The Movie Guru: Head to Netflix for your next night at the movies
Netflix
Even though people are starting to venture out into the wider world, movie fans don’t have to take that risk.
While local venues continue offering the movie-out experience, Netflix has amassed an impressive little collection of new original and exclusive movies over the past few months, enough to appeal to a wide range of tastes. So, whether you’re looking for serious drama or ridiculous comedy, here are some great reasons to settle in front of your computer screen with some freshly buttered microwave popcorn.
‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga‘
If you have any love for Will Ferrell or sentimental underdog sports movies, you definitely want to watch “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.” It’s Ferrell’s best movie in years, a sweet and silly ode to musical movies that you can enjoy without knowing a single thing about Eurovision. (In case you want to, think of Eurovision as an extremely large international “The Voice” style competition, only with all the participating countries as judges and much higher overall production values.) Even if you don’t love Ferrell, Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens have amazing comedic chops that are more than worth sticking around for.
‘The Old Guard‘
I would say they don’t make good action movies anymore, but thankfully Charlize Theron always comes along and proves me wrong. “The Old Guard” is a well-written, deeply satisfying entry into the genre, wound through with just enough of a fantastical element to keep it spicy. The entire cast is wonderful, and you’re not wrong in whoever you choose as your favorite (except the pasty young CEO who’s the main bad guy, come on people). There’s even a positive message woven throughout that the world is sorely in need of right now.
‘The Lovebirds‘
This was meant to hit theaters before COVID-19 entered all our lives, but people are probably more ready to appreciate it now than ever. Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are fantastic as a couple who decide to break up just as they plunge into the kind of dangerous criminal hijinks that only seem to happen in movies. The plot itself is completely ridiculous, though more coherent than most movies of this type, but Rae and Nanjiani are an absolute delight. They make the ridiculousness oddly charming, and both the ups and downs of their relationship feel completely believable.
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‘Da 5 Bloods‘
Though the movie seems at first glance like a Vietnam War/modern era remake of the 1999 movie “Three Kings,” this is Spike Lee we’re talking about. Though stolen gold does play prominently into the plot, it’s really all about surprisingly nuanced politics, reckoning with your past and what it takes to heal from both institutional and personal pain. The movie starts off slow but eventually blossoms into a thing of almost Shakespearean proportions, thanks in part to an absolutely killer performance by Delroy Lindo. It’s fairly dark and gory, but it’s also a story that will linger long after the credits roll.
Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.