Hidden Gems of Netflix's Watch Instantly

Kingdom was really good but I didn't think Black Summer was that bad. A couple of the middle episodes seemed out of line with the pace of the rest but otherwise I liked the interweaving stories

Was hesitant to watch Love, Death, Robots but in the end I enjoyed a majority of it.

I pushed through Russian Doll because my partner liked it so I figured I would have something to talk about. Turns out I liked it quite a bit. If you are like me and were turned off by the first episode because the idea of yet another time loop narrative makes you want to heave, it eventually goes somewhere more interesting.

I want to watch it because Amy Poehler is involved but I haven’t yet (I sespect the time loop narrative was putting me off.) I’ll give it a good go.

MattDaddy wrote:

Watched Black Summer. If people doing stupid things bothers you in TWD, then don't watch this. The characters in BS are less likable and make worse decisions. Way too many plot points that make no sense.

I like the fast zombies, but other than that this was a big letdown for me.

If you want zombies, watch the Kingdom instead. Reading subtitles is worth the extra work. Much better story here.

kborom wrote:

Kingdom was really good but I didn't think Black Summer was that bad. A couple of the middle episodes seemed out of line with the pace of the rest but otherwise I liked the interweaving stories

I'm through four episodes of Black Summer and I'm finding it somehow refreshingly down-to-earth. After having lived through post-2016-Presidential election especially, but also having lived through my interactions with people, there's not much heavy lifting in suspending my disbelief that they'd do stupid things. See also dash-cam footage or Failarmy. (Or family gatherings.)

I thought "Alone", E04, was really solid overall.

kuddles wrote:

I pushed through Russian Doll because my partner liked it so I figured I would have something to talk about. Turns out I liked it quite a bit. If you are like me and were turned off by the first episode because the idea of yet another time loop narrative makes you want to heave, it eventually goes somewhere more interesting.

I feel like you could probably hack the first two or three episodes off the show without any real loss. Other than setting up the time loop and a few character incidentals, I'm not sure any of the subplots from those episodes remain relevant.

muraii wrote:
MattDaddy wrote:

Watched Black Summer. If people doing stupid things bothers you in TWD, then don't watch this. The characters in BS are less likable and make worse decisions. Way too many plot points that make no sense.

I like the fast zombies, but other than that this was a big letdown for me.

If you want zombies, watch the Kingdom instead. Reading subtitles is worth the extra work. Much better story here.

kborom wrote:

Kingdom was really good but I didn't think Black Summer was that bad. A couple of the middle episodes seemed out of line with the pace of the rest but otherwise I liked the interweaving stories

I'm through four episodes of Black Summer and I'm finding it somehow refreshingly down-to-earth. After having lived through post-2016-Presidential election especially, but also having lived through my interactions with people, there's not much heavy lifting in suspending my disbelief that they'd do stupid things. See also dash-cam footage or Failarmy. (Or family gatherings.)

I thought "Alone", E04, was really solid overall.

No problem that people are generally stupid, but specifically on episode 4 it was just completely out of line with the other episodes.
Personally I didn't like it, not enough crazy hats

Eleima wrote:
kborom wrote:
Eleima wrote:
pizzaddict wrote:
Eleima wrote:
kborom wrote:

Z Nation series 4 is up in the UK for all you puppies and kittens :)

I kinda want to watch it, but it's gone so far off the rails, I'm not sure I can still keep up. :D

Has it really ever been "on the rails"? Thats sort of what makes it great.

Fair point. But I still thought seasons one and two has the “right” dose of crazy. Seems like I dropped off a few episodes into season three. Will try to get back into it.

Finished season 4, a touch disappointed overall. Yes it's a crazy ride but the writing didn't seem to hit home and some of the episodes felt "slowed down" compared to previous seasons.

Really liking the characters and the humour especially in relation to the Z's though, hope season 5 isn't too far away...(October by the looks of it)

I'm coming up on the end of season three, and I've had genuine lol moments. Some episode were really wtf, but overall, I'm having a blast. I can't even remember why I stopped watching (might've already said as much ).

Z Nation reminds me of tabletop RPG campaigns I used to play in as a teenager. Everything started off fairly normally and then things escalated to crazy and the characters either died or became weirdly powerful.

I think I've mentioned it here before, but I just watched it again, and man, The Dawn Wall is super good. If you have even a passing interest in humans doing crazy things, you should watch this.

kborom wrote:

No problem that people are generally stupid, but specifically on episode 4 it was just completely out of line with the other episodes.

Personally I didn't like it, not enough crazy hats :)

I feel ya. I got the sense that that character had been demonstrated as not being very clever so it felt in-character, but I can see it being frustrating.

Alien Warfare is not good. I was just in the mood for some cheeze and it has a lot lot lot of it.

Chaz wrote:

I think I've mentioned it here before, but I just watched it again, and man, The Dawn Wall is super good. If you have even a passing interest in humans doing crazy things, you should watch this.

I heartily concur.

So after all the 'action' in The OA season 2, Good Girls and Peaky Blinders...

All of these are all highly recommended! I am usually put off by 1920's time-shows like Peaky Blinders, but this one is absolulety worth it.

But, if someone love to have some nice, beautifull background drama_ please watch

Shin'ya shokudou: Tokyo Stories

A warming show abot customers who have dinner in a tiny restaurant, that's all. And it's loveable.

muraii wrote:

After having lived through post-2016-Presidential election especially,

I don't recall any zombies pre or post 2016 election. Not sure what this means.

Matt, don't take the bait.

The secret illness that killed Hillary Clinton by the end of Trump's first year in office was zombie plague. Duh.

