Gatling Gun (1968)

Richard Gatling (Ennio Balbo) has invented a new secret weapon, the machine gun. When Gatling is kidnapped along with his gun, the authorities blame Chris Tanner (Robert Woods). Tanner is one of the only ones that knew about the gun and that was not killed during the abduction. Luckily for Tanner, Pinkerton (Tom Felleghy) believes that he is not responsible. He covertly arranges for Tanner to be released from prison under another convict's name so that he can find out who is really behind the dastardly plot. During his investigations, Tanner finds out that half-breed Tarpas (John Ireland) has something to do with the crime. Tarpas is hoping to make $2 million dollars by getting $1 million for the return of Gatling to the Union and another $1 million from the Confederates for delivery of the gun. Tanner must not only stop this crook, but find out who the brains are behind this operation.

Alternate Titles: Damned Hot Day Of Fire, Machine Gun Killers, Quel Caldo Maledetto Giorno Di Fuoco

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Sweetie (1989)

This is the first feature film by New Zealand director Jane Campion. It stars Karen Colston as Kay, a timid, superstitious young woman. Her relationship with her boyfriend Louis (Tom Lycos) is starting to cool off after Kay covertly removed a tree that he had planted for them. It doesn't help matters much when Kay's unstable sister Sweetie (Genevieve Lemon) shows up at their home. Soon after that, their father (Jon Darling) also arrives, upset that his wife has left him. Kay can't get her own life together until she deals with her insane family.

Available: Netflix, Amazon 

Gonin 2 (1996)

A man who owns a lumberyard is attacked by the Yakuza because he owes them money. During the assault, the thugs also rape his wife. That night the wife kills herself. Completely heartbroken, the man fashions a sword out of steel in his factory and sets out to get his revenge.

At around the same time, some of the gang hired by the Yakuza decide to rob a jewelry store. It's an inside job since one of the sales assistants is in on the heist and disables the security video. Unfortunately for them, a young woman also has plans to rob the store of it's valuable "Cat's Eye" ring. With the help of three other women who just happen to be at the scene of the crime, the women rob the robbers and get away with all the jewelry.  Now the women are being hunted by the gang and the Yakuza. They also run into the swordsmen because he too is after the ring as a last gift to his dead wife. Together they must eliminate their common enemy while trying to stay alive.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Back Street (1941)

Margaret Sullavan stars as Ray Smith in this melodrama directed by Robert Stevenson. Ray is an independent woman at the turn of the 20th century. She pays no attention to her step-mother who would rather that Ray stay to work at their store taking inventory than going out with the traveling salesmen and gambling. One day Ray meets Walter Saxel (Charles Boyer) and falls madly in love. Even thought Saxel is engaged to be married, the two spend considerable time together. When Saxel finally has to leave, he decides that he will marry Ray. However, circumstances and misunderstandings cause the couple to part unhappily. Five years later the two meet again and realize that they still are deeply in love. Unfortunately, Saxel is now married and a father. He also has an important job in banking. Ray and Walter decide to continue seeing each other even though it is dangerous to do so. What will society think of this illicit affair?

Available: Amazon

Ed Hardy: Tattoo The World (2010)

This documentary chronicles the life of legendary tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. It is directed by filmmaker Emiko Omori who is obviously a huge fan of Hardy and tattoos. There is actually footage of Omori getting a massive back tattoo done sometime in the eighties. While most young people of today with know Hardy from the clothing and merchandise that bear his name, he is actually a renowned tattooist whose influence in the tattoo world is legendary. Tattoos have come a long way from the back street stores that specialized in inking sailors on payday, and it would not be where it is today without Don Hardy.

 Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Mechanic (2011)

This is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name that originally starred Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent. This new movie stars Jason Statham in the title role as Arthur Bishop, a hit-man who is so skilled at assassinations that sometimes no one even knows that he was there. He ends up with the unfortunate task of having to kill his mentor Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland). After the fact, Bishop feels regret and ends up trying teaching McKenna's deadbeat son Steve (Ben Foster) the trade of a contract killer.

While the original film was an existentialist story, this one is just pure action. It is fascinating how they can take the story of an hired gun that kills with no trace of violence into a gratuitously brutal and bloody adventure.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Guns Of The Magnificent Seven (1969)

This is the second sequel to the film The Magnificent Seven. This time George Kennedy plays gun-for-hire Chris Adams. Chris is recruited by Mexican revolutionary Max (Reni Santoni) to rescue their leader Quintero (Fernando Rey) who has been captured and imprisoned by the Federales. Chris gathers up his band of gunfighters which includes James Whitmore as the wise older man, Bernie Casey as the freed slave and Joe Don Baker as the troubled cripple. Together this group of men do their duty and go after sadistic Colonel Diego (Michael Ansara) who tortures his political prisoners in barbaric ways.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Transporter 3 (2008)

Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin. This time he is unwillingly recruited by Johnson (Robert Knepper) to drive his car to an unknown destination. He will be accompanied by Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), a young attractive Ukrainian woman and the daughter of the head of the Ukrainian Environmental Protection Agency. Both Frank and Valentina are fitted with bracelets that prevents them from being more than 75 feet from the car. With the help of Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), Frank tries to get out of the desperate situation he is in and at the same time foil the plot of whomever is behind it all.

