Taking it easy this weekend? Want to just stay home and watch something new? Here are five picks newly added to Netflix Instant Watch this week that might just be the right ones you need, from an off-kilter romantic comedy to a hardcore suspense thriller.
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THE CHASER
I first saw this movie last year at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and it was definitely one of the fest's highlights. A brutal thriller to the bone, the plot can be humorously nicknamed "Pimp vs Slasher," because that's basically what it is. Yun-seok Kim plays a lowlife pimp who goes out looking for his missing worker with the assumption that she's been recruited by a rival pimp, only to discover that she's at the mercy of a sadistic psychopath. It's a thoroughly gritty story that effortlessly switches from pulse-pounding suspense to chilling horror, complete with an unapologetic anti-hero and a devastating conclusion. It's easy to see why Warner Bros already has an American remake in development.
THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD
Netflix added a couple of Guy Maddin films on Instant Watch today, including The Saddest Music in the World, a film that's not at all as sad as the title suggests. In fact, it can be pretty funny. Filmed in a style emulating 1930's black-and-white cinema, as per Maddin's favorite style to shoot, it tells the story of a Depression-era contest to find a composer who can write... You guessed it: the saddest music in the world.
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN
So maybe he's made movies like A Little Princess and Great Expectations before it, but there's no denying that it's Y Tu Mama Tambien put Alfonso Cuaron on the map, not to mention launched the careers of Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. A sexually charged coming-of-age story rife with socio-political commentary about present day Mexico that also serves as a wistful parable of the country. It remains one of my favorites.
MAD DETECTIVE
As a fan of Johnny To's work, this one actually underwhelmed me the first time I saw it, but perhaps only so because he's set the bar so high with some of his other films. Mad Detective is an odd procedural story in which the titular character is a brilliant but unstable ex-cop who can see a person's inner personalities and ghosts (which includes his own imaginary wife). He's tasked to finding a missing cop, but discovers that the target actually has seven different personalities. To's stylish directorial choices can still be seen here, but obviously shadowed by the highly unusual story. It's a bit goofy at times, but the conceit alone makes it a worthy watch.
THE BAXTER
More known for his work on sketch shows like The State and Stella, Michael Showalter does have a feature film under his belt, namely The Baxter, a really peculiar romantic comedy he wrote and directed. The central premise is that Showalter's character Elliot is a "baxter," who is the nice guy you see getting dumped in typical romantic comedies by the girl at climactic moments so they can be with the leading man who's learned his lesson and shows up at the last minute. This movie has a pretty fantastic cast that shows up in various weird scenarios, including Showalter's Stella Michael Ian Black and David Wain, as well as stars such as Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux, Paul Rudd and Peter Dinklage. It's more disarming than laugh-out-loud funny, but it's definitely a sweet, strangely charming film.
As an additional aside, I'd like to offer a disappointed frown at Netflix for removing both seasons of Party Down from their Instant Watch catalog today.
