Dial M For Melissa

Here's some new movies to watch today!

• Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
  Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin
  At Wellesley College in 1953, the all-female student population constitutes the best and the brightest, yet they're still measured by how well they marry until the arrival of professor Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) threatens to tip the status quo. Watson's teaching not only raises the ire of many administrators but also a few of the students (including Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal) she dares to inspire.
• The Raven (2012)
  John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson
  After discovering that a string of baffling murders seems to be inspired by the macabre short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore cop Emmett Fields turns to the brilliant-but-boozy author to help solve the crimes.

With over 60 film and TV credits, these days, it's not uncommon when Chance Kelly, typically cast as a character man, shows up on certain sets, he has more credits than many of the lead actors. His work includes Broken City (2013), American Gangster (2007), The Departed (2006) Unbreakable (2000), The Devil's Own (1997), Showtime's Homeland, HBO's Too Big To Fail (2011), HBO's Generation Kill (2008), ABC's Fringe and several of the NBC Law & Order spinoffs. He's a versatile actor who has been working in the industry for over twenty years. (See clips from his shows on his Youtube Channel)

In House of Cards, the new original series from Netflix, he opens the series, Scene One, Episode One, side by side with Executive Producer and series star, Kevin Spacey. Often cast in physical roles, Chance does all his own stunts and credits this as one of the reasons he has a steady stream of work.

"They like me because I know what I'm doing and I can do anything short of falling out of a building." He then humbly comments, "they call me when they need a big guy who can act a little bit and who's not going drool on himself. That's sort of what I do."

Not interested in the Super Bowl? Netflix has a brand new crop of goodies for you!

• Tremors (1990)
  Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire
  After a seismologist gets unusual readings on her equipment, handymen Val and Earl must save their town when they discover 30-foot-long carnivorous worms with a proclivity for sucking their prey underground.
• Liar Liar (1997)
  Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Cary Elwes, Anne Haney, Jennifer Tilly
  Lawyer Fletcher Reede's (Jim Carrey) mendacious ways destroyed his marriage and alienated his son, Max (Justin Cooper). But when Max makes a birthday wish that magically comes true, Fletcher finds himself incapable of telling a lie for 24 hours. That's great news for Max and his mom (Maura Tierney), but terrible timing for Fletcher, who's due in court to try a major divorce case. Carrey earned a Golden Globe nod for his role in this broad comedy.

Quentin Dupieux's last feature, Rubber, blew me away being both ludicrous and smart, as the is a story of a serial-killing tire. Yes, a tire that has supernatural mind-powers it uses to kill people. (Currently available on Netflix streaming/Amazon Instant Video) Dupieux brings his unique story-telling and filmmaking perspective his is latest film, Wrong, now available on VOD and in theaters March 29th, 2013.

Dolph Springer (Reno 911's Jack Plotnick) awakens one morning to find he has lost the sole love of his life - his dog, Paul. Desperate to reunite with his best friend and to set things right, Dolph embarks on a journey which spirals into the realm of the absurd. On his quest, he drastically alters the lives of several severely bizarro characters, including a promiscuous pizza delivery girl (Entourage's Alexis Dziena), a mentally unstable, jogging-addicted neighbor, an opportunistic French-Mexican gardener, an eccentric pet detective (Steve Little of HBO's Eastbound And Down) and most mysterious of all, an enigmatic pony-tailed guru, Master Chang (William Fichtner) who imparts his teachings to Dolph on how to metaphysically reconnect with his pet. From fearless cinematic surrealist Quentin Dupieux, the director behind the head-exploding Rubber, Wrong is a wholly original and hilariously hallucinatory universe all its own.

Happy February! Lots of new stuff to watch!

• House of Cards (2013) - NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES!
  Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright
  Ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) and Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”) costar in the first original series from David Fincher (“The Social Network”) and Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March”).

All episodes are available, no waiting for a new one each week. MARATHON! Stay tuned, Netflix has 5 more original series on the horizon for this year!