Sadly, I spent most of the past week being very sick. I only made it in to work two days and despite spending a lot of time at home on my couch I didn’t blog, I barely read any blogs, I fell behind on email, and I hardly did any reading. It was that kind of sick where you feel unable to do anything but stare at your television and try not to plot the absolute demise of the co-worker you are fairly certain put you in such a tragic state and forced you to squander the little paid time off you had been hording.
So what did I do? Well, I slowly worked through the very long queue of Netflix movies I have been collecting for nearly a year. I thought I would give you a little review as some of them were wonderful and I would highly recommend!
Documentaries:
This is an absolutely stunning and breathtaking documentary that I cannot recommend enough. It was so beautiful; full of nature, landscape, history, and culture. This is a series of about 6 episodes and I was spellbound every minute.
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I have to admit I wasn’t familiar with Grey Gardens until the version with Drew Barrymore came out. I haven’t seen that one yet, but the original was… very hard to describe. Sad, funny at times, tragic, depressing, and yet still all the while: fascinating.
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Another documentary with stunning cinematography. Who wants to join me on an expedition to see the disappearing glaciers? Also some very troubling info on climate change… I hope you will watch it!
Dramas:
Anthony Hopkins at his understated best. This falls in the beloved category an old friend of mine would affectionately call “pointless English films”. It is slow, but moving. The story follows the would-be romance between an English butler and the head housekeeper at a beautiful English manor. It often made me think of another favorite, Gosford Park. I think it may be the same estate location? Anyway, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before now as it was just my kind of film.
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How did I not see this one before now? This could warrant a post all it’s own. (…and probably will eventually at Steam Spectre!) Turn-of-the-century boarding school students take an exquisitely romantic picnic in the Australian landscape and a few never return. The quiet mystery and horror is just what I love in my “scary” movies. The pacing reminded me of an M.Night Shyamalan film although the conclusion is… Well, if you haven’t already, I should just let you see it for yourself. It is adapted from a book which the author claimed till her death was based on fact… Creepy. Definitely a new favorite.
Just in case you aren’t convinced, let’s have a few movie stills shall we?
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I watched many others, but these were the most notable. I do think that the instant watch feature on Netflix is the most ingenious of inventions… I hope you all had healthier weeks and happy weekends!
Also: thank you to those who have ventured over to Steam Spectre! If you would like to follow me there as well I would be delighted!
The animated sequence at the end is one of my favorite parts!
