Hell
Netflix | YouTube
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum
Starring Hannah Herzsprung, Stipe Erceg, Angela Winkler, Lars Eidinger, Lisa Vicari
ARC Entertainment
Originally Released: September 22, 2011

I’m a sucker for any post-apocalyptic film, and if you are a fan of this style of film, then you will find some value in the German/Swiss film, Hell. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, the movie follows the quest of four young survivors searching for precious water in a world blemished by harsh climate conditions. If this sounds like countless other apocalyptic films, then don’t be shocked, because that’s exactly what it is.

Established sometime in the future, climate change has been forced into a very real accelerated global warming, by unpredicted freak solar flares. Germany’s green landscapes are becoming wasted by the rising heat of the day, under a different kind of sun that glares with harshness. The brightness of the lighting will be a blinding experience to many, even Stevie Wonder.

Shuffle
Netflix | DVD
Written and Directed by Kurt Kuenne
Starring T.J. Thyne, Paula Rhodes, Chris Stone, Dylan Sprayberry, Elle Labadie
Screen Media Films
Originally Released: October 21, 2011

Pay attention!

Ordinarily, while working on a Streaming Review for Geeks of Doom, I habitually have some form of thought receptacle open and ready for any thoughts or ideas or observations that come to mind. Not so for this week’s review: because Shuffle is a movie that commands your attention from its very commencement.

Brimming full of clues, intense scenes, and pivotal lines of dialogue, the movie immediately magnetizes your eyeballs to the screen and demands continuous focus. This week, this wonderfully produced independent movie tore me away from my obsessive geek habit of prematurely and obsessively overanalyzing and dissecting a film as I view it.

Nevertheless, as mentioned, the movie itself commands your attention from a repeated line of dialogue:

Pay attention, dummy!

Back in October of 2011, it was reported that a TV series based on the hit horror-comedy Zombieland was being set up at Fox. That never played out as expected, and the series moved on to look for new homes.

It appears that home has been found at Amazon, who has entered into negotiations to take that very same Zombieland series away from your TVs and to their streaming service.

A Ripple of Hope
Netflix | Amazon Instant Video
DVD
Directed by Donald Boggs
Starring Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, John Lewis
PBS Home Video
Originally Released: April 04, 2008

"Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it’s perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. "
– Robert F. Kennedy

With Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 21, I opted to grab a streaming documentary in recognition of the day of remembrance. While most King documentaries focus on the man’s life, his famous speeches, his significance in the Civil Rights movement, or his murder, the short PBS documentary entitled A Ripple of Hope instead focuses on the historic speech made by Robert F. Kennedy on the day of Dr. King’s death.

It may be bold of me to say so, but it’s my belief that countless young people don’t understand King’s significance in this nation’s history – indeed, many of my own generation have little comprehension of his importance. We may know of him, but many of us did not live during the days of segregation and the uphill battle faced by African American during the time. And yet, we’ve all benefited from an improved prevailing social outlook and attitude in not only welcoming our cultural differences, but also in celebrating them in unity.

Headhunters
Netflix | Instant Video
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Morten Tyldum
Starring Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnøve Macody Lund, Julie Ølgaard
Magnolia Home Entertainment
Originally Released: August 26, 2011

If you’re a fan of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo or a nut for Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones, then it is without any doubt that I can say that you will want to watch the magnetic Headhunters. Trust me on this one: you will find your eyeballs nailed to the screen with this parade.

Continuing the "Scandinavian noir" established by other authors and many movies, Headhunters is a little deceiving, but in a good way. By its very title, you have established expectations, which get blown out of the water by the movie’s opening sequence, which then changes and gets whooshed out of the water even further by the progressions of the plot. You’ll have no idea what will kick you in the dick next.

Created in the home of Black Metal, the Norwegian film follows the character of plainly-named Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) who leads a successful business life as a headhunter for well-established firms from throughout Europe. While he enjoys a high level of achievement financially with his career, it is not enough (in his mind) for the lifestyle he wishes to lead for him and his wife Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund).