Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

To get money for his gay lover’s sex-change operation, Sonny (Al Pacino) — who’s married with kids — teams up with Sal (John Cazale) to rob a New York bank on a scorching-hot summer day. The stickup goes awry when the press gets wind of the circus sideshow-esque story. Chris Sarandon, Charles Durning and James Broderick co-star in this classic Sidney Lumet-directed film based on an actual event from the 1970s.

1 note 

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Hoping to earn some extra cash during the Thanksgiving holiday, poor prep-school student Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell) agrees to look after blind — and cantankerous — Lt. Col. Frank Slade (Al Pacino, in a tour-de-force performance). Though the callow student and jaded colonel are mismatched, their relationship grows as Simms follows Slade around Manhattan on a string of wild escapades, and Slade is unmasked as a sentimental romantic.

1 note 

Bartleby (2001)

In this update of Herman Melville’s classic story “Bartleby the Scrivener,” the boss of a public records company begins to unravel after hiring a quiet clerk who increasingly responds to requests to perform tasks with “I would prefer not to.”

Sling Blade (1996)

In an Oscar-winning tour de force, writer-director Billy Bob Thornton stars as Karl Childers, a man who returns home after being released from a psychiatric hospital, where he’d been confined since age 12 for murdering his mother and her lover. On the outside, the simpleminded Karl lands a job at a garage fixing motors and befriends a young boy — but can Karl outrun his past? Thornton’s co-stars include Dwight Yoakam and John Ritter.

Streaming until Apr 1, 2013

1 note 

Songcatcher

2000 PG-13109 minutes

During a visit to her sister in Appalachia, a gifted musicologist stumbles upon a musical treasure trove of dozens of Scots-Irish ballads that have been preserved for generations by the local populace and are unknown to the outside world.

Streaming Begins Mar 01, 2012

Cast:Janet McTeer, Aidan Quinn, Pat Carroll, Emmy Rossum, Jane Adams, Greg Cook, Stephanie Roth, David Patrick Kelly, E. Katherine Kerr, Taj Mahal, Muse Watson, Andrea Powell, Danny Nelson Director:Maggie Greenwald Genres:Dramas, Independent Movies, Musicals, Dramas based on real life, Independent Dramas, 20th Century Period Pieces

he Man Who Fell to Earth

1976R139 minutes

David Bowie stars as Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from a dry, dying world who journeys to Earth to save his planet. Newton starts high-tech companies, using the cash to build ships that can transport water to his home planet. But instead of rushing to get home, Newton becomes enamored with the ways of human life on Earth — especially sex, booze and television. Rip Torn and Candy Clark co-star in director Nicolas Roeg’s famed cult classic.

Streaming begins on Mar 1, 2012

Cast:David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey, Jackson D. Kane, Rick Riccardo, Tony Mascia, Linda Hutton, Hilary Holland Director:Nicolas Roeg Genres:Sci-Fi & Fantasy, British Movies, Alien Sci-Fi, Cult Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi Dramas This movie is:Cerebral, QuirkyAvailability: DVD and Blu-ray

1 note 

Little Voice (1998) R

A telephone repairman (Ewan McGregor) and a music promoter (Michael Caine) play second fiddle to Little Voice (Jane Horrocks), a young woman whose beautiful pipes could pack a thousand cabarets. Trouble is, she can only sing along to records in her room. This British charmer was a sleeper hit among the indie set thanks to its winning mix of romance, hope and humor. Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent co-star.

(couldn’t find an actual trailer but here is a short clip)

Streaming until Jun 1, 2011

Genre:Comedies, Dramas, Independent Movies, Independent Dramas This movie is:Quirky

1 note 

The Brother from Another Planet (1984) R

A humanoid slave from another planet (Joe Morton) escapes to the mean streets of Harlem. The people of the neighborhood are slowly won over by the slave’s technical wizardry, and they adopt him as a “brother.” His new friends then protect him from the two alien bounty hunters on his tail. A heartfelt look at race and belonging from writer/director John Sayles.

Streaming until Nov 20, 2013

Genre:Comedies, Independent Movies, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Cult Comedies This movie is:Quirky

1 note 

Young Frankenstein (1974) PG

A laugh riot from beginning to end, this classic parody from director Mel Brooks stars Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein, who detests his family history but ultimately can’t resist the temptation to follow in his infamous grandfather’s footsteps. Adding to the fun is a brilliant supporting cast that includes Marty Feldman as bug-eyed assistant Igor, Madeline Kahn as Frankenstein’s frosty fiancée and Peter Boyle as the zipper-necked monster.

Genre:Classic Movies, Comedies, Classic Comedies, Satires This movie is:Goofy, Quirky
Streaming until Sep 11, 2012

1 note 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) R

While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, implacable rabble-rouser Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher). This Milos Forman masterpiece was the first film since It Happened One Night (1934) to take all five major Oscar prizes for picture, director, screenplay, actor (Nicholson) and actress (Fletcher).

Genre:Classic Movies This movie is:Emotional, Dark
Streaming until Jul 1, 2012