A race against time in order to save the world is ostensibly the schema of the latest Netflix film “Don’t Look Up”. DiCaprio plays as professor Dr. Randall Mindy and JLaw is an astronomy grad student. The pair stumble across a life-changing discovery… that a comet is on a collision course for Earth.
Based on first impressions film may be more of a accurate allegorical send up for our real life climate crisis. In the film, when the scientists raise the alarm to the U.S. government about the comet, the response, in typical bureaucratic insanity is to “sit tight and assess”, just as has been the case for over 30 years regarding global warming (joke delivered by the wildly funny Jonah Hill).
The über impressive cast has a handful of extremely talented actors including (in addition to the marquee stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence); Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Cate Blanchett, and Tyler Perry.
The movie was both written and directed by Adam McKay, the Oscar Award winner responsible for “The Big Short” and “Vice”.
Similar to those films, his patented multi-layered approach is in play, where comedy, absurd pathos and a “laugh about the tragic stupidity of the human race” reigns.
And, possibly, with this amazing cast, it will be the most successful iteration to date.
A huge departure, if you take the correlation to the looming climate extinction level events at face value, is how the film is focused on the future (a fictional one, but still looking forward) for a change.
While both “The Big Short” and “Vice” chronicled a historic event or personage, this time, it is the potentially devastating human inability to see past their own self absorbed pathetic existences that is lampooned.
And if we can all laugh at ourselves and somehow get the message underlying, what meanwhile appears as great comic entertainment, perhaps the outcome can be altered. Or at least we can appreciate the absurdity as we all go down in flames.
The comedy will be released in select theaters on December 10th and two weeks later be available for subscribers to stream free on Netflix, starting on December 24th
According to the Smart TV measurement firm Samba TV, 4.2 Million US households watched Netflix’s “Red Notice” during its debut weekend. These numbers triggered a historical, record breaking amount of streams – a new all time high for the Netflix streaming service.
Although Rotten Tomatoes scored the action comedy as only 35% “tomatometer” the audience score ranked a whopping 91%.
Having watched the movie myself I can understand the scoring. The movie is kinda what you would expect with the typical humor of Ryan Reynolds and The Rock. It is the type of movie you can watch on autopilot and not really have to think about the overall plot. The film is enjoyable to watch considering the all-star cast, yet as some reviews have mentioned, the movie does follow the same contrived premise of previous action/heist flicks.
Yet – who cares?! Sometimes viewers just want a daily dose of escapism and that premise is proven with the record breaking weekend “Red Notice” received.
Above: Photo Credit: Netflix
Below Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds commented on the biggest opening day for the movie on their Twitter pages:
The Western novel The Power of the Dog is set in the 1920’s in Montana. The story follows the domestic drama of two brothers, one of which has a wife and young son and is arriving back to his brothers ranch.
The novel is intense, brutal, and author Thomas Savage does an amazing job at holding the readers captive and on the edge of their seat (couch, beach?, Bed?), desperately wanting to know what will happen next.
Ultimately the triangle makes for intense romantic drama, likely why it was such a successful choice for the adaptation into a full length feature motion picture and attracted such marquee star power in Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, not to mention a fabled director, Jane Campion.
Even before the debut screening in Venice the film had buzz and respect, in large part due to the stature of the original novel and the choice of director and cast tapped to bring the story and characters to life. The project has been hailed as an example of how successful streaming platforms, such as Netflix, HBO Max, etc, can contribute to the future history of bonafide feature length cinema in the Hollywood tradition.
The 2001 classic that includes an afterword from Annie Proulx due to be released this fall both in theaters and to stream on Netflix. One in which recently was shown on September 1, 2021 at the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival and met with a 4 minute-plus cheering and applause-filled standing ovation.
We recommend you take the opportunity to enjoy the book and celebrate the theatrical release on November 17, or in anticipation to the release by streaming platform Netflix which is slated to go line on December 1st, 2021.
Some big-name movies are set to be removed from the streaming platform as it makes way for the new Sept 1st arrivals. Among the soon to be departed (including, ironically, The Departed!) there is something for everyone and it would be a real shame to miss out on anyone of these titles, especially if you have never seen them.
