Monday 30 September 2019

Netflix NEWS 10.01.2019

Netflix NEWS
Updates on Netflix original content releasing this week and the announcements from last week. You can always read more about what's coming out this week and in the future on our Upcoming page.
Netflix Originals Releasing This Week

Mo Gilligan: Momentum (September 30)


Netflix Comedy Special
Comedian Mo Gilligan blends smooth moves and sharp humor as he riffs on humble beginnings, family dynamics and the complex art of dancing in the club 
Watch the trailer

Vagabond Season 1 (September)
Netflix Distributed Korean Series w/Celltrion - Excludes Korea
A stuntman gets involved in a tragic airplane crash and ends up discovering a national corruption scandal in the process. The oldest daughter of a deceased marine, who decides to work for the National Intelligence Service as a secret ops agent in order to support her mom and younger siblings, although all she wanted to do was to become an ordinary civil servant.  
Filming locations outside of Korea include Lisbon, Portugal and Morocco.
Announcement

Carmen Sandiego Season 2 (October 1)

Netflix Animated Series
Based on the educational computer game where Carmen Sandiego travels the world stealing national treasures, Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) will voice the main character in the 22 minute episodes that explore the origins of the super thief.

Nikki Glaser: Bangin' (October 1)

Netflix Comedy Special
Nikki Glaser is an American stand-up comedian, actress, podcast host, radio host and television host. She was the host of the television series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser.
Watch the trailer

Living Undocumented (October 2)

Netflix Distributed Documentary
Follows eight undocumented immigrant families who have volunteered to tell their stories as they face potential deportation. Ranging from harrowing to hopeful, their journeys illuminate and humanize the complex US immigration system and depict the struggles that many must endure in their quest to pursue the American dream.
Watch the trailer

Ready to Mingle [Solteras] (October 2)
Netflix Distributed Spanish Language Movie
After the man she thought she'd marry breaks up with her, Ana joins a class for single women who are in search of a husband. 

Rotten Season 2 (October 2)

Netflix Distributed Documentary Series
Local farming is fading as profit margins decide what food makes it to our plates. Rotten exposes the fraud, corruption, and the consequences on our health of today’s global food industry.
Watch the trailer

Seis Manos [Six Hands] Season 1 (October 3)
Netflix Original Animated Series
Set in Mexico in the 1970s, Sei Manos centers on a martial arts warriors who join forces with a DEA agent and a Mexican Federale to battle for justice.
Announcement
Casting Announcement 

Big Mouth Season 3 (October 4)

Netflix Original Series
Created by Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg, this raunchy, surreal animated comedy explores teenage adventures during puberty.
Season 3 Announcement video
Turn Up music video
5 Hour Bubble Bath video
Jay Falls in Love with His Pillow video
Living Life the Coach Steve Way video
Watch the trailer  

Creepd Out Season 2 (October 4)
Netflix Series Continusation
Fed up with her embarrassing parents, Jessie heads to the beach to blow off steam and meets ap uppet who makes her a tempting offer. 

In the Tall Grass (October 4)

Netflix Original Movie
Becky finds out during her sophomore year of college that she is pregnant, leading her parents to send her to live with her aunt and uncle until the baby is born. Since it is spring break, her brother Cal decides to accompany her on her cross-country trip. They stop at a field when they hear a boy calling for help. Cal thinks he can hear the boy, but can't find him. There is something evil in the field.
This is Stephen King's third Netflix movie, after 1922 and Gerald's Game. 
Filming Begins in August
Watch the trailer 

My Country: The New Age Season 1 (October 4)

Netflix  Distributed Korean Series - Excludes Korea
A story about people who desire power while protecting their faith, set during the transitional period between the late Goryeo dynasty and the early Joseon dynasty in the late 14th century.
Series Announcement

Peaky Blinders Season 5 (October 4) - Only in United States
Netflix Exclusive Series with BBC Two - 6 episodes
This series follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders gang led by Tommy Shelby after World War I in Birmingham, England. In season three, Tommy is out of the alleys and into a mansion, but he's still a gangster.
Season 5 begins with the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the Shelby family affected because they’ve invested their legitimate money and are going to have to fall back to illegitimate means.
Read my Season 3 review - It depends 
Season 5 trailer


Raising Dion Season 1 (October 4)

