Probably not the obvious choice for the first post of the new year, but if, like me, you have New Year’s Day off having a few solid Netflix picks in the bank to pass a few hours can come really handy. Here are a few things I have been watching over the past few days, weeks and months. I recently felt like watching a few movies, I don’t tend to watch movies much at all and I think that is something I should do more of. I aim to write down everything I watch and read in 2020 so I can reflect on it when this time of year comes around. I have five films and five series I have watched in the latter part of this year, I would love to hear what you enjoyed as well so please leave your Netflix top picks in the comments. Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. Without further ado, let’s begin. I am using a five star rating system for anyone who wants to skim read.
Five Feet Apart ★★★★ This movie is something I have avidly avoided despite being a Cole Sprouse fan, from what I saw of it on Cole’s Instagram it screamed updated Fault In Our Stars to me which was a film I completely loathed. Five Feet Apart was an unexpected surprise, not completely predictable and with some truly good characters. I think it definitely romanticised a lot of elements which I am starting to realise is just hard not to do with this kind of content but I truly sobbed through most of it. The two main characters in this film have cystic fibrosis, I wish there was more about what it is actually like living with cystic fibrosis as it would be nice to be more informed about it especially in the work I do.
Marriage Story ★★★Not groundbreaking or unpredictable but still enjoyable and I think both Adam Driver and Scarlet Johannsen gave stellar and believable performances. There were many moments in this film that struck a chord including a scene where Scarlett’s lawyer talks about how as a society we are willing to accept failings in fathers but categorically do not expect anything less than utter perfection from a mother using Mary, Mother of Jesus and God as an example which was cleverly done and struck a chord. It is a fairly lengthy film lasting longer than two hours, but it takes you on a journey whilst telling you a story and provides you with a lasting reminder that nothing is perfect and everyone has a singular experience of life even if we think we are going through the same thing.
Downsizing ★★ The premise of this film is thought provoking but ultimately the film is a social commentary. I would have preferred the film to have a more hopeful comedic tone especially given the events at the beginning of the film it would have been an unexpected direction for the movie to take if it focused on a relationship between a human sized human and a human that has been transformed into a five-inch being. A long letdown. Quite disappointing, as the concept has great potential.
King Arthur ★★★ From my understanding, this movie was a box office flop, making a loss compared to its extravagant budget. Admittedly I watched this for Charlie Hunham, who is spectacular in his beauty always. Sons of Anarchy is one of my favourite shows of all time, go watch it immediately if you haven’t already. King Arthur is the epitome of OTT, deliberately fast-paced with some try-too-hard joked and “witty banter” thrown in. I appreciated the accelerated pace as it made the two hours go rather quickly, the plot was thin but I did enjoy the film.
6 Underground ★★ Not my kind of film, but I watched it with friends which made it much more bearable. We played a drinking game for everytime there was a product placement amongst other things which kept us entertained and enabled me to keep some level of focus because otherwise I would have given up on this film. The plot is non-existent. A group of pretend dead people are trying to save the world one mission at a time, all with saldy uninteresting back stories. Pete Beale from Eastenders is in it and so is Ryan Reynolds who saves a lot of the scenes with sass. The cinematography and filming of certain scenes is certainly impressive but overall this show is all style and no substance.
Atypical ★★★★★ I bulldozed through atypical in a week, I love it so much. At first, I wasn’t sold I was watching random episodes at my friend’s house and felt it portrayed ASD unrealistically but it is a very smart production and I love all of the characters and their different storylines. The relationships are sweetly portrayed and tackles various issues. Heartfelt but still lighthearted watch with tons of sarcasm.
Greenhouse Academy ★★ I was in a phase where I would watch literally anything and wanted something set in a high school to fill my Riverdale void (one episode a week – how dare you?) and this filled that hole for a short while. The first two seasons were okay and the third season was a bit of a mess, they swapped out well loved characters or wrote them out of the show completely which didn’t fare well for continuity and I liked the new actors a lot less. Jackie one of my favourite characters and one of the only believable actors in the show doesn’t even appear in the third season despite a pivotal moment happening at the end of season 2. I would advise to skip this one. The school itself doesn’t make much sense at all either, a lot of the elements in this series doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Always Sunny in Philadelphia ★★★★ So many seasons, I find some episodes of Always Sunny can be a hit or a miss when it is good it is spit out your drink laugh till you cry good and other times it is mildly amusing. It’s a show a few might need to be eased into but generally I really enjoy it and I treat it like a security blanket. It is not a show that needs to be binged but when you’re in the mood for it it is brilliant.
Schitt’s Creek ★★★★★ The show that I am watching right now and sadly am about to finish. I love everything about this show, it is funny, lighthearted and cute. Moira is my favourite female character ever, her undecipherable and affected accent as well as her divine personal style are too delicious to me. It also gives me much needed hope that as a twenty-something still living with their parents figuring stuff out isn’t as embarrassing as I think it is. I cannot recommend it enough.
Skin Wars ★★★★ Competition reality shows are my krpytonite, I eat every single one of them up. The only reason I dived into this one is because Ru Paul is a judge but I quickly became addicted and bulldozed through all the seasons available. It is really creative and a fun process to watch, I love how these shows are filmed, and I didn’t mind that Alexis (real name Rebecca) from Ugly Betty is a judge. This show gave me an appreciation of body art that I never knew I needed it truly was a medium I had never even heard of before but I really loved it. Devestated it is no longer running.
Thank you so much for reading, my next post will be my New Year’s Resolutions. I have a lot and I am trying to find a way to group them together so they seem less overwhelming. Happy New Year, everybody. I wish a great 2020 to you all. A reflective post on the peaks and troughs of 2019 seems like a good idea, but like 2018 it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, but I think it is important to focus on the positive as a lot of the time the good can get swallowed by the bad, so I might do one anyway. Please leave your favourite Netflix content in the comments below and share your favourite moments of 2019 if you feel comfortable doing so. Happy New Year, lovely people! Take care.
What have you been enjoying on Netflix?
Love ❤
Kiran