Celebrating 45 years as Long Island's Premiere
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Throughout the years, many of our regulars have come to trust the quality and consistency of CAC programming. We always strive to feature the widest range of unique and interesting films, and with our new social distancing model in place that hasn’t changed. We’ve made it our mission to continue curating and discussing films with our cinema community. As an alternative to coming out to the movies, consider exploring our staff curated watch lists . Check the films out for yourself and then join us on social media to share your analysis and discuss the films with us.

We will periodically release watch lists, expertly curated by members of our staff, which consist of some of our favorite films that are available to view on the many popular streaming services.
The second: A Possibly Surprising Watch List, from CAC Director of Development Rene Bouchard
Staff Curated Watch List
A Possibly Surprising Watch List!
From CAC Director of Development Rene Bouchard
My first inclination was to curate a horror list as that is the genre that has always spoken to me, and one in which I have been informally educated since birth. I’m known as a horror-lover, and a horror watch list of mine would likely include very dark films like MARTYRS (2008) and THE EYES OF MY MOTHER (2016). But instead, I decided to share some of my more upbeat, quirky, off-brand favorites and guilty pleasures. I hope you enjoy .
1.  COOL RUNNINGS (1993) - Available on Disney Plus
A Jamaican bobsled team goes to the Winter Olympics. I selected this film first because I think this is a wonderful time to affirm that anything is possible. While the characters go through difficult trials, and even though I am always a puddle of tears by the end, this movie is one of my favorite cinematic sources of encouragement and tales of redemption.
2.  DEFINITELY MAYBE (2008) - Available on Starz
Yes, it’s a rom com, and has about as much intellectual scope and cultural intersectionality as FRIENDS or MAD ABOUT YOU. But if I come across it while channel surfing, I will stop and watch it every time. This is possibly my favorite guilty pleasure movie. Is it blithely nostalgic? Yes. Is Ryan Reynolds almost unbearably charming? Pretty much. Is the pursuit of a lost lovingly inscribed copy of Jane Eyre the sweetest little McGuffin of all time? Possibly. The cast is great. A lot of the writing is clever. The soundtrack is strong. One of the female leads smokes my old brand and has a scene where she demonstrates to the protagonist why it’s the superior cigarette. So I’m in. (BTW, I quit smoking in 1998!) Click here to see all the places you can stream, rent, or buy the film!
3.       PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005) - Available on Starz
This film is just lovely. This is my favorite adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, and also includes one of my favorite film scores by Dario Marianelli. My son even learned to play the main theme, Dawn, just for me. When he first started teaching himself to play Dawn on the piano, he sounded a lot like Elizabeth Bennet, but after a few days of practice, he could play it like Georgiana Darcy. If you don’t get the reference, I do recommend the book and this gorgeous film which is truly close to my heart.
4.  TULLY (2018) - Available on Cinemax
I just can’t pass up an opportunity to recommend this movie. This comedy/drama is not light, although it has light moments. I adore this film because it affirms the struggles of motherhood with such depth, honesty, and love. I also think that this is Charlize Theron’s best performance in her career.
5.     CAKE (2014) - Available on HBO
It's not technically a comedy, but it was described by a critic as darkly amusing, and that's close enough. I love this movie because it does approach very emotionally difficult subject matter with humor, however acerbic. It is also such a real portrayal of what it's like to live with chronic pain. As a person with an extremely painful chronic illness, I will always remember how understood I felt after watching this bright, strong, witty female lead character deal with living in constant pain. I probably didn't make that sound fun or light at all, but in its way, this movie is a delight.
6.     BRING IT ON (2000) - Available on Cinemax
I’ve always said that being a fundraiser is like being a combination of a statistician and a cheerleader. I actually have mad respect for cheerleaders. They are artists. They are athletes. They are funny! And they are so freaking earnest. This movie is just fun. It’s okay to have some fun!
7.  GIRLS TRIP (2017) - Available on FX Now
Somehow this ended up playing in the family room at my in-laws’ house on Christmas a couple years ago and I couldn’t look away. At a certain point – I think right around the suspended zip line public peeing scene - a family member thought that maybe this wasn’t appropriate content for Yaya and changed the channel, at which point Yaya yelled, “Hey! I’m watching that!” So now I will always love this insane movie.
8.   BOTTLE SHOCK (2008) - Available on Amazon Prime
A few years ago, I binged every single Alan Rickman movie that I could access, because…Alan Rickman! One of my favorite discoveries was Bottle Shock. It’s a little silly and somewhat formulaic. But it does have a great ensemble, some touching moments, and it is funny. It also reminds me of the time I spent in fine dining out west, decades ago, where I got my education in California wines. This one is a sentimental favorite for sure.
9.  (And 10.) YOGA HOSERS (2016) - Available on Tubi TV (FREE - no subscription necessary!)
OK, I am going to cheat and recommend this as a double feature with Kevin Smith’s horror flick TUSK - Available on Netflix and Kanopy
 If you feel ready, trust me and let go of your inhibitions, critical thinking, taste, and faculty for discretion. 

TUSK (2014) - Available on Netflix and Kanopy
is the story of an obnoxious podcaster who takes a transformational journey into the Canadian wilderness. YOGA HOSERS is the horror/comedy TUSK spin-off that seems like it was made in two days with the leftover TUSK budget, and everyone was definitely high. Warning: These picks really cannot be described as uplifting. TUSK is genuinely disturbing. But this is a fun guilty pleasures double feature for me, which is probably more than you actually wanted to understand about what makes me tick .
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