Whether comedies staring the likes of John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, Reese Witherspoon or Jonah Hill, or a drama on the making of Facebook with Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg, a love story with Kiera Knightley, or a scary movie like “The Ring”, these diverse movie selections, iconically, each in their own right and unique reasons, are a must watch.
Which new series and films are looking like a good bet to stream this month
These days, it seems at times like finding something worth watching, and, more importantly, devoting precious free time to, can be a challenge. Sure, you can just randomly try the next thing in your recommendation queue and take your chances.
We’ve all been there; a tried and true classic we know is pretty good but we’ve seen it three times or a new item, marketed hard by the platform, but of unclear quality or interest. Sometimes you find a gem, by sheer luck. Other times it takes some deep digging to come upon an acceptable risk profile. The last thing we want is to get twenty minutes into a film, or worse yet, a unknown series, and have to “abort plan” due to low quality or just a theme that doesn’t tickle our fancy.
With some luck, and based on prior research and experience, the recommendations below might fit the bill. “Lupin” was a bonafide smash hit and, as any who devoured the first season can attest, once hooked, this series is a top notch binge-fest. Hopefully season two will turn out to be as good.
Based on prerelease buzz, the cast, the concept and the trailer, “Awake” looks quite interesting so far. A bit in the direction of “Bird Box” another big success for Netflix, it will be the differences, rather than the similarities that will be the test.
“Sweet Tooth” is already stirring discord among reviewers and the press. Perhaps due to the “sacred” and known DC Comic origin, and the pedigree of the production team, while the critics wariness could be warranted, it’s interesting enough to give this one a good test run before discounting it out of hand…
Lupin: Part 2– Netflix Original Series – 6/11:
Assane’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pellegrini has torn his family to pieces. With his back to the wall, he now has to think of a new plan, even if it means putting himself in danger.
Awake – 6/9:
Chaos ensues after a global event wipes out all electronics and takes away humankind’s ability to sleep. But Jill (Gina Rodriguez), an ex-soldier with a troubled past, may hold the key to a cure in the form of her own daughter.
Sweet Tooth – 6/4:
Based on the beloved DC Comic, and Executive Produced by Susan Downey & Robert Downey Jr., Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic fairytale about a hybrid deer-boy and a wandering loner who embark on an extraordinary adventure. All episodes of Sweet Tooth premiere June 4th, 2021, only on Netflix.
Workin’ Moms (Season 5) – 6/15
Warm, loyal PR executive Kate and her longtime friend, no-nonsense psychiatrist Anne, attend a judgmental mommies’ group, where they meet timid IT tech Jenny and blindly optimistic real estate agent Frankie. The four quickly form an unlikely friendship, sharing struggles of urban motherhood filled with the chaos of toddlers, tantrums, careers, and identity crises, all while trying to achieve the holy grail: a sense of self.
Above: “Brokeback Mountain” / Photo Credit / Focus Features
Sitting on top of the heap of ultra successful streaming giants Netflix must spend and produce more and more content to keep up with views that binge watch new movie titles and even series as fast as they arrive, it seems. It’s given that the deluge of new arrivals helps to reduce the feeling of frustration that can arise when you are searching for something you have yet to watch, but it feels like hours go by, with little new to consider.
With a large number of new titles coming down the pipeline each month, and spread out in terms of release dates presumably in order to prevent a bulge in the first week, at least there is a chance that something completely new, or at least new to the classic library of titles on the streamer, will pop up in the browsing selection.
But what if you don’t stumble across a great, classic title and it is removed, perhaps permanently, before you had a chance to see it? To help pay for the many new titles that are always being added, and produced from scratch, the library must also be culled on a continuous basis. And as we all know by now, often the older classic titles outshine the more recent productions, sometimes with aging, half interested stars and “direct-to-streaming” titles and directors.
Fortunately, this month the last day falls on a Monday and it also comes in direct proximity to a 3-day weekend for Memorial Day, so we have a bit more time to warn you about what you might want to see, before it’s too late.
