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The Netflix recommendation thread [community]
 
Netflix. It's on the 360, it's on PS3, it's on the Wii, it's $8 a month, it doesn't require a disc, and it's now even in Canada (with a severely reduced selection). So. Unless you're really poor, a picky Canadian, a hater of the 7th art, or European, there's no excuse for not having it!

What movies has the streaming service allowed you to discover?

Because of the limited selection here in Canada, which denies us access to some of the more recent and popular movies on the service, I've been using Netflix to watch 2 different kinds of movies: terrible crap that I'd never make any effort or pay anything to see (The Happening, Teen Wolf Too), and highly respected and acclaimed foreign movies that for some reason I always put back on the shelf without renting when I'm at the video store.

So here's a recommendation for you:

Amores Perros - This movie received much acclaim, won many prizes, and I'm probably one of the last chumps to see it. But hey, maybe you haven't seen it either, so at least I'm better than you. From looking at the title, you may recognize the word "amores" (love) and get totally the wrong idea about the movie. You may also recognize "perros" (dog) and be completely befuddled. Basically, the movie contains three vignettes in which cruelty and, yes, love, are central themes.

For one third of the movie, you follow the story of a kid using his dog to participate in dog fights and win money so he can elope with his brother's wife. For the second part, you follow a couple's crumbling relationship and oh god you're getting totally the wrong idea again. Don't worry, it's totally interesting and plays out a bit like a thriller. Actually, watching it I felt like I was reading an Edgar Allan Poe short story, but maybe it's just because it features... sounds... coming out of the floorboard. The third story is about this vagrant who abandoned his family to become a guerillero, went to prison, and now takes on hitman jobs from the corrupt cop who arrested him.

The characters cross each others' paths a couple of time, so you could say it's a bit like Pulp Fiction in that way, except I found the stories and characters in this film infinitely more interesting. Heh.

I don't know what your experience with foreign movies is or what you think of them, all I can say is that this movie is absolutely not boring. From the first scene to the last, I was hooked.

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11/30/10, 02:22    Edited: 12/31/17, 09:54
 
   
 
Daredevil is one of the best things to come from Netflix since it started dishing out original content. It's better than 99.99% of network TV. It's awesome. Seriously awesome. I'm not one to re-watch things after just watching them, but I want to watch all thirteen episodes again. Everything is so well done - the cast, the music, the direction, the story, the flow. If you aren't watching this show, well... I dare you to!

04/21/15, 06:29   
@NoName

I really liked this show too. I enjoyed it more when it wasn't totally aping Batman. The lawyer aspect seemed very interesting to me. If they do another season I hope there's more of that.
04/21/15, 07:25   
@NoName

I'm already on episode 9 of my second watch through the series. Daredevil has been my 2nd favorite hero for a few years now and yet I wasn't even planning to watch this show even though the Marvel Studios movies have been great. I didn't think a "TV show" format would be written well enough to captivate me and do justice to the character. Boy was I pleasantly surprised!

I checked out the show on a whim because Amy was out of town the weekend it premiered. I had nothing better to do so I through on the first episode while I ate dinner. I was HOOKED.

I don't like how once-ish per episode there is some act of gruesome violence that completely puts me off. But, I am able to put up with it for the high-quality writing and acting that the rest of the show provides.

Honestly, right now, this show is a million miles ahead of what's going on in the Daredevil comics. I've never ever been able to say that about a comic and its recreation in any other format. My hat's off to the entire staff and crew. I CANNOT WAIT for The Defenders and I'm inspired to check out AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist when they come out!!

04/21/15, 08:30   
Edited: 04/21/15, 08:32
NinSage said:
I don't like how once-ish per episode there is some act of gruesome violence that completely puts me off.
When she sticks her finger in that prison guard's eye socket in the pilot… almost made me stop it there.
04/21/15, 16:12   
Edited: 04/21/15, 23:03
Guillaume said:
NinSage said:
I don't like how once-ish per episode there is some act of gruesome violence that completely puts me off.
When she sticks her finger in that prison guard's eye socket in the pilot… almost made me stop it there.

