Instant Entertainment: Sidney Lumet Edition
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<p>Over the weekend Hollywood lost one of its greats when the prolific director <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/04/09/director_sidney_lumet_dead_at_86.php">Sidney Lumet died at the age of 86</a>. In his career Lumet made some great movies (<em>Serpico, 12 Angry Men, The Wiz</em> to name a few) as well as some less great movies, and luckily for those who don't know his work (or those who just want to revisit it) a whole lot of them are available currently online. Here are ten, presented in reverse chronological order.</p>
Where: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead on Netflix Instant and Amazon PrimePlot: The perfect crime goes horribly wrong for brothers Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) when they botch a robbery of their parents' jewelry store in this wrenching drama. Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris co-star as Andy and Hank's unsuspecting parents, with Marisa Tomei appearing as Gina, Andy's unfaithful wife.Trailer:
<strong>Where:</strong> <em><a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Critical-Care/1181669?trkid=1481020#height1371">Critical Care</a></em> on Netflix Instant<br/><br/><strong>Plot:</strong> Werner Ernst (James Spader) is a young hospital resident who becomes embroiled in a legal battle between two half-sisters (Kyra Sedgewick and Margo Martindale) who are fighting over the care of their comatose father. But are they really fighting over their father's care, or over his $10 million estate? Meanwhile, Werner must contend with his nutty supervisor, who insists that he only care for patients with full insurance. Can Werner sidestep the hospital's legal team and do what's best for the patient?<br/><br/><strong>And:</strong> The movie also includes performances from Helen Mirren, Anne Bancroft, Albert Brooks, Jeffrey Wright and Wallace Shawn.<br/><br/><strong>Trailer:</strong> You can see the trailer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3485401369/">here</a>.
Where: Family Business on Netflix InstantPlot: Looking to net a cool million by pinching some biological research vials from a lab, Adam McMullen (Matthew Broderick) recruits his grandfather, Jessie (Sean Connery) -- an unabashed lifelong criminal -- to help with the high-stakes heist. Meanwhile, Adam's father (Dustin Hoffman), once a chip off the old block, wants no part of the scheme but soon finds himself pulled back into Jessie's world to keep an eye on Adam in this comic caper.Trailer:
Where: Running on Empty on Netflix InstantPlot: After they bomb a napalm plant during the Vietnam War, Arthur and Annie Pope (Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti) are fugitives, never able to settle down in one place for too long. Years later, their son (River Phoenix) falls in love with a young woman (Martha Plimpton) and must decide whether to keep running with his family or stay put and risk never seeing them again. And: The late River Phoenix got an Oscar nod for this one.Trailer:
<strong>Where:</strong> <em><a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The-Morning-After/60011262?trkid=1481020#height1365">The Morning After</a></em> on Netflix Instant<br/><br/><strong>Plot:</strong> Alex Sternberg (Jane Fonda) wakes up with a fierce hangover and no memory of how she ended up in bed next to a dead man. She's convinced that she's had another blackout and stabbed the now-deceased stranger who keeps reappearing. To make matters worse, her only support, Turner Kendall (Jeff Bridges), is an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic who's largely unsympathetic to her plight. <br/><br/><strong>And:</strong> The late, great, Raul Julia also co-stars in this 80s bit of neo-noir.
Where: The Verdict on Netflix InstantPlot: A washed-up, ambulance-chasing attorney (Paul Newman) gets a chance at redemption when his friend (Jack Warden) tosses him an open-and-shut medical malpractice case. But instead of accepting an easy cash settlement, he takes the powerful defendant to court.And: With a script by David Mamet this movie was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (James Mason), Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.Trailer:
Where: Equus on Netflix InstantPlot: Before Harry Potter got to this play Lumet directed it for film with Richard Burton in the role of the psychiatrist probing the troubled mind of a young stable boy (Peter Firth) who blinded six horses in his care. While the doctor tries to understand his patient's motives, he uncovers madness of his own design.And: The adaptation got three Oscar nods, including Best Actor for Burton.Trailer:
Where: Network on Netflix InstantPlot: When network news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) loses his mind on the air, his outrageous rants reach viewers at home, boost the ratings and intrigue cutthroat network executives Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall. William Holden contrasts their avarice as an old-school TV journalist hopelessly out of step in writer Paddy Chayefsky's Oscar-winning masterpiece, which predicted today's rash of trash television and shock-laden news broadcasts. And: Seriously, this movie only appears more and more prescient as each year passes and is so much more than "I'm mad as hell..." Plus, if you are looking forward to Aaron Sorkin's upcoming TV show about cable news shows, you'll want to have seen this. From what we understand the show is set at UBS, which is also the network in Network.Trailer:
Where: Dog Day Afternoon on Netflix InstantPlot: To get money for his gay lover's sex-change operation, Sonny (Al Pacino)âwho's married with kidsâteams up with Sal (John Cazale) to rob a New York bank on a scorching-hot summer day. The stickup goes awry and the press gets wind of the side-show. And: Based on a true story this movie earned Frank Pierson an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It also got nods for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Chris Sarandon), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture.Trailer:
<strong>Where:</strong> <em><a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The-Group/70042231?trkid=1481020#height1033">The Group</a></em> on Netflix Instant<br/><br/><strong>Plot:</strong> Eight women graduate from a women's college at the height of the Depression and head in very different directions in this adaptation of Mary McCarthy's classic novel. <br/><br/><strong>And:</strong> The impressive cast for this one includes Candice Bergan, Joan Hackett, Shirley Knight, Jessica Walter and Hal Holbrook.