I liked Black Summer because it felt to me like it excelled where TWD's spin-off; Fear the Walking Dead failed so terribly; the actual moment-to-moment break down of governance and civility.

I agree there is a number of stupid decisions made throughout the season, but they all felt to me as understandable stupid thoughtless decisions.

The entire season laps in about 3 or 4 days and it really feels like no one had a single minute to catch their breath or absorb the shock of anything that happens to them.

some moments worth discussing:

Spoiler:

- the stadium was telegraphed way too much;
- I liked how the biggest thread was uncivilized, dog-eat-dog humans rather than the zombies themselves.
- I loved the last episode for a number of things; civilians finding weapons with no idea how to use them felt so real. it was great.
- Lance is the luckiest person on this planet. period.
- I would completely remove the entire Heist sub-plot. It breaks verisimilitude from the very beginning. Let them find 2 bags of guns in a recently crashed Humvee or something.
- similarly, the whole Lord of the Flies school setting was unsettling and too weird. Best not to think about that too much.
- the last run to the gates inside the stadium was frenetic and unforgiving. My heart was pounding.

I really like what is happening and I want to see more.

Just finished Black Summer also. I really liked it and felt pretty much the same as the above. Also like how the story was told in intersecting parts from different prospectives.

Only had one major problem with the show. Minor spoiler about what a group is doing.

Spoiler:

During one episode a rave is going on. This is only days into the outbreak so it didn't make sense that you could get that many people to have a rave. Zombies are killing people, time to dance? No that is stupid.

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson

It's a pure absurdist comedy sketch show from Tim Robinson, a former SNL writer and co-creator of Detroiters. Some of the sketches just spiral off into insanity while others stretch a seemingly normal premise until it breaks. It's also a quick watch, with only six sub-20 minute episodes.

The trailer's a pretty fair peek into whether you might find it your cup of comedic tea.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Just finished Black Summer also. I really liked it and felt pretty much the same as the above. Also like how the story was told in intersecting parts from different prospectives.

Only had one major problem with the show. Minor spoiler about what a group is doing.

Spoiler:

During one episode a rave is going on. This is only days into the outbreak so it didn't make sense that you could get that many people to have a rave. Zombies are killing people, time to dance? No that is stupid.

Not sure if this alters your view of the spoiler, but Black Summer takes place about 6 weeks into the outbreak.

MattDaddy wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Just finished Black Summer also. I really liked it and felt pretty much the same as the above. Also like how the story was told in intersecting parts from different prospectives.

Only had one major problem with the show. Minor spoiler about what a group is doing.

Spoiler:

During one episode a rave is going on. This is only days into the outbreak so it didn't make sense that you could get that many people to have a rave. Zombies are killing people, time to dance? No that is stupid.

Not sure if this alters your view of the spoiler, but Black Summer takes place about 6 weeks into the outbreak.

Yeah. It covers what transpired over a few days but starts well after the outbreak.

I hit upon some examples of frustrating behavior that really tests my suspension of disbelief. Still, I think it’s a really strong entry into the genre. I was a fan of the TWD comic and was excited to watch the show but I find the propensity of TWD characters to really dwell on every decision, small or large, undermines any point it hopes to make about Tough Times.

You won’t find that much in Black Summer. There are long stretches without any dialogue let alone exposition. The viewer is allowed to interpret things how she sees fit. It’s refreshing.

muraii wrote:

You won’t find that much in Black Summer. There are long stretches without any dialogue let alone exposition. The viewer is allowed to interpret things how she sees fit. It’s refreshing.

That is something I really enjoyed about the show. Much better than trying to fill in every space with useless and cliche dialogue.

Bonding was very good. Fun characters and subject matter without feeling exploitative.

Watched The Silence and thought it was pretty bad. Bad acting, bad directing, and many dumb things. The biggest issue or a big issue is the movie didn't know the difference from not being able to hear to not making a sound. People that can't hear don't go out of their way to not make noise. They probably make more noise because they can't hear.

The movie is a worse edition of A Quiet Place and I wasn't big on that movie either.

This is a cautionary tale. About Netflix’s The Perfect Date. Spoilers ahoy, but you’ll thank me for it.

It’s atrocious. I strongly disliked the main character, a teenage boy who wants to get into Yale just because it’s an Ivy League school. No plan, all he knows is that he wants to be the next “game changer”. His role models are Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Bill Gates.
His scheme to make money to pay tuition is to sell his services as a “stand in”: girls pay him to come on dates, be their +1 at art shows, rodeos, family dinners.
So of course, he starts out as a terrible person: vapid, hypocritical, superficial. Any emotional growth he exhibits during the movie is thanks to a teenage girl, who pretty much does the emotional labor for him.
One thing I’m wondering is who on Earth would pay for this, it’s ridiculous. And how much are these “dates” costing because it’s implied that he’s a third from his objective in a few weeks. And we all can imagine how costly Yale tuition would be.
Anyway, I’ve gone on long enough. It’s *bad*.

This is why I actively avoid Netflix rom-coms (can this even be called that?)

I stick with tried-and-true schlocky sci-fi with bad special effects. Netflix has those in abundance.

Second season of She Ra and the Princesses of Power is out today. Mini-Sorb is very much looking forward to it. That’s Mini-Sorb. Not me. No sir. Not at all.

Sorbicol wrote:

Second season of She Ra and the Princesses of Power is out today. Mini-Sorb is very much looking forward to it. That’s Mini-Sorb. Not me. No sir. Not at all.

I'll tell my husband! He loved season 1.

Delbin wrote:

Bonding was very good. Fun characters and subject matter without feeling exploitative.

We started watching it last night. It's really fun, if entirely silly.

June 21st! Time to rewatch the first season!