I dismissed this one off-hand because of its Netflix poster. It looks like a Harlequin romance cover painting of a Nicholas Sparks movie poster. But with a Certified Fresh 79% from Rotten Tomatoes, it probably deserves a second look.
Big Ballet
If Black Swan taught me anything, it’s that ballet dancers are not allowed to eat. Three-episode documentary Big Ballet puts plus-sized amateur ballet dancers front and centre as they are given the opportunity to dance Swan Lake.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
This is one of my not-so-secret shame haven’t-seens. I know from watching The Sting that the combination of Robert Redford and Paul Newman is incredible. Now it’s time to check an all-time classic off the list.
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Made 10 years after the above-mentioned classic, it’s comforting to know that terrible, recast prequels aren’t the modern monster we like to pretend they are. For as long as people have made successful movies, there have been people willing to milk the franchise for all it’s worth.
The Chosen
This one’s got a curious premise. A young girl is possessed with a spirit who can only be dissuaded by the sacrifice of six other people from the girl’s family. What could be a potentially interesting conversation about the value of human life, unfortunately looks dressed up as shoddy supernatural horror flick.
This British sitcom, about two metal detector hobbyists is apparently a slow burn but can be very rewarding for those who have the mettle. Pun 100% intended.
This one is definitely heading onto my list. It tells the story of Daniel Johnston, a musician of such enviable creativity that the only thing stopping him would be his own mind. The trailer suggests an uncomfortable but inspirational exploration of genius, mental health, and the connection between the two.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
Before Avatar and Pocahontas (but after Dances With Wolves), there was animated environmental “classic,” FernGully.
Gary: Tank Commander (Seasons 2 & 3)
I’ve never seen the first season of Gary: Tank Commander. In fact, I didn’t know such a thing existed. But if the BBC decided to renew this Scottish military sitcom for two more seasons, it’s got to be worth something. To be fair, some of my hopes for this show are second-hand goodwill from the very enjoyable but completely unrelated Enlisted.
I have a weird relationship with this movie in that I’ve never seen it but I got the novelization from a Scholastic Book Club one year and have read it dozens of times. I imagine it would be earth-shattering to see it played out on the screen instead of in my mind.
I liked Kick-Ass. A lot. So it was disappointing to me to watch its sequels’ RottenTomatoes score get worse and worse as more critics got to see the thing. I’ll likely watch it some time in a can’t-decide-what-to-watch frustration but I’ll keep my hopes low.
It’s like if Paul Harvey wanted to let you the history of The Who. I had no idea that the group was discovered and managed by two film-makers who found the band while searching for the subject for their next movie. But now I’ll know the rest of the story.
Last Man Standing (Seasons 1-4)
It’s that new Tim Allen sitcom you heard about but probably never watched. Reviews for the show have been improving as the series has gone on but just because Ed O’Neill got his Modern Family and Bryan Cranston got Breaking Bad doesn’t mean that every return to television is going to strike gold.
Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine
In 2002, I remember watching The Matthew Shepard Story. In retrospect, it was the first time I was made aware of homophobia. That wasn’t to say I’d never seen homophobia before but the explicit tragedy of the story made it seem so obvious to my teenage self that it’s insane for someone to be punished or harmed because of their sexual orientation. The image of Matt Shepard tied to a fence is burned into my memory. Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine revisits Matthew’s life, 16 years later, through the lens of friends and family, who explore the legacy of Matt’s story as well as their own grief.
I have yet to watch a Disneynature film but Monkey Kingdom, Certified Fresh at 94% by RottenTomatoes, seems like a great place to start.
I remember enjoying this movie and being particularly smitten with its stylish way of showing Sherlock’s hand-to-hand combat skills. That being said, after A Game of Shadows, I’m not banging down the door to watch it again.
The Straits
A drug-running family starts to implode when its patriarch (played by Brian Cox) puts his plans of succession into action. This Australian Hulu exclusive is highly rated among viewers but doesn’t even exist according to Rotten Tomatoes. At 10 hour-long episodes and never picked up for a second season, it looks like an easy show to try out and low-risk to pass up.
We’re still grieving Robin Williams, so much so that even an uneven, uncertain mess like Toys seems a bit more magical. I imagine this one ends up unwatched in many people’s Lists as a sign of respect, even if no one actually hits “play.”
Two Step
A well-reviewed thriller that, if the critics splashed across the trailer are to be believed, is as much concerned with an authentic Texas-feel as it is with its slow-burning crime story.
A Very Murray Christmas
A Netflix-original Christmas special variety show hosted by Bill Murray? This is pretty much what the internet was built for. Keep your eyes peeled shortly for our own look at how it turned out.
Another film that’s entered my awareness because of reputation but hasn’t bumped to the top of my list. Certified Fresh by RottenTomatoes at 92%, Volver is apparently as much a triumph for director Pedro Aldomovar as it was for lead actress Penélope Cruz.
I love, love, love this movie. The last time I wrote about it, I said “Rather than being for children, this is a movie about childhood, one that appreciates the experience of being young while still being respectful and challenging enough to give people of any age something to think about. It is not often that a movie asks you to look at yourself critically, to seek out the most repulsive aspects of other people in order to identify them within your own self.” I cannot wait to watch it again.
NetFlakes 
Lots of potential there this week. As usual, I appreciate the rundown.
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