Hidden Gems of Netflix's Watch Instantly

It is a very enjoyable drama with a mix of serious and humor. It does a great job at developing the characters and tackles some serious topics but does it in a fun humorous way. There is a fair amount of sex talk (boobs and a penis or 2) but it didn't seem over the top or detract from the story. Well worth a watch, I enjoyed all 3 seasons and looking forward to the 4th.

Yeah all 3 seasons of Sex Education have been great. The good character development and the care with which they handle difficult topics have been a very pleasant surprise.

I may have been mentioned already but I was surprised at the gore level in Fear Street 1994. These are based on RL Stine's writing, yes? And that fiction is gear towards...pre-teens? If so, that's some gnarly violence!

That said, I'm interested enough to check out the rest of the trilogy.

Goosebumps was for pre-teens. Fear Street skewed older.

ComfortZone wrote:

Yeah that episode 6, I just had to turn off the TV after that.

I just finished Squid Game episode 6 and it just absolutely f*cking wrecked me. I do not say that lightly. I have a full-blown headache now from it hitting me as hard as it did.

Farscry wrote:
ComfortZone wrote:

Yeah that episode 6, I just had to turn off the TV after that.

I just finished Squid Game episode 6 and it just absolutely f*cking wrecked me. I do not say that lightly. I have a full-blown headache now from it hitting me as hard as it did.

Yup. Devastating and brutal in a way you totally expect from how the rest of the show has gone, and yet will never in a million years be prepared for.

Despite (spoiler for the rest of the show)

Spoiler:

the last few episodes not quite living up to it -- the VIPs kind of sucked, and I still don't know how I feel about the final big reveal or the character's choice at the very end

that episode is so masterfully crafted that it's worth watching the show just for that -- assuming you have ability to cope with the blow.

Yeah, I'm glad to hear that the show doesn't get any tougher to get through than this episode, because I don't know that I could handle it after that.

Still going to be a day or two before I jump into the next episode regardless.

I finished Squid Game a few weeks ago, just asking for a reminder in spoilers.

Spoiler:

Is Episode 6 the marble game?

If so, yeah, damn.

polypusher wrote:

I finished Squid Game a few weeks ago, just asking for a reminder in spoilers.

Spoiler:

Is Episode 6 the marble game?

If so, yeah, damn.

It is.

I liked Kate. It wasn't anything more than mindless action but it was enjoyable mindless action.
I'd peg it as sort of a lesser John Wick. Which, if I'm honest, I'd watch a whole bunch of so long as it is moderately competent. Kate exceeds that bar by a tiny margin.

polypusher wrote:

I finished Squid Game a few weeks ago, just asking for a reminder in spoilers.

Spoiler:

Is Episode 6 the marble game?

If so, yeah, damn.

Yeah.

(Serious spoiler, don't read if you haven't watched yet.)

Spoiler:

I mean, for the entire show you know something to this effect was coming. And the moment they announce "form teams of two" you know the broad shape of exactly how cruel and monstrous this game is going to be. But you still can't imagine how impactful it's going to be. All six of the actors playing the key characters delivered performances in that episode worth of every possible accolade, and the masterful writing of hitting three uniquely heartbreaking options for that scenario with such care and craft (not to mention having the even more devastating scenario of the married couple just lurking in the background) -- man, it's just stunning, and crushing, and I'm so glad I saw it and I'm so glad I will never see it again.

zeroKFE wrote:
Spoiler:

the last few episodes not quite living up to it -- the VIPs kind of sucked, and I still don't know how I feel about the final big reveal or the character's choice at the very end

Yeah the

Spoiler:

VIPs were odd, just very flat amateurish-sounding line readings for the most part, like they just found some dudes off the street and gave them their lines then called it a day.

Probably the only thing that kind of took me out of the experience of the show momentarily.

Spoiler:

They were odd, reminded me of Western villians in an old Bruce Lee film! I'm not sure if it's some kind of enduring Asian stereotype of decadent Westerners.