Netflix had a huge release of new titles for May 2021, 90 to be exact, that were added to the platform. As the end of the month rapidly nears, 20 titles will be leaving to make space in the budget for the June 2021 arrivals.
Therefore, be sure you don’t miss out on the titles below. We have provided trailers and a synopsis for a few select choices, since they are classic movies boasting high-profile stars. Examples such as Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in “50 First Dates”, “Meryl Street and Amy Adams in “Julie & Julia” and Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway in “Brokeback Mountain” give you a taste and the full list also follows below.
Comedy, Romance, Action, Historical, Horror, Thriller are all on the list.
The list of titles leaving Netflix also includes award-winning films such as: “Milk”, “Miracle” and “The Pursuit of Happyness”.
Below are the titles that will officially be gone from the platform on May 31st at midnight:
Brokeback Mountain
In 1963, rodeo cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) are hired by rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) as sheep herders in Wyoming. One night on Brokeback Mountain, Jack makes a drunken pass at Ennis that is eventually reciprocated. Though Ennis marries his longtime sweetheart, Alma (Michelle Williams), and Jack marries a fellow rodeo rider (Anne Hathaway), the two men keep up their tortured and sporadic affair over the course of 20 years.
50 First Dates
Playboy vet Henry (Adam Sandler) sets his heart on romancing Lucy (Drew Barrymore), but she has short-term memory loss; she can’t remember anything that happened the day before. So every morning, Henry has to woo her again. Her friends and family are very protective, and Henry must convince them that he’s in it for love.
The Help
In 1960s Mississippi, Southern society girl Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns from college with dreams of being a writer. She turns her small town on its ear by choosing to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent white families. Only Aibileen (Viola Davis), the housekeeper of Skeeter’s best friend, will talk at first. But as the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward, and as it turns out, they have quite a lot to say.
Milk
In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined to accomplish something meaningful in his life. Settling in the Castro District, he opens a camera shop and helps transform the area into a mecca for gays and lesbians. In 1977 he becomes the nation’s first openly gay man elected to a notable public office when he wins a seat on the Board of Supervisors. The following year, Dan White (Josh Brolin) kills Milk in cold blood.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Life is a struggle for single father Chris Gardner (Will Smith). Evicted from their apartment, he and his young son (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) find themselves alone with no place to go. Even though Chris eventually lands a job as an intern at a prestigious brokerage firm, the position pays no money. The pair must live in shelters and endure many hardships, but Chris refuses to give in to despair as he struggles to create a better life for himself and his son.
Act of Valor
All Dogs Go to Heaven
The Blair Witch Project
The Boy
Deliver Us from Eva
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Julie & Julia
Above: “Julia & Julia” / Photo Credit / Columbia Pictures
Marauders
Miracle
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior
The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption
Soul Surfer
Striptease
Waiting…
Above: “Striptease” / Photo Credit / Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s nearly June and that means new films and shows to stream on Netflix
Every month a kind of sudden house cleaning happens these days at Netflix. out go the “old” but sometimes classic films and in come a batch of new shows and movies. Sometimes a new season of an established show like The Kominsky Method, now already starting season 3, or a long term binger like Lucifer already at season 7!
Also there’s a film that’s only now getting to Netflix’s streaming availability like Collateral Beauty, which admittedly has a funny name, what? Is it like “American Beauty but with collateral? Or do collateral “damage” victims suddenly get very beautiful? Well, with Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton and Keira Knightley all showing up, perhaps it’s worth a bit of your time to try to solve that riddle.
The Kominsky Method – Season 3:
The third and final season is here. The show will be leaving with a bang with six Emmy nominations. Although its often sad to see a great series end, with the finality of any show, you are able to binge 1-2-3 seasons all in one go. Another bonus is the all-star cameos for the season which include Morgan Freeman and Barry Levinson.
The show follows the once-famous, now aging acting coach Sandy Kominsky played by Michael Douglas. Alongside him his longtime agent Norman Newlander played by Alan Arkin. The two navigate their later years together and all the crazy curveballs thrown out them, all the while, keeping each other laughing.
