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3 items from 2012

15 March 2012 6:00 AM, PDT | The Film Stage | See recent The Film Stage news »

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to 21 Jump Street, Jeff Who Lives at Home and The Kid With a Bike.

In theaters this Friday a star-studded comedy based on a TV drama will face off against an indie dramedy starring TV comedians, and a tender yet tough coming-of-age drama out of Cannes. But if this isn’t enough to satisfying your craving for cop capers, quirky comedy and touching foreign features, we’ve got you covered with a selection of the best titles Now Streaming.

Inspired by the popular ’80s TV drama, this R-rated comedy stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as two undercover cops sent back to high school to bust a drug ring. Brie Larson and Ice Cube co-star.

Like your cops crass and comedic?

Dragnet »

- jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)

8 March 2012 9:00 AM, PST | NextMovie | See recent NextMovie news »

Believe it or not, there was a time when Eddie Murphy wasn't just funny -- he was groundbreaking.

Yes, before starring in films like "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," "Meet Dave" and "Norbit," Murphy was the king of X-rated humor that focused on taboos like race and sexuality (all pretty normal from a comic nowadays).

So with his lighthearted "A Thousand Words" opening this weekend, let’s look back at his early work that didn't just pave the way for comics like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, but made Eddie Murphy one of the funniest people on the planet.

'48 hrs.' (1982)

After spending four years becoming a huge star on "Saturday Night Live," Murphy moved to feature films, starring opposite Nick Nolte in this gruff comedy that pushed the boundaries of jokes about race. Murphy, playing a wisecracking convict who gets a 48-hour pass back into society to help »

- Jason Guerrasio

7 March 2012 2:37 PM, PST | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

On March 5th, Robert Sherman, one half of the Sherman Brothers songwriting team (with his brother Richard) who did much to shape and define the "Disney sound," died at the age of 86. Chances are, even if you have no idea who Robert Sherman is, you can sing one of his songs with minimal mental strain, or can call a moment from your childhood that was structured exclusively around one of his songs. Sherman was a brilliant and beautiful songwriter, crafting indelible tunes for movies like "Mary Poppins," "The Jungle Book," and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," but he was also responsible for something deeper and more profound – he helped shape popular culture through songs that were sweet but never saccharine, optimistic but never too sunny, and meant for children but universal enough to make grown adults cry (and sing along). His impact cannot be overstated.

Robert Sherman served in World War II. »

- Drew Taylor

3 items from 2012