Looking for your next binge-worthy series or film to add to your streaming queue? Check back with Village Life every Friday for Jordan Parker's comprehensive insights on the week's most buzz-worthy programs from top streaming services like Netflix, Crave, Amazon Prime, and beyond.
On Crave – Plane
Sometimes you just need a popcorn action movie to see you through the weekend, and you’ll get a heck of a good one with Plane.
Captain Brodie Torrance is a heck of a pilot, and his quick thinking gets his flight through a storm. But he’s forced to land in a war zone, and pushes to keep his crew and passengers safe through the ordeal.
The main reason this movie works so well is because Gerard Butler is a modern action-movie titan, and everything he touches seems to always entertain.
Butler is joined by Mike Colter, who plays a prisoner aboard named Louis, who our captain must rely on if he wants to get out of the situation alive.
Co-starring Scandal star Tony Goldwyn, Yoson An, veteran character actor Paul Ben-Victor, Daniella Pineda, Lily Krug, and Joey Slotnick, it’s a great cast of familiar, if not A-list, faces.
This was a great movie to pass the time, and if you expect a fun ride only, you’ll enjoy yourself too.
On Amazon Prime Video – Bodies Bodies Bodies
I don’t think any movie in 2022 surprised me more than this slasher pic, and I was filled with glee by the time the credits rolled.
Subversive, endlessly-funny and full of gore, Bodies Bodies Bodies is 20 times better than you could ever expect.
Bee is meeting her recently-rehabbed girlfriend Sophie’s posh friends for the first time, but a rave-like hurricane party will trap them all in a huge mansion together.
When one of them is killed, a battle of wits begins as each person is seen as a suspect – and the friends are killed off one-by-one.
The incredible cast includes Borat II standout Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott, Myha’la Herrold, Amanda Stenberg, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace (in his funniest turn), and Chase Sui Wonders.
In a time where killer-amongst-us films are dime-a-dozen, Bodies Bodies Bodies really turns the entire genre on its head.
On Paramount+ -- Vanilla Sky
This is one of Tom Cruise’s most underrated performances of all-time, in a film that’s incredibly hard to nail down.
Famed director Cameron Crowe – known for Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous – makes a departure from his typical, happier fare to make a psychological drama unlike anything in his repertoire.
A remake of the 1997 Spanish-language film, it retains Penelope Cruz for these proceedings. Vanilla Sky follows vain, brash publishing titan David, who doesn’t fully value the life he leads.
But when an accident leaves him horribly disfigured, everything begins to unravel for him, and he cannot shake his terrifying visions and inner thoughts.
Tom Cruise is fabulous here, and Cameron Diaz gives the dramatic turn of her career. Cruz, Jason Lee, Kurt Russell, Timothy Spall, and Tilda Swinton round out an all-star cast.
It is one of the most puzzling, frantic films I’ve ever seen – But one that only gets better and better on repeat viewings.
On Apple+ -- Flora and Son
There are few directors as reliable and genuinely enjoyable as John Carney, whose music-themed films have delighted for years.
Starting with his breakout Once in 2007, he’s made an array of hits including Begin Again, Sing Street, and now Apple+ title Flora and Son.
This Irish film follows Flora, a single mom who can’t seem to keep her teenage son Max out of trouble. Losing her grip, Flora finds an old guitar and has it fixed up, hoping it will spark inspiration in him.
When he rebuffs her gift, she takes up the instrument herself, and finds pleasure and a bond with her cross-country guitar teacher Jeff, a failed musician himself.
Eve Hewson – who starred in the Robin Hood remake, the Papillion remake, and Bridge Of Spies – finally gets a starring turn to shine here. Young Oren Kinlan does an admirable role as Max.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives his most mature performance in years, and Jack Reynor is characteristically charismatic.
It’s a feel-good film that never seeks to be anything more, and is a testament to how welcome true escapism entertainment can be.
On Netflix – Final Destination
Final Destination spawned one of the most consistent franchises of the 2000s, and it all started with this fantastic horror film.
When Alex gets on a flight for his high school class trip to France, he has a vision of the plane crashing, killing everyone on-board. He’s removed from the flight when he voices his concerns, and some students are taken off the flight as well.
But his vision comes true before their eyes, and his premonition soon draws the attention of police and the survivors. It appears he and his classmates cheated Death, but it’s coming back with a vengeance to pick them off. They must fight to survive following the traumatic event.
Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Chad Donella, Tony Todd, and Seann William Scott headline a fantastic cast in one of the most iconic horror franchises of the 2000s.
About The Author:
Jordan Parker is a freelance journalist and runs entertainment firm Parker PR. A huge lover and supporter of the local arts scene, he’s an avid filmgoer and lover of all genres.
A 2SLGBTQIA+ professional, he also works doing Events & Fundraising for the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia and has a passion for giving a platform to queer events and artists.
His writing often skews toward local businesses, productions, events, and covering arts & entertainment. He’s also an avid sports fan and spends every May getting let down by the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs.
Jordan believes in an open-door policy and welcomes story pitches and questions from readers.
Email: [email protected]
