pitfalls that involve such work. The secret agent’s team parks on the wrong street and he ends up killing the wrong guy. The bag of money he wants to use to meddle with the elections gets stolen by an airport worker in Luxembourg. Etc, etc.For all of this, Patriot is a funny and clever show. the best part is that the secret agent in question is also a folk singer - and sometimes sings awfully honest and descriptive songs of his missions in open mics.Patriot is a mix between real-life thrills and real-life laughs, and it's a near-perfect TV show. More On PrimeComedy/ Mystery 30 minutes to 1 hour
Hanna 78 Hanna the movie was the perfect mix between a coming-of-age story and a Bourne-Trilogy-type thriller. It was suspenseful, edgy, and so original.How to make these attributes stick when the movie is stretched to a TV show? As it turns out, more of the same does the trick.The majority of events have been imagined especially for the show, and it doesn’t stop there. The series is packed with great new talent who bring their uniqueness to the story. Hanna herself is played masterfully by British actress Esme Creed-Miles. Her father - much more present in the show than the movie - is also amazingly played by Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman (you may recognize him from House of Cards or The Killing).High production value and incredible suspense make Hanna an enjoyable and prolonged thrill ride. It’s even more fun if you’ve never watched the movie, as all plot developments will be new to you. More On PrimeAction/ Mystery 1 30 minutes to 1 hour
Long Strange Trip 80 Long Strange Trip was originally a four-hour movie before Amazon cut it to a six-part TV show.Produced by Martin Scorcese, it tells the full story of the band The Grateful Dead. It’s an account so detailed that it will satisfy the biggest Deadheads, but it also can be appreciated by anyone. The focus is the band, but it’s also the band’s significant impact on Rock history, and by extension, on American culture.I didn’t know much about the band and I couldn’t stop watching. More On PrimeDocumentary 30 minutes to 1 hour
Cold War 92 Cinematography is a big part of Cold War, the story moves through stunning shots of the Polish countryside and later on an incredibly delicate portrait of Paris. All of that would be a waste if you watch it on an iPhone, so I really recommend watching this on as big of a screen as you can get your hands on.In 1950s Cold War Poland, a band of folk musicians find themselves used as a tool for Soviet propaganda. Their travel through the country is hijacked by this agenda, but it remains an incredible journey. It goes through different seasons and aesthetics uncovering lost Polish songs and poems.The leader of the band falls in love with one of the dancers, and the limits imposed on the couple under communist rule make them seek alternatives. Cold War is a statement on how far artists go for their art, especially when they become constrained not only by politics but by romance.It’s a poetic yet quiet movie that doesn’t scream its point but rather invites you to come to your own conclusions. More On Prime Drama Foreign1 2018
Short Term 12 100 Short Term 12 is exactly like being injured in a part of your body where you didn't think it was possible to get injured before. It will hurt but it will make you care. Natural and understated by budget and by purpose, it is powered by perfect performances that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride you will never forget. It is at times sweet, at times depressing and at times hilarious. The thing is, without even taking into consideration its small budget or the importance of the issues it talks about - we would still consider Short Term 12 as one of the best movies of the past 20 years. More On Prime Drama Touching6 2013
Patriot 90 Patriot is about a secret agent who is assigned meddling with the Iranian elections to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.Sounds serious? It is and it is not. What Patriot is really about are the bureaucratic pitfalls that involve such work. The secret agent’s team parks on the wrong street and he ends up killing the wrong guy. The bag of money he wants to use to meddle with the elections gets stolen by an airport worker in Luxembourg. Etc, etc.For all of this, Patriot is a funny and clever show. the best part is that the secret agent in question is also a folk singer - and sometimes sings awfully honest and descriptive songs of his missions in open mics.Patriot is a mix between real-life thrills and real-life laughs, and it's a near-perfect TV show. More On PrimeComedy/ Mystery 30 minutes to 1 hour
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 90 Refreshing, classy, and absolutely hilarious — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a real triumph. Set in the 1950s, this is the story of a housewife and mother who, to everyone but herself, seems to fit very well into the patriarchal ideas of a woman of that era. In reality, she is a witty, funny, and strong woman — and someone who is willing to act on those attributes. After a series of events involving her mediocre cheating husband, she decides to become a stand-up comedian.The costumes and the mastery with which 50s New York is portrayed are what really did it for me. Everything is so beautiful, so much fun, yet so gim. It’s the most satisfying to watch Ms. Maisel navigate all of it, with a few serious laughs here and there, and riveting dialogue. More On PrimeComedy/ Drama 1 30 minutes to 1 hour
Homecoming 90 This is the perfect dark TV show.It’s no surprise that Julia Roberts’ performance is amazing here. She is the former director of a mysterious program for rehabilitating war veterans.She perfectly blends into her first ever TV show and the world created by the show’s director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot). That is a world of dark colors and seemingly twisted motivations.Her supporting cast is nothing short of amazing. Shea Whigham is BRILLIANT as the sad but honest detective trying to get to the bottom of things. Bobby Cannavale is also great as Julia Roberts’s old boss, a busy and eager man. This show’s surprise star is newcomer Stephan James, who plays one of the war veterans.At around 30 minutes per episode, time goes by quickly and your hunger to figure out what’s happening increases with every episode. More On PrimeMystery/ Thriller Under 30 Minutes
