If you get a TV or movie rec from the Peanut Gallery, you know it's good.
The Peanut Gallery always has your best interest in mind when we dish out TV and movie recommendations. Here are our first, second, third, fourth, and fifth versions of our TV/movie rec series. Our sixth installment won't let you down.
Check them out. Enjoy.
Steve's Recommendation: Dredd
I slept on Dredd (2012) originally, to my shame, but I blame the Stallone fiasco from a decade prior for that mishap. The film is brutal, sexy, ultra violent, visceral, and one of the few movies that is made better by 3D. Karl Urban (The Boys) stars as Dredd and the film follows him and his trainee Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) to see if she has what it takes. Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) is the villain Ma-Ma, who runs her crime empire with brutal efficiency as she pushes this new drug called Slo-Mo. Her empire happens to be this 200-storey slum building, with her reigning up high on the 200th floor.
The film is brilliant in its simplicity. We follow along our heroes as they face a new challenge on each floor in their struggle to make it to the top, taking down all manner of criminals on their way up. Throw in some very minimal mutant powers and the crazy effects from the Slo-Mo drug and you get one hell of a fun action film that definitely deserved a follow up.
You can stream Dredd on PlutoTV, the Roku Channel, and Tubi.
Josh's Recommendation: Death Sentence
An overlooked gem in the Wan-iverse, this hard-boiled action thriller pulls zero punches. The list of movies I would happily (not at gunpoint as the title and premise might suggest) rewatch is slim, but this guilty pleasure is at the top. Kevin Bacon crushes the role of a good dad gone bad, and the action does not disappoint. This revenge flick does something that many of its counterparts either fail or don’t bother to do…take steps to make the protagonist’s warpath plausible. Bacon’s Nick Hume isn’t The Punisher. He has no military training or expertise with guns. He is a family man through and through, so when he does finally take up arms, it is far from a smooth operation. The attention to detail to frame the action within the main character’s combat ability, or lack thereof, is an underrated achievement of James Wan.
You can rent Death Sentence on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Matt's Recommendation: Milk & Serial
This found-footage horror flick is great! Curry Barker and Cooper Tomlinson, who run the YouTube channel "that's a bad idea," created this 62-minute feature on a miniscule budget. I can't decide if the acting or the story is the highlight of the film for me. The acting is excellent from the two main characters and the supporting roles do a very convincing job as well. And the story? It's dark and makes you feel a bit uncomfortable as it continues to build throughout the brisk runtime.
What makes it even better is you can watch it on YouTube which gives it an even more authentic found-footage feel.
Sheehan Recommendation: 61*
61* should be in the pantheon of baseball movies, right alongside The Natural, Bull Durham, The Sandlot, etc. Perhaps people haven't seen it because it was a made-for-TV movie (HBO)? Regardless, this Billy Crystal-directed film knocks it out of the park. In a story about the 1961 MLB season, in which two New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, chased Babe Ruth's fabled single season home run record of 60, Thomas Jane (Mantle) and Barry Pepper (Maris) each deliver faithful and well-rounded performances. Your heart aches for Maris as the naturally reserved man deals with unparalleled public scrutiny, and your heart breaks for Mantle as the star of all stars wrestles with his inner demons. The backdrop of the Bronx and some excellent baseball choreography makes it even more enjoyable.
You can stream 61* on Max.
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