Hidden Gems of Netflix's Watch Instantly

Took a gamble on Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and was scorched by the mediocrity. It's long. It's drawn out. It's littered with unfunny sketches. Just watch the trailer. That'll cover it.

RnRClown wrote:

Took a gamble on Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and was scorched by the mediocrity. It's long. It's drawn out. It's littered with unfunny sketches. Just watch the trailer. That'll cover it.

Eh, a month later and our friends & us are still singing JaJa Ding Dong and other great hits lol. It's stupid and over the top. It's the point. Can't argue with any point you made. I did enjoy the elves bit.

Hobear wrote:

Eh, a month later and our friends & us are still singing JaJa Ding Dong and other great hits lol. It's stupid and over the top. It's the point. Can't argue with any point you made. I did enjoy the elves bit.

It had good moments. No question. The song that stuck with me is Volcano Man, or whatever it may be called. The scene that I perhaps giggled most at was Pierce Brosnan exclaiming "Idiot!" to Will Ferrell.

I think I posted the week it came out but I also enjoyed Eurovision. Rachel McAdams did an incredible job balancing the goofy with the emotional in her acting. I also visited Husavik last year, so it was a nice surprise to see it pop up in this movie. The sequence with all the real Eurovision winners showing up was a lot of fun. I'm not particularly attached to Will Ferrell, but this was one of his better ones.

Wife and I finished up Warrior Nun last night. We both liked it, but I have some issues with the pacing. The season spends a LOT of time building the lead's character, and that probably could've been cut down quite a bit. I spent the first 3/4 of the season just wishing they'd get to the point they'd inevitably get to, and when they finally got there, there weren't enough episodes left to feel satisfied. If this was the first half of a 20 episode season, it would've been fine. As a standalone season, it felt more like an extended prologue.

I'm torn between recommending it* and saying wait until season 2 is done.

*It's hard into the mystery box style of show, and definitely some lapses in logic, so if you're not a fan of those, then stay away. But it does have a mostly female and diverse main cast, so that's a big win.

Also, the black female character's nickname is Shotgun Mary. If that makes you groan, this probably isn't your show.

Project Power is "fine" - it's not bad, it's not good, it's a 2 hour brainless entertainment product.

Does what it says on the tin.

Chaz wrote:

Wife and I finished up Warrior Nun last night. We both liked it, but I have some issues with the pacing. The season spends a LOT of time building the lead's character, and that probably could've been cut down quite a bit. I spent the first 3/4 of the season just wishing they'd get to the point they'd inevitably get to, and when they finally got there, there weren't enough episodes left to feel satisfied. If this was the first half of a 20 episode season, it would've been fine. As a standalone season, it felt more like an extended prologue.

Yeah, at this point I'm just getting really sick of the "reluctant superhero" narrative. It's been done to death, and it always just feels like delaying the inevitable. If you make a show about a superpowered nun who fights demons, I want to see said nun use her superpowers to fight some demons. I totally understand why she doesn't want to do that, but watching someone try their hardest to not be a superhero isn't what I signed on for.

My problem with Warrior Nun is this girl is paralyzed and couldn't hardly move for what, like 10 years, and then she gets this miracle gift that gives her super abilities and she's like "I don't want this...". WTF!? Take it, rebel a little, but use it to kick some more ass. That's what I want to see.

Started watching Teenage Bounty Hunters a couple nights ago.

Don’t let the “Teenage” label fool you - this is fairly adult themed and while its not going to win any Academy Awards, it’s not meant to. It’s just a light-hearted, goofy tale of two high school girls who stumble along with Johnny English/Inspector Clouseau levels of incompetent success while working as the under-the-table sidekicks of a mediocre professional bounty hunter in order to pay for repairs for their father’s wrecked truck.

Sydhart wrote:

My problem with Warrior Nun is this girl is paralyzed and couldn't hardly move for what, like 10 years, and then she gets this miracle gift that gives her super abilities and she's like "I don't want this...". WTF!? Take it, rebel a little, but use it to kick some more ass. That's what I want to see.

Well she wants to not be paralyzed she does not the responsibility that came with the power.

