Netflix Recommendations Thread 3.0

ixoy

S.M.B. wrote: »

The way people talk about Darks return makes me think that the first two seasons are beyond convoluted.

It's complex but, if you follow it closely, it makes sense. It's just you can forget details between seasons. So far it's managed to avoid the usual paradox issues that come with such shows.

freak scence

Hrududu wrote: »

Ok I definitely need a rewatch of S1 and S2 before watching this. I spent half of S2 going "Now who is he again? And what timeline have I seen her in again?"

best tv I have seen in a long time soundtrack great , acting class, and subtitles so you can't goof off and look at your phone . Unreal series

freak scence

S.M.B. wrote: »

The way people talk about Darks return makes me think that the first two seasons are beyond convoluted.

I know it's got a good reputation but there always seems to be this caveat that nobody has a clue what's going on. Not sure I get much enjoyment out of shows like that these days.

just watch and follow along on the site explains all the cross relationships and timelines with no spoilers if you do it right

johnny_ultimate

Glebee wrote: »

Would appreciate if you could drop me a PM, can watch them on other devices.

Happy to post them here, it’s not Netflix but it’s a recommendation so 50% of the way there

You can’t really go wrong with anything by Bong-joon Ho, Chan-wook Park, Chang-dong Lee or Jee-woon Kim. Some of their films are naturally better than others, but each has at least three or four great films in their back catalogues. The Handmaiden, Secret Sunshine, Oldboy, The Good, The Bad and The Weird, I Saw The Devil, Memories of Murder, The Host are some favourites, but I could go on. Just liberally dig into the filmographies of all four

Particular shoutout to last year’s Burning by Chang-dong Lee - a film that deservedly received the sort of rave reviews Parasite did but didn’t have the same crossover success. Very different film but absolutely essential at the same time - strange, moody, surprising. Probably 2018’s best film or very close to it.

If you want a good rollicking genre film, you can’t go wrong with the likes of Train to Busan, The Wailing or The Chaser. Both versions of The Housemaid are worth a watch - classic version is a bit, well, classier but the newer one has its own charms.

My absolute favourite working Korean filmmaker is Sang-soo Hong. Frankly he’s one of my absolute favourite filmmakers, full stop. I’m a little reticent to give his films a full, blanket recommendation because they’re absolutely not for everyone. But if you’re feeling adventurous the likes of Right Now, Wrong Then, Hotel by the River, On The Beach Alone at Night or The Day He Arrives are some of the best films of the past decade for my money.

For one more offbeat recommendation, I loved the film Microhabitat which popped up on Mubi about a year ago. Delightfully unusual character study / comedy-drama.

Also want to give a quick note to Spring Summer Autumn Winter... and Spring and 3-Iron. Significant films in bringing Korean film to the West, and the former in particular is a very striking and beautiful film at times. The thing to flag is that filmmaker Kim Ki-duk’s reputation has been soured quite a bit in recent times due to some (messy and in some cases unproven) allegations about his conduct, and some of his films can be perceived rather differently in that context. But they’re notable films, albeit with a now more complex legacy.

twirlagig

Watching Schitt’s Creek...
Always seen it coming up on the home page anytime I was on Netflix but never watched it.
Anyway, the trailer for it started playing and I’m here now glued to it on episode 3

Rfrip

twirlagig wrote: »

Watching Schitt’s Creek...
Always seen it coming up on the home page anytime I was on Netflix but never watched it.
Anyway, the trailer for it started playing and I’m here now glued to it on episode 3

I couldn’t get into this at all. I’m going to have to re visit

twirlagig

Rfrip wrote: »

I couldn’t get into this at all. I’m going to have to re visit

Ah might just be the humour I’m in this evening but I am enjoying it. I like Eugene Levy in things anyway

gmisk

twirlagig wrote: »

Watching Schitt’s Creek...
Always seen it coming up on the home page anytime I was on Netflix but never watched it.
Anyway, the trailer for it started playing and I’m here now glued to it on episode 3

Season 1 isn't brilliant tbh but it really grows on you.
Alexis and Moira rose are hilarious

joe40

Rfrip wrote: »

Old boy is a classic

Some rough scenes though. I thought it was brilliant.

Schitt's Creek can take time to grow on you. It was on my second attempt to watch it that I realised I loved it. The whole Rose family is brilliant.
"Hey, who's the eyebrows buying everyone drinks?"

S.M.B.

When it hits it's stride, what show would it be most comparable to?

It's on my watch list but worried I won't make it through season one.

johnny_ultimate

Da 5 Bloods is definitely worth your time. It’s an uneven beast: there’s a search for gold caper at the centre of the plot that honest to god feels like it’s from a completely different script that Lee built the distinctly Spike Lee stuff around (as far as I can tell, that was actually the case!). But for a film with lots of action and adventure, the characters are angry and troubled in ways that rang true for me. It’s a film about the aftermath of the Vietnam War on both Americans and Vietnamese - the survivors scarred, and the two countries changed. The heroes aren’t particularly heroic at all, prone to selfish acts and in some cases paralysed by trauma, regret and guilt.

