Hidden Gems of Netflix's Watch Instantly

Watched about four episodes of Fate: Winx Something. This has nothing to do with the winx cartoon, The show is about a school of creatures that all look human. They have sex and teen drama. Some dark skinned creatures are given them problems. I think if you like the trailer you will like the show. The show is basically vampire diaries, OC, what ever teen drama with a different coat of paint. I think my brain shut down after 15 minutes.

I did like a few things. I liked how a character handled being shamed and insulted,. I also liked some of the magic being done.

I would rate this only in the background show. There is no way I could devote my full attention to it,

Been super enjoying Uncanny Counter. Korean supernatural tv show about a group of people with angels inhabiting their bodies, giving them super abilities, fighting both evil spirits and evil corporations. Good stuff.

I wish I had friends like So-Mun in high school.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Watched about four episodes of Fate: Winx Something. This has nothing to do with the winx cartoon, The show is about a school of creatures that all look human. They have sex and teen drama. Some dark skinned creatures are given them problems. I think if you like the trailer you will like the show. The show is basically vampire diaries, OC, what ever teen drama with a different coat of paint. I think my brain shut down after 15 minutes.

I did like a few things. I liked how a character handled being shamed and insulted,. I also liked some of the magic being done.

I would rate this only in the background show. There is no way I could devote my full attention to it,

Which is weirdly why this show has hit my sweet spot of something really kinda dumb to watch after online teaching for hours, and I need to eat and not really think. To be fair to the show, while some characters seem overly familiar tropes, Terra is pretty cool.

Watched Malcolm and Marie which was two hour argument that I liked. This is a talky movie in black and white. Only two people and a house are in it. The movie was bit draining emotionally. I'm not sure you should watch this with your partner. I watched a couple of reviews of the movie from black women and men and wasn't surprised by either. In the reviews they both took sides on who was right. I took the house side and thought it won. Might go watch some other reviews to see how other people took it.

I recommend it.

The house always wins.

Holy crap you guys, Space Sweepers is really good.

Bubs is the absolute best.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Watched Malcolm and Marie which was two hour argument that I liked. This is a talky movie in black and white. Only two people and a house are in it. The movie was bit draining emotionally. I'm not sure you should watch this with your partner. I watched a couple of reviews of the movie from black women and men and wasn't surprised by either. In the reviews they both took sides on who was right. I took the house side and thought it won. Might go watch some other reviews to see how other people took it.

I recommend it.

The interview with one of stars on Colbert, talking about how this movie even happened, does make me want to see this. You can skip to 4:12 where they start talking about it.

I watched Below Zero over the weekend and quite enjoyed it. It's an atmospheric and gritty Spanish movie about a prisoner transfer that goes wrong. Plenty of twists and turns and great use of locations.

I also started watching Babylon Berlin again after an extended COVID escapism hiatus and realize I was terribly wrong for not finishing it. It's just such an amazing show.

Below Zero is French I believe, but I thought it was a very poor movie. I certainly wouldn't recommend it.

It's Spanish. Someone watched it dubbed.

slazev wrote:

It's Spanish. Someone watched it dubbed.

I stand corrected! Didn't watch it dubbed though, sound very low and subtitled.

Still wouldn't recommend!

Forgot to post this week. Finally finished s3 of Cobra Kai. Love it!

This is exactly where I wanted things to go since Kreese showed up in season 2.

When Daniel was heading to Japan we paused and my wife watched Karate Kid 2 for the first time. She was really enjoying it. At one point near the end said this is better than the first movie. Then the goofy Honk at the end made her reconsider haha.

I had been wanting to show her at least the opening bit with Kreese ever since he showed up, just to better establish what a monster he is.

Anyway since they've introduced Terry Silver in flashbacks and are teasing his return, I've convinced her to watch the third movie sometime before season 4. I know it's not that good but for continuity sake it has to be done. Hehehe.

I Care A Lot is surprisingly good if you like fairly dark/noir/antihero stories.

Tribes of Europa is - well, interesting, if not exactly original. And really quite dark. It's made by the same people who made Dark, so maybe that's to be expected. All in all though I can't helping thinking German TV (such as makes it to Netflix) needs to lighten up a little.

AcidCat wrote:

I Care A Lot is surprisingly good if you like fairly dark/noir/antihero stories.

with a good ending I thought, yes I enjoyed it

Sorbicol wrote:

Tribes of Europa is - well, interesting, if not exactly original. And really quite dark. It's made by the same people who made Dark, so maybe that's to be expected. All in all though I can't helping thinking German TV (such as makes it to Netflix) needs to lighten up a little.

The Swedes are right up there with them. I watched Aniara the other day. Interesting movie, but bleak upon bleak with a heaping helping of bleak on top. I'm sure there's some sort of catharsis in watching a group of people suffer like that, but I'm not sure I'd recommend the movie for anyone in anything other than great mental health.

