Staff
- Oct 6, 2017

The Netflix Weekend Watchlist

Matt Linton

It Might Get Loud (2008) – I’ve never seen this documentary in which Jack White, Jimmy Page, and the Edge talk about music, but as fans of all three guitarists, I’ve wanted to watch it for a while. I’m sure there’s the likelihood of massive amounts of mutual ego-stroking, but it’s rock ‘n roll and they’re rock stars, so that goes with the territory. I mean, he still calls himself “the Edge.”

Trading Places (1983) – Since I’ve previously recommended Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hours I might as well finish the trifecta with the third of Eddie Murphy’s great 80’s movies. This also co-stars Dan Ackroyd (when he, too, was still funny) and Jamie Lee Curtis in a great rags-to-riches and riches-to-rags story. Classic Hollywood stars Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche are also fantastic in the film. And, hey, if you watch this you’ll get the reference in Coming to America!

Three (2016) – Kino Club 313 recently did a screening of Exiled by Hong Kong director Johnnie To, and I was really impressed with his visual style, storytelling, and composition. Based on that, I want to see this film from 2016 about a standoff in a hospital between a criminal who intentionally gets himself shot and, presumably, the police. It’s his only film streaming on the site, but thankfully it looks pretty cool

Jaws (1975) – It’s Jaws. There is literally nothing I could say about this film that hasn’t been said a thousand times. Did you know the score is amazing? Of course you did. Have you heard that this Spielberg guy is pretty good at creating suspense? No, really, he is. Were you aware that it has quotable lines, like, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”? Seriously, it’s Jaws. Just watch it.

Shelby Cadwell

Stranger Things Season 1 – With Stranger Things Season 2 set to release on October 27th, now is the perfect time to catch up on – or rewatch – the show's excellent first season. Although it has been accused of being derivative of the horror films and television that came before it, I'd rather think of Stranger Things as a particularly well-crafted love letter to the genre, and especially to the 1980's. Nostalgia aside, the show features solid writing, exceptional acting, and genuinely creepy effects.

Gerald's Game - I'll admit that I haven't had a chance to watch this yet, but I have nothing but high hopes for this Netflix original film. Gerald's Game is one of the most haunting and unforgettable Stephen King novels I've read (and I've read a LOT of his stuff), and the choice of cast and director are on point. I'm looking forward to checking this one out – although I'm sure it will be just as disturbing, if not more so, than the original story.

Hellraiser - Continuing in the Halloween spirit, Clive Barker's Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror movies from the 1980's (which was a great decade for the genre, in my humble opinion). A mix of body horror and fetishistic BDSM, with a dash of H.R. Giger inspired visuals to really make things disturbing, this film is not for the faint-hearted, or anyone with a fear of creepy uncles.

The Babadook - This film is a bit of a slow burn, but so worth the wait. Rather than being a scary movie about a creepy monster in a top hat (as it appears to be on the surface), the film is actually an insightful look into the dark places the human mind goes to when dealing with grief. The use of the children's book as the 'delivery system' for the monster is possibly the scariest plot device since Freddy Krueger started infiltrating teenagers' nightmares in 1984.