Like BlacKkKlansman it draws a real connecting line between the 60s/70s and modern America, with archive footage and overt references to modern politics throughout. The references to Black Lives Matter make it seem eerily timely, but not the first - and likely not the last - time a Lee joint will feel relevant simply because the issues he returns to never seem to go away. Not all the strands come together by any stretch - again likely a casualty of an existing script repurposed - but it’s an interesting, often compelling watch for sure.

Thelonious Monk

Just finished 5 bloods, didn't think it was great and very drawn out, and I just found the whole plot completely contrived. The references and flashbacks were just ridiculous at times I found. The critics are raving about it but the cynic in me says it might be something to do with the whole BLM thing going on at the moment.
Worth a watch I guess but pretty forgettable.

legrand

"I'm No Longer Here"
After a misunderstanding with a local cartel, a young man is forced to leave behind his family, friends and everything he loves...

Hercule Poirot

Watched VFW - it's very silly and enjoyable. Knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn't care about anything else. Full of cheesy one liners and every single hero trope you can think of. Utterly bonkers and a lot of fun. 8/10

peteeeed

Alexa & Katie part 4
Alexa is battling cancer. But with her best friend, Katie, by her side, she's also starting high school -- and ready for whatever comes next.

RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars New episode
From fan favorites to fierce villains, queens from seasons past compete for a $100,000 prize and a coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

Added

freak scence

Hercule Poirot wrote: »

Watched VFW - it's very silly and enjoyable. Knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn't care about anything else. Full of cheesy one liners and every single hero trope you can think of. Utterly bonkers and a lot of fun. 8/10

yep was nice n cheesy very funny too

Fysh

I watched Da 5 Bloods and was really impressed with it. As Johnny mentioned, it could maybe have been a bit shorter, but it deals with the damage and aftermath of the Vietnam War. I appreciated the use of aspect ratio to indicate time period and the intermingling of archive footage into the film; it's the sort of thing that is easy to get wrong, but Lee managed to make it work well here. I'm just regretting not sticking it on the projector, as I think it would have benefited from it.

gmisk

S.M.B. wrote: »

When it hits it's stride, what show would it be most comparable to?

It's on my watch list but worried I won't make it through season one.

Hmm I'm not sure actually I think maybe parks and rec...in that it is a very gentle warm comedy.

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Just finished 5 bloods, didn't think it was great and very drawn out, and I just found the whole plot completely contrived. The references and flashbacks were just ridiculous at times I found. The critics are raving about it but the cynic in me says it might be something to do with the whole BLM thing going on at the moment.
Worth a watch I guess but pretty forgettable.

Found it contrived as well, and couldnt get passed the first 30 mins. It felt very rushed, devoid of subtlety.

JoeExotic81

Korean stuff gets a lot of mentions here, but don't think the 2 Along With The Gods films have gotten a shout. Anyone watched them? They're meant to be great no? Big budget action fantasy films.

Thelonious Monk

Deleted User wrote: »

Found it contrived as well, and couldnt get passed the first 30 mins. It felt very rushed, devoid of subtlety.

Yeah and the flashbacks were so awful. Everything about it seemed so cheaply made, it was really poor. I definitely think it's only getting good reviews because of the constant references to African American culture and issues. In saying that I could watch sheeeeeeeeeeet and the old detective from the Wire all day long!

Fysh

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Yeah and the flashbacks were so awful. Everything about it seemed so cheaply made, it was really poor. I definitely think it's only getting good reviews because of the constant references to African American culture and issues. In saying that I could watch sheeeeeeeeeeet and the old detective from the Wire all day long!

What about the flashbacks seemed cheap? I thought they were presented well with a clever use of a narrower aspect ratio (I assume 4:3 but couldn't swear to it) as a visual throwback, coupled with a deliberate shift in film grade and grain. I also liked the use of the same actors in the flashbacks, it meant we didnt need any contrived "this is who each person is as a young man" sequence and underlined the way that all the main characters have gotten older and feel that they have not lived up to the standard and ideals of their friend the 5th Blood, who remains young and ageless in their memories and a clear corollary to other black leaders who were killed in their prime.

It's been out 2 days and you're deciding that it can only possibly be positively received by people who want agenda driven films? I think that's maybe saying more about how you perceive films than about the film itself, tbh...

yabadabado

I watched Da 5 Bloods and overall was disappointed in it.There is the bones of a very good film in there but script is a let down for me.Its a bit all over the place.

I liked the way Lee used the flashbacks.A nice change from the usual set up and worked really well imo.

Worth watching but not the epic many publications are calling it.Lee has made several better films .

gmisk

Hercule Poirot wrote: »

Watched VFW - it's very silly and enjoyable. Knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn't care about anything else. Full of cheesy one liners and every single hero trope you can think of. Utterly bonkers and a lot of fun. 8/10

I'm a sucker for these kind of films definitely heavily influenced by John Carpenter.
It also kind of reminded me of green room but not quite as good, still a huge amount of fun

Fysh

Fysh wrote: »

What about the flashbacks seemed cheap? I thought they were presented well with a clever use of a narrower aspect ratio (I assume 4:3 but couldn't swear to it) as a visual throwback, coupled with a deliberate shift in film grade and grain. I also liked the use of the same actors in the flashbacks, it meant we didnt need any contrived "this is who each person is as a young man" sequence and underlined the way that all the main characters have gotten older and feel that they have not lived up to the standard and ideals of their friend the 5th Blood, who remains young and ageless in their memories and a clear corollary to other black leaders who were killed in their prime.

