Netflix Friday - Volume 83

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 Harder They Fall (2021)
When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge in this Western.
 

Drama: The Power of the Dog (2021)
Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother (Jesse Plemons) brings home a new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smith-McPhee), Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
 

Comedy: Clockwise (1986)
An obsessively punctual comprehensive school headmaster (John Cleese) sets out to give an important speech at the annual Headmasters’ Conference.
 

Animation: Klaus (2019)
A simple act of kindness always spark another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg’s new postman, Jesper (Jason Schwartzman), befriends toymaker Klaus (J.K. Simmons), their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.
 

Romance: Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Rich Mr. Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters (Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson) are the title opposites.
 

Horror: Bumperkleef (2019)
A cocksure, road-raging family man (Jeroen Spitzenberger) finds himself pursued and terrorized by the vengeful van driver he chooses to tailgate.
 

Science Fiction: Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
Once told they’d save the universe a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.
 

Crime: Jack Reacher (2012)
A homicide investigator (Tom Cruise) digs into a case involving a trained military sniper wh shot five random victims.
 

Thriller: Official Secrets (2019)
The true story of a British whistleblower (Keira Knightley) who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
 

Documentary: Being Elmo (2011)
The Muppet Elmo is on of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet – the heart and soul of Elmo – Kevin Clash.
 

Family: Jumanji (1995)
When two kids (Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce) find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades – and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.

Netflix Friday - Volume 64

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 Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gandalf the Frey (Ian McKellen), continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). Bilbo is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.
 

Drama: In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
A recounting of a New England whaling ship’s sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later experiences the great novel Moby Dick.
 

Comedy: Ingrid Goes West (2017)
An unhinged social media stalker (Aubrey Plaza) moves to L.A. and ingratiates herself into the life od an Instagram star (Elisabeth Olsen)
 

Animation: Masters of the Univers: Revelation (2021)
The was for Eternia begins again in what may be the final battle between He-Man (Chris Wood) and Skeletor (Mark Hamill).
 

Romance: Rumor Has It (2015)
Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) is a woman who learns that her family was the inspiration for the book and film “The Graduate”, and that she might e the offspring of the well-documented event.
 

Horror: Dr. Sleep (2019)
Years following the evens of “The Shining”, a now adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
 

Science Fiction: Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
Once told they’d save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers (Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter) from San Dimas , California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.
 

Crime: The White Tiger (2021)
An ambitious Indian driver (Adarsh Gourav) uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and rise to the top.
 

Thriller: Official Secrets (2019)
British whistleblower Katherine Gunn (Keira Knightley) leaks information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
 

Documentary: The Speed Cubers (2020)
Discover the special bond and uncommon competitive spirit shared by the world’s Rubik’s Cube-solving record breakers.
 

Family: Pan (2015)
Twelce-year-old orphan Peter is spirited away to the magical world of Neverland, where he finds both fun and danger, and ultimately discovers his destiny. To become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.

10s Movie Review - Official Secrets

Director: Gavin Hood
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, Conleth Hill, Jeremy Northam

Description: The true story of a British whistleblower (Keira Knightley) who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Review: “Official Secrets” tells the true story of whistleblower Katharine Gun, who worked for the British intelligence agency GCHQ in 2003. Not as a senior officer, but simply as a office worker with the task of listening to recorded Chinese phone calls for indications of possible attacks. In this respect, her work does not seem to be very different from the practices that Edward Snowden would later warn about. But she has no problem with a government that keeps an eye on its citizens in order to pick out the rotten apples. Her moral objections arise only with appearance of an internal memo stating that the British organization should assist its American counterparts at the NSA in gathering blackmailable information about UN member states that are obstructionist in supporting a resolution for the impending Iraq war. A shadowy favor to strengthen transatlantic ties.

Katharine passes the information on to the press through some intermediaries, after which some journalists from The Observer start working on it. This Sunday paper has already come out in favor of military intervention in Iraq, but the old-fashioned editor-in-chief lets his journalistic instincts do the talking; it’s a damn good story and it’s okay for politicians to back off. One would hope that this would also be the case with less strong stories, but it has to be done. At that point “Official Secrets” briefly becomes a variation on “All the President’s Men”, resulting in a nicely self-conscious remark when a journalist meets his contact in an underground parking garage: “This is a bit Deep Throat, isn’t it?” But the reason turns out to be simple: there is no cell phone coverage here.
Perhaps even more than Katharine, the story is central. For while we get a glimpse into the world of the British press, Katharine is absent for some time. She sits in silent fear, waiting to see what will happen with the leaked information. We only see her again when she discovers that the story ends up on the front page of The Observer. But with that, it comes back to her. Because her bosses know immediately that someone leaked the information. An internal investigation is launched, but Katharine keeps the credit to herself and turns herself in. The consequences are dire: she is fired, publicly branded a spy and indicted for her actions.
The charge of espionage is an interesting one. In the traditional sense, that word denotes the passing of sensitive information to a hostile party or country. But Katharine merely rang the bell about the internal malfeasance of a government agency. Because her contract prohibits the disclosure of state-sensitive information, she is liable for punishment, but that does raise the question of how you then hold a government accountable when it does not follow the rules. After all, a government does not work for itself or for friendly nations, but for the people. Katharine is sued and thus needs legal defense. But just when that seems to be settled, it is made clear to her that discussing the information passe on with her lawyers is also a breach of her contract. By joining the government, she has given up virtually all of her right.
But in the end, every viewer knows how this ends: that war just happened. Katharine suffers that loss early on in the film, and this tragedy constantly reverberates. “Official Secrets” thus outlines a system in which the government has become so disconnected from its own riles that nor even the truth can intervene. It is therefore no coincidence that the law under which Katharine is charged was only introduced after and earlier whistleblower could not be legally prosecuted. “Official Secrets” manages to make this a highly entertaining ‘David-against-Goliath’ tale, which nicely shows that Goliath, in the form of the British government, conspicuously often uses pure bluff poker. Apparently a winning strategy, because despite all that Katharine had to endure, she was unable to stop the Iraq War (or British involvement in it). At least we got a great movie out of it.

Rating: 4,5/ 5