Netflix/Prime/Hulu Discoveries

[made_in_canada]

I saw it at a special screening a month or two ago. It's excellent, I highly recommend it -- and should be required viewing for every politician in Canada.

I finally got around to watching this. I completely agree. It really does a good job of summing up the many issues that are involved. It definitely hits close to home. Two of the more recent women featured, I personally knew tangentially. There aren't any easy solutions but a whole hell of a lot more could be done.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

The Little Prince on Netflix was really beautifully done. The animation was two different types, I really enjoyed the stop motion parts.

 

[clairecloutier]

The Little Prince on Netflix was really beautifully done. The animation was two different types, I really enjoyed the stop motion parts.

Thanks for the review. Do you think kids would like it? Commonsensemedia.com (a media web site for parents) rates the movie as best for 10 years and up.

 

[Artemis@BC]

Thanks for the review. Do you think kids would like it? Commonsensemedia.com (a media web site for parents) rates the movie as best for 10 years and up.

I saw it in the theatre. There were only a couple of kids in the audience, and they were fidgety throughout -- but they looked a bit younger than 10, and of course 2 kids is not exactly a representative sample.

I do think that the "wraparound" story they did for the movie makes it a lot more accessible for kids than the original Saint-Exupéry book, but it does really depend on the children in question. At least if you're watching it on Netflix there's no money lost if they don't like it!

(BTW, I absolutely loved it, both aesthetically and thematically. Except for one rather pointless sub-plot near the end, but that wasn't enough to spoil it.)

 

[clairecloutier]

Thanks! My kids are 7. I have a feeling it's probably beyond them at this point. But we'll keep it on the list for the future. I saw a trailer for it at the movie theatre last year and thought it looked really cool.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Much of it is very faithful to the style of the book. My daughter read it at 8 and it was (and still is 6 years later) one of her favorite books. She has it almost all memorized. She also loves art/animation so the movie was really extra special to her. There is nothing that I think it objectionable to younger kids, but it might feel long to them. It is a beautiful movie. It's not a pixar film that is mostly light, it is a little darker/deeper.

 

[LilJen]

The Little Prince on Netflix was really beautifully done. The animation was two different types, I really enjoyed the stop motion parts.

Yes, it was gorgeous. LOVED the paper animation, very cool looking.

 

[Spun Silver]

Wentworth, the Aussie women's prison drama, turns out to be addictive. The characters are all flawed and it's very dark, but with rays of light. Small rays.

 

[clairecloutier]

We just finished watching Stranger Things on Netflix. WOW! That was intense (and good). I hope they make a season 2!!

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Netflix's The Get Down is really interesting, it's a topic I know nothing about, but it's exciting!

 

[el henry]

OK, folks who liked "Stranger Things":

We generally like SciFi (and very behind the times, bingeing on "Fringe" right now, lovin' it). Tried Stranger Things. The first 15 minutes was kids kids kids the next five minutes was Winona Ryder running around all like a loon (I get it, her kid disappeared) and then when the drunk-who-happens-to-be-the-sheriff showed up, we bailed.

Does it actually pick up and morph into a story. That isn't concentrating on how upset Winona is that the kid is gone (or that she thinks she can talk to him?) And do the other kids take up a lot of the story? I'm fine that folks will like that and appreciate it, but Stand By Me mixed with the supernatural will probably not appeal. So should we try it again?

And for something completely different, may have been mentioned upstream, I don't know, but loved loved Dr. Thorne. Of course, I'm hard put to think of a Trollope adaptation I didn't love.....

 

[clairecloutier]

I found that STranger Things picked up and improved a lot with the second & third episodes. My reaction to the first episode was similar to yours, but we kept going and I was soon hooked. Winona's character becomes more moving and less seemingly hysterical, as you realize what she's experiencing. The sheriff becomes far, far more likable. (I also found him one-note in the first episode, but he really improves.) The kids continue to play a large role, but I found them sweet and realistic. I would say give it another episode or two.

 

[MacMadame]

We started Stranger Things but then got interrupted by the Olympics. I did find the first episode annoying and at one point I even told my husband that he could watch episodes without me. But then I got hooked too!

 

[Nomad]

I just finished Limitless. It was all right; reasonably entertaining, despite the usual TV cliches and stereotypes. I'm not in a hurry for for a second season, though.

 

[Mayra]

Stranger Things is one of those series that just gets better and more interesting as it progresses. Between the kids, Barb , the music, Winona Ryder, the 80's nostalgia and the story telling it's definitely one of the best things Netflix has produced bar none.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Dope is on Netflix and it is a lot of things - it is about 3 high school kids who end up caught in the drug world. It's funny, sweet, and crazy. The ending happens really quickly, but you end up really liking these quirky kids.

 

[Nan]

We watched Marcella today. Some loose ends didn't get tied up, but it was interesting enough to keep us in our seats and watching.

 

[DBZ]

I also just finished Stranger Things. I'm totally hooked.

Does it actually pick up and morph into a story...And do the other kids take up a lot of the story? I'm fine that folks will like that and appreciate it, but Stand By Me mixed with the supernatural will probably not appeal. So should we try it again?

