Netflix Fix: 11/3/15

After a great Halloween season some of you may be looking to slow down your roll with horror films. Many of us spent the entirety of last month watching anything scary we could get our hands on so I'm sure plenty of you are looking for a change of pace now that we've reached November. Well I've got you covered with another Netflix Fix and this time around I have picked five movies that are sure to wash the blood off your clothes from the Halloween season. I kept a small central theme with this weeks films and that is 'quirky', each film on this list is an oddball movie that tells a truly human story within a world that would seem totally weird to most of us. From Wes Anderson to Tim Burton the movies on this list give us something strange in the best of ways.

1. Frank (2014) Directed By: Lenny Abrahamson 

If you have yet to see 2014's weird drama comedy Frank then you are missing out on some wonderful weirdness. When a young and aspiring musician (Domhnall Gleeson) joins a budding pop band with an eccentric lead singer he quickly realizes he has taken on more than he can handle. Not only does his new lead singer where giant paper mache mask that he never takes off but he has an all controlling girlfriend who is really only holding the band back. The more our lead character gets to know Frank the more problems he causes within the band and he ultimately learns more about himself than the people around him. The movie is quite funny, totally weird, and a great examination of the frailty of the human psyche. 

2. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Directed By: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson's 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom is one of his best outings as a filmmaker. Featuring an ensemble cast of his usuals and a few newcomers this film tells a beautiful story of child love. When two kids fall in love and decide to runaway from home and live in the woods a local town turns to panic as they search for the missing children. To make it even worse a giant storm is descending on their small coastal town. As the adults search for the missing children they realize all of the problems in their own life and how they have been reflecting them onto their children all along. It's Anderson at his best and if you have never seen any of his work this is the perfect place to start. 

3. Big Fish (2003) Directed By: Tim Burton

Back in 2003 Tim Burton reminded us that he is actually quite a good serious filmmaker. What I mean by that is he is typically known for his weird and out of this world stuff like Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks!, not his deeper films like this and Ed Wood. In Big Fish he tells the story of a son's dying father who his child doesn't know much about. He is looking to learn more about the life his father lived before his death and the stories he is told are much more grandiose than he could have ever imagined. From working in a circus and befriending a giant man to finding love in the most random of places this movie does an amazing job at reminding us that we need to live our lives before it passes us by entirely. Its a beautiful story of human emotion and interaction told through the twisted eyes of Tim Burton making it a unique cinematic experience. 

4. Boogie Nights (1997) Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson

Movie nerds know P.T. Anderson films like the back of their hand and that is because he is one of the most masterful filmmakers around right now. His ability to tell incredible stories and create amazingly complex characters in the most randoms of settings sets him apart from most other people working today. His 1997 masterpiece Boogie Nights is one of, if not his best work to date. The film tells the story of Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) as he rises through the ranks of the 1970's pornography industry. We watch as he goes from an energetic and excited kid into a superstar drug addict who has fallen into the worst of times. It's a great story of the "American dream" told from a point of view much of this country likes to ignore and with an amazing ensemble cast this is an incredible way to spend two and a half hours.

5. Chasing Amy (1997) Directed By: Kevin Smith

After Kevin Smith dipped his toes into the studio world with Mallrats and was met with lackluster success he went back into the indie world and his next feature went back to what he knew best. Chasing Amy is probably Smith's all around best made film aside from Clerks in his entire body of work and it's directly tied to the uniqueness of this movie, especially back in 1997. This film tells the story of two comic book artists who are simply living their life and doing what they love. That is until one of them (Ben Affleck) meets fellow comic artist Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) and immediately falls in love. Too bad for him, she's gay and he has about a zero percent chance of scoring his new love. The movie is funny, emotional, and an all around entertaining picture that still stands as some of Smith's best work.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!