Ah, I've been really looking forward to giving this show a go when I get a chance. I really might skip it for that reason alone
04/21/15, 23:00   
Edited: 04/21/15, 23:03
@Cubed777

First, I apologize for the spoiler in my post.

Second, maybe just skip the middle of the first episode. Or close your eyes any time anyone is attacked.
04/21/15, 23:04   
@gojira

The lawyer aspect was, indeed, and interesting one, but certainly underused. Hopefully we'll seem more of such next season (which I'm hoping comes soon). I didn't really see a Batman parody of sorts, perhaps just in the low, deep talking moments. Any masked man roaming the streets at night is probably up for comparison.

@NinSage

I went into this series knowing only the horridly atrocious Ben Affect movie. So, I didn't have high expectations. But, like you, I was instantly hooked. I watched one after another whenever I could. Even finishing it up last night when I probably should have been in bed! The credits are rolling just as soon as it starts - it's just so engrossing!

@NinSage@Guillaume@Cubed777

I didn't find the violence over-the-top or grotesque in nature. The last episode was the bloodiest, I'd say, and even then it wasn't bad - just surprising. And this is coming from someone that isn't a fan of gore and such. Even if one has an aversion to strong violence, the style in which it is handled might make up for it, as it seems to be part of the action not the action itself. If that makes any sense. The show is rated TV-MA for what it's worth.
04/22/15, 01:19   
Yeah, Daredevil is pretty darned good. It's a bit slow and a bit gruesome, but, other than that, I have no issues with it. It's a smart, well-done show.

Daredevil himself is pretty brutal, too, but he DOES live in a brutal environment.

Torture is often employed by protagonists in media these days. My brother thinks that it's police state propaganda.
04/22/15, 05:58   
It seems a second season is in the works! But, won't hit until 2016. Boo! Though, like with Zelda's delay, I'm happy with such if that means it won't be rushed just to bring it to the masses. This show reminds of PBS' Sherlock... So good when it airs, but such a tease in the delay between series releases!




http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/21/8464851/daredevil-season-2-netflix-announcement

(Don't click the link unless you want to the suit reveal spoiled.)
04/22/15, 08:17   
Edited: 04/22/15, 14:55
I'm not someone who generally likes gore but it didn't make me not want to watch the show once because the plot and character were just that good. I couldn't stop watching which is probably why I flew through it so quickly.
04/22/15, 14:22   
@NoName
YAY DAREDEVIL

I just finished it yesterday..and yeah, looks like a second season is due out next year. Netflix IS our TV right now...we cut the cable two months ago. We had started streaming wirelessly through our iphones to the tv for a few things but just gave up on that as well because sometimes the internet was a bit on the slow side...

Good thing we didn't get a better phone or ipad though - the CRTC in canada has ruled as of April 29th that you will only be allowed to use your wifi to stream live TV for 5 hours a month - after that it will cost you $3 an hour. What garbage. I guess I can swallow that if I'm not paying for any live tv channels but this goes for people who have a full cable/satelite hook up as well. Which means if you have an average family, one or two people can't be watching tv on the ipads for too long while the rest are watching something else on live tv even though they already pay for those channels. I'm hoping that the cable companies will just wave that - but then again - this new charge is probably in effect because they will be starting to charge for individual channels soon - no more bundle rip offs.. Ok this has become way off topic - where was I? oh yeah.. Daredevil was good :)
04/23/15, 04:15   
Edited: 04/23/15, 04:16
@NoName

When I said aping I meant more as just a straight mimic rather than mocking or parodying. I'm not familiar with the Daredevil comics so maybe there's some basis there, but Daredevil season one is very much like Batman: Year One. It's the future superhero's first steps in their battle against crime. They haven't yet formed an identity so they run around in a black outfit and mask. They beat up on organized crime but take a lot of lumps along the way. But organized crime isn't the only problem. The Police force is very corrupt as well. But they at least know of one cop who is trustworthy however. And even though they are very violent and brutal, they won't cross the line of killing someone.

