Netflix Friday - Volume 95

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

Action: Against the Ice (2022)
In 1909, two explorers (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole) fight to survive after they’re left behind while on a Denmark expedition in ice-covered Greenland.
 

Drama: Hors Normes (2019)
The story of two men (Vincent Cassel, Reda Kateb), educators of children and adolescents with autism.
 

Comedy: Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Carter (Chris Tucker) and Lee (Jackie Chan) head to Hong Kong for a vacation, but become embroiled in a counterfeit money scam.
 

Animation: From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school’s clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
 

Romance: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
 

Horror: Van Helsing (2004)
The famer monster hunter (Hugh Jackman) is sent to Transylvania) to stop Count Dracula ( Richard Roxburgh), who is using Dr. Frankenstein’s research and a werewolf for nefarious purpose.
 

Science Fiction: Warcraft (2016)
As an Orc horde invades the planet Azeroth using a magic portal, a few human heroes and dissenting Orcs must attempt to stop the true evil behind this war.
 

Crime: Journal 64 (2018)
A series of mysterious disappearances in 2006 are eerily connected to the same institution.
 

Thriller: The Coldest Game (2019)
During 1962’s Cuban missile Crisis, a troubled math genius (Bill Pullman) finds himself drafted to play in a U.S.-Soviet chess match – a deadly game of espionage.
 

Documentary: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children’s television host Fred Rogers.
 

Family: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
Thomas (Domhanall Gleeson) and Bea (Rose Byrne) are now married and living with Peter (James Corden) and his rabbit family. Bored of life in the garden, Peter goes to the big city where he meets shady characters and ends up creating chaos for the whole family.
 

10s Movie Review - Portrait of a Lady On Fire

Director: Céline Sciamma
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino

Description: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter (Noémie Merlant) is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman (Adèle Haenel)

Review: In a big house on an island lives a young lady, who is married off to a rich guy in Milan. But he wants to inspect her first, without having to travel all that way. A painter is therefore commissioned to do a portrait of her. But here are obstacles. The young former nun doesn’t want to marry, just as her tragically deceased sister didn’t want to either. And a previous painter dropped out because she refused to pose. In other words, she must be painted in secret, and the artist must pose as her chaperone.
Men play no significant role in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”. They can be happy that their existence is acknowledged at all. And that is exactly what works out so beautifully. The focus is on four women in eighteenth-century Brittany: the bride-to-be Héloïse, the painter Marianna, the servant Sophie and, sparingly, the countess of Italian origin who commissions the portrait. The story is told mainly through the eyes of the artist. They are her memories.
As they walk the beach together, the artist tries to secretly observe her subject for a night painting. But her fleeting glances are answered. Even though all sorts of things seriously complicate their relationship, one thing is crystal clear from the very beginning: Marianne and Héloïse feel a connection. And it grows deeper and deeper over the course of the film. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel splash off the screen, especially in the moments when they are together. Even when they barely exchange a word.  
“Portrait of a Lady On Fire” accepts some rigor from the costume drama, but never sees it as an end in itself. The characters are allowed to blossom and develop and behave like real people. In other words, there is not a constant politeness dictated by form, but an interaction between people who, however, could have been waling around today. Director Céline Sciamma has a talent for portraying young women in a way that everyone can identify with, even if they run into problems that men don’t know about.
“Portrait of a Lady On Fire” is a beautifully shot and well-crafted film.

Rating: 4, 5 / 5