Four essential Michael Douglas movies from the 1980s on Netflix and/or Amazon

Michael Douglas celebrates his 73rd birthday on Sept. 25.  Happy Birthday, Mr. Douglas! For young fans, Douglas is known as Dr. Hank Pym in “Ant-Man” (2015) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018), but this Hollywood legend has starred in great films for decades. Looking back to the 1980s, here are four essential Michael Douglas films that you can catch on Netflix and/or Amazon right now. “The Star Chamber” (1983) – After years of watching guilty men enter their courtrooms and unfairly walking free, a group of judges form their own…

Looking back at director Taika Waititi’s wonderful New Zealand film catalog

On Aug. 7, Art House Film Wire looked back at four fantastic four-star Australian thrillers on Netflix and/or Amazon, and the land Down Under has certainly raised the cinematic bar.   Well, Australia’s nearby neighbor, New Zealand, is not new to the movie-making business either.  Like the Aussies, the Kiwis have churned out terrific movies too, and no, New Zealand cinema is not limited to the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” series.   Specifically, let’s look at one director, Taika Waititi.   We’ll, he’s not just a director, because he…

Get musical with three John Carney gems on Netflix

It is no secret that some of director John Carney’s films own musical themes.  This former bass player from The Frames has carried his musical beat to the big screen, and the transition from stage to movies has been seamless. If you are sitting at home, your toes are a tapping and the wish for a great movie is rushing over you, look no further than Netflix and these Carney gems.  All three pictures are not traditional musicals, but their central themes revolve around music and song.   Oh, after viewing…