Netflix Original Series - 10 episodes
The series follows the story of Nicole Reese, who raises her son Dion after the death of her husband Mark (Michael B. Jordan). The normal dramas of raising a child as a single single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her sons' gifts secret with the help of Mark's best friend Pat (Jason Ritter), and protect Dion from antagonists out to exploit him while figuring out the origin of his abilities.
Premiere date reported on August 16, 2019.
Series Announcement
Ja-Siah Young and Alisha Wainwright Cast as Leads
Watch the trailer 

Super Monsters Season 3 (October 4)


Netflix Kids Series
Six preschoolers whose parents are the world's most famous monsters try to master their super powers while preparing for kindergarten.

Legend Quest/Las Leyendas (October 5)
Netflix Kids Series
This animated series is Netflix's first Latin American series. Leo lives in the past, but he travels across time on a magic ship with his ghost and monster friends. He uses his ability to communciate with ghosts when his hometown disappears into another dimension.
Watch the trailer 

Netflix Trailer
Hype List
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WRITTEN REVIEW: Incredible Violence - "Twisted & Surreal"

By CORY CARR
It isn’t everyday that a filmmaker working within the horror genre will attempt to do something new and interesting with a tired cliché premise. More often than not the struggle is getting just enough footage to complete the film without going over budget, let alone running the risk of alienating the audience by creating something to unfamiliar.
CONTINUE READING
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Sunday 29 September 2019

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 29, 2019


Bird Box (2018) Before the omnipresent memes there was this (let's be honest) pretty average thriller about monsters which are deadly to look at. TIL: Fr. Ed Bloom suggests envy, bitter anger, and impurity are the three leading causes of spiritual blindness. Now you know...


Still Voices - John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24


Dad Rock Daily: Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970) Heavy metal starts proper with plenty of songs about the Devil, mostly regarding what a jerk he is. Laudable Lyrics: Satan's sitting there, he's smiling, watches those flames get higher and higher. Oh no, no, please God help me.


And finally, over at The Catholic World Report, Nick Olszyk has a few thoughts on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and the lessons it contains regarding the destructive consequences of negotiating with evil.
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Friday 27 September 2019

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019


Quatermass and the Pit (1967) The supremely rational Prof. Quatermass must cope with Martian grasshoppers and the devil. The kind of smart and fun we rarely get anymore. TIL: If you're going to try and use science to explain Satan, you may as well make it as entertaining as this.


Still Voices - The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) "Ignorance can be educated. Crazy can be medicated. But there is no cure for stupid." - Anonymous


Dad Rock Daily: The Guess Who - American Woman (1970) One of those venerable 70's rockers that for some odd reason sounds more appropriate blasting from an old AM radio. Laudable Lyrics: All alone with a million others, so take my hand and show me where to go.
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Thursday 26 September 2019

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 26, 2019


Mama Dracula (1980) Title character runs a dress shop while trying to find virgin blood to bathe in during the Disco era. Louise Fletcher inexplicably stars. TIL: Consecrated virgins (not nuns) have been a part of the Church since the beginning. Guess no one told Mama.


Still Voices - Signs (2002) "Incompetence is a better explanation than conspiracy in most human activity." - Peter Bergen


Dad Rock Daily: Paul Williams - Someday Man (1970) An unsung masterpiece of its genre. Maybe Tarantino could put a track from this in one of his movies so the cool kids can 'discover' it. Laudable Lyrics: If you really have a heart, try it out and do some good.
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Wednesday 25 September 2019

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 25, 2019


Mortal Engines (2018) Cities on wheels battle for dwindling resources in a barren future. Great concept hindered by standard YA trappings. TIL: Pope Francis often condemns the "culture of waste" in which natural resources and human life are sacrificed at the altar of profit.


Still Voices - High Noon (1952) "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein


Dad Rock Daily - Roberta Flack - First Take (1969) If all you know of Flack is Killing Me Softly, flog yourself for your willful ignorance then spin this disc immediately. Laudable Lyrics: Maybe folks wouldn't have to suffer If there was more love for your brother, but these are tryin' times.
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Tuesday 24 September 2019

Concussion Movie Review

Concussion (2015)
Rent Concussion on Amazon Video
Written by: Peter Landesman, Jeanne Marie Laskas (based on the GQ article "Game Brain" by)
Directed by: Peter Landesman
Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Mike O'Malley, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

Verdict
Will Smith delivers a phenomenal performance in this underdog story based on actual events. Because of Smith you like the protagonist instantly, and Smith delivers a great performance. While the movie includes a lot of common tropes, that's not a problem when they all come together. This is one man against the NFL. The fact it's a true story lends a bit more interest. The NFL knew players were in danger and ignored the facts for a few extra dollars.
Watch it.

