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 05/27/2015
30 for 30: Sole Man (2015)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Jen Kirkman: I’m Gonna Die Alone (2015)
Love and Honor (2013)
Mysterious Ways (2015)
Northern Borders (2013)
The Boxtrolls (2014)
The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir (2015)
The Prince (2014)
Welcome to the Punch (2013)
Ashe’s Seal of Approval
These are the films or series that are on Netflix 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.
Inglourious Basterds (2009, dir. Quentin Tarantino)
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. An opportunity to strike at the very heart of the Reich comes up and they get a chance to rewrite history. This is definitely a Tarantino film, but like Jackie Brown, doesn’t quite feel like a Tarantino film. It’s not bad, not by a long shot, but it’s kind of a departure from his usual style in a few respects. The parts are all there, but he’s experimenting a bit here. While I like Brad Pitt in this, the standouts are definitely Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Laurent.
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.
30 for 30: Sole Man (2015)
Jen Kirkman: I’m Gonna Die Alone (2015)
Mysterious Ways (2015)
The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir (2015)
The Boxtrolls (2014)
The Prince (2014)
Welcome to the Punch (2013)
Ashe’s Pull List Picks of the Week
So what did I watch off my Netflix Pull List this week? Ongoing spring-cleaning and a need to beat and stab things to death in my online games severely reduced my film intake these past few weeks. Plus prepping for a long string of films in June. So what made it off the list? Here we go.
[REC]⁴ Apocalypse (2014, dir. Jaume Balagueró)
In the final installment, TV reporter Ángela is rescued and taken to an offshore ship for quarantine, but she brings with her an unwelcome stowaway. I’m going to preface this by saying I haven’t seen REC or REC 2, but I did see REC 3. I did, however, watch Quarantine, which is the shot-for-shot U.S. remake of REC. I actually liked Quarantine quite a bit. This seems more like a direct sequel to REC, with a few nods to the others. This is also not nearly as bloody or insane as REC 3 was. They have some good ideas here, but it never feels as intense as everything was with Quarantine, and the atmosphere of the first film is missing. A ship would be the perfect location for that, but the film never quite capitalizes on it. Worth a look if you liked the other REC films, or like zombie films in general.
Make sure to check back here on the site for more reviews and recommendations from the Netflix Instant Queue in Issue 19 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.
