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 – The Thing (1982)
This masterpiece has been out over thirty years, and I somehow managed to just see it during Halloween last year.
This atmospheric, tense, and isolating horror film follows a research team in Antarctica who are terrorized by an alien. They soon discover it can embody the mannerisms, looks, and voices of its victims, and scramble to not fall prey.
Director John Carpenter created one of the most spell-binding, enduring horror films of all time, and you honestly can’t beat the layered script and motifs within.
Kurt Russell is in top form here, and he’s joined by Wilford Brimley, Richard Masur, David Clemon, T.K. Carter, and Keith David (enjoying a career-high turn).
It’s scary, has visual effects that still hold up 30 years later, and it will continuously surprise you.
On Amazon Prime Video – Rounders
This is a gambling film that has unfairly stood in the shadows of classics like The Hustler and The Color Of Money, but I feel like it stands on its own two feet.
Well-to-do Mike has left his high-stakes gambling life behind as he manages a serious relationship with his girlfriend Jo and a burgeoning talent in law school. But when childhood friend Worm reappears, he’s pulled back into his old life as he attempts to pay his friends’ debts.
I’ll admit director John Dahl has made better films – and so has this entire cast – but Rounders remains a crowd-pleasing drama with plenty of character to this day.
Matt Damon, the smarmy Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, Martin Landau, and John Turturro make up a cast that has absolutely no business being so good in a film this under-the-radar.
If you talk to movie buffs, many have seen and enjoyed Rounders, but I still contend it doesn’t get its due. I think you’ll absolutely love it, and it’s always a movie I can turn to for a solid re-watch.
On Paramount+ -- Wind River
If you enjoy Yellowstone, then you need to seek out this movie immediately.
Writer-director Taylor Sheridan is the man behind Yellowstone (and its spin-offs), The Tulsa King, and Mayor Of Kingstown. He also made Sicario and Hell Or High Water.
He is an absolutely fantastic filmmaker, and I’d argue this is his least-appreciated effort.
Jeremy Renner proves he can still do more than Marvel in his performance as Cory, a man haunted by his past who helps aid a murder investigation.
His Wildlife Officer joins Jane, an FBI agent tasked with finding out who killed a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reserve. But as things unravel and the story comes out, neither of them are prepared for the answers.
Renner, fellow Marvel alum Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, and Jon Bernthal star in this masterful suspense film, and it’s stayed with me for years.
On Netflix – Murder By Numbers
I’m going to be the first one to admit I love this film due to 90 per cent nostalgia, and not necessarily because it’s ground-breaking cinema.
That said, if you’re willing to turn off your brain for a while, Murder By Numbers is a suitably creepy, interesting little gem.
It follows embattled homicide detective Cassie, who is certain high school students Richard and Justin have committed a murder. The two boys – from different sides of the tracks – seem like they have nothing in common, but Cassie is adamant they can together to commit a horrific crime.
As she races to find evidence, the two boys begin to lose trust in each other, and a paranoid dynamic emerges. Can Cassie find the truth before the students go after each other?
Sandra Bullock – pre-Oscar and huge fame – is commanding here, and the two boys are played with tremendous talent by very, very young stars Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt.
Writer Tony Gayton is able to keep the audience guessing, and there are some sleight-of-hand scenes that keep things interesting. I really enjoy this one, and while it didn’t make any best-of lists in 2002, it was a great showcase for this trio of now-A-list actors.
On Apple+ -- The Morning Show
I’ll be frank – I have my problems with The Morning Show.
After a hard-hitting, difficult first season that zeroed in uncomfortably close to the #MeToo era, it back-pedalled and fell into farcical territory in season two.
So, it’s with cautious optimism I recommend this one, having only seen the first half of season three. But what I have seen has given me cause to make this Apple+ flagship must-see TV again.
It is an intimate look into the lives of anchors and employees at a news program in America, with explorations of a number of important topics coming as a result.
The largest reason to watch the show is this cast. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon have dynamite chemistry, and Billy Crudup’s corporate boss role as Cory Ellison proves this man is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood.
Mark Duplass, Steve Carell, Karen Pittman, Nestor Carbonell, Jon Hamm, and Holland Taylor lend their considerable talents through three seasons, and the ensemble is absolutely astounding.
When its themes and dialogue land, The Morning Show is among the best programs on streaming, and please remember that should you find yourself slogging through the more mundane second season. Overall, it’s worth it to spend your time with this ensemble.
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]
