Free Movie Suggestions My Ass

Pardon my vulgarity, but it’s true. Here I am championing my blog as the source for “free movie suggestions” yet I’m going on and on about professional content writing. In my defense, I haven’t been watching quite as much on Netflix these days due to an increase in great books I now own. Though, it is coming full circle, as the books I recently acquired, books my Mom and Dad found at a mall, have inspired me to watch more movies.

A few of my newest book acquisitions

Without going on too much of a rant, I want to stress the importance of consuming art & culture. Most people generalize movies as entertainment, which, in my opinion, shouldn’t be the case. Yes movies are fun, I won’t deny that, but they’re also a window into the artist’s mind; a window into a different time. What better way to learn about history than to watch a movie? Often, after watching a movie, I’ll do some investigating and learn more about the history of the film’s production, which leads me to reading about what was happening in the world at the time.

Whether you’re an artist or not, consuming art & culture makes you a more empathetic, interesting person. Let me illustrate my point by giving an example of what happens when people don’t read books. Few commercials upset me more than Luminosity’s. You would think a commercial about “brain training” would be a little more creative and thought provoking than some awful actors standing in front of a brick wall talking about remembering people’s names. Anyways, there’s a particular one involving a man who enjoys athletic activity and keeping his body fit. He says, “there are machines to work out your body, but nothing to work out your brain.” It’s called a book, you moron.

What I’m trying to say is, read more books and watch more movies; great movies. Your brain will thank you for saving it the humility of playing “brain games” at the age of twenty five just because you can’t remember your dog trainer’s name. Below are three movies streaming on Netflix I suggest you watch (in no particular order).

3. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

“The red-hot lowdown on a southern family…that people talked about in whispers!”

The exclamation point in the tag line is well deserved, as Paul Newman sets the southern town of Frenchman’s bend on fire with his acting chops. Based on a story by the great William Faulkner, “The Long, Hot Summer” is a tale of a man with ambiguous motives ingratiating himself in a powerful southern family.

Why Watch?

• After years as a television actor, Newman’s performance solidifies why he should be taken seriously as a leading man.
• Orson Welles plays the tyrannical patriarch of the Varner clan. Though his southern accent and colloquialisms make him difficult to understand, his character manages to always get his point across; no matter how stubborn that point may be.
• Only William Faulkner could imagine such a tragic story of the human heart and still find the time and place for a “fresh pie slices” stand.

3. Duck Soup (1933)

With Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore teaming up for another ridiculous movie – third time’s a charm, right? – it’s easy to wonder, “what happened to comedy?” It’s not necessarily what happened, but what stopped happening. If you watch 1933s “Duck Soup”, starring the iconic Marx Brothers, you’ll realize comedic films have always been ridiculous. Then how come, after all these years, an anti-war (I think) romp about a mustachioed man named Rufus T. Firefly taking over a small country is so much more funny than, say, Adam Sandler going to Africa? The answer is in the charm.

It may be difficult to imagine when you watch Harpo stick his feet in a case of Lemonade, but the Marx brothers gave their audiences some credit. Most of their humor is implied; especially their dirty jokes. As a result, no matter how silly the film may seem, it’s still “smart.” That’s where many comedies of our day fall short.

Why Watch?

• Whether she realizes it or not, Rufus (Groucho Marx) really lets Ms. Teasdale have it. “Married. I can see you right now in the kitchen, bending over a hot stove. But I can’t see the stove.” – Rufus
• The “going to war” number near the end is one of the finest Marx Brother moments in any of their films.
• If you pay close attention, you’ll realize this movie is full of raunchy jokes.

1. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

This one plays out a bit like a melodramatic romance novel, and by a bit I mean a lot. To put it simply, the story is about Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) a widowed woman looking for a new start who ends up finding love, only her love interest is the ghost of a salty, old seaman named Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison). To be honest, I laughed a lot more than I probably should have, but it’s not, by any means, a bad film.

Why Watch?

• Rex Harrison, in my opinion, was made to play the ghost of a horny, bitter seaman. I wonder if he stayed in character in-between takes?
• Gene Tierney is fantastic as the widow.
• Though the prolific Hollywood writer, Joesph L. Mankiewicz, doesn’t pen this one, he directs it with the sharp eye of an author.
• Bernard Herrmann’s score is one of his best.

What are your suggestions? I too need help when it comes to navigating Netflix’s streaming sea of movies.