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 Netflix – The Game
This is both an intensely frustrating and highly interesting experience.
Depending on how you feel about the end result, The Game will either leave you bewildered or jaw-dropped.
It follows selfish, wealthy banker Nicholas, whose black sheep brother Conrad gifts him the opportunity to take part in a strange game on his birthday. But when the game turns violent and threatening, Nicholas worries his whole life hangs in the balance.
This one works because of the solid directing from David Fincher and the committed performance from lead Michael Douglas. Without the latter’s full buy-in, it wouldn’t be considered a modern classic.
Rounding out the cast are Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, and James Rebhorn, but this is definitely a showcase for Douglas.
It has a great twist and is full of surprises, and it’s hard to leave me in disbelief these days. The Game achieved it.
On Amazon Prime Video – Monkey Man
This is one of my favourite movies of 2024 so far.
It’s a dark, wildly-entertaining revenge thriller about a man who goes after the men who killed his mother when he was just a child.
He sees the way the leaders of his home prey on the weak, and decides to put a stop to it once and for all. Dev Patel directs, co-writes, and stars as our unnamed hero, who spends his time racking up brutal wins in an underground boxing ring.
The man gets a job as a server at an illustrious hotel to gain access to mob boss Queenie and her right hand Rana, who are responsible for the decimation of his village and his mothers death.
From there, his plot moves into motion. This film is bloody, grim, and difficult, but man, is it ever interesting.
Produced by Jordan Peele, it also serves as a great vehicle for Patel, who hit it big in Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. Shartlo Copley, Pitobash, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Sikander Kher are all great.
The film may be too dark for some viewers, but I absolutely loved it.
On Crave – I Know What You Did Last Summer
I understand horror movies aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but with a new instalment of this 1997 feature coming, I recently revisited it.
It’s certainly not some Oscar-worthy acting showcase, but as far as thrills-and-chills go, this is a great ticket.
The film follows a quartet of friends who are estranged following a car accident in which they kill a man. They dump the body and go about their lives –although their relationships with each other are not the same.
The following summer, they are all reunited when they receive threats and notes about the incident the year before. Someone is aware of what they did, and a figure in a slicker jacket wielding a hook soon begins stalking them.
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillipe, and Sarah Michelle Gellar star, and it’s a lot of fun to watch a movie full of the 1990s A-list.
It may not have the gravitas of Scream, but it’s spawned two sequels and a TV show, and is worth a re-watch for sure.
On Disney+ – Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
I rewatched the entire series in anticipation of this one.
What I discovered was that the 2010s versions of Planet Of The Apes were spectacular, and Kingdom is a cut below them, even by a little bit.
But as a standalone film, this is a thrill ride with beautiful human elements, a beating heart, and some slick cinematography and action sequences.
Director Wes Ball follows the apes years after the reign of talking ape Caesar, and their domination of the world now that apes can speak and humans are mostly unintelligible due to a man-made virus.
Young ape Noa begins to learn about his ancestral past and how it will shape his future, for both apes and humans. The entrance of a young woman who can talk complicates matters.
The voice cast is wonderful, and includes Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, and Peter Macon, and the film also features live-action turns from William H. Macy and Freya Allan.
It’s not as good as some others in the franchise, but it’s definitely worth a look.
On Paramount+ -- Up In The Air
It’s hard to believe this comedy-drama turns 15 this year. It’s a film that left a definite mark on me.
It follows Ryan, whose job is to travel around the country laying people off for companies who don’t have the gall to do it themselves.
But when his boss hires Natalie – a young, enterprising woman intent on taking the human touch out of firing folks -- Ryan attempts to show her why the job takes a slightly kinder approach.
In the midst of everything, Ryan wonders whether he still enjoys his career when he meets a woman and recognizes he may have spent too much of his life working.
Director Jason Reitman followed up his hit Juno with this film, and I for one think it’s a more mature, full effort. George Clooney is fantastic as Ryan, and this was Anna Kendrick’s first big dramatic turn.
With J.K. Simmons, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Sam Elliott, Melanie Lynskey, and Zach Galifianakis, this is a heck of a cast.
This one always hits me pretty hard, and is a testament to Clooney’s effortless charm.
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]
