True North Streaming: The Best New Titles on Netflix Canada, Jan 6/20
True North Streaming is a semi-regular column highlighting some of the best new additions to Netflix’s Canadian service. Like many of you, every so often I get a pleasant surprise when I discover a cool movie or TV show that’s just popped up on Netflix’s often-maligned sister platform. These posts will help you filter through the often quirky mix of Netflix Canada’s offerings and find the most valuable ways to waste some time.
And with that, in no particular order...
The Post
In the last two decades, Steven Spielberg steadily alternated between two types of movie release: genre pictures like Minority Report, and historical films like Lincoln and Bridge of Spies. In 2018, this rhythm led to two very different Spielberg movies opening within months of each other: the gamer fantasy Ready Player One (which I reviewed on release) and The Post, the story of the titular Washington paper breaking the story on the damning U.S. government leak known as the Pentagon Papers.
The Post is the kind of movie that’s perfect for people “waiting for Netflix”. It’s well-made, well-performed, but not the kind of buzzy title that demands that you see it when it first hits theatres. Tom Hanks does his Tom Hanks-iest best as Ben Bradlee, editor of the paper, and the movie is stocked with the kind of cast that only a director like Spielberg could assemble: Meryl Streep, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, and more. It doesn’t offer the chills of All the President’s Men or Spotlight, but it’s a worthwhile entry into the “important journalism movie” genre.
Molly's Game
Netflix seems to have added a number of former nominees to their service in the run-up to the 2020 awards season, and Molly’s Game is one of that bunch. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the movie is based on the memoir by Molly Bloom, a former U.S. Olympian who found herself running an VIP-only poker game that led to an investigation by the FBI.
Sorkin brings all of his characteristic energy to the screenplay, which rightfully found itself on the Oscar shortlist, though it lost out to Call Me By Your Name. The more unknown quantity in this movie was Sorkin in the director’s chair. He acquitted himself rather well for a feature debut, helped in no small part by his star, Jessica Chastain, who may have snagged an Oscar nod herself if Meryl Streep hadn’t grabbed another for her work in The Post.
Lost in Space
When the remake of Lost in Space hit Netflix in 2018, it had a few hurdles to overcome: how to re-do a classic, cheesy series from the 60s for the era of peak TV, and reconcile the outdated gender politics of the original, as well as the dreadful movie adaptation from 1998?
The answer was to spend a ton of money on VFX, as well as centering much of the drama around the new Mrs. Robinson, played by Molly Parker. Parker’s character is easily the most interesting person on the show, left to handle the burden of enforcing a borderline-abusive training regimen on her children, as well as dealing with marital problems with her absentee ex-military husband John (Toby Stephens). While the first season of the show ran out of steam in its finale, especially with regard to the gender-swapped villain, Dr. Smith (Parker Posey), Lost in Space still delivered an entertaining season overall.
The show is now back for Season 2, and the reviews suggest the series is improving; by introducing new landscapes and new characters, as well as developing the relationship between Will Robinson and his buddy, the decidedly scarier Robot, Lost in Space doesn’t break a lot of new narrative ground, but it’s a whole lot better than whatever this is.
Donnie Brasco
Gangster movies have their tropes, like any genre, and the trick is whether they keep you watching in spite of them. Donnie Brasco wasn’t the first movie to present the story of an undercover investigator being seduced by a life of crime, and it certainly hasn’t been the last. But as Roger Ebert noted when the movie came out, in 1997: “In this movie, Mafia guys don't get away with anything: With them, it's work, work, work, just like with everybody else.” Being in the Mob is taken as seriously as having a 9-5 office job, and it’s always fascinating to see how people get pulled into it.
In this case, we follow Johnny Depp’s FBI agent character as he begins to see Al Pacino’s mobster as more and more of a valuable mentor. Granted, this movie features a performance by a pre-controversy Depp, so your mileage may vary. But it’s an important waypoint in Pacino’s career, who has had plenty of ups and downs, this movie being one of the highlights.
Shoplifters
I’m cheating a bit here, as Shoplifters has been available on Netflix Canada for a month or so, but that shouldn’t be a knock against including the movie on any list of recommendations. Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu, the film follows a rag-tag family living in Tokyo, subsisting on petty theft and low-paying jobs. As Jason noted in his review from VIFF, despite their chosen professions, the Shibata family endear themselves to the audience, clearly caring for each other even though their family bonds may not be through blood. The plot gets under way, however, when they happen across a young girl in the street, trying to flee from abusive parents. The family decides to take the girl in and unofficially adopt her, an act which eventually threatens the whole family.
The visibility and popularity of Asian cinema in North America appears to be on a steady rise, alongside fantastic movies like Lee Chang-dong’s Burning and Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. Do yourself a favour and see what all the fuss is about.
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott’s novel about the March sisters didn’t find itself on any English literature syllabus when I was in school, but somehow I’ve always been aware of it, partly due to the frequent screen adaptations of the material (10 on TV, and 7 movies). The version Netflix made available most recently was arguably the most well-known American version of recent history: the 1994 edition starring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, and Claire Danes.
Netflix is apparently anticipating the extra attention the story is getting as Greta Gerwig’s new version rolls out in theatres. Regardless, I’ve seen plenty of people online debating which version is better - whichever treatment you prefer, the adaptations have often highlighted the very best young actresses on the rise. I’m very curious to see future YouTube video essays that put the 1994 film head-to-head with Gerwig’s.
John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch
Comedy specials are a tricky thing to recommend: comedy sometimes feels like the most subjective of genres, and what makes one person laugh may bore or offend the next.
I can’t think of a recent special that captures this challenge better than the new release from John Mulaney, The Sack Lunch Bunch. The special is styled as a wry and often surreal family program with a talented team of child actors, who each get featured musical segments. Some of the standouts: a song called “Grandma’s Got a Boyfriend”, the kid singing about only eating buttered noodles, and a sketch about a kids’ movie focus group. Oddly, I didn’t laugh at maybe 80% of the jokes, but there was one nugget at the end featuring Jake Gyllenhaal that more than made up for it. Given the variety in the special - this would be an excellent companion to Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave - I feel pretty confident adding this one to the list, even if it misses a few marks for each viewer.
What did you think of this list of Netflix recommendations? Are there any notable recent uploads on the Canadian service that I missed? Join the discussion in the comments section, and if you liked this post, share it with your friends and followers!