Coldstream wrote:

The Swedes are right up there with them. I watched Aniara the other day. Interesting movie, but bleak upon bleak with a heaping helping of bleak on top. I'm sure there's some sort of catharsis in watching a group of people suffer like that, but I'm not sure I'd recommend the movie for anyone in anything other than great mental health.

Indeed. I’ve been meaning to watch that but not sure I’m in the right frame of mind.

I’m also bemused that in any European post-apocalyptic drama series the main evil person has to dress like they are a reject from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Maybe that’s just me though, and I can’t speak much given some of the costumes from UK series at times.

Sorbicol wrote:

Tribes of Europa is - well, interesting, if not exactly original. And really quite dark. It's made by the same people who made Dark, so maybe that's to be expected. All in all though I can't helping thinking German TV (such as makes it to Netflix) needs to lighten up a little.

I'm about three epis in and am digging it. The introduced a lot of lore and world building very quickly and I'm hooked.

I guess it's dark, but I kinda also think that it's not pulling punches like, say, The 100 did. It could go completely off the rails later in the season, but I don't think it's going to become high school in the forest.

Did a quick check in IMDB and it doesn't seem to be the same writer/director team from Dark.

The next project from them seems to be 1899.

A crew of European migrants on a steamship heading to New York, dreaming of a future in the new world discover another migrant ship adrift on the open sea.

Oooohhhh. Mysterious.

...it popped up as a recommendation and my very first thought was "Oh, it's The 100, but 'acceptable' because it doesn't have CW cooties."

Watched The Dig last night. It was a relaxed telling of the excavation of Sutton Hoo, a 6th century Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Suffolk, UK, on the eve of WWII starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.

I had no idea what the movie was about or had even heard of Sutton Hoo before, but I found it to be quite a charming, character-driven film that captured a slice of pastoral, pre-war England.

I watched Hardcore Harry for some mindless fun. It was mindless. And fun.

OG_slinger wrote:

Watched The Dig last night. It was a relaxed telling of the excavation of Sutton Hoo, a 6th century Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Suffolk, UK, on the eve of WWII starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.

I had no idea what the movie was about or had even heard of Sutton Hoo before, but I found it to be quite a charming, character-driven film that captured a slice of pastoral, pre-war England.

totally agree, and quite close to the actual story as well

The Last Dance is enthralling, and I'm not even a basketball fan. It may even be rekindling my once brief interest in the sport. The tactical nous to be found! That aside, it is a brilliant character study as well as a great time capsule for history.

kborom wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Watched The Dig last night. It was a relaxed telling of the excavation of Sutton Hoo, a 6th century Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Suffolk, UK, on the eve of WWII starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.

I had no idea what the movie was about or had even heard of Sutton Hoo before, but I found it to be quite a charming, character-driven film that captured a slice of pastoral, pre-war England.

totally agree, and quite close to the actual story as well

I mean, I don't know how you judge these things (from Braveheart to All The President's Men?), but there seemed several liberties taken when I looked this up:

Spoiler:

Mrs Pretty was in her late fifties, and older than Basil Brown. Peggy was a very esteemed archaeologist already and had led several digs around the country. The photographer cousin in the romantic subplot didn't exist, and replaced two professional photographers , Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff. The Lily James and Ben Chaplin characters stayed married until 1956 where she remarried and he didn't. He didn't remarry before his death in 1996, but there's nothing I can find to suggest he shagged a male Nilfgaardian (a character they made up, replacing a few other archaeologists). CW Philips was in his thirties at the time, and was English not Scottish. The main theme, that Brown got no credit for it until much later is true though.

I read the first book of this series and didn't love it or hate it. Could work as a show, though.

The first three books (the Alina stuff that makes up most of the trailer) is very by-the-numbers YA save-the-world stuff. The following duology (Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom) is miles better and has much more interesting characters and a much better plot. There's minimal overlap between them, so I'm interested to see how they make it all work together.

DudleySmith wrote:

The first three books (the Alina stuff that makes up most of the trailer) is very by-the-numbers YA save-the-world stuff. The following duology (Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom) is miles better and has much more interesting characters and a much better plot. There's minimal overlap between them, so I'm interested to see how they make it all work together.

Cool!

DudleySmith wrote:

The first three books (the Alina stuff that makes up most of the trailer) is very by-the-numbers YA save-the-world stuff. The following duology (Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom) is miles better and has much more interesting characters and a much better plot. There's minimal overlap between them, so I'm interested to see how they make it all work together.

Will second that the duology is fun. It's basically a heist novel/set, with fantasy trappings and more violence here and there. Would recommend.

I didn't read the initial books, and didn't feel lost or confused by starting with Six of Crows.