Here’s what’s new to Netflix Instant for the week of July 14.
Top Picks
The Master (2012)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Despite there being six years of releases yet to come, “The Master” has already all but guaranteed a spot in my top 10 of this decade. The title is incredibly apt, considering the confluence of truly masterful artists that make this film possible. Paul Thomas Anderson is inimitable as always, directing the film with graceful flair and unwavering control. Director of photography Mihai Malaimare, Jr. creates 70mm paintings in a breathtaking palette and there’s not a single frame in the film that isn’t calculated and beautiful. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, two actors who already sit atop the list of all-time greats, turn in the kind of career-defining performances that you don’t expect to see once in 100 films, let alone twice on the same screen. Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, an alcoholic war veteran who is lost in society. He meets Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), the powerful and charismatic leader of a religion called The Cause, who takes Quell under his wing. Topped off by a hypnotic score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, the entire film is a profound and immersive experience.
Rapid Fire
The Immigrant (2014)
Directed by James Gray
Speaking of Joaquin Phoenix, he co-stars alongside Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Renner in this tale of a Polish woman in New York who is trying to save her sick sister. We did a full review earlier this year.
Manhunter (1986)
Directed by Michael Mann
Before appearing in the hit TV show and a varied batch of films, Hannibal Lecter chilled audiences in this stylized crime thriller that takes place before the events of “The Silence of the Lambs”.
The Act of Killing: Director’s Cut (2012)
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
If our review of “The Act of Killing” didn’t sell you on the film, perhaps this cut with nearly an extra hour of footage will help the powerful, haunting documentary find its way into your queue.
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