Netflix & Prime Box Sets: A Survival Guide By Grosse Point Geek

Netflix & Prime Box Sets: A Survival Guide By Grosse Point Geek

by Will Strong A Blog Other Cr*p

In these rather strange and troubling times we are living in at the moment it is of course very easy to get depressed and down in the dumps.  Many of us are naturally struggling to fill the time in the absence of being able to do normal things – like visit family and friends, go to the pubs, restaurants, theatres or cinemas. So what to do to stave off the COVID19 blues? Some people are playing board games, some are listening to music, others are on their play stations or Xboxes.

However if you are like me (a notoriously obsessed film geek) you may be raiding your dvd/blu ray collection or trawling though Netflix and Amazon Prime in search of some thing to watch. So to help you all out I have compiled a few lists of films and box sets to see you though the coming weeks.

Next Up: Recommended Box Sets on Netflix and Amazon Prime

 

Hunters (Amazon Prime)

Breaking Bad (Netflix)

Sex Education (Netflix – its a comedy before anyone gets the wrong idea!)

The Walking Dead (Amazon Prime)

Fear The Walking Dead (Amazon Prime)

The Witcher (Netflix)

Designated Survivor (Netflix)

Taken (Amazon Prime)

The X Files (Amazon Prime)

Daredevil (Netflix)

Picard (Amazon Prime)

Better Call Saul (Netflix)

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Star Trek Discovery (Netflix)

The Man In The High Castle (Netflix)

Bosch (Amazon Prime)

Vikings (Amazon Prime)

 

I’ll be back with more lists to help get you through the current Film and new release shortage!

American Factory (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

American Factory (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
A compelling documentary that looks at the reopening of an old General Motors factory by a Chinese billionaire and the inevitable culture class that follows.  What’s most scary here is how quickly the two different worlds fail to gel and the openness and honesty in which the documentary dig’s deep into this.  Whilst Netflix original narrative films often fail to deliver, its documentaries are some of the best out there and once again they hit big with the Oscar nominated American Factory.  Stream it now on Netflix.

Best Bit: Lazy Americans

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Icarus, 13th, Fyre

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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In The Shadow Of The Moon (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

In The Shadow Of The Moon (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
In The Shadow Of The Moon starts off as a serial killer thriller and quickly spirals into something quite different. Okay so it’s far from perfect but at least it plays with some new concepts and ideas as the story soldiers on through decades after decades even if when the ending finally arrives it is a touch unsatisfying, with one particular turn being pretty obvious early on.  But overall In The Shadow Of The Moon is a pretty decent diversion, with a  good cast and some solid direction.

Best Bit: Ah it’s THAT film

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Primer, Predestination, Twelve Monkeys 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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6 Underground (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

6 Underground (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
6 Underground is a hot mess of a film with one of the worst and most unwatchable opening action sequences in recent memory.  Get beyond THAT car chase however and actually there’s a pretty fun action film with some solid set pieces, a handful of genuinely great free running sequences and a winning (if somewhat familiar) central performance from Ryan Reynolds.  It’s also a film that showcase the best and worst of it’s director Michael Bay – from poor dialogue and OTT acting (and a dash of sexism) to beautifully shot action, excellent use of slow mo and some top notch ideas (the magnet for one).  This gives me hope that Bad Boys for Life may actually be fun… so 6 Underground will not be for everyone but it won me over in the end.

Best Bit: Boat + Magnet

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Bad Boys for Life, Bad Boys, The Rock

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Irishman (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

The Irishman (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The Irishman is more than just Oldfellas.  It’s a film that bares the weight of its cast and directors ageing years and experience.   Yes it’s long and yes it lacks the pace and stylish filming of either Casino or Goodfellas but it’s also not trying to be either of those films. The Irishman is a slower story, told over decades, that relishes in its character interaction and quiet moments.  It’s also not THAT violent, certainly not compared with Scorsese’s other gangster and crime films.  Nope The Irishman is a different film, genetically linked to his classic works but one that reflects the closing years of some of the most epic careers in the movie industry.  Also side note – the de-ageing technology on display here is near faultless.  Not bad for someone with a less than positive view of CGI heavy movies…

Best Bit: The technology

Cinema, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Casino, Goodfellas, The Godfather

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Great Hack (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

The Great Hack (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Eye opening, scary, complex and fascinating… The Great Hack dives deep into the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal with a sharp eye and unflinching dedication to its subject.  As the realisation of how deep and insidious this whole thing was dawns, you cant help but feel dirty and betrayed.  It packed a huge gut punch for sure.   In short it’s pretty terrifying as it details the exploitation of personal data on the internet by those you trusted to keep it safe.  You’ll never want to use facebook again!

Best Bit: Not best but knowing you can never trust any company again ever

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Citizenfour

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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El Camino : A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

El Camino : A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
El Camino : A Breaking Bad Movie picks up seconds after the end of the much loved TV series.  Yup the cast have aged somewhat but that’s suspicion of disbelief aside there’s a lot to enjoy here.  Was it an essential addition to the near perfect TV show? No. In fact if you never watched El Camino you’d not be missing that much BUT if you want some serious fan service and a bow tied around the end of the show once and for all then this is the film for you.  It’s got cameos, call backs as well as a few surprises along the way and all in all it’s great fun.  One for the fans.

Best Bit: THAT cameo.  Oh and Forster’s last movie role.

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Sopranos

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Gerald’s Game (2017) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Gerald’s Game (2017) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Gerald’s Game is yet another 2017 Stephen King adaptation.  This one sits between the most excellent I.T and the less than excellent (but still not as bad as everyone says!) The Dark Tower. With some strong central performances, a tight story and a nippy run time it works well, even if the tones and story is a little bit familiar.   Another strong Netflix original…

Best Bit: Netflix Hits again

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: IT, The Stand, Fifty Shades Of Grey, Misery

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Babysitter (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

The Babysitter (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The latest Netflix original horror film delivers two surprises… the first that it’s actually really quite excellent and the second that it comes from the directorial “talent” that is McG.  Yes Charlies Angels McG.  I know right.  That aside, The Babysitter is funny, smart and gory.  Okay so it lacks almost any actual scares but with a quick run time, great script and spirited performances this is another must see from Netflix.

Best Bit: Toy Car, Stairs, glass

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Happy Death Day, Tucker And Dale Vs Evil, The Final Girls

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Mowgli (2019)- A Quick Capsule Review

Mowgli (2019)- A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Mowgli is the second version of The Jungle Book story to come out in just under a year.  Directed by Andy Serkis, it’s a straight to Netflix release and, as you would expect from the king of Motion capture, the film has a LOT of CGI.  It’s a shame they didn’t finish most of it. Look Mowgli isn’t bad and it’s more adult take on the source material is a refreshing take.  But it also has issues… not least where the budget seems to outstrip the vision.  Which is quite often.  It’s solid for sure but we’ve seen it all before and the story is very well told in two much better films.  So one for a Sunday afternoon when it’s wet…

Best Bit: The chase

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: The Jungle Book (2018), The Lion King (2019), The Legend of Tarzan

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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