1906 - Joe

David Gordon Green has made some interesting career moves and tonal shifts in his body of films, and this feels much closer to his early days.  Joe is the story of Nicholas Cage who runs a group of guys that work in the forrest, and takes on a protoge in a young teenager with a shitty family in tow.  First, I love how dirty everyone looks and feels in this film - it's a beautiful thing.  The whole thing feels a bit like a poem, or a dream.  Green guides us along like a master story teller, taking his time, but always making us legitimately interested in what's happening, and what's coming.  Cage is in top form and deserves some nods for his performance here.  This will probably not be for everyone, but those into character dramas, this one will make you happen.

1771 - The Sitter

I assumed from the trailer for this that it was essentially a knock off of Adventures in Babysitting, which was one of my favourite flicks as a kid - and it more-or-less is but not in the worst possible way.  It's a solid premise, but it's made it's own here.  It's cruder, has drug use, etc… and it comes off as just a big fun flick and I'm okay with that.  Jonah Hill could do this part in his sleep - and that's not to say he's phoning it in - he brings it to the role, but it's the kind of thing that's by no means a stretch for him.  Sam Rockwell was a lovely surprise and also very wonderful here as our villain (although the best friend running gag felt a tad over-done for my liking). 
If you grew up with 80's flicks like I did this will probably make you feel right at home.  I decided to give it a shot on Netflix 'cause I wanted to just chill, catch up on e-mails and watch something not too demanding - and it fit the bill perfectly.  This film knows exactly what it is - light entertainment - and there's nothing wrong with that.