Most of the movies and TV series I watch come from my Netflix Instant Queue. It has been my go to for over five years now. I like to use it to find hidden gems, but not everyone wants to commit two hours of their free time to a decent looking movie poster. I’ve watched a ton of garbage over the years, but have missed even more, so there’s always something I want to watch, whether it’s revisiting an old favorite, or finally catching something I missed over the years. Instant Cinefessions will list some weekly recommendations based on what’s new on the Netflix service. It will also include my “Pull List”, which are films I’m interested in watching in the coming weeks. Look for reviews of the movies in my pull list in future columns. Also featured are brief reviews of films I’ve watched off the Pull List.
New Films added to Netflix as of 05/06/2015
Ashe’s Seal of Approval
These are the films or series that are on Netflix that get my seal of approval. In lieu of something not showing up that I’ve seen with recent additions to Netflix, which is a good problem to have if you’re looking for something new, I’ll recommend something that I’ve seen recently or that I know will be on the service for a while.
The Sixth Sense (1999, Dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
An eight year old boy named Cole believes he can see into the world of the dead and a child psychologist named Malcolm comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts of dead people. At this point most people talk about the twist of the film. I was one of the people who missed it throughout my first viewing. M. Night Shyamalan crafted a great ghost story, and introduced us all to his method of storytelling in the process. While he’s had a few duds lately, this is one of his best films, and Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment sell every scene they’re in. Can’t recommend this one enough.
An eight year old boy named Cole believes he can see into the world of the dead and a child psychologist named Malcolm comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts of dead people. At this point most people talk about the twist of the film. I was one of the people who missed it throughout my first viewing. M. Night Shyamalan crafted a great ghost story, and introduced us all to his method of storytelling in the process. While he’s had a few duds lately, this is one of his best films, and Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment sell every scene they’re in. Can’t recommend this one enough.
Fruitvale Station (2013, Dir. Ryan Coogler)
The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Michael B. Jordan’s performance in this film is fantastic. We get a great look at a flawed human being who’s just trying to get his life on track before things go horribly wrong. It’s unfortunately become a big thing in the news because this keeps happening, but the film definitely paints a picture of what sort of events actually lead up to a complete overreaction by those in authority.
The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Michael B. Jordan’s performance in this film is fantastic. We get a great look at a flawed human being who’s just trying to get his life on track before things go horribly wrong. It’s unfortunately become a big thing in the news because this keeps happening, but the film definitely paints a picture of what sort of events actually lead up to a complete overreaction by those in authority.
Ashe’s Pull List
The Pull List is a list of films I’m interested in but haven’t seen that have been added to Netflix since the beginning of the year. These listed below are the films that have been added to the Pull List since last issue. Look for reviews of some of these in future issues of Instant Cinefessions. Don’t be surprised if I don’t end up clearing out this entire list either. Even I can be picky sometimes.
White Haired Witch (2014)
Jinn (2014)
Rabbit Hole (2010)
Late Phases (2014)
Extraterrestrial (2014)
Icetastrophe (2015)
The Identical (2014)
Jinn (2014)
Rabbit Hole (2010)
Late Phases (2014)
Extraterrestrial (2014)
Icetastrophe (2015)
The Identical (2014)
Ashe’s Pull List Picks of the Week
So what did I watch off my Netflix Pull List this week? Ongoing spring cleaning and a need to beat things and stab things to death in my online games severely reduced my film intake these past few weeks. So what made it off the list? Here we go.
Flu (2013, Dir. Sungsu Kim)
When people in a South Korean suburb start dropping like flies from a deadly airborne respiratory disease, the area is quarantined and chaos reigns. There is a lot going on with this film and it does a great job balancing out the story with all the characters. This is very much a virus thriller in that it keeps you in suspense throughout. The actors do a great job, and the actress in the role of the little girl isn’t just adorable, but acts right along with the adult actors. It’s interesting to see how filmmakers in Korea believe things would go down with a super virus, and on top of that, the U.S. interference while the Korean people are just trying to do their jobs. If you like films like Outbreak, this is right up your alley.
When people in a South Korean suburb start dropping like flies from a deadly airborne respiratory disease, the area is quarantined and chaos reigns. There is a lot going on with this film and it does a great job balancing out the story with all the characters. This is very much a virus thriller in that it keeps you in suspense throughout. The actors do a great job, and the actress in the role of the little girl isn’t just adorable, but acts right along with the adult actors. It’s interesting to see how filmmakers in Korea believe things would go down with a super virus, and on top of that, the U.S. interference while the Korean people are just trying to do their jobs. If you like films like Outbreak, this is right up your alley.
Make sure to check back here on the site for more reviews and recommendations from the Netflix Instant Queue in Issue 17 of Instant Cinefessions!
Source: Whats on Netflix and Netflix
Born the same year as Star Wars, it seems Ashe was destined to be into films with big impacts, explosions, and laser swords. With a love for sci-fi and horror, Ashe has a thing for games of both the tabletop and video variety. He is living a charmed, married life of sixteen years, along with several cats, a dog, and a bearded dragon. Ashe currently writes for Diehard Gamefan, covering video and tabletop games since 2008. Starting with Cinefessions just a few years ago, he has decided to tackle one of his original passions: film.
