Netflix Recommendations Thread 3.0

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579261#Comment_118579261

I would say there has been a continuous trend of quality reduction year on year. The pool of great films being produced each year has gradually declined since the late 90’s.

There is a very small amount of quality to choose from nowadays, and relentless expensive garbage. You really believe that ratio of good to bad is not changing?

peteeeed

Sweet Magnolias (2022) Season 2 - Lifelong friends Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue lift each other up as they juggle relationships, family and careers in the small, Southern town of Serenity

Octonauts (2015) Season 2 - A team of brave underwater explorers known as the Octonauts combs the world's oceans for aquatic creatures in desperate need of assistance.

Patria / No Man's Land (2014) - In this biopic, a Dutch-Indonesian man named Arthur Knaap joins the Foreign Legion in 1914 and finds himself thrown into brutal trench warfare.

Through My Window (2022) (Spanish) - Raquel's longtime crush on her next-door neighbor turns into something more when he starts developing feelings for her, despite his family's objections..

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Fysh

I'm optimistic about the Del Toro Pinocchio adaptation, though it's weird that we're getting two Pinocchio adaptations in a single year.

I am perhaps more game than many for an animated Little Nemo in Slumberland adaptation given how visually inventive the original comic strip is, at least with the right animation studio involved. However, looking it up it appears to be live-action, so between that, the unremarkable director and the writers that I've never heard of, I reckon I'll likely skip this.

AdamD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579586#Comment_118579586

Rose tinted glasses. There was no lack of utterly brutal movies made in the 90s

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579586#Comment_118579586

Sure, the ratio is changing but that doesn't mean the amount of good films is changing, and there's definitely an issue with the whole idea of things being reduced to "content". My point is just that the streamers have become the new studio systems, and there's still people outside that system making good films. And the streamers actually give us better access to a lot of them than we'd have had before.

As for the 90s, how much access to films did anyone really have back then? Whatever was in the cinema, and then a relatively small selection in XtraVision or wherever? Sure things like Tall Girl and The Kissing Booth are abysmal wastes of time, but how many American Pie films went straight to video, or spoofs of any cultural phenomen, or paint by numbers action films, or endless and inferior sequels to horror films?

I just don't think things are necessarily as bad as some people think, we're just so much more aware of, and have access to, pretty much everything that's being made now 🤷‍♀️

johnny_ultimate

One of the problems is that the likes of Netflix really care about 'content' above all else so they'll just churn out whatever. I also think digital filmmaking has actually made a lot of filmmakers much lazier in some respects. It's funny going back to some of the thrillers or action movies that would have (rightly) been considered disposable nonsense back in the 90s, and they actually are more thoughtfully put together than their contemporary equivalents simply because the craft is more careful and interesting. I watched Snake Eyes the other night - a film that was understandably poorly reviewed back in the day, but jesus if Netflix put out a tacky thriller with half the thought de Palma put into the look of that thing we'd be in a better place! There was still mountains of junk back in the day, but yeah the standard of filmmaking in the 'junk' space has unquestionably deteroirated.

But equally I think there's an absolute embarrassment of riches in cinema at the moment, once you look just a tiny bit outside the blockbusters. A sizzle reel of star-studded Netflix junk isn't going to get at that (one or two interesting titles aside), but look at any top 10 list from last year and you'll be absolutely spoilt for choice. Today alone you have The Souvenir Part II and Belle in cinemas - two very fine films, the former particularly - and honestly I have a weak spot for Jackass too :P

pixelburp

Just as much rubbish is being produced now as the 90s; or any era for that matter. In fact if anything, the presence of Social Media and the internet has meant dozens, hundreds of small-scale or mid-budget films get far more exposure than they might have had fadó fadó. Heck the entire catalogue of A24 is probably punching above its weight by dint of that larger, global footprint small films can make.

Of course Netflix is going to emphasise their big-ticket, showiest items - and chances are, come this time next year, it'll have been some random unpredicted film that went viral, not the ones Netflix banked on. I daresay half the above films will have come and gone without causing so much as a splash of interest. To take an example of this year just gone: who remembers "Thunder Force"? Exactly.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118580390#Comment_118580390

I think what you mention there brings up the disposable nature of "content". Depending on how much promo Netflix does in the build up to releasing each of the films in that video, people will watch them all. The weekly most watched charts usually align pretty seamlessly with whatever Netflix have been pushing a week or two before. People watch what everyone else is watching, and want to be able to talk about it when everyone else is, so a new release does big numbers on weekend 1, and then there's something else to talk about 5 days later, and the first thing is forgotten.