Review
This is movie I wanted to see at the time, but it fell through the cracks. I'm glad I finally watched it.

This opens with an NFL hall of fame speech that provides context for what it's like to be an NFL player, covering the trials and tribulations of football. While I wasn't sure who the speaker was, that's a nice introduction. The character is Mike Webster who does play a role in the movie.
Will Smith plays Dr. Bennett Omalu. From the jump you like the character and that's due to Smith. Smith doesn't just rely on his natural charisma. He presents a real earnestness. It's a great performance. Omalu has very impressive credentials. He's presented as a great guy, almost too good. This leans hard on the good guy against the big evil machine that is the NFL. The movie dramatizes both sides.
The only weird thing about Omalu is that he's a pathologist and sees the dead as his patients. That and he doesn't like football in Pittsburgh. I have to wonder if part of the reason Omalu wasn't taken seriously is that he's form a different country and has an accent. Many times people assume if you sound different you know less. The movie doesn't explore that idea.

Mike Webster is in rough shape and if you know anything about this story, you know it's neurological. Omalu wants to know how Webster died and everyone is against him. Webster is a native son, he's a famous. He's told he can't do an autopsy. Omalu doesn't accept Webster just died and he pushes through adversity. This movie features a lot of tropes, but that's not a bad thing when the movie does it right and it works. I wanted to see Omalu succeed. He needs the adversity for the success in the movie to feel justified. He even begins watching football as research.
Omalu publishes his work and the NFL attempts to discredit him. The NFL is after all a billion dollar business. Fans call him with death threats. It's crazy. Football players are at risk and fans aren't concerned about the players, only their entertainment.
The movie doesn't go easy on the NFL, though according to wikipedia it seems the movie was edited to remove NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and some of the criticism against the NFL.

Eventually the NFL settled with the players on the condition the NFL wouldn't have to disclose what it knew or when it discovered the data. That's telling. The NFL knew players were at risk and concealed the evidence. It's money over human lives. While the movie creates the story of a hero, what it doesn't say about the NFL is the real story.
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Can't Hardly Wait Movie Review

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
Rent Can't Hardly Wait on Amazon Video
Written by: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont
Directed by: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green, Sean Patrick Thomas, Freddy Rodriguez, Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly, Jason Segel, Clea DuVall, Selma Blair, Jenna Elfman, Melissa Joan Hart, Jerry O'Connell
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Multi-character teenage comedy about high school graduates each with a different agenda on graduation night.

Verdict
An underrated teen party movie that avoids the shallowness typical of the genre. Multiple stories with great characters thread throughout. It goes beyond stereotypes to create people you knew in high school or maybe the person you were. It's not a crazy party movie, but a feel good nostalgia fueled high school story. Few movies capture the nostalgia of high school graduation through rose tinted glasses so perfectly.
Watch it.

Review
I watched this movie soon after it released to video. That's been a while but I always remembered this as really good high school fantasy. It's wish fulfillment with how everything works out so perfectly. The jerk jock gets a comeuppance, the smart, unassuming kid gets the girl, and the nerd gets a few social victories.
This is the perspective of someone long past high school, looking back on it with a deep fondness. While this may not be the reality of high school for many, it's an entertaining movie that's difficult to dislike. I wondered if my feelings from twenty years ago, and this movie, held up. Both do.
Seth Green plays Kenny.
Graduating high school is such a big deal at the time, though in retrospect it's not. This movie feeds into the idea of how life altering an event graduation is. This movie captures that nostalgia perfectly.
It's funny and poignant with a a few interweaving story lines. I can't help but quote Kenny while mimicking his intonation. He's a poser, adopting urban fashion and speech. This movie has all of these different stereotypical high schoolers plotting the night of this movie, but the movie develops them into more than just stereotypes. There's the every-man and main character Preston, his anti-social best friend Denise, the hot girl Amanda, the jock Mike, the nerds, the stoners, and many more. Everyone is at one big party.

