A Gene Hackman showcase and a wonderful Anne Heche film: This week’s best and biggest on Netflix

Check out Jordan Parker's 'The week's best and biggest on Netflix' every Friday on CityNews Halifax.

 

Wedding Season

I have to say, I expected next-to-nothing from this Netflix romantic-comedy, and I was overwhelmingly surprised.

It follows two Indian young professionals who pretend to date in order to get their parents off their backs about marriage.

Asha and Ravi spend a summer going to weddings together, but their ruse soon starts to become a reality.

Pallavi Sharda & Suraj Sharma (best known for starring in Life Of Pi) have incredible chemistry.

Produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Wedding Season is a genre movie that hits all the right beats.

4/5 Stars

 

Heist

Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman is always a welcome sight in any film.

With Heist – one of the last before his retirement – we're reminded of how fantastic he was right up until his final films.

Jewel thief Joe Moore postpones his retirement after crime boss and long-time partner Mickey pushes him into another job.

Joe and his crew head to do the risky business, with Mickey's brash nephew Jimmy in tow. But hijinks are afoot, and Joe never knows who can be trusted.

The cast, frankly, is incredible. Hackman, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, a fantastic Danny DeVito turn, and a young Sam Rockwell.

It's a twist-a-minute caper I couldn't take my eyes off of.

4/5 Stars

 

Made In Italy

This tender film follows an artist who heads to Italy to meet his son to sell the house they got from his late wife.

Robert has never really known how to connect with son Jack, and the death of the matriarch just made things worse.

Jack needs to get his share of the home to buy back the gallery he loves from his soon-to-be ex-wife, but doesn't want to be transparent with his father about it.

The two are consumed by the things they won't say to each other, and something has to give.

Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson are fabulous here, and give winning, layered performances in this beautiful venture.

Writer-director James D'Arcy – who may still have growing to become a more polished filmmaker – nonetheless knows how to infuse emotion where it counts.

It's a movie that will move you, and a great starring vehicle for Neeson.

4/5 Stars

 

Catfight

We lost a beloved actress this week in Anne Heche, and looking back on her filmography, there's one film no one is talking about.

Catfight is a sharp, absurd comedy that lives and breathes due to the performances of its two leads.

Sandra Oh and Heche star as Veronica and Ashley, former classmates who find themselves in a physical brawl during a major event.

Their outlandish behaviour and violent means to solve decades-old conflicts leads to life-changing events for them both.

Oh and Heche are joined by Alicia Silverstone, Amy Hill, Craig Bierko, Myra Lucretia Taylor and Tituss Burgess, all of whom give great supporting performances.

It's an absolutely bonkers indie movie that gave Heche the perfect role to showcase her immense talent.

4/5 Stars

 

Everything Must Go

For anyone who thought Will Ferrell was one-note, this should convince them entirely otherwise.

He's so good here I could hardly believe it was him. He gives a restrained performance as Nick, an alcoholic whose addiction causes him to lose his wife and his job.

He pulls a recliner out to his front lawn, gathers a plethora of things, and sits out there day and night as he holds a yard sale.

But his connection with a new neighbour may just turn things around for him.

Ferrell is joined by Rebecca Hall, Laura Dern, Stephen Root, Glenn Howerton and Michael Pena.

It's an indie comedy with heart, and a testament to the range of its lead.

4/5 Stars