Watch Out! Jessica Likes These

What's that? This staff picks column is stupid because we don't even have an NYU grad to tell us what to watch? Well, you shut that thought of yours up, because Jessica is here to save us all! So what does this person who keeps trying to get me to watch more Fellini have to say? Well, there are a couple from the 80s, a few kind-of-popular-at-the-time movies, and a martial arts movie with Tim Allen I've never heard of. And they're all streaming somewhere. So check out what people who actually went to film school in NYU enjoy and see if you prefer them to - say - a UMBC film school grad.

Jessica apparently will not stop talking about Children of Men until we all see it

Children of Men: The best dystopian, action, drama movie no one has seen. The writing acting and directing - not to mention the camera work - are all perfect.

Available on Peacock

Redbelt: A 2008 American martial arts film written and directed by David Mamet and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. I kind of think that description says it all.

Available on PlutoTV

Places in the Heart: An all star cast, including Sally Field, John Malkovich, and Danny Glover - this movie about race and class is just as relevant today as when it came out.

Available on Hulu

Little Shop of Horrors: The music is great, and so is Rick Moranis. An always entertaining movie.

Available on HBOMax and Hoopla

Amelie: I know it's the one everyone talks about, but I don't think this movie gets enough attention. I love Delicatessen and City of Lost Children as well, but I think Amelie really is the best of Jeunet. It's visually stunning and joyful and I've watched it a dozen times and haven't tired of it yet.

Available on Showtime, Fubu, and DirecTV

Watch Out! Ed Likes These

Folks, the world's (well, Movie Madness' world's) biggest critic actually has movies he doesn't hate. They do indeed exist. And it should surprise no one that you probably haven't even heard of a couple of these. You should all put down whatever viewing plans you had this weekend to see what movies Ed has a few nice (though still very backhanded) words to say about.

I haven't seen them all here, but Ed appears to be typecast-proof with this bunch

JCVD: Jean-Claude Van Damme meets Jean-Luc Godard in this surreal and yet also ultra-realistic biopic/satire/comedy/New Wave homage/heist movie. Snooty film critics praised Van Damme's acting as Oscar-worthy. I didn't make that up, this movie really is that damn good. Be prepared for subtitles, as the majority of the movie is in French, though there are some English scenes.

Available on Prime, Tubi, and Pluto

The Raid: Redemption: People liked the new Mortal Kombat for some unfathomable reason. Go watch the movie that put Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero) on the map. This movie takes a giant dump on Mortal Kombat, and most other action flicks. Yes, it's basically the exact same thing as Dredd 3D, but Dredd 3D was amazing, and this is somehow even better.

Not available for free anywhere, but when it comes to pleasing Ed, money is no object

2046: Non-linear drama/sci-fi/love story by the master, Wong Kar-wai. Part of the legendary trilogy with Days of Being Wild and In the Mood for Love. You can't go wrong with any of the three, but I saw this one first. One of the most visually gorgeous movies ever made.

Available on Prime

Find Me Guilty: Directed by Sidney Lumet, and starring Vin Diesel and Peter Dinklage, this movie shows that Diesel could have been a great actor if he wanted to. Unfortunately, people didn't pay to see this, so enjoy Fast and Furious 250: The Infuriating Fastening, hitting theaters next year. This is the only trial lawyer movie I don't hate. Ok, they don't make movies about any other kinds of lawyer, but this is still the only legal movie that doesn't make me want to shoot my tv.

Available on (buckle in for this one) Fubo, Roku, Tubi, Vudu, IMDBtv, Redbox, Crackle, Plex, PlutoTV

Ravenous: Robert Carlyle is a civil war era colonel stationed on the frontier, along with Guy Pearce's fraudulent war hero. Carlyle passes the time by eating people, Pearce passes the time trying to prevent Carlyle from killing everyone. Why movie goers didn’t flock to the cinema to see this one is a mystery I will never solve. Seriously, watch this movie. It was marketed as a horror flick but it's actually a dark comedy, and it rules.

Sorry folks, but you're gonna have to rent this one (or do something maybe illegal (but don't tell me about it))

Watch Out! My Mom (Sherry) Likes These

Well, Corey has had enough of the limelight. Let's get as close to the source of this inspiration as possible and throw it back to the good ole days of Bridgeport Video, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and my mom used to type out film synopses on a typewriter and copy them at Kinkos to hand out to the customers. And when dad had the "WATCH OUT! Glen likes these" shelf. And ma is also throwing it back to the good ole days of videocassettes. I'd bet she still has that copy of One From the Heart that's sitting there on her shelf. ANYWAY, now that the NBA playoffs has slowed down a little, you should have some time this weekend to check out some of these classics.

Mom went back in time for her picks as well

Sin City: Sin City is a unique and visually stunning film based on and rendered in the style of a graphic novel. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Elijah Wood, and featuring Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Carla Gugino, Rutger Hauer, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, and Makenzie Vega among others. Action-packed with a good story and rich characters it's a must-see for any film aficionado.