Available: Amazon, Netflix

The Meaning Of Life (1983)

When I saw this movie in the theater when it was initially released, it was my first real exposure to the guys of Monty Python. Needless to say, it totally blew my mind as I had never seen anything like it in my life. It still works.

Like their debut film "And Now For Something Completely Different", this film is basically a series of unrelated sketches. Unlike that film, these vignettes are brand new and are utterly inappropriate for television viewing. It includes Michael Palin as a Catholic father with too many children singing about how "Every Sperm Is Sacred"; John Cleese as a public school teacher trying to teach bored schoolboys the ins and outs of sexual intercourse; and the now classic Mr. Creosote (Terry Jones) exploding after having a "wafer-thin" after-dinner mint. What's your favorite?

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Gonin (1995)

Bandai (Koichi Sato) is a disco club owner in Tokyo whose business in not doing very well after the economic bubble collapse. He owes a lot of money to the Yakuza and has to find a way to pay. He quickly puts together an eclectic gang of losers to help him steal the money from the gangsters themselves. The other members include a disgraced cop, a young pretty-boy club goer, an unstable unemployed businessman, and a drugged out pimp. Once the gangsters get wind of who pulled the job, they send out a couple of gay assassins who are totally ruthless in their methods of revenge.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Alternate Titles: The Five

The Towering Inferno (1974)

This epic movie, from the Master of Disaster Irwin Allen, is based on two different novels, The Tower and The Glass Inferno. The story starts on the day of the big gala opening of the tallest building in the world. During a check of the systems, the electric wiring overloads and starts a fire in a storage room on the 81st floor. Architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) realizes something is faulty with the electrics (although he is unaware of the fire) and confronts Simmons (Richard Chamberlain) who was not only was contracted to the electrical work but is the son-in-law of the building's owner James Duncan (William Holden).

Since no one is aware of the impending danger, the Gala party goes on as planned with lots of dignitaries including the mayor and his wife and Senator Parker (Robert Vaughn). Soon though the building's security (O.J. Simpson) becomes aware of the fire and alerts the fire department. Chief O'Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) quickly takes control of the situation and orders the party guests down to the lobby. Reluctantly Duncan does as he is told, however by this time it is too late. The 300 party guests on the 135th floor are trapped above the fire with no means of escape from the world's tallest highrise.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Rock (1996)

Nicolas Cage stars as Stanley Goodspeed, an FBI chemical weapons expert who is called in to help in a domestic terrorist situation. It seems that Vietnam War hero Brigadier General Hummel (Ed Harris) has taken control of Alcatraz prison. Along with a team of crack military personnel, he plans to fire rockets filled with poisonous VX gas into the heart of San Fransisco. He demands $100 million in reparation for the soldiers under his command that have died with no honors or acknowledgement from the government. The FBI is forced to enlist the help of Federal prisoner John Mason (Sean Connery) who can get out of any prison he's been incarcerated in, including Alcatraz. Mason must lead a team of Navy SEALS into the bowels of the penitentiary before time time runs out.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Shut Up And Shoot Me (2005)

British man Colin Frampton (Andy Nyman) wants to kill himself after his wife dies in a freak accident while they are vacationing in Prague. He pays his hired driver Mr. Zeman (Karel Roden) to do the deed for him. Unfortunately the method that Zeman utilizes does not do the job so Colin shows up at his house expecting him to get it right. When Zeman decides to exterminate Colin by angering a gangster that is sure to annihilate him, things get really hairy as the body counts mounts. Regretfully, Colin never seems to be one of the deceased.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

The Invention of Lying (2009)

This film written, directed and starring Ricky Gervais takes place in an alternate reality. It is a world where the human race has never learned to tell a lie. There is no fiction, no religion, everyone is up front with what they are thinking. Suddenly one day, chubby loser Mark Bellison (Gervias) tells an untruth and it changes his life forever. He uses his new power to not only improve his own life, but the lives of other unhappy people. Things get complicated though when he tells his dying mother about a life after death. Unexpectedly, Mark becomes a kind of Messiah. He also becomes very rich and famous. However, this celebrity does not bring him what he wants most, which is to marry Anna (Jennifer Garner). No matter what Anna feels for Mark, she does believe him to be her perfect genetic match. And as much as Mark wants to be with her, he cannot lie to her.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

This most famous of the beach movies is actually the fifth in the series. It again stars Annette Funicello as Dee Dee and Frankie Avalon as Frankie, a clean-cut couple of teenagers. Their surfing activities are slightly sidetracked this time by some skydiving adventures as they frequent the skydiving school run by Big Drop (Don Rickles). Big Drop also runs the local hang-out joint where new teen singing sensation Sugar Kane (Linda Evans) has been making nightly appearances. Her manager Bullets (Paul Lynde) is making sure that she is kept on the front page of the papers by staging various stunts that usually involve someone's life being saved. A stunt he doesn't expect though is for Sugar Kane to be kidnapped by the local hood Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck). Lucky for the kids, a mermaid named Lorelei (Marta Kristen) points them in right direction in time to save Sugar.

Available: Netflix, Amazon