![]() ![]() Ridley Scott and Denzel Washington teamed up to riff on the “Scarface” formula in this fictionalized account of heroin mogul Frank Lucas’ life. Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection It also marked the first time that Lucas worked with Harrison Ford, which seems pretty important in hindsight. “American Graffiti,” his nostalgic account of his 1950s California adolescence, remains a stellar slice-of-life comedy with a killer soundtrack. Though George Lucas spent the better part of the last half-century focusing on his “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchise, his early works prove that he had the filmmaking chops to work in any genre he wanted. Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection But Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Emma Watson, and the rest of the cast thread a perfect needle by playing against type and having a great time while doing so. Like eating pufferfish at a sushi bar, meta-comedy is a genre that quickly turns disastrous in the hands of anyone but an expert. One of those “this worked infinitely better than it should have” movies, “This Is the End” sees Seth Rogen and an ensemble of his famous friends playing themselves in this comedy about celebrities responding to a fictional apocalypse. Image Credit: ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Fortunately, we’re finally catching up to where Verehoven already was 25 years ago, so it’s a great time to revisit the film. The adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s landmark novel was always designed as a satire of war-hungry politicians and the military-industrial complex that enjoys a symbiotic relationship with them, but many audiences mistook its deliberately campy propaganda as a failed attempt at crafting genuine sci-fi thrills. Like so many Paul Verhoeven movies, “Starship Troopers” was criminally misunderstood when it hit theaters in 1997. Image Credit: ©TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection ![]() As a political statement, it’s clearly a product of its time, but the humanity captured by Soderbergh and his A-list cast ensures that it will always be a captivating watch. Soderbergh won his first (and to date, only) Oscar for directing this sprawling ensemble piece about various fictional characters impacted by America’s War on Drugs in different ways. Steven Soderbergh’s filmography is arguably more interesting for the endless hidden gems it contains than his biggest hits - but “Traffic,” his consensus critical high point, is still pretty great. Image Credit: ©USA Films/Courtesy Everett Collection Anchored by standout performances by frequent collaborator Jean Reno as the eponymous hitman and a young Natalie Portman as his far-too-young apprentice, the stylish film blends violence and sentimentality in a way that only Besson can. ![]() But when he hits, he absolutely nails it - and “Léon: The Professional” remains the best example of his distinct style. Luc Besson is a messy filmmaker, and his boundless creativity has paved the way for some real duds in his filmography. “Léon: The Professional” (Now streaming).3” this weekend, Netflix has you covered with an embarrassment of riches to watch at home. If you’re not headed out to the multiplexes to see “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Wildly divergent classics “American Graffiti” and “This Is the End” round out the highlights of this month’s new Netflix offerings. There are also some excellent crime flicks from the likes of Stephen Soderbergh (“Traffic”) and Luc Besson (“Léon: The Professional”) that are now available on the streamer.īut per usual, there’s a little something for everyone this month. Fans of Ridley Scott will have plenty to feast on, as his Denzel Washington-led “American Gangster” is also joining the Netflix library. It’s a big month for war movies, with both the misunderstood anti-war satire “Starship Troopers” and the considerably less anti-war “Black Hawk Down” both hitting the streaming service this month. Mother’s Day is just a couple of weeks away, but Netflix has gone all in on “dad cinema” with some of its new inclusions. Fortunately, Netflix’s latest slate of additions to its film library is enough to keep any cinephile satisfied for quite some time. Summer is just around the corner, so nobody would blame you if you want to spend less time watching Netflix and more time outside this month - but then again, we haven’t quite hit the heart of the summer movie season, so you might need a new slate of classic films to tide you over until then. ![]()
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