Netflix and sharing the wealth!
CLARIFICATION TO OUR NETFLIX RECOMMENDATIONS:
We want to clairfy that our recommending Netflix movies/documentaries does not mean we endorse Netflix’s position on certain important issues. However, we also believe that if you are not in the “public arena” (ref. areopagus sermon by St Paul, Acts 17:16) but choose to remove yourself from it, then companies like Netflix will never know - with their algorithms - which material actually is of value to their audience. By doing these monthly recommendations, we want to help you sift through the dross, in order to get to the good stuff! We hope it helps!
I don’t know about you but I can find it very hard to sit down and find funny, interesting, inspiring content that is relatively clean on Netflix. So since this quarantine period kicked in, the following list includes some that I’ve found.
Some Feel-Good Options
Legally Blonde: an American comedy film that tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by getting a Juris Doctor degree.
La La Land: an American romantic musical film tells the story of a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet whilst pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles.
The English Game: is a historical, sports-drama miniseries about the origins of modern football in England.
The Bookshop: a widow opens a bookshop in a conservative English seaside village in 1959, much to the discontent of the locals, especially an aristocratic heiress.
Brene Brown- the Call to Courage: In this documentary film, Brown discusses what it takes to choose courage over comfort in today’s culture.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: a remarkable true story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity.
Coach Carter: Coach Carter takes over the coaching job for a basketball team at his old high school, having played on the team himself earning unbeaten records. Carter is dismayed at what he has taken on and acts quickly to help the team.
Benji: Two school kids strike up a friendship with an orphaned puppy named Benji. When danger befalls them, Benji and his sidekick come to the rescue.
The Miracle Season: Grieving the death of their star player, a high school volleyball team is led by their stern but kind coach to pursue the state championship.
Some not so light-hearted options
Black 47: Set in Ireland during the Great Famine, the film follows an Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, as he abandons his post to reunite with his family.
A Quiet Place: a family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival.
The Wife: A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm to see her husband receive the Nobel Prize for literature.
The People vs. OJ Simpson: an American crime story that runs through the Simpson murder case based on the book The Run of His Life: The People vs O.J. Simpson (1997).
The Post: set in 1971, The Post depicts the true story of attempts by journalists at the Washington Post to publish the Pentagon Papers, classified documents regarding the 20-year involvement of the US government in the Vietnam War. Starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
The Irishman: the film follows Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a truck driver who becomes a hit man involved with mobster Russell Bufalino and his crime family, including his time working for the powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).
The Circle: A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover an agenda that will affect the lives of all of humanity.
Lion: a five-year-old Indian boy who, after a wrong train takes him thousands of miles away from home and family, survives many challenges before being adopted by an Australian couple.
Trash: based on a young adult novel by Andy Mulligan, “Trash” follows three teenaged Brazilian boys as they navigate a system of corruption out to destroy them.
The Invisible Guest: a Spanish mystery-thriller film. I’m not telling you anymore! A must-watch!
Unbroken: Chronicles the life of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic athlete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics-turned-WWII plane crash survivor and prisoner in two Japanese POW camps. From a rebellious childhood to a life of glory, bravery, and triumph, Louie finds his strength, his fight, and his faith.
Joshua- Teenager vs Superpower: a documentary about Joshua Wong, a teenager who rallies Hong Kong youth in dissent during the 2014 Hong Kong Occupy Movement when the Chinese Communist Party reneged on its promise of autonomy to the territory.
Triple Frontier: Loyalties are tested when five former special forces operatives reunite to steal a drug lord's fortune, unleashing a chain of unintended consequences.
Kidnap: a 2017 American thriller film starring Halle Berry that follows Karla, a diner waitress, who doggedly pursues a car after her 6-year-old son is abducted from a park.
Quite a diverse list of content, but I’ve enjoyed every one of them! They also serve as a great conversation starter (or debate) in the house! Enjoy!
…..
Lauren Galvin