1887 - The Kids Are All Right

My wife and I have been wanting to see this film since it was first announced.  Big fans of all the lead actors, and the story was pretty interesting and compelling.  Two lesbian's Mom's children (both from the same sperm donor) want to figure out who their father is - but when he enters back into their lives the family connects with him in ways that make it very uncomfortable for them to continue along like they have.
It's a film that never gets too heavy, but also delves into how difficult long term relationships are.  The dynamics of family, and how addictive that lifestyle is even though on the surface it doesn't really seem all that appealing.
This is a great film for a night you just want to veg, but also watch something with substance.  Give it a shot if you haven't already.

1831 - Ruby Sparks

I was so happy to see that this was on netflix, especially since revisiting the directors first feature (Little Miss Sunshine) just the other day.  First off, I love magic-realism, and when you pair it with a love story then you've got me hook-line-and-sinker.  This is the story of a child prodigy, who wrote an amazing book in his teens and has been coasting for the last decade.  He has a dream about a fantasy girl, writes about her in great detail and then wakes one more to discover that he's manifested her.  She's exactly as he described her... and... when things in their relationship move past the honeymoon phase and start to get real - he can change her into whatever he wants her to be.
I won't give away a tidbit more because it's truly the kind of story you just want to experience all for yourself.  I was impressed to learn that the title character of Ruby, played by Zoie Kazan, was also the film's writer.  It's a beautiful, smart, tender ride.  It's for everyone whose ever been frustrated in a relationship and wished they could just push a magic button and fix the problems without having to dig deep into them - however life is messier than that - as our hero soon will learn.
This is a little gem of a film, and like I mentioned, it's on netflix, so no excuse.  Dano and Kazan are pretty magical together.  Chris Messina has a great part as the brother - and Antonio Bandaras and Annette Benning steal the show as Dano and Messina's mother and (step-father?).  If you loved films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Stranger Than Fiction, than this is right up your alley.

1809 - Postcards From the Edge

I'd forgotten that I'd seen this film years ago when a friend brought it up the other day.  I suppose it don't make all that much of an impression, but it's a really lovely film.  Meryl Streep is fantastic in it, and it's really a who's who of Hollywood talent at the time, with even people like Richard Dreyfus, Oliver Platt, and Annette Benning doing these great little one scene bits.  And Gene Hackman comes in for two scenes and makes a goddamn meal out of them.  Between Fisher's screenplay and Nichols direction this must have been a dream come true for the cast.  I just looked back on my previous review of this film where I gave it a 'meh' - my opinion has certainly changed.  Sadly this film isn't on Netflix, but you can get it digitally otherwise.  It's one of those classic stories that you really need to check out.  I'm kind of curious to read the book now, actually.  Glad I revisited it, even though I thought I was watching it for the first time :)