It's been out 2 days and you're deciding that it can only possibly be positively received by people who want agenda driven films? I think that's maybe saying more about how you perceive films than about the film itself, tbh...

I don't know about the flashbacks, but some of the direction in this was really amateurish.
It started in the club, a full club with everyone dancing, and then you have the 4 guys dancing straight up the middle of the club in a line, with everybody parting like the red sea, and people suddenly just not in front of them like there were in a shot a split second earlier. Such a bad sequence.
Then you have the guys sitting down and making a toast. One almost knocks his orange juice cocktail over as they toast, and the shot quickly reverses and you see his orange juice not moving at all. This is why I say it was rushed, but I would expect any half assed director or editor to catch that second gaff, never mind a guy who has made dozens of films.
By the time it came to the Helicopter flying in front of the sun, which is straight out of Platoon I mentally checked out. The boys running through the jungle felt like a paintball scene or it reminded me of the old De Niro stomping on the guys head in The Irishman. When you have 65-70 year old men running around supposed to be 18 year old men, its kind of silly and doesn't look well on film.
And lastly the walk down the street with the Vietnamese guy who is giving us such a forced history lesson of the vietnam war, it felt like I was watching an editorial. Zero subtlety. Everything felt like one take.

Sam Hain

For anybody who rated and enjoyed Unbelieveable, you should really watch Reckoning, you'll love it. It too, has some terrible acting and a storyline as weak and palatable as a stale pink wafer submerged in urine.

johnny_ultimate

There’s a very stark and fundamental difference to me between the infamous De Niro scene in The Irishman and the older actors playing their younger selves in Da 5 Bloods.

The former unconvincingly attempts to disguise the fact that an older actor is playing a younger one.

The latter is a clear stylistic choice designed to be jarring - to underscore the difference between those who survived and those who didn’t.

Fysh

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I don't know about the flashbacks, but some of the direction in this was really amateurish.
It started in the club, a full club with everyone dancing, and then you have the 4 guys dancing straight up the middle of the club in a line, with everybody parting like the red sea, and people suddenly just not in front of them like there were in a shot a split second earlier. Such a bad sequence.
Then you have the guys sitting down and making a toast. One almost knocks his orange juice cocktail over as they toast, and the shot quickly reverses and you see his orange juice not moving at all. This is why I say it was rushed, but I would expect any half assed director or editor to catch that second gaff, never mind a guy who has made dozens of films.
By the time it came to the Helicopter flying in front of the sun, which is straight out of Platoon I mentally checked out. The boys running through the jungle felt like a paintball scene or it reminded me of the old De Niro stomping on the guys head in The Irishman. When you have 65-70 year old men running around supposed to be 18 year old men, its kind of silly and doesn't look well on film.
And lastly the walk down the street with the Vietnamese guy who is giving us such a forced history lesson of the vietnam war, it felt like I was watching an editorial. Zero subtlety. Everything felt like one take.

Thanks for replying, it's interesting to read someone else's take on the film

I didn't catch the mismatch of the orange juice on the toast, but I do know what you mean. Like with people's drinks magically refilling during a conversation around a table, it's a sign that not enough care was put into checking the dailies. The guys dancing through the crowd I took as being intentionally a bit ridiculous, playing up the idea that the guys being back together again is making them remember and feel like their younger selves.

I really liked the use of the same actors to play their younger selves - if anything I prefer that than de-aging via CGI because the physical movement of older actors doesn't always work (e.g. Samuel L Jackson in Captain Marvel is mostly ok, but then the scenes where he's running just look bad), and it also meant we didn't have to have a tedious "sound off, Bloods" type sequence so that we'd know who's who.

The shots referencing Platoon and Apocalypse Now (and probably several other Vietnam movies I've not seen) all felt deliberate to me, as did the history from the guide - because part of the film's theme is the legacy of the Vietnam war, which has to include how it was presented in popular culture. It's not subtle, but then a lot of things relating to the Vietnam war in American culture are not subtle, and given Lee's mixing of archive footage and photos in the film at other points, I thought it worked. But, if it didn't work for you, I can see how the effect is lost or at least diminished.

yabadabado

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

There’s a very stark and fundamental difference to me between the infamous De Niro scene in The Irishman and the older actors playing their younger selves in Da 5 Bloods.

The former unconvincingly attempts to disguise the fact that an older actor is playing a younger one.

The latter is a clear stylistic choice designed to be jarring - to underscore the difference between those who survived and those who didn’t.

They could have got 4 young actors or used deaging but I felt the way Lee did it worked well.
Norman was forever young but the others are now old men who would rightly struggle in those conditions.