“Daddy, why do you always watch movies late at night?” That was a question posited by oldest daughter a few days ago. “I can hear the noise from them coming from your office.” She’s got me there, and just solidified why I should be wearing headphones after hours. See, lately I’ve been streaming movies to my laptop while I do work from the desktop… including right now, this very second as Adele sings the theme song to James Bond’s SKYFALL to my right, while I type these words and see them appear on the screen to my left. While my days have been spent largely preparing for the start of school this week, my nights are filled with work… and lately, action. Explosive action, the kind that just seems right for the end of summer, and in the time-honored tradition of action flicks finding their audience on home video, Netflix is keeping that torch raised high. For my August column as a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam, here’s some of what I’ve been watching this month… and these picks are #ForGrownups only.
THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2012) – With Lionsgate’s THE EXPENDABLES 3 having just hit theatres this past weekend (apparently, it didn’t do well), I figured it was time to catch up. My Mom actually bought me THE EXPENDABLES on DVD awhile back, and somehow I’d never gotten to it. I started there, then jumped over to Netflix for THE EXPENDABLES 2 – an enjoyable sequel that trumped its predecessor and added Jean-Claude Van Damme into the mix. Should I miss EXPENDABLES 3 in it’s current theatrical run, you can be sure I’ll catch it on Netflix down the road.
HOMEFRONT (2013) – After getting my EXPENDABLES fix taken care of, I went back down the Jason Statham rabbit hole and checked out HOMEFRONT. Word to the wise: If you’re in a movie with Jason Statham, you do not mess with Jason Statham. Perhaps he’s typecast at this point, but the guy is in several movies a year and always seems to play the same guy – but this is like HISTORY OF VIOLENCE Statham-style. With James Franco as a white trash dope-slinger, there’s some fun performances to watch. I started watching Statham in PARKER (2013) but need to finish. Then I may do REDEMPTION (2013) as well.
MACHETE KILLS (2013) – The second film spawned from the GRINDHOUSE fake trailer for MACHETE, here we find Danny Trejo tearing it up as a hired gun for the U.S. government, with promise of a third installment in space. Will the third happen? Who knows, but this one is fun.
BAD ASS 2: BAD ASSES (2014) – I reviewed this film back in March – a completely unexpected surprise. Danny Trejo + Danny Glover turns out to be a big win.
Want to watch soon: James Gunn’s SUPER (2010), DEATH RACE 3: INFERNO (2013), IRON SKY: Director’s Cut (I’ve seen the original, but want to see the extended version).
BONUS:
RED STATE (2011) – Not an action film, this horror flick from Kevin Smith had been on my “need to see” list for quite sometime, especially since I have such a fondness for his earlier works. Dramatic and disturbing, this is no typical horror film, but a thriller that frightens based on the fact that it could actually happen. Victims lured in by a religious cult that echos the Westboro Baptist nuts and the David Koresh situation back in ’93 should be a terrifying proposition for all.
For hundreds of action-packed movies available instantly on nearly any device, check out http://www.netflix.com
