Netflix Friday - Volume 89

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

Action: 47 Ronin (2013)
A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.
 

Drama: 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 child.
 

Comedy: Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
After a humiliating performance at The Kennedy Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.
 

Animation: The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
The quiet life of a terrier named Max (Louis C.K.) is upended when his owner takes in Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.  
 

Romance: The Prince & Me (2004)
At college Paige (Julia Stiles) meets Eddie (Luke Mably), a fellow student from Denmark, whom she first dislikes but later accepts, likes, and loves; he proves to be Crown Prince Edward. Paige follows him to Copenhagen, and he follows her back to school with a plan.
 

Horror: Mama (2013)
After a young couple (Jessica Chastain, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau) take in their two nieces, they suspect that a supernatural spirit named Mama has latched onto their family.
 

Science Fiction: 2012 (2009)
A frustrated writer (John Cusack) struggles to keep his family alive when a series of global catastrophes threatens to annihilate mankind.
 

Crime: The Accountant (2016)
As a math savant (Ben Affleck) uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.
 

Thriller: First Reformed (2017)
A minister (Ethan Hawke) of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.
 

Documentary: Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)
Tis documentary goes behind the scenes with pop provocateur Lady gaga as she releases a bold new album and prepares for her Super Bowl halftime show.
 

Family: Charlie and the Chocolate  Factory (2005)
A young boy (Freddie Highmore) wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world’s most unusual candy maker (Johnny Depp)

Netflix Friday - Volume 70

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

Action: Taken (2008)
A retired CIA agent (Liam Neeson) travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter (Maggie Grace), who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.
 

Drama: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
In 1985, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.
 

Comedy: Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth (Graham Chapman) spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
 

Animation: The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
The quiet life of a terrier named Max (Louis C.K.) is upended when his owner takes in Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.
 

Romance: Blinded By the Light (2019)
In England in 1987, a teenager 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: Case 39 (2009)
A social worker (Renee Zellweger) finds to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected.
 

Science Fiction: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
After Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to save the city from the machinations of a mysterious reptilian foe.
 

Crime: Focus (2015)
In the midst of veteran con man Nicky’s (Will Smith) latest scheme, a woman from his past (Margot Robbie) shows up and throws his plans for a loop.
 

Thriller: The Debt (2010)
In 1965, Three Mossad Agents (Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Martin Csokas) cross into East Berlin to apprehend a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, the secrets the Agents (Helen Mirren, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson) share come back to haunt them.
 

Documentary: Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (2021)
Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.
 

Family: Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007)
Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) wins a trip to Cannes where he unwittingly separates a young boy from his father and must help the two reunite. On the way he discovers France, bicycling and true love. 

Netflix Friday - Volume 19

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

Action: Godzilla (2014)
The world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.

Drama: Big Fish (2003)
A frustrated son (Billy Crudup) tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father’s (Albert Finney) life.

Comedy: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) is an advertising executive and ladies’ man who, to win a big campaign, bets that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days.

Animation: The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
The quiet life of a terrier named Max (Louis C.K.) is upended when his owner takes in Duke Eric Stonestreet), a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.

Romance: Ghost (1990)
After Sam (Patrick Swayze) is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) impending on danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic (Whoopi Goldberg).

Horror: The Purge: Election Year (2016)
Former Police Sergeant Barnes (Frank Grillo) becomes head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due her vow to eliminate the Purge.

Science Fiction: The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
The affair between a politician (Matt Damon) and a contemporary dancer (Emily Blunt) is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.

Crime: The Last Castle (2001)
A court-martialed General (Robert Redforf) rallies together twelve hundred inmates to rise against a corrupt and sadistic warden.

Thriller: Fear (1996)
When Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) met David (Mark Wahlberg); handsome, charming, affectionate, he was everything. It seemed perfect, but soon she sees that David has a darker side. And his adoration turns to obsession, their dream into a nightmare, and her love into fear.

Documentary: Birders (2019)
Bird watchers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border share their enthusiasm for protecting and preserving some of the world’s most beautiful bird species.

Family: Rudy (1993)
Rudy (Sean Astin) has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.

10s Movie Review - The Secret Life of Pets

Director: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud
Genre: Animation/ Family
Runtime: 91 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan

Description: The quiet life of terrier Max (Louis C.K.) is upended when his owner (Ellie Kemper) takes in Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.

Review: After the resounding success of “Despicable Me” and the immensely popular spin-off “Minions”, Illumination Entertainment is looking for something new. A second franchise perhaps. With its explosion of non-verbal humor and cuteness, does “The Secret Life of Pets” have the right ingredients?
The film starts with a fun compilation of all the pets and their owners, with an introduction to our main character Max. The main premise of the film is what happens to the pets after their owners have left the house.
New York is portrayed colorfully, as well as the many pets and owners the city has. It’s not just a simple series of visual jokes like a dachshund using a mixer as a massager. Dog Max doesn’t build a party like his friends, but sits desperately waiting at the door, wondering where his owner Katie is. He is completely obsessed with her return. The opening scene beautifully depicts the world of pets and the relationship with their owners, and carries a Pixar-like atmosphere. Possibly a little too much, at least more then the previous films from the studio.
Max leads a lazy dog life in an apartment complex, where the animals lead a completely different life once the owners are out of the house. He himself is very happy with his owner, until competition is brough into the house in the form of Duke. The huge Duke and little Max compete for the household and in an attempt to frame each other, the both end up in the outside world.
The life of the New York pets is portrayed beautifully and playfully, with a nice balance between uncomfortable and homely. Unfortunately, this balance is not maintained throughout the film, in the middle part of the film everything revolves around confrontations between Max, Duke and crazy animals they meet along the way.
The conflict between Max and Duke is set up well, but they never develop a memorable chemistry. And the psychotic bunny Snowball is just a bit too much. And maybe that’s because Kevin Hart voices him. It doesn’t really fit and he always annoys me.
Nevertheless, “The Secret Life of Pets” has more atmosphere and content than the infinite joke storm of “Minions”. It is also a better film for young and old. It’s beautifully animated, filled with witty characters and occasionally offers more than superficial animal madness.

Rating: 3 / 5