Netflix Nine: What to watch on Netflix over winter break
December 4, 2016 / / Comments Off on Netflix Nine: What to watch on Netflix over winter break
By Kristen Wohlers
-
- Finals are done, kids are out of school, you’re avoiding the holiday hustle and bustle, you’re sitting on your couch, with hot cocoa or not. Netflix is there for you, and here’s what you can watch. (photo: Netflix)
-
- 9. ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ Everyone is doing it. So you might as well watch it too. It’s only four short (?) 90-minute episodes. The sequel series aired on Netflix on Nov. 25. Long-time “Gilmore Girls” fan and sister of a genius says, “It’s witty, smart and heart-warming. All the things you want to feel when watching a show.” She says the characters are more like friends. But some warn that if you’re looking for closure, just don’t. And then watch it anyways. (photo: Wikipedia)
-
- 8. ‘Like Sunday, Like Rain’ Netflix has a niche with their legitimate television series, but it can sometimes be hard to find a good movie when you’re in the mood. Since we’re from the Portland, OR area, it’s probably no surprise that we like independent films more than the mainstream ones. This indie, shot in 20 days according to the New York Daily News, is especially special since it avoids the typical love story and explores an unlikely friendship instead. Leighton Meester is the almost Julliard student Eleanor, who scams her way into a nanny job in which she must care for genius cellist Reggie. You’ll feel all the things when you experience the music that follows in this film. (photo: Wikipedia)
-
- 7. ‘Broadchurch’ This British mystery originally aired on the television network ITV and then on BBC America, but Americans tried to make it American by adapting/softening it with the title, “Gracepoint.” Don’t watch that. Watch it in all its British glory on Netflix. The two seasons will have you viewing multiple episodes at a time and clicking, “Hell yes,” when Netlix asks you if you’re still watching “Broachchurch.” (photo: .:Mat:.)
-
- 6. ‘The Lion in Your Living Room’ Because cats. Cats are cute, and we love them even though some may call them unfriendly, introverted or selfish. Perhaps we’re kindred spirits then. This documentary, which is actually an episode from the CBC series “The Nature of Things,” gives us the facts about the domesticated animals and their wild ancestors: like that they sleep half of the time, that they have ultraviolet vision and that they spend 50% of their waking hours grooming themselves like brats. But more importantly, it documents cute cat moments that will have you going, “awwwwwwwwwwe” and comparing the critters to your own. (photo by Kristen Wohlers)
-
- 5. ‘You’re Not You’ You all remember the “ice bucket challenge,” but do you remember why you chose to subject yourself to such frozenness? It was to spread awareness and raise funds to fight ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This film, starring Hillary Swank as Kate and Josh Duhamel as her husband Evan, and based on the novel by Michelle Wildgen, is underrated and worth the watch. Swank completely submerges herself into the character of the intelligent pianist and ALS sufferer Kate. The film explores the debilitating disease that is ALS as well as the friendship of Kate and her caregiver Bec, played by Emmy Rossum. (photo: Wikipedia)
-
- 4. ‘Damages’ Come on, how many series do you watch all the way to the end? This drama, starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, will have you hooked from the first frame and keep you hooked until the last. Byrne is stoic and intriguing as the protagonist Ellen Parsons, and Close is unbelievable as lawyer Patty Hewes, the character you will love to hate more than any other, ever. This is the perfect binge-watch. (photo: Jonathan Gray)
-
- 3. ‘Human Planet’ Have YOU breastfed monkeys? Have YOU eaten tarantulas? I didn’t think so. Instead of going out and doing those things, you can watch humans from around our big world doing things like that in this fascinating documentary, which originally aired on BBC Earth. If you don’t like documentaries, then call it “reality TV,” because if you’re human at all, you’ll want to watch all six episodes in six nights or one. (photo: Wikipedia)
-
- 2. ‘Stranger Things’ If you’re one of the one person who hasn’t watched the Netflix Original series yet (Melissa Jones), then get on it, will you? According to this narrow-minded, top-nine list, it’s the second best show on Netflix. It will have you reliving the 1980s, thinking Winona Ryder ought to win an Emmy and satisfied that questions lead to answers and not more questions (hi, my old friend “Lost”). (photo: Netflix)
-
- 1. ‘Parenthood’ If you haven’t seen it, binge-watch like you’ve never binge-watched before, because this might be the best show on television. Sometimes people are cliché when describing shows or movies, and they say things like, “You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.” So I won’t say that. You’ll roar with laughter and you’ll ball your face off. Every. Episode. And you’ll love the show for that. #WatchNow (photo: 5alarmmusic.com)