(still talking about Squid Game)

ComfortZone wrote:
Spoiler:

They were odd, reminded me of Western villians in an old Bruce Lee film! I'm not sure if it's some kind of enduring Asian stereotype of decadent Westerners.

(still talking about Squid Game)

Spoiler:

That's funny because they just reminded me of some billionaires or actual rich people in real life if they were allowed to just stop caring

Just because it's a stereotype doesn't mean it's not true

Stealthpizza wrote:
ComfortZone wrote:
Spoiler:

They were odd, reminded me of Western villians in an old Bruce Lee film! I'm not sure if it's some kind of enduring Asian stereotype of decadent Westerners.

(still talking about Squid Game)

Spoiler:

That's funny because they just reminded me of some billionaires or actual rich people in real life if they were allowed to just stop caring

Spoiler:

It sort of reminded me of billionaires racing to build vanity space ships while their workers have to pee in water bottles.

I really find it hilarious that everyone's watching Squid Game and I'm over here rewatching Jane the Virgin, all five seasons, for like... the fourth time.

Eleima wrote:

I really find it hilarious that everyone's watching Squid Game and I'm over here rewatching Jane the Virgin, all five seasons, for like... the fourth time. :D

I'm currently watching Squid Game, but I feel like the main reason I am is because I'm in a race to finish it before Twitter, Youtube, or whatever spoils the whole thing for me.

I mean, I'm enjoying it, but there's a few other shows I might be watching before I got to this one if not for all the random memes and hot takes I'm seeing everywhere.

Watched two or three episodes of Squid Game. Found it a mweh-mellow bland of Von Triers' Antichrist and Schwarzenegger's Marathon Man (or Michael Douglas in the Game).

Got bored, skipped to the last 20 mins of the final episode - and am glad I skipped the rest.

For me, movies like Salo, 120 days of sodom or La Gande Bouffe had more substance than this series.

I am glad people like it, but for me... it was not good enough to sit through.

Peoj Snamreh wrote:

Watched two or three episodes of Squid Game. Found it a mweh-mellow bland of Von Triers' Antichrist and Schwarzenegger's Marathon Man (or Michael Douglas in the Game).

Got bored, skipped to the last 20 mins of the final episode - and am glad I skipped the rest.

For me, movies like Salo, 120 days of sodom or La Gande Bouffe had more substance than this series.

I am glad people like it, but for me... it was not good enough to sit through.

I am glad that SG is getting widespread international appeal, but have to say that so much of it is lost in cultural and linguistic translation if you are missing the cultural context and/or don't speak Korean. It honestly doesn't surprise me that someone from Sweden (a country with a robust social safety net and rigorous protections against usury) would be bored by it or be able to watch it with detached bemusement. The premise itself would be as ridiculous as Breaking Bad in Canada.

Peoj Snamreh wrote:

Watched two or three episodes of Squid Game. Found it a mweh-mellow bland of Von Triers' Antichrist and Schwarzenegger's Marathon Man (or Michael Douglas in the Game).

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/d907GZE.jpg)

Yeah meanwhile I'm watching Downton Abbey for the first time and finding myself utterly riveted by it. It's melodramatic as heck, I roll my eyes at it a lot, and the way it romanticizes the British class system makes me uncomfortable, but also a certain season 3 episode completely wrecked me.

Paleocon wrote:
Peoj Snamreh wrote:

Watched two or three episodes of Squid Game. Found it a mweh-mellow bland of Von Triers' Antichrist and Schwarzenegger's Marathon Man (or Michael Douglas in the Game).

Got bored, skipped to the last 20 mins of the final episode - and am glad I skipped the rest.

For me, movies like Salo, 120 days of sodom or La Gande Bouffe had more substance than this series.

I am glad people like it, but for me... it was not good enough to sit through.

I am glad that SG is getting widespread international appeal, but have to say that so much of it is lost in cultural and linguistic translation if you are missing the cultural context and/or don't speak Korean. It honestly doesn't surprise me that someone from Sweden (a country with a robust social safety net and rigorous protections against usury) would be bored by it or be able to watch it with detached bemusement. The premise itself would be as ridiculous as Breaking Bad in Canada.

