5 Netflix Picks is our weekly list of random movies we recommend you move to the top of your queue, from comedy to romance to horror and everything in-between.
Time once again to think about what to watch this week, and once again, we head to the depths of the Netflix movie catalogue and come up with five great titles to fill your Monday through Friday. While we know you’re binging plenty of cool series, take a break and come up for air with a terrific romantic comedy with a twist, a period film with the three musketeers, a heartwarming family animated drama, a classic Bond flick and a sensational bit of madness from a director who does that so well he can do it with his hands tied behind his back. Let’s begin with one about a girl who loves another …
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MONDAY: Chasing Amy
MONDAYDirector Kevin Smith exploded onto the scene with his now famous indie film Clerks, a comedy that instantly put him on the map, and sort of forced him into a weird trap of trying to outdo what arguably remains his best work. His second follow-up, after the moderately successful Mallrats, was this quirky romance starring Ben Affleck as Holden, a comic book artist who falls in love with another artist, the titular Amy (Joey Lauren Adams). One problem though … she’s a lesbian and isn’t interested in anything of the male disposition. Crushing at first, Holden does his best to be a friend but it all becomes too much and well, you’ll have to find out on your own. A funny but also very touching offbeat story that juggles all the delicate intricacies of such with a good heart. Read more about why this movie’s great.
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TUESDAY: The Man in The Iron Mask
TUESDAYFollowing up his enormous success as Jack in the 1997 adventure film Titanic, Leonardo Dicaprio stars in this story using famous characters from Alexandre Dumas. The four musketeers are now much older and settling into their retirement years, except D’Artagnan, who remains in service to the king. The king however is more interested in the finer pursuits than ruling the land and as such, it’s learned he has a twin, locked away and hidden. The old three musketeers band together to uncover the mystery and replace the king, but will their old comrade join their ranks or stay loyal to the crown? Mostly fun with some good action pieces, it’s great to see young Dicaprio in his post-Titanic glory chewing up the scenery.
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WEDNESDAY: Balto
WEDNESDAYBased loosely on a real story, this animated children’s film is a delightful adventure about a young wolfdog (voiced by Kevin Bacon), living in an abandoned ship near Nome, Alaska, with his adoptive father, a snow goose (voiced by Bob Hoskins) and two polar bears (voiced by Phil Collins). Balto is in love with a husky named Jenna (voiced by Bridget Fonda), and lives a care-free life with his friends. Then, it’s learned that the town’s human children are becoming afflicted with diptheria, and so a sled team is put together to go the 600 miles to get medicine. When Balto is cheated out of his chance to lead the team, he gets a new opportunity to be hero when that team becomes lost. A timeless classic for all ages, if you’ve got kids, bring them ’round and share the magic.
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THURSDAY: Octopussy
THURSDAYLet’s do another Bond film, this time with Roger Moore, who purposefully brought a bit of smarmy charm to the character in the 1980s, and perhaps none of his films in the franchise is better than this John Glen-directed action thriller with an outrageous story and some truly creative Bond moments. In a nutshell, Bond is after a Fabergé egg, leading him to a sinister man named Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), an Afghan prince with some dirty dealings with the Ruskies. Meanwhile, Bond finds himself entangled with the titular Octopussy (Maud Adams), a ringleader to a clan of beautiful women jewel thieves. Putting all his resources together, Bond is in the fight for his life to topple the bad guys and get the girl. Loaded with funny and highly-entertaining action, this is a classic in every sense of the word. Read more here.
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FRIDAY: The Master
FRIDAYFilmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t make easy movie experiences. From There Will Be Blood to Punch-Drunk Love to Magnolia and more, he is guy who likes to challenge his audience. For that, we celebrate. And with this 2012 drama, he really turns the screw in a tense, mind-bending story of a man named Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix), a WWII vet who, struggling to fit back into society, finds himself on the run, ending up in the company of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of a cult-ish movement called “The Cause.” Working to stabilize his erratic behavior and reroot himself to some kind of normality, Freddie soon is sucked into a strange new world. A fascinating look at control and influence, it is a decidedly sticking story made better by a string of great performances, including Amy Adams.