Some picks to stream for this week:
Warner Archive Instant
Hearts of the West (1975) - Warner Archive Instant seems to be having something of a miniature Howard Zieff festival, showing Slither, Private Benjamin, and Hearts of the West. Hearts of the West stars Jeff Bridges as a naive farmboy in the 1930s that dreams of writing western novels. He heads west, suckered in by some con men. When the con men try to rob Bridges, he makes off with their loot and stumbles into a western movie set. This leads to that and soon enough Bridges is starring in movies and running from the con men that want their loot back. Co-stars Andy Griffith and Blythe Danner. The film is amiable, if a bit uneven, and features a good cast. The movie seems like it is going to end on a dark note, but Zieff and writer Rob Thompson thirst for their happy ending, and Bridges gets what he deserves. If you're looking for some lighter fare, and particularly if you're nostalgic for Old Hollywood, this is a good option. Check it out with a Warner Archive Instant 2 week Free Trial
Amazon Prime Instant
Young Adult (2011) - For a darker take on life, try Young Adult, one of my favorite films from 2011. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, Young Adult features Charlize Theron as a ghost writer of young adult fiction that is suffering from a serious case of arrested development. Stuck in a miserable life and facing a deadline she wants to avoid, she decides to pay a visit to her old hometown and make a final play at recapturing the magic of the 1990s by recapturing her now married boyfriend. A terrific character portrait. Terribly depressing for anyone in the their 30s that might feel stuck in neutral, but whether you want to wallow or want some motivation to get your life moving in the right direction, this is a great choice. If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can watch Young Adult
for free or, if not a subscriber, for $3.99 in HD (all prices subject to change, of course).Netflix
Breaking Away (1979) - This has long been one of my personal favorites and is, in my opinion, one of the great all-time coming of age movies. I had the fortune recently to watch it again projected in a theater and I am amazed that it still packs an emotional punch after having seen it several times. I saw it with three friends that had never seen it before and they all loved it. The film provides a number of laughs - the parents, played by Barbara Barrie and Paul Dooley, are particularly great comedic relief - but also provides an honest portrait of growing up and of finding an identity as an adult. The film does not shy away, even in its most uplifting moments, from the bittersweetness of life (the shot of Daniel Stern at the end of the movie always seems to hit me hard). The film was directed by Peter Yates, who had a mostly middling journeyman's career (do check out The Friends of Eddie Coyle), but he hits all the right notes here. If you have not seen this film, you need to change that.
Crackle
Donnie Brasco (1997) - Pacino won an Academy Award for hamming it up in Scent of a Woman, and he screamed "Gimme All You Got" in Heat, but for my money Al Pacino's performance in Donnie Brasco is as good as he gets - and it is thankfully restrained. A terrific adaptation by screenwriter Paul Attanasio of the true story of one of the most successful Mafia infiltrations the FBI was ever able to orchestrate. Well worth a screening, and free if you can put up with the repetitive, ill-timed Crackle ads.
From Crackle:
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