Instant Picks of the Week 10/14/16
Gone are the days of scrolling mindlessly through your queue! No longer will you have to sift through the vastness of what’s coming to the instant viewing wastelands this month! Whether you’re looking for a stellar film or an exciting new show to binge, Instant Picks of the Week brings you the hottest releases in film and television on instant viewing platforms that we know you’ll love, or at the very least not despise.
RESERVOIR DOGS (Netflix)
Every hero has an origin story, and filmmaking genius Quentin Tarantino’s story begins with RESERVOIR DOGS. It’s hard to believe that it’s his very first feature film, as every Tarantino-esque element that he is known for today can be identified within. This reinforces the brilliance of Tarantino, as he fully realized and employed his unique style from day one. The film tells the story of six strangers who are hired to rob a jewellery store, when an untimely police interference leads them to believe that one of their own is a rat. The dialogue-driven and unchronological nature of the film engulfs the audience in the underlying tension beneath it all, as we work with the surviving characters to put together the pieces of the puzzle. The classic, cringeworthy scene of the policeman’s ear being cut off while the lighthearted “Stealer’s Wheel” song plays in the background demonstrates Tarantino’s ability to play with our emotions. The dynamics between the all-star cast of characters (Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madson) are at the core of the film, providing comedic, powerful, and tense discourse to guide us through the story. If you’re in the mood for classic gritty Tarantino, RESERVOIR DOGS is as good as they come. [Jordan Somani]
LOVESICK / SCROTAL RECALL (Netflix)
I’m not usually one to judge a book by its cover, and as such, titles don’t usually grasp my attention. That wasn’t the case with the 2014 British series LOVESICK, formerly known as SCROTAL RECALL. It has recently been picked up as a Netflix original, with a second season coming out this November. LOVESICK has a premise that makes it sound like the idea came from a bunch of teenage boys smoking weed in a garage: A young man named Dylan (Johnny Flynn) gets diagnosed with chlamydia, and now has to go through the trouble of letting all of his previous sexual partners know. Each episode is told through a flashback, and with his best friends Luke and Evie on his side, they manage to find themselves in bizarre circumstances episode after episode. Its comedy is very tongue-and-cheek, but it also feels original and youthful. Although Dylan’s actions are more than questionable, the humor lands to a degree that I’m happily addicted, eagerly anticipating what’s to come in the second season. [Michelle Vera]