Available on Paramount (which is CBS All Access rebranded, thankfully)

One From the Heart: The first film by Francis Ford Coppola after he made the Godfather. He recreated Las Vegas on the sound stage of Zoetrope Studios. It was a commercial flop but a critical success, garnering an Oscar for best soundtrack by Tom Waits. Stars Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Frederick Forrest, Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton and Lanie Kazan. Basically a love story but very artistically rendered - the visuals and the music play a large part in its appeal.

Not available for free anywhere, but ma probably still has the videocassettes if you want to make the trip to southeastern PA.

Red Rock West: Another neo-noir thriller directed by John Dahl and starring Nicolas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, J. T. Walsh, and Dennis Hopper. It was written by Dahl and his brother Rick, and shot in Montana and Willcox, Arizona. An unemployed Marine veteran is mistaken for a hit man and offered half the money now. He takes it and tries to warn the victim. More backstabbing and double crossing ensue. The film was well received at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, but deemed a cable and direct-to-video product by Columbia TriStar Home Video, which owned the North American rights. When Bill Banning, the owner of a San Francisco movie theater and a huge fan of the film, arranged for a theatrical release, the film gained a "buzz" and toured the U.S. as an art-house hit.

Not available even to rent anywhere. You're gonna have to go rogue for this one.

U Turn: Very noir. Incest, backstabbing, murder, lots of twists and turns. Killer cast - Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, John Voight, Billy Bob Thornton, Powers Booth. Directed by Oliver Stone.

Available on whatever a Tubi TV, Crackle, or Plex are

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Forest Whitaker. Ghost Dog is a hit man for the Mafia but adheres to the code of the samurai. When he completes a hit but leaves a witness, he himself is targeted. He manages to out play the mafiosos who are portrayed very comically. Ghost Dog's best friend only speaks French and Ghost Dog only speaks English, but they manage to have lively conversations anyway.

Available on the Criterion Channel, which I know you all have

Watch Out! Corey Likes These

So by now I hope you've all checked out Undercover Blues and Zero Effect. Time to move on, because we have a lot of staff with a lot of opinions. I'd be remiss if I didn't give Corey a chance to tell us what all he thinks you should see, and it appears as he's gone on a similar quest to find some hidden gems for you all. And no, I didn't explicitly tell him he wasn't allowed to pick Space Jam, but he was heavily encouraged to think of 5 other movies. So since we know you've all seen all the movies in the Tournament of Champions, check out one of these this weekend instead!

Corey has also gone down the "Hidden Gems" route

Here Comes the Boom: Kevin James plays an uninspired biology teacher who decides to step up to save the music program from being cut from his school. While he start out halfhearted, the passion of the music teacher, played by Henry Winkler, inspires him to go all out in his efforts and he decides to jump into a cage to fight MMA and use his earnings to keep music alive and inspiring the kids at his school. Winkler is at his peak of his career transformation going from ultimate cool guy to ultimate lovable nerd while MMA pioneer Bas Rutten plays the comic relief to perfection next to a professional comedian. This movie has everything – laughs, drama, inspiration, Salema Heyak looking as good as ever… On my list of great date night movies too.

Available on Starz platforms

Houseguest: Sinbad plays Phil Hartman's long-lost childhood friend as they reconnect after decades of not seeing each other. And when I say plays, I mean plays. Sinbad I actually just a guy trying to get away from some mob guys and lays low in Hartman's home. The truth eventually comes out but only after Sinbad helps make makes Hartman's family understand each other better and brings them a lot closer. These two high-drama types of storylines are done in the most hilarious of ways. Sinbad and Hartman play off each other so perfectly in every situation for non-stop laughs.

Not available for free anywhere, but I'll bet Corey would be so happy you're watching it, he'll go halfsies with you

Victory: Victory, or Escape to Victory is you are British, is perhaps the best soccer movie ever. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Pele all as Allied prisoners of war in a German prison camp during the second world war. They are brought together to play the a German team in an exhibition match and propaganda stunt. As the allied POWs prepare for the game they also prepare for their escape. Along with Pele, there are a bevvy of professional soccer players in this movie, making for top level action being displayed. Caine and Stallone's personalities clash perfectly to build the drama in this high-stakes plot.

Available on HBO Max

Multiplicity: Have you ever has so much on your plate you wished you could just clone yourself to be more productive? You could have one of you go to work, one of you take the kids to different practices, and one of you fix up the house like you can enjoy life and have fun? That is what Michael Keaton decides to do but what could go wrong trying to keep it a secret that there are four of you? Watch this forgotten mid-90s comedy gem and find out.

Available on whatever a Tubi TV is

The Lion King 1 ½: We all love the Lion King, but that was only half the story. While Disney straight-to-video films often are met with poor reviews, this movie is regarded as far and away the best and probably one deserving of a theatrical release. It tells the story of The Lion King from Timon and Pumba's perspective in a Mystery Science Theater 3000 kind of way. They were there the entire time! Nathan and Ernie Sabella reprise their roles as the voices of the iconic duo and bring an extra level of hilarity to all our favorite moments from the original classic. You can also find out what happened during the years of Simba's life as he grew up in the forest with them. Good times those truly were. While little may live up to the original's soundtrack, this one has great music too. “Dig a Tunnel” will be stuck in your head.

Available on Disney+