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 04/24/2015
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
A Night with the Stars: The Science of Doctor Who (2013)
Altar (2014)
Auschwitz: Blueprints of Genocide (1994)
Battle of Britain: The Real Story (2010)
Bears: Spy in the Woods (2004)
Bhoothnath Returns (2014)
Chasing Ghosts (2014)
Chris D’Elia: Incorrigible (2015)
Churchill’s First World War (2013)
D-Day (2004)
Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories (2012)
End Day (2005)
Fed Up (2014)
From Here to Infinity (1999)
Goering’s Last Secret (2011)
Keep On Keepin’ On (2014)
Lions: Spy in the Den (2000)
Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed (2013)
No Tears for the Dead (2014)
Noah (2014)
Skating to NY (2013)
Supermassive Black Holes (2000)
Swimming with Killer Whales (2011)
The First World War From Above (2010)
The Humbling (2014)
The Search for the Holy Grail (1998)
They Came Together (2014)
Ashe’s Seal of Approval
These are the films or series that are on Netflix and this week, Amazon Prime, 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. This week was lacking on Netflix additions, so I dove into Amazon Prime for a show that’s equal parts amazing and timeless.
Batman: The Animated Series (1992) – Amazon Prime
In the wake of the success of Batman Returns, Warner Brothers turned to its animation department to keep Batman’s momentum going, and in turn, Bruce Timm gave us one of the most iconic depictions of Batman outside of the comics we’ve ever received. Brilliantly written and designed, along with one of the best voice casts in an animated series, Batman: The Animated Series is still one of the best television shows ever produced. Spun out into a Superman and Justice League series, as well as several stand alone Batman animated films, Batman: The Animated Series is a must watch for anyone who loves the Bat.
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.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
A Night with the Stars: The Science of Doctor Who (2013)
Altar (2014)
Chris D’Elia: Incorrigible (2015)
D-Day (2004)
Fed Up (2014)
From Here to Infinity (1999)
No Tears for the Dead (2014)
Noah (2014)
Skating to NY (2013)
Supermassive Black Holes (2000)
Ashe’s Pull List Picks of the Week
So what did I watch off my Netflix Pull List this week? There was a rearranging of my house and an upsetting of the natural order. Comfort Star Trek episodes and Game of Thrones may have led to me being a little lazy with the Pull List this week.. So what made it off the list? Here we go.
The Babadook (2014, dir. Jennifer Kent)
Sam’s frequent tantrums turn sinister when a creepy children’s book mysteriously appears in his room, and he asks his mother, “Do you want to die?” This was beautifully shot using some of my favorite techniques. The design for the babadook, and the scene set ups they use it in are great. I love that it’s not just a horror film, but it’s also a film about dealing with grief. So many great moments in this, and the look and feel of the book is fantastic. There isn’t a huge body count here, but there’s some great psychological and supernatural horror that I can’t recommend enough.
The Canal (2014, dir. Ivan Kavanagh)
A film archivist sees footage revealing that his happy home was once the scene of a gruesome murder, which casts evil shadows upon his present life. There are some really interesting ideas here, and I liked how it was playing out, for the most part. They leave it a bit ambiguous, and I loved the inclusion of the older style film camera. While the acting is quite good, it kind of falls apart when it ceases to be ambiguous, and goes one way on us, and then another later. It’s well done, I just wish it could figure out where it wanted to go, rather then leaving the viewer hanging on what’s been going on.
Make sure to check back next week for more reviews and recommendations from the Netflix Instant Queue in Issue 15 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.
