September has been quite the month for new streaming releases. We’ve brought you some of the best from this month and we’re filling up your queue with the best of our recommendations for the first official weekend of fall. Enjoy these movies and TV shows from our fine contributors and happy movie watching weekend everyone!
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via Mikey Fissel
Futurama (Netflix, Amazon Prime) – I often describe Futurama to people as the “Arrested Development of animated series.” Usually that is enough for the well-versed TV connoisseur, but, in case it isn’t… Futurama is one of the funniest, most clever, and never stale shows I have ever watched. Brought to you by the creators of the Simpsons, it does have some of the same satire that made early Simpsons episodes noteworthy. However, Futurama’s inclusion of writers who have PhD’s in math and sciences mean that the show contains jokes that will actually make you smarter! This high level of comedy is probably one of the issues that it had a hard time finding just the right audience during its run. But, few shows reward as consistently throughout its entire run (or repeat viewings) like Futurama does.
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via Josh Crabb
A Most Violent Year (Amazon Prime) – The American Dream can be a cold and brutal reality. J.C. Chandor’s latest directorial effort stars the incredibly talented Oscar Isaac as a 2nd generation Hispanic oil heating business owner and Jessica Chastain as his equally ambitious, yet far less scrupulous, wife. Issac’s Abel Morales is an honorable and moral man trying to reverse the fortunes of his wife’s father’s business, Standard Oil, that has gained a reputation for being less than reputable. The entire oil heating industry in 1981 New York City is corrupt and dangerous, yet Abel refuses to play the games of intimidation, petty theft, and bribery. Enter David Oyelowo’s character, newly minted District Attorney Lawrence, who is aware of Standard Oil’s past crooked books and wants to clean up the industry. It’s a pressure cooker of outside influences, internal tension between Abel and Chastain’s Anna, and Abel’s inner resolve to maintain his principles. The brilliant final third shows that ambition, even when done honorably, can leave you vulnerable and susceptible to breaking your own righteous code. It’s all very Romans 3 and Proverbs and well worth your time to catch up on this great 2014 movie.
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via The Film Avenger
Sherlock (Netflix, Amazon Prime) – This is a must-see series. It’s brilliantly crafted and marvelously acted. Though contemporary in time period, it still retains the Victorian roots of its source material in feel and look. They simply took the attributes of the old world of Holmes and Watson and updated them to today’s society and all its trappings (Watson with a blog? Brilliant!). Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes is one of the best adaptations of the character ever done. He’s irritating, complicated and unorthodox, but commands respect.
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