Five Films for February 1st, 2022
1. The Misfits (Amazon Prime)
I selected this film starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe for two reasons. The first reason is that today is Clark Gables’ birthday. He was born in 1901 and died in 1960 shortly after filming The Misfits. The second reason is that it was on this day in 1961 when The Misfits first premiered.
Alternative Title to watch - San Francisco (HBO Max) This is an early Gable film co-starring Spencer Tracy.
2. The Dig (Netflix)
The reason I selected this film is that it was on this day in 2013 when House of Cards, Netflix’s first series began streaming. Since then, Netflix has released a large number of series and films. I feel that this is one of the better less well-known films released by Netflix.
Alternative Title to Watch - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix) - This film about a music studio in the 1920s and starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman is also an excellent original Netflix film.
3. The Crow (Paramount Plus)
I selected this film because today is Brandon Lee’s birthday. He was born in 1965 and died tragically during the filming of this film at the age of 28. This film is the highlight of Lee’s short career.
Alternative Title to Watch - The Crow: City of Angels - This sequel isn’t on par with the original film in terms of quality, but I feel it is still worth a watch to those who have yet to see it. The film was released in 1996 and is also currently streaming on Paramount Plus.
4. Christine (Netflix)
I selected this film starring Rebecca Hall and Michael C. Hall because today is Michael C. Hall’s birthday. He was born on this date in 1971. Best known for his role as Dexter, in the hit Showtime television series, he has appeared in numerous films as well including this one.
Alternative Title to Watch - Paycheck (Hulu) - Michael C. Hall’s first film role was in this 2003 sci-fi thriller directed by John Woo and starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman.
5. The Learning Tree (CriterionChannel)
I selected this film because today is the start of Black History Month. Throughout the month I will be including additional related titles. With this 1969 film, Gordon Parks became the first Black American director to make a Hollywood studio film. He also was writer, producer, and composer for this film based on his own semi-autobiographical novel of the same name.
Alternative Title to Watch - My Father: Gordon Parks (CriterionChannel) This documentary narrated by Gordon Parks son was filmed on the set of The Learning Tree and contains interviews from Gordon Parks and other members of the cast and crew of this film.