THE HIGHEST OF HIGH PRIORITIES: Thanksgiving Break Netflix Watch List
By Lauren Brose ‘15
ALL HAIL THE LAZY DAYS!
Thanksgiving break is just weeks away. Many return home to be reunited with family but most importantly we have a ton (and I mean TON) of Netflix to catch up on. It seems like the norm these days is the watch Netflix when you’re not in the mood for human interaction. Ironically, when I go home to see my family we utilize Netflix as a means for getting everyone in the same room to enjoy quality home entertainment. Whatever you use Netflix for, consider some suggestions that I have received from family, friends and my personal (and eclectic I hope) taste.
Film
Good Will Hunting
Written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Good Will Hunting is the movie that launched their fruitful careers and also sparked the Boston-themed Ben Affleck films (The Town, Gone Baby Gone). The late Robin Williams won an Oscar for playing the role of therapist to Will (played by Matt Damon). Good Will Hunting is a personal favorite because I cannot help but love Will, a brilliant young janitor with a troubled past and a talent for solving complex math problems that no other student in a MIT class could.
The Intouchables
The Intouchables is based off the novel “You Changed My Life” and is one of the most successful French films to date. A comedy-drama set in Paris, this film tells the true tale of Philippe, a millionaire quadriplegic who hires a caretaker, an ex-convict from the projects. Despite the two having little to nothing in common, the story takes audiences on an unpredictable adventure that is just as entertaining to watch.
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Katniss Everdeen returns for a second round in the Hunger Games alongside her fellow victor, Peeta. The Hunger Games, although originally written for children, has spread like wildfire amongst adults with its gripping allusions to government overreach as well as media manipulation for personal advancement. Watch or re-watch this before the films third installment is released on November 22.
The Debt
This suspenseful thriller is set in two time periods: 1960s and 1990s. Retired Mossad agents are forced to revisit their past when the fugitive—a Nazi war criminal— they had failed to apprehend is spotted 50 years later. The cast includes Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Helen Mirren.
Bill Cunningham New York
It’s a 2010 Documentary that follows a cultural anthropologist who chronicles high society and fashion trends throughout New York City for the style section of the Times. It was awarded Best Documentary at a number of film festivals and was received highly by critics all around (99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!)
The Breakfast Club
I grew up to Clueless, Ten Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls and my mother grew up to John Hughes films (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink). The most quintessential coming of age John Hughes film has to be The Breakfast Club. The story takes place at a high school detention comprised of students who couldn’t have been from more different social circles. As the day progressed they discovered shared similarities that forever shaped their lives.
Silver Linings Playbook
After Pat (Bradley Cooper) loses everything in his life and spends several months in a mental institution for bipolar disorder, he is determined to piece his life together until he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a widowed twenty-something who is just as damaged as he is. Their newly formed friendship was intended to bring Pat back to his ex-wife but instead forms a new bond with Tiffany that helps them each grow as people.
The Imposter
This is a British-American documentary that unearths the crime of kidnapping, torture and impersonating. In 1994, Nicholas disappeared without a trace in San Antonio and wasn’t found until three years later in Spain. Something’s off with Nicholas, though; he has different colored eyes and a mysterious accent. Although members of Nicholas’s family accepted him as their own, he turned out to be an imposter: Frédéric Bourdin, a man seven years older than Nicholas who confessed to impersonating children in the past.
Television
Gilmore Girls
All SEVEN seasons of every girl and their mom’s favorite TV show has been recently added to Netflix! Although it’s not my cup of tea (still need to finish season two of Game of Thrones lol) Gilmore Girls is an Emmy award winning television series that is arguably one of the greatest TV classics of the new millennium.
The Killing
Originally released by AMC, this Swedish remake was picked up by Netflix to complete the final season. I’ve been told this show is just as dark and well done as the original series. This is no CSI—the show is layered and investigates the mysterious murder of a 17-year-old girl. At the end of the first episode, her body was found in the trunk of a state government car which was pulled out of a river.
Revenge
I quite like the show Revenge since revenge is my guiltiest of pleasures. I may not seek revenge in my personal life, but I live vicariously through Emily Thorne– formally known as Amanda Clarke. After her father was framed for a terrorist crime by the people he trusted most, she’s forced to spend 10 years in Juvenile Hall. Upon her release, she discovers the truth but just weeks after her father’s sudden death. Now’s time for payback– she has a means for retribution and I relish every single career and personal life she tears apart.
The Walking Dead
My roommate binge watched The Walking Dead so hard the other day I couldn’t not add this to the list. I assure you the show is addictive—she spent two full days in bed. I can’t watch The Walking Dead partially because nothing pisses me off more than a zombie apocalypse that suggests everyone will eventually zombify but mainly because the show scares the crap outta me.
Dexter
Personal favorite. What can I say? Nothing gets me more stoked for murder than justice served on a saran-wrapped kill table meticulously arranged by our very own sociopathic Miami Metro blood spatter analyst, Dexter.
Chopped
Maybe you’re not in the mood to be sucked into a new fictional universe that will imminently cause you to camp out in your room for days on end because you just have to know what happens next. Chopped is a culinary contest that requires contestants to take four random ingredients and use them in their dishes. The best dishes move forward to the next round and the worst gets “chopped.”
Breaking Bad
If you haven’t seen it and are refusing to because of hype, stop “mething” around now and give the show a try. Although it doesn’t fully take off until after the first season, when the story becomes undone you won’t be able to stop—trust me. Also, I got mad love for Jesse.
Sherlock
There have been several renditions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mystery novels in the last couple of years. The majority of Sherlock Holmes fans will assert that the contemporary adaptation Sherlock miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is the wittiest, most cleverly written and well produced of them all. Set in present day London, Sherlock plays a consultant with a talent for his work and a peculiar personal life alongside his flat-mate and friend Dr. John Watson.
