What Have You Been Watching?

Dear Neighbors:

I hope all of you enjoyed the holidays in whatever way you chose to enjoy them. As for me, I spent time with my family, did a lot of reading, and improved my ability to nap at any time of day. I have one more week off before I return to work. At home, I don't have cable -- it was one of the expenses I decided to cut out a few years ago, so I watch my tv shows on Hulu.com and my movies on Netflix or Redbox.

Remember when Netflix did the big split -- live streaming and DVDs separately from now on? I chose the online streaming since I can easily get DVDs at Redbox fairly cheaply. At first, I was overwhelmed by the selection of movies and television shows. Now, I'm finding that there's not much to choose from and new movies aren't added to the selection very often. The majority of their offerings are movies I've never heard of. Based on what I've watched, I've compiled a list of --

Netflix Movies Worth Watching

I'm not saying that these are great movies or examples of cinematic genius. Some are downright stupid. Still, I kept watching. 

Let's start with some movies whose titles you may have scrolled past. You might have even looked at the synopsis and decided that it wasn't for you. 

 "Winter's Bone" features a pre-"Hunger Games" Jennifer Lawrence as the eldest child of a poor mountain family. Her father is out on bail, due in court, and has disappeared. If she doesn't find him, Her family will lose everything. Her extended family and neighbors not only refuse to help her, but they implore her to leave it alone. 

 "Shuttle" was one of those movies that I decided to watch because I was bored. Two girls on their way back from Mexico decide to take a cheaper shuttle home, and a couple of guys looking to hook up with them choose to ride the shuttle as well. It's clear immediately that something is wrong and the driver has more planned than just a simple ride home from the airport. Some of the plot details make no sense -- until the end, when it all comes together. It's worth sitting through it just to get to the "Ohhhhh!" of it all.

               
I can't say I've ever been a fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal (something about the cloying tone of her voice), but I loved this movie. Sherry is a recovering addict who has just been released from prison. Her brother and his wife have been raising her daughter, and she unrealistically wants her back. She finds life outside of prison difficult and her only support is in the form of a fellow recovering addict. 

I don't know about you, but I've known quite a few Sherrys.



It would be easy to pass up "Live Animals", just as it would be easy to assume, from the cinematography, that it was made by students in the backyard. A group of college students go to a lake house to party and end up being captured by some creepy men who keep them chained up in a barn.

There are some pretty sick and horrifying moments. I found the ending unsatisfying, but overall the twists and turns were well worth it.


Karla Homolka and her husband (at the time) Paul Bernardo are Canada's most notorious serial killers. Their most infamous crime was the rape and murder of Karla's virgin sister, whom she offered up to her husband as a gift. 

While this movie is intended to be fictional, is it for the most part, factual. Karla was released from prison in 2005 and is now re-married with three children. Paul is up for parole in 2020.



I saw this movie in the theater with my sister because the trailers looked pretty funny. If you've seen it, watch it again! Muriel is a loser -- she hasn't finished school, can't hold on to a job, and she has a little problem with taking things that don't belong to her. She lives in a dream world where she'll find the perfect husband and have the perfect wedding, and it's all combined with ABBA music -- her favorite band. 

There are many facepalm moments, but I couldn't help rooting for Muriel.




Never let it be said that a true story can't inspire more than one movie. "Fair Game" with Naomi Watts was released in 2010. She played a CIA operative who was outed in the media because of her husband's newspaper articles about President Bush. This was the more factual version of the story. 

"Nothing But The Truth" is fictional. Kate Beckinsale plays a reporter who writes the infamous story and refuses to give up her source, even though it means going to jail on contempt of court charges. Vera Farmiga is the outed CIA agent whose superiors and her husband are less than supportive towards her.


Okay, back to the creepy stuff. In "Senseless", a man is kidnapped and wakes up in a well-furnished room with cameras hanging from the ceiling. He's been told that he's committed crimes against a certain group of people and he's going to pay for them -- with his senses. 

Think about the five senses -- sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell.

I'll leave it at that. 


You might look at this one and say, "Oh, it's not even in English. Forget it. Down with subtitles!" There is a version in English with Naomi Watts and it's horrific and fantastic. A family goes to their lake house for some fun, only to be held hostage by a couple of sadistic young men.





Eight job candidates sit in a room where they are given a sheet of paper and strict but vague rules about how to go about taking the exam. 

That's where things just get crazy. The candidates can either work together and risk someone else getting the job, or they can work by themselves and risk...bad things happening.



 Irene is a wife, mother, retail cashier, and a drug addict. Her addiction gets her into trouble and she spends time in rehab. What I liked most about this film was Vera Farmiga's performance; it was realistic and gritty, particularly in that addicts who return to the same environment are likely to relapse. 







Happy Viewing!!

D