Streaming Picks 3/12/14

Some picks to stream for this week:

Warner Archive Instant 
Point Blank (1967) - John Boorman's classic story of Walker, a man out to get his money - or is it something more - is an absolutely essential viewing experience. After helping his friend pull off a heist on Alcatraz, Lee Marvin's Walker is shot and left for dead by the friend and Walker's own wife. With the aid of a mysterious Keenan Wynn, Walker sets out to get the money he is owed, and to haunt some of the people responsible for the betrayal. Brilliantly stylized - but never overbearingly so - by John Boorman and featuring a master's performance by Marvin as existential hero Walker. Marvin is able to portray Walker with a merger of cool indifference and simmering rage and in the process creates one of the foundational models for movie anti-heroes to come. Catch it while you can, as Warner Archive has it listed in the "Leaving Soon" category. Warner Archive Instant 2 week Free Trial

Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Crackle picks to follow after jump...

Amazon Prime Instant

Damnation Alley (1977) - One of my favorites as a kid, this post-apocalyptic road movie features George Peppard and Jan-Michael Vincent as survivors of nuclear war that set out on the road in a really cool off-road vehicle (so cool it has its own Wikipedia page) to try and find the last vestiges of civilization. The film hasn't aged perfectly, but it still works as fine B-movie entertainment and super-cockroaches will always be scary no matter what advances there are in special effects.

Netflix
Dirty Wars (2013) - It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, but this story of Jeremy Scahill's investigation into America's secret military actions around the world never really caught the mainstream attention it deserved. That might be because when you watch it you'll likely find yourself wondering, "Why isn't this stuff being reported," an uncomfortable question for the big media outlets with far more resources than Scahill (newly a member of the First Look Media team). It may also be uncomfortable for viewers that realize these things are being done in their name (and some people just don't want to know how we're getting our hands dirty). This isn't just cinema as homework - it will engross you. But it is important enough that it is a must watch movie.

Crackle
Cisco Pike (1972) - Kris Kristofferson made his leading man debut as Cisco Pike, a down-and-out musician that has resorted to dealing drugs but is trying to go straight. Only a hard-assed cop played by Gene Hackman won't let him. Hackman, about to lose his pension, steals a duffel bag of marijuana and demands that Kristofferson move the whole thing in a few days or Cisco goes back to jail. There's a high-concept spine to the movie, but the ticking clock is just an excuse to send Cisco on a journey through the dreary world that has become his life. This underrated drama is an enjoyable entry in the 1970s canon of world-weary cinema. Features supporting performances from Karen Black as Cisco's girlfriend and Harry Dean Stanton as Cisco's heroin-addicted former music partner. The recent Inside Llewyn Davis is an interesting pairing with this one.

From Crackle: Cisco Pike

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Note: I've left off Hulu Plus because I no longer have a subscription. I also do not have a subscription to Fandor, although that may change, as there looks to be a lot of interesting material on the site. I hope to have the energy to do these in the future. Not sure if I will add pay-per-view VOD services, but we shall see.