Though living in Sweden, I am not Swedish But I agree on the fact that much can be lost in cultural and linguistic translation. The same goes for the relative unknown 'Trollhunter' (Trolljägaren), a Norse gem of a movie that is so funny - but has a lot of inside Scandinavian jokes.

Still amazed by the milk and honey-image that Sweden has in the world. The usury is here, but institutionalised - as the social safety is eroding rapidly. Sweden is runner up on the crime-rate ladder: only the Ukraine is worse.

Ah, and I stand corrected with my running marathon man mix up, hahaha

The wife and I watched The Hunt last night and I guess "enjoyed" it...
It is Lindeloff so expect things left unaddressed. (some in a thought provoking way, some not)
I think it was the unknown lead that pulled us through what would have been just an interesting premise.

edit: oh god! Its not an unknown, its one of the leads from Glow! No wonder she was able to hold everything together

I also watched Oat Studios the first part or the 3 acts of the first "episode" and enjoyed it.
It was a bit unsatisfactory in that it was the start of something good with no middle and end. It reads as pitch ideas for new Blomkamp movies. I am guessing that is sort of the point because I want to watch that movie.

I would say it is very high production value for a short but Blomkamp is known for spinning gold from straw.

fangblackbone wrote:

The wife and I watched The Hunt last night and I guess "enjoyed" it...
It is Lindeloff so expect things left unaddressed. (some in a thought provoking way, some not)
I think it was the unknown lead that pulled us through what would have been just an interesting premise.

edit: oh god! Its not an unknown, its one of the leads from Glow! No wonder she was able to hold everything together :)

Wrong thread? Looks like that's on HBO Max or Paramount+

Tscott wrote:
Eleima wrote:

I really find it hilarious that everyone's watching Squid Game and I'm over here rewatching Jane the Virgin, all five seasons, for like... the fourth time. :D

I'm currently watching Squid Game, but I feel like the main reason I am is because I'm in a race to finish it before Twitter, Youtube, or whatever spoils the whole thing for me.

I mean, I'm enjoying it, but there's a few other shows I might be watching before I got to this one if not for all the random memes and hot takes I'm seeing everywhere.

Yeaaaaaah, I could not care less about those. I learned a while ago that my enjoyment of media does not have to depend on external factors, including others’ hot takes and memes. And existing in certain fandoms populated with people almost half my age, I’ve accepted a long time ago a lot of the new stuff is gonna go over my head. ^^ Life is too short. Enjoy what you enjoy, because you enjoy it. Not because of what the zeitgeist dictates.

It reads as pitch ideas for new Blomkamp movies

If I remember correctly that's exactly what they were.

Eleima wrote:
Tscott wrote:
Eleima wrote:

I really find it hilarious that everyone's watching Squid Game and I'm over here rewatching Jane the Virgin, all five seasons, for like... the fourth time. :D

I'm currently watching Squid Game, but I feel like the main reason I am is because I'm in a race to finish it before Twitter, Youtube, or whatever spoils the whole thing for me.

I mean, I'm enjoying it, but there's a few other shows I might be watching before I got to this one if not for all the random memes and hot takes I'm seeing everywhere.

Yeaaaaaah, I could not care less about those. I learned a while ago that my enjoyment of media does not have to depend on external factors, including others’ hot takes and memes. And existing in certain fandoms populated with people almost half my age, I’ve accepted a long time ago a lot of the new stuff is gonna go over my head. ^^ Life is too short. Enjoy what you enjoy, because you enjoy it. Not because of what the zeitgeist dictates.

Yeah. I get all that, but it's the spoilers that get me. What other people like or dislike has no effect on what I enjoy- but if EVERYONE is talking about a show I want to watch eventually, I either need to see the show ASAP before things get spoiled for me (like I'm doing now) or choose to not care and maybe skip the show altogether (like I did with Game of Thrones- which in retrospect I think I made the right choice to skip and just give into other people's spoilers).