The movie is narrow minded at times and a few homophobic slurs reinforce that. Those parts haven't aged well and the movie isn't very inclusive which is unfortunate. It's something that stands out twenty years later.
Jennifer Love Hewitt plays Amanda.
Preston just wants to confess his love to a crush that never knew he existed. This is his last chance before he leaves for the summer. Various plots unfurl and overlap. It's coincidental, but that's part of the movie's charm. It's almost silly, but it's fun. The characters are what ground the movie.
Jerry O'Connell plays Trip McNeilly.
There's a poignant moment where high school legend Trip McNeilly shows up at the party. This is a college guy that probably shouldn't be at the party. He reveals some truth to the jock antagonist Mike. There's a lot between the lines with Trip. Trip feels high school was the greatest time and I have to imagine he's at this party just to reminisce and be recognized as the popular guy. My guess is that Trip didn't fare well when he was no longer a big fish in a small pond.
The where are they now text epilogues work so perfectly in a movie like this. High school isn't indicative of life. This isn't a true experience, but it is a fun one and that's what makes this work, that and the characters that encapsulate this perfect experience that is graduating high school.
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DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 24, 2019


The Leech Woman (1960) Aged alcoholic murders to make potion that transforms her into a vivacious vamp. Silly, but manages to sneak in some commentary on objectifying women. TIL: Many theologians argue that the opposite of love is not hatred but the self-centered use of others.


Still Voices - The Breakfast Club (1985) "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country." - Kurt Vonnegut


Dad Rock Daily: The Nice - The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1968) David O'List does Hendrix and Keith Emerson does... Keith Emerson in this essential final stepping stone to Prog Rock. Laudable Lyrics: To really see, to really hear, to really live, to really love. And be kind.
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Monday 23 September 2019

Netflix NEWS 09.24.2019

Netflix NEWS
Updates on Netflix original content releasing this week and the announcements from last week. You can always read more about what's coming out this week and in the future on our Upcoming page.
Netflix Originals Releasing This Week

Team Kaylie Season 1 (September 23)
Netflix Original Series
Actress-singer Bryana Salaz plays Kaylie Konrad, a rich, nineteen-year-old selfie obsessed celebrity who receives a community service court order to lead the wilderness club at an inner city middle school. When she is forced outside of her comfort zone in every possible way, she proves to her followers, the kids, and herself that she is more than just the pretty face her domineering mom-ager has always prized.
Announcement

Jeff Dunham: Beside Himself (September 24)

Netflix Comedy Special
American ventriloquist, producer, and stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show, and Sonny With a Chance. He brings his rude, crude and slightly demented posse of dummies to Ireland for a gleeful skewering of family and politics.
Watch the trailer

Abstract: The Art of Design Season 2 (September 25)
Netflix Documentary Series
Look at the world with the perspective of the world's leading designers in a variety of disciplines.

Birders (September 25)

Netflix Distributed Documentary
Birders explores the migration of a diverse number of birds who successfully traverse the US-Mexico border each year, and the bird lovers on both sides of the frontier who celebrate this journey.
Watch the trailer

The Inmate [El Recluso] (September 25)
Netflix Distributed Spanish Language Series
Two gangs run this prison. Can he straddle the fence between them? Or will his refusal to choose a side blow his cover?

Glitch Season 3 (September 25)
Netflix Exclusive Series
Set in Australia, a police constable discovers six people alive and risen from the dead, perfectly healthy. The newly living have no memories, and the police constable and  town doctor struggle to keep the case secret and determine who these people are.

Explained Season 2 (September 26)


Netflix Distributed Series
Netflix and Vox unite for this enlightening weekly series that digs into a wide range of topics such as the rise of cryptocurrency, why diets fail, and the wild world of K-pop. Season 2 reported on November 14, 2018.
Watch Season 1 trailer #2

Bard of Blood Season 1 (September 27)

Netflix Original Series - 8 episodes
Set in the Indian sub-continent, this political espionage thriller tells the story of an expelled spy, Kabir Anand, who is provided a cover as a Shakespeare professor in Panchgani. To save his country and long-lost love, Kabir must avenge the past and face his deadliest enemies in a race against time.
Announcement
Watch the trailer

DreamWorks Dragons Rescue Riders Season 1 (September 27)
Netflix Distributed Animated Kids Series
An addition to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, twins, Dak and Leyla were raised by dragons and share a unique ability to communicate with them. The brother and sister lead a team of five young dragons that spend their days rescuing other dragons and helping the people in their adopted town of Huttsgalor.
Announcement 

El Marginal Season 3 (September 27)
Netflix Spanish Language Exclusive Series
A former cop must protect his identity when he infiltrates a prison to investigate a murder.