Lucifer- Season 5 / Part 2 :
Don’t sleep on Lucifer. It does not disappoint. Netflix picking up the show when it was cancelled from Fox appears to be right on the money. The show has been doing so well that Lucifer will be renewed for a 6th season. Fans know that it has felt like a considerably “long” time since the Part 1 of Season 5 initially dropped on Netflix (back in August 21, 2020). Now the final half of the season, with another 8 episodes will be available May 28.
The show, which originally was released in 2016 aired on Fox until 2018. The series follows, well, Lucifer Morningstar, the original fallen angel, who becomes dissatisfied with spending his life in hell and comes to live in Los Angeles. Lucifer runs the nightclub LUX as well as working as a consultant to the police. He loves indulging in the pleasures of women, drinking and nightlife. Yet after a murder takes place outside his club, something changes him, awakening the buried feelings of what he thinks is compassion and empathy, ultimately begging Lucifer to wonder if there is hope for HIS soul.
Collateral Beauty:
The 2016 drama/romance film is another title dropping on the streaming platform Friday. I honestly had not heard of the movie, yet there are some big name stars that definitely make me interested to add this to the weekend watch cue. The cast includes: Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton and Keira Knightley.
The movie follows, Will Smith who plays a successful New York executive, who after suffering a tragic loss, retreats from his life. As a way to search for meaning, he begins to write letters addressed to Love, Time, and Death. The notes end up bringing about unexpected and revealing responses to how love, time and death connect to every human being on Earth.
Dog Gone Trouble:
If you are looking for more of a light and fluffy, feel-good, goofy movie, look no further. The animated film was originally released in 2019 under the title “Trouble”. Netflix acquired the rights under the new name “Dog Gone Trouble”.
A pampered dog name Trouble has his world turned around when his owner passes away and he finds himself lost. He has to figure out how to survive big-city life and all the adventures that come along with it. Voices by Big Sean, Lucy Hale, Wilmer Valderrama, Snoop Dogg, Betty White.
The plot for Netflix’s newest original series, “Jupiter’s Legacy” is comprised of eight episodes is based off Mark Millar’s comic book series of the same name, originally published in 2013. The original comic book, with 5 issues printed, consisted of the plot of which spanned decades and centered around the world’s first generation of superheroes and their children, with the expectation their offspring would carry out in their parents’ legacy.
The series stars Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, Ben Daniels, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Mike Wade, and Matt Lanter. Executive producers include Millar, Quitely, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Dan McDermott, Steven S. DeKnight, James Middleton, and Sang Kyu Kim.
“Jupiter’s Legacy” will be Netflix’s latest venture build another mega-hit original franchise – maybe even following in the footsteps of “Stranger Things” and “The Umbrella Academy”. Comic book adaptions already have built-in fan bases so the appeal is definitely there and Netflix plans to bank on it.
Millar has a long history of his comics being adapted to the big screen. Some of which include: “Kick-Ass” and “Kick-Ass 2” films, which released in 2010 and 2013, respectively, the four “Kingsman” films, the latest of which is set for premiere later this year in August. As well as the more popular titles like the “Fantastic Four”, “Captain America: Civil War” and the“Logan” films.
Netflix acquired Mark Millar’s comic-book publisher Millarworld in 2017 so there are much more Millar adaptions in store for the streaming platform for future release. Some other series that are still currently in delvelopment include “The Magic Order”, “American Jesus”, and “Super Crooks”.
Check out the trailer for “Jupiter’s Legacy” below. The show debuts May 7 on Netflix.
With the incredibly ambitious 2021 lineup for Netflix, that boasts 71 titles this year alone, means that the streaming platform has to make way for a fresh slate of incoming TV show and movies.
However, even as they add so many new titles, each month, a few dozen movies are no longer available to watch. Before the start of the new month, check out the library of titles below that will be gone by March 1. This list has a variety of genres, both newer and classic oldies. So check the list and there are some of these titles you haven’t seen yet, now is the perfect time, before it’s too late!
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![Collateral Beauty - Official Trailer 1 [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dpFyds_pS2E/hqdefault.jpg)
