Your Netflix Picks of the Week

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Searching for a good movie on Netflix Instant is like looking for top shelf liquor at a frat party. You search and search and ask around for way too long and when you finally find a little bit hidden somewhere, you’re ready to ditch the party.

We’ve all been there, and we agree that ain’t nobody got time for all that browsing. So to spare you some time and a lot of agony, we will do the sifting for you and, each week, provide a fresh list of cinematic masterpieces you can find right in your friend’s your Netflix account and watch at a moment’s notice.

Our Netflix Picks of the Week will be the product of eclectic minds coming together to give you the créme de la créme (or what’s made available by the powers that be over at Netflix) of comedies, dramas, independents, documentaries, thinkers and, our very own creation, the stinkers — terrible movies we love to hate. Sometimes we’ll even throw in a good television show.

You’re welcome.

Comedy

“Saved!” (2004)

The only thing I love to hate more than self-righteous religious people is movies about self-righteous religious people and those who laugh in their face by getting pregnant, doing drugs, being gay or all three. “Saved!,” the cinematic gem starring Jena Malone, Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin, offers viewers just that. Moore plays Hillary Faye, the queen bee of the Christian Jewels, an uppity Jesus crusader who’s out to get save everyone. So when Mary, played by Malone, gets hit with a whirlwind of Satanic shit, you know Hillary Faye swoops in to do some good ol’ fashioned Jesus damage control, including literally using the bible as a weapon. This movie touches on themes of religion, homophobia, disabilities, teen pregnancy and ostracism, and its messages are conveyed by an impeccably hired cast. “Saved!” is a great little piece of comedy and religious satire and should be somewhere in everyone’s favorites list.

Drama

“Tiger Eyes” (2013)

Based on a Judy Blume novel and directed by Blume’s son Lawrence Blume, “Tiger Eyes” is about a girl’s journey as she comes to terms with her father’s death.

Davey Wexler, played by Willa Holland, temporarily relocates to New Mexico from Atlantic City with her family following the death of her father. While she’s there, she meets a Native American boy with whom she finds common ground. During her time in the southwest, she experiences different things that enable her to cope with the passing of her father.

Audiences watch as Davey begins to move on from her father’s death by learning that she is not alone. This film is an untraditional love story in that the center of the film is not the love between two lovers but is instead about the love between a father and a daughter.

Complete with a grief-stricken family and heartwrenching characters, “Tiger Eyes” is for anyone who can relate to feeling alone at one point or another and finding that one thing that can make you feel alive.

Action

“Ong-Bak” (2003)

Considered to be Tony Jaa’s major breakout film, “Ong-Bak” is a martial arts action flick filmed in various parts of northeastern Thailand. Ting, the protagonist, travels to Bangkok to recover a stolen head from his village’s Buddha statue (the Ong-Bak.) Ting ends up battling drug dealers and gang members all over town, eventually having to save his cousin’s friend Muay Lek after she is kidnapped. The cherography and stunts in this film are remarkable and almost on par with films like “Police Story” (1985) and “Fist of Legend.” The Ong-Bak sequels aren’t too shabby either — “The Beginning” and “The Final Battle” can also be found on Netflix.

Independent

“In Bruges” (2008)

Directed and written by Martin McDonagh (“Seven Psychopaths,” “The Guard”) this UK-based crime drama follows the misfortunes of hitmen Ray and Ken as they lay low in Bruges, Belgium, and await their next orders from Harry, their boss. Although “In Bruges” was shot in English, almost all of the actors and actresses have thick dialects so subtitles are recommended. This film has made my top 10 list on several occasions. Its dark, dry humor leeways into some fantastically gritty visuals, and the writing is top-notch. Colin Farre’, Clémence Poésy, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes flawlessly portray each of their roles. This is not an indie you’d want to skip.

Documentary

“The Punk Singer” (2013)

This 2013 documentary tells the story of Kathleen Hanna, frontwoman for bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. We learn not only of Hanna’s background, but how she came to co-create the feminist punk rock “riot grrrl” movement of the 1990s. Aside from being informative, I really liked how Hanna continues to be a strong, empowered feminist figure despite her waning physical condition due to Lyme disease.

There are also interviews by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Tavi Gevinson, as well as Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. As someone who got through high school listening to Bikini Kill and other bad-ass riot grrrl bands, I found this documentary moving and unlike any other. Hanna changed the face of music and women’s role in it forever, and to quote Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl,” “When she talks, I hear the revolution/In her hips, there’s revolution.”

Thinker

“Antichrist” (2009)

If you’ve ever seen a Lars von Trier movie, you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into. But, if you are a von Trier virgin, prepare yourself. The Danish director puts a spin on the horror film genre here, but instead of having his characters stay in a haunted house or escape a monster, he plays with humanity’s penchant for self-destruction in the face of grief.

There are only two characters in this film, with incredible performances by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg (I really have no idea how they didn’t receive Oscar noms). The two play a married couple that decide to escape to the countryside to mourn the death of their child. That is the simplest way to sum it up, but this movie is ANYTHING but simple.

Be sure to pay attention to the cinematography and score, both of which are truly captivating. Also…there’s one particular scene toward the end that you will NEVER forget. “Antichrist” is definitely not for the faint of heart, but will be one of the most unique films you will ever see.

Stinker

“Pootie Tang” (2001)

I don’t even know where to begin with “Pootie Tang.”

This movie is so absurd, it’ll have you walking away unsure of whether to give it a “certified stinker” seal or consider it an American treasure. Written and directed by Louis CK, “Pootie Tang” tells the story of Pootie, a crime-fighting recording artist equipped with a nearly magical belt and unintelligible speech. The belt, handed down to Pootie by his father, has the power to “whoop anyone’s ass.” This movie works but doesn’t, simultaneously. “Pootie Tang” will rob you of a few brain cells but will also make for a few very good laughs.

Classic

“Clueless” (1995)

Do you ever miss the 90s so much that you sit in your bathtub crying into a pack of Dunk-a-Roos while listening to Britney Spears’ entire debut album? Well pull yourself the fuck together, and watch this legendary, era-defining comedy classic instead. Loosely based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel “Emma,” this film follows the superficial, good-natured attempts of wealthy white girl Cher Horowitz to find love, make over her friends and vaguely make the world a better place. “Clueless” isn’t just hilarious, it’s made up of unforgettable lines spoken from the mouths of the most basic bitches in movie history (I say that endearingly, of course). “Clueless” is the “Mean Girls” of the 90s and watching it will change your life.

Featured photo courtesy of: TMDB