In the Shadow of the Moon (September 27)
Netflix Original Movie
Boyd Holbrook (Narcos) will star in this genre bending thriller as a Philly police officer struggling with a lifelong obsession over a mysterious serial killer whose crimes defy explanation. The cast also includes Michael C. Hall, Coleman Cleopatra, and Bokeem Woodbine, with Hap and Leonard creator Jim Mickle directing a script by Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock. The film is expected to begin shooting later in 2018 and was first reported on February 21, 2018.
Cast Announcement 
Watch the trailer 

Skylines Season 1 (September 27)

Netflix German Language Series - 6 episodes
In Frankfurt, a young and gifted hip-hop producer, Jinn, gets the chance of a lifetime when he signs with Skyline Records. But the worlds of music, crime, and high finance collide when the label owner's gangster brother returns from exile to claim his share. Shot in Berlin and Frankfurt.
Announcement
Production Begins
Watch the trailer

Sturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury (September 27)
Netflix Distributed Anime Movie
Grammy Award winning recording artist Sturgill Simpson is merging American rock music and Japanese animation. The film is set entirely to music from Simpson’s forthcoming album, also called SOUND & FURY, which will be released simultaneously. The film features a different anime segment for each individual song. 
Announcement

The Politician Season 1 (September 27)


Netflix Original Series
Payton Hobart, a wealthy student from Santa Barbara, CA, who has known since age 7 that he’s going to be president of the United States. But first he’ll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape of all: Saint Sebastian High School. To get elected student body president, secure a spot at Harvard and stay on his singular path to success, Payton will have to outsmart his ruthless classmates without sacrificing his own morality and carefully crafted image.
Watch the trailer

Locked Up [Vis a Vis] Season 3 (September 27)
Netflix Distributed Series Continuation
Manipulated into embezzling funds for her boyfriend and sentenced to prison, a naïve young woman must quickly learn to survive in a harsh new world.

Netflix Trailer
Netflix News & Announcements
Hype List
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Also Watched - Undone, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Concussion, Can You Ever Forgive Me?



Also watched -  Undone S1, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Concussion, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Undone Season 1 (2019)

A woman discovers she has a new relationship with time after surviving a car accident that almost killed her.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2018)
A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind.

Concussion (2015)
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
A successful biographer in the '70s and '80s, when Lee Israel's career tanks she begins forging letters from famous writers.

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Can You Ever Forgive Me? Movie Review

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Rent Can You Ever Forgive Me? on Amazon Video
Written by: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (screenplay by)
Directed by: Marielle Heller
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A successful biographer in the '70s and '80s, when Lee Israel's career tanks she begins forging letters from famous writers.

Verdict
It's a competent though low stakes heist movie. We're not given much reason to like the protagonist though we fully understand why she defrauds. It's refreshing that she's not sorry about improving her life, though she does regret the harm she caused others.
It depends.

Review
This has a bit of a twist with the main character. She isn't a hero for her act and isn't very likable. She's upset that her books no longer sell. She was a top writer and now can't make ends meet. That's the recipe to begin writing fake celebrity letters.
We fully understand the why and how she can't stop. She can finally pay her bills. She isn't rich trying to get richer, she's just trying to survive. She's destined to fail, and the movie doesn't build it up so the fall is over dramatized. It's a natural progression as she sells a legitimate letter, than beings selling fake letters which begin to raise suspicion and she has to get more daring. That's her source of income and she can't stop now.
Lee is aided by a con man named Jack. McCarthy and Grant have great chemistry. Though you should never trust a con man.

The conclusion is refreshing. She's sorry she hurt and defrauded people, but not by what she did exactly because she directly benefited. Her biggest regret is that her most popular writings were while she was impersonating celebrities.
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