Very occasionally something will become a word of mouth sleeper hit, I can't think of films but Maid is a good example of a series that got very little push from Netflix but slowly built an audience and stayed in the Top 10 for quite a while.

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118580358#Comment_118580358

I was going to watch the Souvenir Part 1. Saw that it is rated 89% on rotten tomatoes. But then when I searching to user ratings on a couple of review sites, it got dire ratings. Do you reckon it's any good for a Friday night film - I'm not looking for something arty or pretentious. i.e. that the scenery is fantastic and the concept is facinating, but in reality its like watching paint dry. Just wondering if it's watchable.

S.M.B.

I have never seen The Souvenir (I really should get around to watching it) so I'm not even sure what I'm basing my opinion on but if there was a spectrum between my understanding of a Friday Night Film and my understanding of what people may consider arty and pretentious, The Souvenir may be a lot closer to the latter end of the spectrum.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118581302#Comment_118581302

I mean, it's a slow-paced arthouse drama - that's perfectly fine Friday night fare to me, but maybe not for you going by your caveats there. Personally, I thought the first film was excellent and the second even better, but I don't pretend to speak for anyone but myself :) I don't pay any attention whatsoever to user ratings on the likes of Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB though.

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118579386#Comment_118579386

I watched it too and at the end I thought what was all that about.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118581554#Comment_118581554

I mean... it's quite clear what it's about. I can 100% see how it's not a film for everyone, and there were plenty of people in this thread trashing it when it first came out, but in terms of what it's about, it's fairly obvious.

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118581652#Comment_118581652

The lady was on holiday looking back at her own life. Was that it or did I miss something?

Charlie19

Ozark really hit the ball out of the park with it's latest installment, sets the finale part up nicely.

peteeeed

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

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FunLover18

Four episodes into The Woman In the House Across the Street From the Girl In the Window and have to say I'm enjoying it. I can see why it might be off-putting to some, it's a parody but it's playing it completely straight.

Gloomtastic!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586050#Comment_118586050

Come back when you’ve finished it and tell us what you think of it then. 😬

CastorTroy

Anyone chance Murderville? The trailer makes it seem very forced

km79

The Gentlemen

Really really enjoyable . Guy Ritchie at his best. Not quite sure how this slipped but me .

Hugh Grant and Colin Farrell are absolutely fantastic in it

Charlie19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118587015#Comment_118587015

I stayed clear of it because of the length of the title, I'd have to Google it every time talking about it.

peteeeed

The Hunt (2020) - In this dark horror satire, wealthy elites hunt innocent ordinary citizens for sport -- until one of them turns the tables on her pursuers..

Around the World in 80 Days (2021) - A wary monkey and a daring frog pair up for an extraordinary journey through snow, sand and sea to complete a trip around the globe in record time.

The Photograph (2020) - Love unfolds in both the past and present as a curious journalist helps a young woman uncover family secrets after the death of her estranged mother.

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Charlie19

The Hunt is brilliant.

peteeeed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3d5rT7FGLE

new trailer out for the kanye doc

RocketRaccoon

Watched The Invisible Man last night, absolutely fantastic.

Wrongway1985

The Hunt is great alright, not for everyone but if you like survival nonsense action it should surely satisfy.

It did come under fire for political take downs throughout the narrative but I don't care any shape for American politics so easy to pay no mind and its somewhat mildly amusing anyhow.

Betty Gilpin really takes a turn here as a legit action star, only criticism I'd have is the final act is kinda bad, really halting it from being truly great which is a bit of a pity. No taking away though the journey there and overall still well worthwhile for sure.

gmisk

Has anyone watched the tinder swindler? I thought it was a series but I see it is a film so might give it a go!

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590934#Comment_118590934

Ya very good. They should put these 3 women next to the word gullible in the dictionary though.

bottlebrush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118590934#Comment_118590934

Watched it the other night. Thought it was very good. Gobsmacked at how gullible people can be.

Whestsidestory

Same goes for the people in The Puppetmaster...still can't believe that actually happened