What lights up for you when you flip through the Netflix jewelry box? What special interest if any peaks your curiosity and makes you want to go back and watch it again?
Speaking for myself, I often get frustrated with the overload of violent serial killer flicks, dystopian visions, social collapse, overacted and overwhelming super macho crime thrillers, and sexually overloaded “adult” romances.
On the other hand, I’m often surprised by the selection of small, modest, but deeply-focused plots with good stories that are issue-driven, emotionally involving, and dealing with relationships, within a small but no less ambitious frame of individual predicament.
These films deal with human problems that pique interest with compassionate tales about love, hate, isolation, estrangement and unfulfilled need.
To me, these movies are remarkable and significant in their own modest way, not only because of their purity but because of their rarity. At some level, they are a welcome relief after watching another massive alien catastrophe or some dystopian nightmare, or a cynical, hard-hitting over-the-top crime drama or political conspiracy.
I took a walk through the campus, shortly before the shutdown, and asked some students what they thought about Netflix and its post-video store marketplace. As a 75-year-old dispossessed video store junkie, I wondered: Did any of them notice that among hard-hitters like “The Joker,” “Ford v. Ferrari” and “Parasite,” there were also deeply felt works like the Judy Garland bio or an intimate, funny and engaging look at an unsteady coupling like “The Marriage Story”?
Had they ever seen “Mr. Roberts,” “Sweet Smell of Success” or that pioneering sci-fi outer space romance 20 years ahead of its time, “Forbidden Planet,” each in its own way filled with remarkable writing, directing, and acting?
LBCC nursing student Radeen Lopez likes “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez,” “Freedom Riders,” and “Criminal Minds.”
Caitlin Chin, also enrolled in nursing, said, “I like documentaries, ‘rom coms’, and childhood dramas.” Among the comedies were “Step Brothers,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
Paige Fukuhara, a zoology major, talked about how she enjoyed action thrillers, documentaries and named three favorites, “Insidious,” “Blue Planet” and “Bad Boys.”
Ken Gentile, retiree film arts major and ardent film student of long-standing with a professional background, mentioned the series “Longmire,” a crime Western series set in modern Absaroka County, Wyo., “Orange is the New Black,” and “Breaking Bad.”
Ellie Campos, a first-semester future RN says, “I like ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and shows that deal with parental issues.”
Larraine Blorein, a counselor and faculty member says, “I enjoy documentaries and autobiographies.”
Aiissha Goldmas, a student and mom who is majoring in early child development, watches cartoons with her child. She feels that the selection needs better rotation and a better selection. They also watch stand-up comedy shows.
Nora Sweeney, an instructor in the film department, weighed in on the subject. “Yes, there are many films that are underrated or just simply bad on Netflix. It’s hard to find a good film there.
“Kanopy.com is a much better platform. It has many classic films and it is free through the LA Public library. (https://www.lapl.org/kanopy) There are still a few video rental shops too – Cinefile in West LA (https://www.cinefilevideo.com/) and VIDÉOTHÈQUE in South Pasadena: http://www.vidtheque.com/.”
Here are three Netflix jewels that I think you should watch, “Carrie Pilby” has to do with a 19-year old genius recently graduated from Harvard, alone in New York City trying to decide between books and boyfriends.
“Tinker.” A lonely, eccentric scientist at work on a government project involving Tesla dynamics aimed at improving crop growth, inherits a young, inquisitive orphaned nephew, and a deep affection grows between them from their mutual fascination with how things work.
“5 to 7.” An aspiring but unpublished novelist, an American from a strict New England background, falls in love with a beautiful, slightly older Frenchwoman who is happily married with three children. They agree to meet every Thursday between 5 and 7 pm. Complications arise when her open-minded husband approves of the relationship.