Streaming Roulette, April 2018

Can you believe it's April already! If only the weather here in NYC would commit to springtime (Sigh). A new month means new availabilty of streaming titles which means it's time for our streaming roulette. We spin (figuratively... it's really scrolling) and wherever the cursor lands we share that moment of the film. Do any of these screengrabs make you want to see the picture (or see it again)?

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) on Amazon Prime

Holy shit!

Holy shit is right. This is the first moment of a quadruple dissolve with a really strange comic tone. Gus Van Sant just can't help his inner cinema geek sometimes (See also Psycho, 1998). I don't remember this well (only saw it once) but was absolutely convinced at the time that Matt Dillon should have landed his first Oscar-nomination with ease. He had to make do with that year's Best Actor prize at the Independent Spirit Awards and wait another 17 years for the Oscar nomination (via Crash). Kelly Lynch is also excellent as his girlfriend (she had a brief heyday in the late 80s and early 90s but was never properly appreciated despite more than one strong performance).

Six more films after the jump starting with  Little Women (1994) on Netflix...

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Today's 4: The Golden Girls, Vertigo, etc...

Our new tradition. We select four or five showbiz anniversaries and give you homework to go with them. It's our way too elaborate affirmation exercize because who doesn't need to keep their spirits up these days!?

Today's Four Anniversaries (May 9th) as Mood Boosters

2005/1987 The Zeéeee marries Kenny Chesney. Just four months later she seeks an anullment for "fraud" but then asks people not to theorize about what "fraud" means. Understandably no one obeys her and rumors explode. On this same day 18 years earlier, another much-gossiped about marriage that ends in weird bitchy rumors: Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers! 

In honor of these odd affairs: have a self-deprecating laugh at a big relationship failure rather than being sad about it. We all stumble in love! 

1992 Happy 25th anniversary to the finale of The Golden Girls after a super successful 7 year / 11 Emmys-winning run (one of the rare shows that managed to give one Emmy to each principle, like the entire industry pow-wowed as to who to vote for each time) These girls... Angels, all of them!

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It's Rex Manning Day!

Chris here. We here at The Film Experience love celebrating cinematic anniversaries whether in or outside of a narrative, and today is one of my favorites: Rex Manning Day of 90s pop perfection Empire Records! Damn the man, save the Empire!

For the uniniated: April 8th marks the arrival of cheesy fictional 80s icon Rex Manning (Grease 2's Maxwell Caulfield) to the film's titular record store as it struggles to maintain its financial independence. So in that regard, today is for more than just appreciating the cult film, but all our independent outlets that give us our entertainment. And, ok, revisiting the film's crazy good soundtrack.

Despite that soundtrack being one of the most quintessential of the 90s (it's certainly the reason you'll remember Empire if you're not among its fanbase), the film was a bomb in release. However, it remains a light and carefree joy that gives fun actressing: the hippest Liv Tyler, a bald Robin Tunney, and *gasp* our first glimpse at a musical Renee Zellweger nearly a decade before Chicago. It's 90 minutes of pure MTV-era delight.

Are you an Empire Records fan?

New on DVD: Bridget Jones's Baby

David here on the return of one of the UK's most memorable heroines...

Bridget Jones's Baby is, as things stand, the highest-grossing film released in the UK this year. Quite the result for the long-delayed comeback of a female romcom heroine whose target audience isn’t typically recognised by the movie industry as big ticket buyers. Sure, Bridget’s return wasn’t as heralded at the US box office, earning a paltry $20 million. But Bridget’s peers amongst the UK public are more loyal creatures, and the film’s easy rewatchability is apparent in the abundant returns. (Perhaps as a result of the film’s longer theatrical lifespan in the UK, the home entertainment release on UK shores isn’t until the end of January.)

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Miscellania: Hugh, Tori, Sarah, and Angela Lansbury

I've been gone for two weeks and festivals are quite a bubble. What did I miss? Besides the impending apocalypse (when I left everyone said Hillary was a done deal and when I returned everyone was acting like Trump has already won).

Here are some happier things I discovered today whilst perusing the web...

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