5 Netflix Picks: What To Watch This Week Begins With A Flying Leonardo DiCaprio

5 Netflix Picks is our weekly list of random movies we recommend you move to the top of your queue, from romance to horror to everything in-between.

Another week has begun and it’s time to think about what’s good to add to your movie-watching schedule. We know it’s a busy week with the holidays and all, but there’s always time for a good flick either by yourself or cozied up on the sofa with a significant other or your family. This week, we’ve got another great selection that travels you from drama to comedy and back around to a big blockbuster finish, with one for the kids as well. Let’s start with a film many thought should have given its star an Oscar …

MONDAY: The Aviator

We haven’t heard much from Leonardo DiCaprio since his Oscar-winning turn in 2015’s The Revenant, but the actor is finally set to return to theaters in 2019. Until then, let’s put your eyes on this 2004 biography about Howard Hughes. From director Martin Scorsese and co-starring Cate Blanchett (who won an Academy Award for her performance), this is a stunning cinematic journey into the life of one of history’s most eccentric and forward-thinking men. Tracking his rise to fame and wealth, his obsession with film and aviation, it details his complex relationship with others and his own personal curiosities that shaped who he was, including his legacy. DiCaprio is nothing short of awe-inspiring and Blanchett nearly steals the whole show. She’s beautiful of course, which leads us to …

TUESDAY: Beautiful Girls

While the title might have you thinking this something other than it is, this 1996 drama from director Ted Demme is not a movie about models or online dating. Instead, it’s a thoughtful story about a small group of men, including Willie (Matt Dillon), who return to their hometown for a high school reunion and begin to assess their lives and possible futures. Joining them are a collection of young women, who find themselves on the same crossroads, wondering about the future and whether they are making the right choices. Starring Annabeth Gish and a very young Natalie Portman as a 13-year-old, this is a genuinely honest little story with good sentiments and a bit of nostalgia. Well worth an evening snuggled on the sofa. And speaking of nostalgia …

WEDNESDAY: The Little Rascals

Family night now and here’s a pick that never gets old. Based on the wildly popular Our Gang series of from the 1920s to 40s, this 1994 update sees the kids all together again. Set in modern times, Spanky (Travis Tedford) and Alfalfa (Bug Hall) are part of the “He-Man Woman Haters Club” though Alfalfa has strayed from the rules a bit and spends time with his sweetheart Darla (Brittany Ashton Holmes). Time to put an end to that. Much of the story revolves around keeping them apart while Alfalfa struggles to win her back. Loaded with silly gags and updated classics from the old days, it has plenty of funny moments that should keep kids laughing. Look for a host of cameos from famous faces at the time playing the adults (including Donald Trump).That said, let’s move to the kitchen …

THURSDAY: Julie & Julia

While our obsession with cooking shows seems to have plateaued, of the many stories that hit the big screen about such matters, this Nora Ephron-directed biographical drama is one of the better ones. Divided into two parts, it follows the story of young New Yorker Julie Powell (Amy Adams), who writes a blog about her efforts to cook every recipe in Julia Child‘s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. It’s a daunting task that challenges nearly every aspect of her life. Meanwhile, the second part of the film follows the life of Child (Meryl Streep) as cooking becomes not only an interest but a way of life, shaping her entire future. Streep is ridiculously good with Adams equally affecting, making this much more than a cooking movie but a story of courage and passion. These women are Jedi Masters of the art. And speaking of Jedi… 

FRIDAY: Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

The end of the week means it’s blockbuster time and new to Netflix is this last entry in the Star Wars saga, continuing the story of the Resistance and their fight against the First Order. No matter what die hard fans say about the goods and bads of the plot and characters, for pure cinematic adventure and production, this is grand stuff. Sure, you have to be up to date with the films as it plops you right into the mix of what’s going on, but either way, the action, visual effects, and genuinely well-earned emotional moments make this a terrific movie experience. May the Force (and a deep bowl of popcorn) be with you.