Netflix Watch Instantly Recommendation Thread

I started posting about Midnight Mass some time back on the Hill House thread, not much traction.

it IS super silly imo, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it - I've come to accept that overwrought monologues is Flanagan's THING, which makes for an easier watch. also the writing in this one was noticeably better than either of the two Hauntings (or maybe the actors are better? It's his best cast for sure - love Hamish Linklater and Rahul Kohli).

Beverly is clearly the true monster of the show.

So far, it's the best Stephen King novel I've ever read watched. It's definitely kept me on my toes (I confidently stated that there's no way that something like the end of episode four would happen, roughly five minutes before the end of episode four happened).

Only tell me if the ending is any good. The Hill House show is one of the best horrors I've ever seen but the back half stripped a lot of its luster.

Well if he does manage to stick the landing then I'm afraid his King impersonation will need some refining.

yes, the ending is good. At least I thought it was good.

thought the ending of bly manor was more contrived than hill house, which really went for something that didn’t feel earned by the previous episodes but, like, i admired the going-for-broke-ness of it

anyway, excited to dip into midnight mass

I will heartily agree, as far as I am into it atm, with those who've said it's the best of the three.

MM lands successfully IMO

I started skipping the long monologues and enjoyed it. Good show otherwise

I did a fair bit of skipping of the monologues in the end. I loved Hamish Linklater but binging its meant a little scripture went a long way.

Fwiw, I thought the end was fine.

Baby Sitters Club is back!

i never finished the first season but i remain impressed by how solid a show it is

binged squid game in two sittings. Compulsively watchable. I hope there isn't a second series though.

I'm sure Netflix will push hard for another season but the writer/director has said there was no plan for another one

second series would be v dumb and bad

How did you watch Squid Game in terms of subtitles/dubs?

Personally gone for original Korean dialogue with English subs. the subtitles are very, erm, detailed.

I did the english subtitles, they were occasionally not well done.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/10/1044830237/squid-game-is-the-latest-example-of-when-subtitles-are-a-little-off

the worst thing about the show was the english actors in masks, not one of which could deliver a believable line

Feel like English-speaking actors in non-English productions are usually pretty bad, I almost don't notice it anymore

I've read that you want English, not English (CC).

I think I'm one of the few who didn't love SG. It didn't feel like a waste of time but I wouldn't have regretted not watching it.

yeah there are two sets of subtitles: one is closed captions for the English dub - this is the translation that everyone is complaining about, and should be avoided imo.

The subtitles for the original Korean dialogue are much better but there are still a few major things off (fyi i don’t speak Korean but have watched enough Korean content in my life to notice). One example is during the night watch scene, where the subtitles show Ali calling Sangwoo by his name, after the latter asks him to stop calling him boss.

But what Ali actually calls him is “hyung” - meaning “older brother”, a term of affection used by Korean males towards older males they’re close to. This is actually what makes Sangwoo’s later betrayal of Ali even more devastating - Ali thought of him as family. His last words before he gets killed (“Sangwoo hyung”) even calls back to that scene.

I can kinda understand why they went with the simplest route there, cos I guess they don’t really have the time to explain the Korean language’s use of honorifics to a non Korean audience. but still, that was a huge moment where I thought the subtitles didn’t adequately reflect what was happening on screen.

Ah fuck I messed up the formatting there, sorry for major spoiler!!

I think I'm one of the few who didn't love SG.

We watched the first episode, didn't particularly like it, but had heard it got a lot better. Got as far as the first scene in episode two and checked out. I am just not in the mood for that particular type of callous violence just now.

the physical and emotional violence only gets worse!
yeah i dug it

I don't regret watching it, but I don't think I'd have minded missing the show entirely (especially some with some of its gore).

Is Squid Game part of a South Korean genre or at least deeply intersectioning with one? Wondering if there is anything else as good from there. Started watching My Name last night which seems to be a similarly violent crime related drama. Not sure if that is similar enough to categorise them. & that makes 2 series so far which share violence as a partial trope.
I thought there might be reference to further things on this board but I'm not sure what search engine terms to use. I did find some other titles from current Korean tv when googling that are highlighted in the wake of Squid Game but not sure that's something to go by.

I keep thinking of Alice in Borderland but is that Korean? I thought it was set in Japan.

Alice in Borderland is probably most adjacent but yeah that's Japanese and set in Tokyo

Kingdom is South Korean and definitely worth a watch, especially if you're partial to hats (although set in medieval times)

Also Sweet Home but that's post-apocalyptic.

anyway, excited to dip into midnight mass

I haven't watched any of Mike Flanagan's other stuff, but the recommendations from here were enough to steer me to this. Three episodes in and it's properly creepy. As good old Irish Roman Catholics, we are having fun with some of the details. Like, Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and quiet. It is definitely not the day when you have a potluck with a load of food. You're not meant to eat anything except dry toast and black tea. And a responsorial psalm is supposed to have responses. It's in the name. I'm also assuming that the old-age makeup on half the cast means they're going to get younger at some point, but I am here for whatever jump-scare disaster is about to befall this super-attractive island population.

Also, it's always great to see Henry Thomas.

Kingdom was great. I also really liked Beyond Evil, which is a small town cops and crime drama.

Squid Game reminded some of us of the Korean game show Please watch the Korean game show "Genius" with me but I don't know if that's a little too different. For a game show, it does have a lot of drama (and is great)

do they shoot losers of Genius to death?

No but only because then they can't have surprise returns later!

This is killing me pic.twitter.com/upNCDzk3iO

— The Hubris Guy (@Frail_Old_Woman) October 31, 2021

lool!

The documentary about the Sparks Brothers is now on Netflix in the US

:D

Should I watch more than 2 eps of Bly Manor?

I think so? Honestly I can't remember what all happened in that but I have decided Mike Flanagan is great. Also I appear to be in love with his wife (Kate Siegel). But do not watch Hypnotic, the new netflix movie she is in (that he didn't write or direct), it is stupid beyond belief even though she is good in it as always.

Hah okay

Bly Manor is good imo, apart from the ending. My take is almost everything Mike Flanagan does is great except his endings lol (Midnight Mass and Hush being the exceptions so far).

Hypnotic was the dumbest movie I saw this year.

Finally getting around to the new season of Sex Education and after a wobbly ep 1 (imo) it has totally hit its stride in ep 2

Interested to know what others here think. I think it’s still one of the very best things they’ve ever done

Loved season 3

S3E1 of Sex Education had me worried they'd lost the magic. But rest of season was great. It benefited from continuing to expand the character pool and exploring the lives of the many major characters.

Yeah I thought it ended up being really good, especially the Nigeria bit.

i have forgotten much of sex education's first two series, I really need to find some recap or something before I do season 3.

Ahem,

"I looked at some cheese and got an erection.": SEX EDUCATION on Netflix

ty ^

Anybody tried the Black western, The Harder They Fall?

S5 of Bigmouth is out!