Six Degrees of Separation

Six Degrees of Separation was one of Will Smith's first movie roles, and certainly the one that helped him make the jump from rap star pretty boy to serious actor.  It was a good choice on his part.  He plays a young con artist in Manhattan who enchants a socialite copule.   An amazing supporting cast including Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, and Ian McKellen.  What makes this movie one of my favorites is the writing.  It's written by the playwright John Guare, and it still has the snappy feel of the stage play.   I hear that some people aren't into that sort of thing; the dialog is unnatural, but in a good way.  Like in Angels in America, another of my oh-so-favorite play-to-movie remakes, every word seems perfectly chosen and artfully directed.  It's a  lovely thing, a testimony to the power of language.  The acting is all great, but Stockard Channing, who is always a favorite of mine, really sparkles in this.

Quickies

Here are some other movies I recommend which are currently available to stream, some classics, but some less popular and older stuff you might not have heard of too:

Ip Man -- I'm usually not a big fan of kung fu movies, but this one is a beautiful and moving biopic set during the Japanese occupation of China.  Ip Man is a Wing Chun master who leads a rebellion. Interesting side note:  He eventually (several decades after this movie is set) taught Bruce Lee martial arts.

Lord of the Rings: Two Towers  -- If you need an explanation of this movie, we're not friends.

Everything Is Illuminated -- This is a weird little movie about an American writer who goes to Ukraine to discover his family's past and discovers...a weird little movie.

Howl's Moving Castle  -- This is a beautiful animated movie about a magician.  Very steampunk.  Very awesome.  Also, the witch looks just like the college counselor at my school.

Louie  -- This show is very, very funny.  Watch it.

The Guild  -- This is a web series by Felicia Day (the red head from the end of Dollhouse or Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog) about WOW.  Super geeky fun.  Bonus: Will Wheton.

Like Water for Chocolate  -- A beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Spanish movie about love and magic and cooking.

Nosferatu -- The original vampire movie.  Lovely and strange.

The Producers -- So much funnier than the new one.

Borgia

Do you miss the show Rome?  The beautiful costumes and settings?  The intrigue and sexy collusion?  Borgia is a pretty good substitute.  It follows the papacy of Rodrigo Borgia, aka Pope Alexander the VI.  The girl in the white veil in the picture is his daughter, Lucretia (Lucrezia).  You've probably heard of her; there are swirling legends of her poisoning her husbands, sleeping with her brothers, and murdering a swath across Europe.

The show is well written (it's written by Tom Fontana, the creator of Oz), and the production valus are extremely high, but the acting sometimes leaves something to be desired.  This isn't the Showtime show with Jeremy Irons, it's a European production.  According to IMDB, they came out at the same time (both this year), so I don't think either is based on the other (I guess it was just in the Ether?).  I recommend this series strongly to fans of Rome or similar shows, and look forward to seeing the Showtime version when its available to stream.  B+/A-