Sure-Fire Streaming: Yesterday, Elizabethtown, Rabbit Hole, and more
By Jordan Parker
https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com/
Yesterday – Available On Netflix
This fantastic music-based film is going to hit you hard, and leave you with some existential questions by the end.
Yesterday is the unique story about a down-on-his-luck musician who feels like he just can't seem to break through.
He loves his craft but doesn't see a way to make a living with his passion.
But when Jack wakes up one morning, he soon realizes he's in a parallel universe where famous British band The Beatles never existed.
Jack 'copies' their songs, unbeknownst to anyone else, as he's the only one with knowledge of who the foursome even were. He soon catches on, and becomes a household name.
But can anything gold ever stay? Directed by Oscar-winning Danny Boyle and written by Love, Actually scribe Richard Curtis, this is a hugely entertaining film.
Himesh Patel and Lily James are both fantastic, and it poses some interesting questions. If you're a music lover, it's definitely worth a look.
Elizabethtown -- Available On Netflix
One of the most-maligned movies of the 2000s, I will always stand up for this romantic comedy.
Writer-director Cameron Crowe made a quirky, offbeat endeavour that served as a huge departure from crowd-pleasers like Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, and I applaud him for taking the creative leap.
It follows a man facing a difficult time in his life whose problems are compounded when he must go back to his small hometown for his estranged father's funeral.
By going home, he begins to remember his roots and forge a new reason to be happy, thanks to a plucky stewardess.
The cast is incredible: Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst are a fantastic odd-couple match, and Alec Baldwin is scene-stealing as a shark employer, and Susan Sarandon, Bruce McGill, Jessica Biel, Paul Schneider and Judy Greer round out the cast.
It's certainly weird, and definitely off-kilter, but that's what makes it unique. I love this movie, and I hope you will too.
Rabbit Hole – Available On Prime Video
One of the most jaw-dropping, difficult films I've ever watched can be witnessed in the intense Rabbit Hole.
It's a unique, difficult story about a couple in a broken marriage, torn apart by the tragic event that upended their lives.
To make matters worse, matriarch Becca is grieving in ways that gravely hurt her partner Howie.
From acclaimed director John Cameron Mitchell – who made the insightful Shortbus – comes this hugely underrated gem.
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart are both fabulous. The former was nominated for an Oscar, mostly due to her work onscreen with a young, revelatory Miles Teller.
This is an unforgettable, unapologetically heartbreaking voyage you'll have trouble shaking.
The Bone Collector – Available On Netflix
It's not particularly slick, and yet The Bone Collector has always found a way to send a chill down my spine.
Based on the famed book from Jeffrey Deaver, it follows a quadriplegic former homicide detective who is trapped in a hospital bed with a nurse caring for him in his apartment day and night.
He is tasked with helping a young, brazen female rookie cop try to find a terrifying serial killer in New York City.
I think it's the top-notch cast, top billed by Denzel Washington and Angelie Jolie in her prime, that really sells this one.
Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker, Ed O'Neill, and Bobby Cannavale also round out a cast that's stunning for a genre film like this.
With some slick visuals and skillful work from lauded director Phillip Noyce, this one manages to be a cut above the others, despite a by-the-numbers plot.
City Of Lies – Available On Prime Video
It's incredibly disappointing that the fervour and rumours surrounding Johnny Depp's marriage to Amber Heard derailed the possibility of this film being a hit.
It follows two detectives investigating the murders of famous rappers Notorious B.I.G. And Tupac Shakur, which remain unsolved in real life to this day.
The outspoken music icons have not received justice for their gun deaths, and conspiracy theories have run wild for years.
This is a heck of a movie from helmer Brad Furman, the man behind The Lincoln Lawyer, and he puts a rugged look to the subject matter.
After Johnny Depp – one of the leads – allegedly got in a physical altercation on-set, this flick got buried. Part of it undoubtedly also has to do with Depp's current legal troubles stemming from his ex-wife's accusations he was abusive.
It's incredibly unfortunate that his personal issues doomed this film – featuring the best performances from Depp and co-star Forest Whitaker in years – into oblivion.
It is one heck of a character study, and it left me thinking and wondering about these cases for days.