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.
“Triple Frontier” (2019)
Netflix’s success and library size has allowed it to morph into a streaming giant, acting as a major studio that makes films across different kinds of genres. Their latest film, “Triple Frontier,” is an action thriller that follows retired military veterans as they attempt to rob a Brazilian drug lord. Much of “Triple Frontier” is exactly what you would expect to see in an action thriller, but there’s a surprising amount of time focusing on character development. As plans proceed, we see how the men react to unexpected developments in the heist and how they deal with one another. A large portion of the story takes place during the aftermath of the robbery, when the men begin to deal with the consequences of what they’ve done and how they’re going to get away with it. The film also takes place in an unconventional setting: rural Brazil. Rather than stick with the backdrop of a big city like Los Angeles or New York, audiences are treated to images of untamed Brazil. “Triple Frontier” is an easily consumed adventure that’s perfect for the broad audiences that Netflix attracts.
“Love, Death & Robots” (2019)
“Love, Death & Robots” is an anthology of animated shorts split into 18 episodes, all of which feature different casts and crews. A few stories use live actors but most rely on different styles of animation. The stories touch on an abundance of social, political and class issues, each with its own mix of violence and love-making. Some stories lean more toward horror and contain supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves, while others are geared toward comedy and finding humor in the absurd. Whatever its subject matter may be, each episode feels completely unique and distinct in the universe that it’s portraying. A common factor in almost all of the episodes are robots, though they’re used in different ways. Repetition and any kind of cohesion between episodes is something you’re definitely not going to get with “Love, Death & Robots.” Not every episode will appeal to you. Depending on your tastes, some may be more favorable than others. But that’s what’s so appealing about the show in the first place: its ability to mold and adapt itself into a different product in every episode. This collection of bizarre, insane, tense and sometimes hilarious stories is in a world of its own, and its large scope of subject matter is bound to appeal to all types of audiences.
“Tower” (2016)
Keith Matiland’s documentary “Tower” recreates the shocking events that took place at the University of Texas in the summer of 1966, where a mass shooting resulted in the death of 14 people and the injury of 32 others. Armed with seven guns and 700 rounds of ammunition, a troubled ex-marine climbed the observation deck of the clock tower at the University of Texas and opened fire. Maitland and his film use a technique known as rotoscoping, where animation is traced over motion picture footage to produce realistic action. Maitland combines animated recreations with archival footage, interviews and real-life images of the victims to give a devastating and intense recollection of the event. By using animation, the film creates more emotional reenactments that touch upon memory and emotion that may have been lost without the use of animation. These reenactments go much further than staged conversations and actors; the animation involved within each brings a perspective that many other documentaries fail to show. The emotions of the actors are intensified and the audience can relate to those feelings more easily. The documentary also switches between many different perspectives, all containing different emotions. One perspective may be from a victim, another from a cop, or one from an innocent bystander. Through these perspectives, the audience garners a better understanding of the events that took place and the victims involved. These perspectives are heartbreaking and grim, telling the tale of lives that would come to an end only minutes later. But the different perspectives also show the kind of heroism that took place, instances where average citizens risked their lives for strangers: a woman strikes up a conversation with a pregnant woman, attempting to take her mind off of the danger; students rush out and carry victims to safety as they themselves avoid gunfire. “Tower” is never overtly political, but it does include reminders of past mass shootings at Columbine, Colorado Springs and San Bernardino. As tales of tears, blood and bravery are told through reenactments, it’s clear that this event and similar acts of violence that have followed it are still haunting us today.
Featured image by Gabriella Pinos.
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