Matthew Ellmore/Staff Writer
Netflix offers a wide array of content for its viewers to watch, and it can be daunting to skim through its large collection to try and find something that interests you. However, there are some documentaries, series, and movies that are available on Netflix and that stand out from the rest. Some of them may be well-known, others may not. Hopefully, you can find something that interests you.
“In Bruges” (2008)
Martin Mcdonagh has recently become pretty well known after his latest movie “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri” was nominated for several awards and ended up winning the award for Best Actress as well as Best Supporting Actor at the 2017 Oscars ceremony. “In Bruges” is Mcdonagh’s first feature length film and stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. The film follows two hitmen who are sent into hiding in Bruges, Belgium as they await orders after a botched job. Mcdonagh uses dark comedy in all of his films but it’s especially prevalent in “In Bruges,” where characters are thrust into a complex crime story that mixes humor, violence and emotion. Although there are some pretty tense action scenes, this is not a typical action movie. The film shifts between action and long-winded conversations between two characters and it’s in these conversations where we learn the most about our two hitmen. The dialogue is witty and brutal at times, a constant reminder of Mcdonagh’s ability to write and the quality of direction he uses when directing.
“American Vandal” (2017-2018)
Even though Netflix recently announced that the show had been cancelled, “American Vandal” deserves to be seen. Both seasons follow two students as they conduct investigations into various pranks that occur at high schools around them. The series is shot in the format that so many popular true-crime series are shot in where most of the content is through interviews and recreations but American Vandal perfectly satirizes those tropes and turns it into something that’s not only funny but accurate as well. “American Vandal” perfectly encapsulates high school culture and instead of just filling it’s episodes with jokes, it ends up serving as a pretty entertaining mystery series with characters that feel real and genuine to what high school characters would seem like. Not all of the jokes land, but “American Vandal” still serves as a pretty entertaining example of satire done right.
“What Happened, Miss Simone?” (2015)
This documentary follows the life of American singer Nina Simone. As an artist during the civil rights era in 1960s, Nina Simone struggled to juggle her artistic identity and her devotion to the civil rights movement. As her fame began to grow, so did the struggle. Eventually, Simone walked away from her career, moved to Liberia, and gave up performing. The documentary includes hours of autobiographical tapes, videos of concerts, and interviews with Nina Simone’s family and friends as well as Simone’s own personal journal to present an in-depth look at how an artist managed to navigate through such a strange time. Rather than just have the documentary full of interviews, the inclusion of concert footage, interviews with Simone herself, and her own journal entries give the film a much more personal feel. The interviews do help to understand how Simone’s friends and family saw her but the concert performances showcase her true talent, they show the power of her voice and the dedication that she gave to her craft.
Photo by Georgia Vagim on Unsplash.
About Post Author
