Netflix Friday - Volume 66

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Bad Boys II (2003)
Two loose-cannon narcotics cops (Will Smith, Martin Lawrence) investigate the flow of Ecstasy into Florida from a Cuban drug cartel.
 

Drama: Creed II (2018)
Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren)
 

Comedy: The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon) are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of the women discovers they boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.
 

Animation: Minions (2015)
Minions Stuart, Kevin and bob are recruited by Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock), a supervillain who alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world.
 

Romance: The Guernsey Literal Society (2018)
In the aftermath of World War II, a writer (Lily James) forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.
 

Horror: Blood Red Sky (2021)
A woman with a mysterious illness is forced into action when a group of terrorists attempt to hijack a transatlantic overnight flight.
 

Science Fiction: The Hunger Games (2012)
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
 

Crime: Basille Day (2016)
A young pickpocket (Richard Madden) and a unruly CIA agent (Idris Elba) team up on an anti-terrorist mission in France.
 

Thriller: Hush (1998)
A couple (Gwyneth Paltrow, Jonathan Schaech) with jobs and apartment in New York City, decide to move to his mom’s farm, get married and have the baby there. They can also make the changes to get better price for the farm. However, there’s something seriously wrong with the mom.
 

Documentary: Pray Away (2021)
Former leaders of the “pray the gay away” movement contend with the aftermath unleashed by their actions, while a survivor seeks healing and acceptance from more tna a decade of trauma.
 

Family: Goosebumps (2015)
A teenager (Dylan Minnette) teams up with the daughter (Odeya Rush) of young adult horror author R.L. Stine (Jack Black) after the writer’s imaginary demons are set free on the town of Madison, Delaware.

Netflix Friday - Volume 52

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
In 1938, after his father Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Professor Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) finds himself up against Adolf Hitler’s Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
 

Drama: Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
 

Comedy: Just Go with It (2011)
On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler) convinces his loyal assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker).
 

Animation: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
When Hiccup (Jay Baruchel_ and his dragon Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
 

Romance: Blinded by the Light (2019)
In England in 1987, a teenager (Viveik Kalra) from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.
 

Horror: The Witch (2015)
A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.
 

Science Fiction: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.
 

Crime: American History X (1998)
A former neo-nazi skinhead (Edward Norton) tries to prevent his younger brother (Edward Furlong) from going down the same wrong path that he did.
 

Thriller: Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
 

Documentary: The Sons of Sam (2021)
The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maura Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult.
 

Family: Love and Monsters (2020)
Seven years after he survived the monster apocalypse, lovably hapless Joel (Dylan O’Brien) leaves his cozy underground bunker behind on a quest to reunite with his ex.

Netflix Friday - Volume 40

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: The Expendables 2 (2012)
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
 

Drama: Demain Tout Commence (2016)
A bacherlor (Omar Sy) enjoys his sweet life on the French Riviera until a one-night (Clémence Poésy) stand tells him, he’s dad to Gloria and leaves her with him. He moves to London with Gloria. Mom turns up 8 years later.
 

Comedy: Naked Gun 33 1/3 (1994)
Frank Drebing (Leslie Nielsen) comes out of retirement to help Police Squad infiltrate a gang of terrorists planning to detonate a bomb at the Academy Awards.
 

Animation: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.
 

Romance: Grease (1978)
Good girl Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) and greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta) fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they’re now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
 

Horror: Gerald’s Game (2017)
A couple (Carla Cugino) tries to spice up their marriage in a remote lake house. After the husband dies unexpectedly, the wife is left handcuffed to their bed frame and must fight to survive and break free.
 

Science Fiction: War of the Worlds (2005)
An updated version of H.G. Wells’ seminal sci-fi classic about an alien invasion threatening the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.
 

Crime: The Mule (2018)
A ninety-year old horticulturist and Korean War veteran (Clint Eastwood) turns drug mule for a Mexican cartel.
 

Thriller: Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
 

Documentary: Out of Thin Air (2017)
Iceland, 1976. Six suspects confess to two violent crimes. This is the strangest criminal investigation you’ve never heard of.
 

Family: Hachi (2009)
A college professor (Richard Gere) bonds with an abandoned dog he takes into his home.

Netflix Friday - Volume 17

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.

Action: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
In 1935, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) arrives in India, still part of the British Empire, and is asked to find a mystical stone. He then stumbles upon a secret cult committing enslavement and human sacrifices in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

Drama: Elizabeth (1998)
The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.

Comedy: The Blues Brothers (1980)
Jake Blues (John Belushi), just released from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) were raised.

Animation: Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis (Selena Gomez) from leaving the hotel.

Romance: A Star is Romance (2018)
A musician (Bradley Cooper) helps a young singer (Lady Gaga) find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Horror: Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.

Science Fiction: Back to the Future 2 (1989)
After visiting 2015, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes in 1985… without interfering with his first trip.

Crime: Public Enemies (2009)
The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

Thriller: Changeling (2008)
Grief-stricken mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) takes on the L.A.P.D. to her own detriment when it tries to pass off an obvious imposter as her missing child.

Documentary: Let There Be Light (1946)
A group of mentally traumatized veteran patients is followed as they go through psychiatric treatment.

Family: Little Woman (1994)
The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil Wat America.

10s Movie Review - Hush

Director: Mike Flanagan
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 82 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher jr., Samantha Sloyan, Michael Trucco, Emma Graves

Description: Deaf and mute writer Maddie (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for het life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.

Review: Mike Flanagan previously directed “Oculus” and later “Doctor Sleep” and the Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House”. It’s clear that Flanagan has a preferred genre: horror/ thriller. “Hush” is a home-invasion thriller, with a twist.
Maddie is a writer who lives in a secluded house in the woods. She is deaf and mute and is trying to put her writing skills to good use. One night, she gets a visit from a psychopathic masked man. He doesn’t want to enter the house yet. He starts messing with her, playing sadistic games.
“Hush” is not necessarily original. There are tons of home-invasion movies. But since the protagonist has the disadvantage of being both deaf and mute, it turns into a completely different kind of film. Sometimes we ‘hear’ what Maddie hears, we get to feel what she feels when the perspectives change and we experience the evens how Maddie is. “Hush” is also not heavy on the jump scares, but plays with them. Often you expect something to happen, a cheap jump scare, but it doesn’t. And that’s a breath of fresh air.
The acting is really good. Kate Siegel is very solid as Maggie and she really carries this film. And the movie is very well directed and shot. Since the film only takes place in one location, you have to stay inventive. And that’s what Flanagan does. And the fairly short runtime is perfect.
“Hush” is a strong thrill ride, a good thriller/ horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A hidden gem on Netflix.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 54: Hush

Director: Jonathan Darby
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 96 minutes
Year: 1998
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Johnathon Schaech, Debi Mazar

Description: Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) is the young girlfriend of good-looking Jackson Baring (Johnathon Schaech). When Helen gets pregnant and marries Jackson, they decide to move to his hometown, Kilronan, and have a baby there. But his mother Martha (Jessica Lange), who lives there, starts to do weird things, and obviously she's not too friendly to Helen.

Review: Helen and Jackson live a happy life. When Helen gets pregnant and she doesn’t feel safe in their New York apartment anymore, they decide to move in with Jackson’s mother and have the baby there. But mom Martha is not as nice as she seems.
“Hush” is a predictable film and for a thriller not a lot happens. Everything evolves around lies an manipulation, but nothing really ‘thrilling’ happens.
The acting isn’t all that memorable, only maybe for Jessica Lange. She is a fantastic actress, but this is probably her worst performance ever.
“Hush” was watchable, but also easily forgettable.

Rating: 2/ 5