The story does pick up once the characters begin to peel back the mysterious clues around the kid's disappearance; however, the show in itself is a giant mashup of all the classic 80s movies and media of the time. It basically feels like a show that Stephen King would've written, but shot and directed through the lens of Spielberg had they collaborated together in the 80s.

That, to me, is an immediate selling point, not to mention basking in all the 80s references and nostalgia having grown up in that time.

But if mixing story elements from movies like Stand by Me or ET with The Thing or Alien doesn't interest you, then I don't think you'll enjoy this. Yes, the kids play a big role.

I actually think the show-runners have done a masterful jobs paying homage to all these movies by taking the best inspiration from them, but still developing a compelling story all their own with good writing and characters to invest it.

 

[Nomad]

I broke down and bought Season 2 of Gotham. It's not quite as good as Season 1, but it will do. I also started watching Mr. Robot, which is off to a good start. I'm hoping that these two shows will hold me until Season 2 of The Man in the High Castle starts.

 

[gkelly]

But if mixing story elements from movies like Stand by Me or ET with The Thing or Alien doesn't interest you, then I don't think you'll enjoy this. Yes, the kids play a big role.

I did watch a lot of movies in the 80s, but mostly in different genres -- of the above mentioned, ET is the only one I've seen.

I'm thinking I might not enjoy this show so much if it plays heavily on supernatural/horror tropes.

 

[DBZ]

I'm thinking I might not enjoy this show so much if it plays heavily on supernatural/horror tropes.

Honestly, I'd categorize it more as Sci-Fi/Suspense Thriller with some horror/supernatural mixed in.

But I get the show might not be for everyone.

Still, even if you're not an 80s buff, the quality of the story and characters stand on their own in my opinion. The 80s ambiance and nostalgia just enhances the experience; it doesn't drive it. At its core, it's simply a well told story which just happens to be set in 1983.

The characters have depth, the acting is great (especially from the kids), and the plot keeps you invested.

 

[MacMadame]

I just finished Limitless. It was all right; reasonably entertaining, despite the usual TV cliches and stereotypes. I'm not in a hurry for for a second season, though.

That's good because it got cancelled.

I did watch a lot of movies in the 80s, but mostly in different genres -- of the above mentioned, ET is the only one I've seen.

I'm thinking I might not enjoy this show so much if it plays heavily on supernatural/horror tropes.

I'm not big on supernatural/horror either so that's why I put off watching it but I'm hooked now. I say to give it a shot and if, after the second or third episode, you still aren't into it, then give up. But not before then because it just gets better and better as it goes on and has something for everyone.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary about a box of film purchased at an auction and the mystery of the nanny photographer. I thought it raised fascinating questions about posthumous art.

 

[el henry]

Honestly, I'd categorize it more as Sci-Fi/Suspense Thriller with some horror/supernatural mixed in.

But I get the show might not be for everyone.

Still, even if you're not an 80s buff, the quality of the story and characters stand on their own in my opinion. The 80s ambiance and nostalgia just enhances the experience; it doesn't drive it. At its core, it's simply a well told story which just happens to be set in 1983.

The characters have depth, the acting is great (especially from the kids), and the plot keeps you invested.

Thx, and to the other posters too, for the descriptive responses. I still haven't made up my mind (if Winona runs around like a loon again, I'll be gritting my teeth), but I am thankful for details that help me make up my mind (Stand by Me, no; ET, yes)

Although I gotta say, if I want to see my life in the 80s, "thirtysomething" reruns are far more evocative. As it was in the 80s

 

[Spun Silver]

U

Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary about a box of film purchased at an auction and the mystery of the nanny photographer. I thought it raised fascinating questions about posthumous art.

i just spent 20 mins looking up Vivian Maier and looking at her work. Amazing, both her life and her work. Dont know if I will watch the documentary but I am glad to know of her work. Thanks.

 

[Artemis@BC]

^ The documentary is fascinating. Partly because of her story -- and the mystery of her -- but also because of the photos she took. It's one of the best docs I've seen in recent years.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary about a box of film purchased at an auction and the mystery of the nanny photographer. I thought it raised fascinating questions about posthumous art.

Thanks for the recommendation. Just added it to my Netflix queue. I really enjoy art documentaries like this.

 

[Seerek]

We just finished season 2 of Bloodline. Quite the ending! The second season started a bit shakily, I thought, but really picked up momentum by the end. I really hope there'll be a season 3.

ETA: Yay, I just read online that it's been renewed for Season 3.

Yes. I agree with this - For sure, the writers kind of had to "reset" the plot from the ground up at the beginning on Season 2 based on what happened at the end of Season 1, but the additions to the cast in Season 2 ended up being quite integral. I was a little skeptical once Season 1 ended that season 2 could be just as intriguing, but the writers did a good job.

 

[VGThuy]

I started watching the BBC drama Poldark on Prime. I'm 3 episodes in and I cannot figure out if I actually like the show or not.

 

[Japanfan]

I started watching the BBC drama Poldark on Prime. I'm 3 episodes in and I cannot figure out if I actually like the show or not.

Love Poldark - but the 70s version with Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees, not the new one. I'm not sure that the new one can ever compete with it, but I suppose that if you start with it, you'll get accustomed to the contemporary version of Ross Poldark, and not find the older one appealing.

I read all the books as well, and thoroughly enjoyed them.