I really liked and understood the main character yet from warrior nun. If I woke up and suddenly was able to do anything I would absolutly be like I was to go scuba diving or snow boarding ect.

Stealthpizza wrote:

I really liked and understood the main character yet from warrior nun. If I woke up and suddenly was able to do anything I would absolutly be like I was to go scuba diving or snow boarding ect.

Hell yeah! But do it while kicking some demons asses! If they would add some little fun things like that and not try to be so serious I think I might have liked it much more.

I’m a few episodes into Teenage Bounty Hunters as well and I’m enjoying it. Several decent laughs per episode. I like the show’s conceit of exposing the difference between what “good Christians” say and what they do, but no one feels like they’re just the butt of a joke. I also like the twin communication thing they do with the two main characters.

I thought The Old Guard was enjoyable and subverted enough of the formula to which it hewed to be better than it might otherwise have been.

muraii wrote:

I thought The Old Guard was enjoyable and subverted enough of the formula to which it hewed to be better than it might otherwise have been.

For me, it left a lot of potential on the table, but you're right, it didn't sh*t the bed as much as the premise suggested it could.

I thought the Old Guard was a decent movie, and has the potential for a sequel or two that might also be good. There were indeed a lot of ways they could have screwed it up terribly, but they seem to have avoided all of them.

It was a pretty good plot, and I was definitely on edge during the last third or so of the movie. That part of it was definitely not on rails, not foreordained by plot mechanics at all. It could plausibly have gone in many different directions.

Old Guard was written by Greg Rucka he writes very good comic books. His Lazarus graphic novels are worth checking out as are the Gotham Central books.

Magnetic is shaping up well. I do enjoy a good surfing/mountaineering/skiing documentary.

Rucka also wrote Queen and Country if you're looking for non-super hero stories.

Fun nostalgic show I originally watched on YouTube:

Seasons 1 & 2 are moving to Netflix, with a new season 3 coming next year.

Lucifer Season 5 (part 1) is up now. We enjoyed it but I don't think as much as previous seasons. It feels like the show is trying to find its footing after Season 4.

The Haunting of Hill House was really good up until the end.

Spoiler:

So the concept that Nell herself is the bent-neck lady was great, her spirit not being bound by time. People see flashes of the future but of course are unable to recognize it.

I liked the reveal that Steve had seen ghosts he just didn't realize it. He'd spent his whole life in denial.

The "everyone who dies in the house stays as a ghost" was done in the first season of another show I won't mention so as not to spoil anyone.

The house is a malevolent force the entire series, but suddenly at the end mom, dad, and Nell all become coherent, kindly ghosts in time for exposition. (And the caretakers (in the past) are awfully quick to embrace Ghost Abigail. The implication is that they continue to visit her long after the Crain family has left the house. But apparently nothing terrible happened to them?) In the end, it's just a big family reunion and everyone parts happy, including ghost mom, dad, and Nell. Really? That's what this has all been leading up to?

Transformers (the animation) is mediocre at best. Boring, slow placed and it certainly doesn't help that the characters... talk... like... this.

Agreed, I like the animation style, I like the premise for the story, but oh man was the dialog awful and the show so so so slow and boring. I gave up after 3 episodes.

Spoiler:

And ... I'm out. Not paying to support that.

Aetius wrote:
Spoiler:

And ... I'm out. Not paying to support that.

The outrage over that film has been largely misplaced. The film itself is a coming of age film about a Senegalese girl coming to terms with her upbringing, being an immigrant and how western culture hyper-sexualises young girls in particular.

The issue has been with Netflix’s marketing of the film which, not to put too fine a point on it has been completely abhorrent. How on Earth that many executives at Netflix could ever have thought how they’ve been marketing it would be a good idea is beyond me.

Millie Bobby Brown, Helena Bonham Carter, and Henry Geralt Cavill? Yes, please.

I feel like netflix and amazon are doing their best to keep me sane thorugh this with all these shows and movies. Enola Holmes is on the list.

That looks fun!

Was the court case surrounding Enola Holmes resolved?