If the guy put on a Batman outfit at the end it really wouldn't have been a stretch in my mind.
04/23/15, 07:42   
@gojira

I watched Batman: Year One back when it was on Netflix, and I definitely got a similar vibe from Daredevil, especially the warehouse scene where Daredevil was holed up with the Russian.
04/23/15, 08:16   
@V_s
Well, this interpretation of Daredevil is heavily based on Frank Miller's interpretation of the character. He wrote the Batman: Year One comic, as well as a similar Daredevil origin series.
04/25/15, 16:36   
I just watched the first "season" of Residue. It's only three 45min episodes right now, which is really a bummer, as I was hooked from the start and when it ended after only three I was left wanting more. Highy recommended.

Here's the IMDb synopsis:

The government cover-up of the causes behind a massive explosion in a futuristic UK metropolis spur photo journalist Jennifer Preston on to search for the truth and in the process blow open a paranormal phenomenon haunting the city.

I believe a full, true season is in the works; if this first pilot season garners enough interest, I guess. So, check it out!
05/26/15, 05:47   
Edited: 08/03/15, 02:46
I started watching Daredevil. It's definitely well done and I'm enjoying it for the most part, but am I the only one in the world who is sick and tired of the torture in these types of shows and movies already? I mean, you can't get away from it these days. How about a good guy who might be a little uncomfortable inflicting gruesome pain on defenseless people for once?

@Anand

Your brother might well be right. I don't think Hell's Kitchen counts as brutal anymore, either.
08/02/15, 15:21   
Edited: 08/02/15, 15:25
@Jargon

Agreed about the torture in Daredevil and fiction in general. Especially given how it's been shown to be completely ineffective to get actual usable info.

I almost stopped watching about episode, which one is it, two? Where he tortures the guy in front of the nurse, who's ridiculously okay with it? Thankfully, the rest of the episodes are torture-free if I recall correctly.


I just watched a German sci-fi movie, Transfer, on Canadian Netflix. It's pretty good. Probably tackles the issue of slavery more directly than most sci-fi/fantasy movies I've seen.
08/02/15, 18:21   
@Anand
@Jargon
@Guillaume

Yea, I can't stand torture in fiction. Makes me very uncomfortable. Especially when the "good guys" do it -- makes it harder to root for them. First show I remember where a good guy used torture (and frequently) was Keifer Sutherland in 24. Seems to have really caught on since then. Anecdotally, no one I know likes those scenes, no matter what the show. Kind of a shame they have become so popular.

Thankfully, it did seem to taper off in Daredevil. I think the first few episodes have the harshest bits, both torture and otherwise.

@Anand

As much as I love Daredevil, I can't say I've ever been that big a fan of Frank Miller. I think he's a very smart writer and is good at putting passionate storytelling on a page. But, he's also capable of running with things so far that they go right off the rails. Still, I think his work has provided a basis for this show that the creators were able to successfully translate into a dark, brutal narrative that still feels like it fits into the MCU.

@Jargon

Yea, even as a work of fiction, the Netflix DD seems based on a version of Hell's Kitchen from a while back. Don't they not even call it that anymore?
08/02/15, 19:44   
BTW somehow I never noticed this before but you can go on Rotten Tomatoes and filter by stuff only on Netflix Streaming. You can also "order by" the RT score, getting all of the highest rated Netflix stuff on top.

It doesn't seem to be a 00% accurate reflection of what is on Netflix though, but maybe this has to do with regional differences?
08/02/15, 20:54   
Just started watching Daredevil this week as well, and I have to say, it's pretty dang good. My wife is even more hooked than me. We're through 11 of 13 episodes so far. We'll likely finish the other two tonight. What I think I'm enjoying most about it is how much goes wrong for both sides. Even with all the planning in the world, shit happens. Fisk can only control so much. It all feels way more natural than typical movie/tv fare. All the characters seem to be handled remarkably well, from the top to the bottom. And while the tone of this show is definitely considerably heavier than the standard MCU stuff, there's plenty of levity, as well. As for the violence, I was actually prepared for it to be even more graphic than it is, and it is plenty graphic. So I have no problem with that at all. Can't wait to finish it, and I'm now even more excited for the other series to get going!
08/02/15, 23:04   
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