We’re part of the Stream Team for Netflix and were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own. Last week our allergies were so bad it forced us to the sofa for most of the week. My allergy people feel me on this one. Said unexpected down time meant that I spent more time than usual watching television. There are some fun things on Netflix that I re-discovered, one new thing that’s great and one new thing that was quite disappointing. For the most part these shows are for adult audiences, except for one, which is quite obvious.
Train to Busan
It’s like Die Hard on a bus, that’s the way that Speed was pitched to audiences in 1994. Train to Busan is like Under Siege 2, except loaded with zombies, set in South Korea and is utterly, brutally violent and nihilistic. It’s also a very good film. It is not as good at The Girl With All The Gifts, but Train to Busan is a shot in the arm to a genre that needs a jolt from the living.
The plot in Train to Busan is simple, a South Korean businessman doesn’t spend enough time with his daughter and takes her to see his mother for her birthday. Unfortunately for them and all of the country a plague has set upon the nation that has people turning into flesh eating killers about :60 after they’re bitten. And one of these monsters has snuck into the train.
The usual monster movie tropes are here, there’s a child in peril, power hungry businessman, the elderly and lots of extras. The difference in Train to Busan is that the tension and action are expertly paced so that the potentially limited space of a train is not an issue. Instead each train car has its own particular problem, the groups of passengers provide problems and the only stop that the train makes on the way to Busan ratchets up the tension even more.
These are the fast moving zombies from World War Z, but these zombies are dumb as a brick. This film succeeds in making you care about some of the human cast, while detesting a couple of them, yet making us realize that most of us would probably act like the later if this were to really happen. It is also utterly dark, 98% of the cast gets killed and the ending is not exactly ‘happy’, but it’s not the end of the world either. Action fans who are OK with non-Hollywood films (See: they don’t end well for the main characters) will enjoy the South Korean gem.
Dave Chappelle: The Art of the Spin
Dave Chappelle is a funny man and some people will enjoy The Art of Spin. However, for us it was mildly funny at best and sent us searching for something that provided big laughs. My wife wasn’t laughing either, so I know it just wasn’t my allergies blocking my laugh box. The announcement that Dave Chappelle is back was fun to hear, it’s just that this show didn’t produce the way that he has in the past.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
I had forgotten how funny Mystery Science Theater 3000 can be. Some of the original episodes from Mystery Science Theater 3000 are on Netflix with a new version of the show coming in mid April 2017. Do yourself a favor and watch Manos: The Hands of Fate. It’s the first episode that you see when you pull up the show. This is slow boil comedy with so many great jokes that hit upon the dry sense of humor. By the time the film was halfway done I was doubled over with laughter. I hadn’t laughed that much sense some episodes of Arrested Development. Ages 10 and up will be ok with the content in MST 3000, but might not get most of the jokes.
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a film that could not get made today. Its social commentary (ala the early 70’s) that is politically incorrect, with salty dialogue and a plot that has more in common with Monty Python’s Holy Grail than a cowboy movie. This is easily one of Mel Brooks’ best films and a true comedy masterpiece.
Silver Streak
Gene Wilder is back in Silver Streak, this time with Richard Pryor. Silver Streak is a mash up of action, buddy movie mystery that is fun, but doesn’t stand up as well as Saddles. This film is more of a traditional Hollywood film that is still better than most in its genre. It also reminds viewers of the fabulous chemistry that Wilder and Pryor had together in their films.
What are you watching on Netflix now? If you have any comfort viewing food please leave it in the comments.
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