Netflix Picks: 28th November 2014

Have you ever sat in front of Netflix and spent so long trying to choose something to watch, that when you finally decide, you have no time left to watch it?  You are not alone!  We have searched through the darkest depths of Netflix to bring you the streaming service’s hidden gems.

Big Screen Alternative – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Haven’t see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 yet?  Netflix offers you the opportunity to catch up with the previous installment in The Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  In this film we see Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) become targets of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) after their joint success in the previous hunger games.  With a devious plan that sees Katniss and Peeta pushed to the limits once more, Snow tries to quieten the growing rebellion in some of the Districts.

Documentary – The Imposter

The real-life story of this film is so unbelievable you’d think it was fiction.  It centres around a young Frenchman called Frédéric Bourdin, who manages to convince a Texan family that he is their 16-year old son Nicholas Barclay, who had been missing since the age of 13.  What’s even more unbelievable is that he managed to fool the family, despite the fact that Barclay was a blue-eyed, blonde-haired America, and Bourdin had dark hair and brown eyes.  He is finally rumbled of course, but the story doesn’t end there.  A truly fascinating tale, told by a mix of reconstruction and talking heads, The Imposter will have you gripped all the way through.

Classic Film – Some Like It Hot

One of director Billy Wilder’s best films, Some Like It Hot shows off the superb comedic talents of Marilyn Monroe and is regarded as one of the best comedy films of all time.  Musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) witness a mafia murder and are forced to go on the run.  Disguising themselves as women in  order to join an all female band, the pair meet and fall in love with Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe).  Hilarity ensues when they flip between female confidant and male suitor in their attempts to woo Sugar.  Curtis and Monroe are perfect together in Some Like It Hot, despite despising each other in real life, and they allow Jack Lemmon to get all of the funniest lines.

TV Series – Firefly

Looking for a TV series to sink your teeth into?  Firefly is the post-Buffy, pre-Avengers creation from Joss Whedon.  A space-western, following the renegade crew of Serenity Firefly inspired a cult following after it was cut after only one season.  Captain,Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) has a touch of the Han Solo about him; flying an old ship, venturing sometimes on to the wrong side of the law, and never without a dry quip.  As one can expect from Whedon, Firefly is superbly written, with whip-smart dialogue, and each one of the nine crew has a fully-developed character.

Guilty Pleasure – Wayne’s World

In this writer’s eyes, Wayne’s World gives all of the pleasure, without any of the guilt.  Developed from their SNL skit, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey play metal-loving Wayne and Garth, two friends who present a popular public access show called ‘Wayne’s World’.  Seedy executive Benjamin (Rob Lowe) wants to take the show to commercial television, but also has eyes for Wayne’s bass-playing girlfriend, Cassandra.  The plot isn’t really important, as the jokes, sight-gags, and cultural references are what makes Wayne’s World an entertaining film, with the audience never quite sure what will happen next.