Seven Must-sees Movies on Netflix – November 2020
This November is a good time to tune on Netflix. We recommend the following seven titles for your popcorn time. Surprisingly you will have great movies and series in various genres and different taste.
Barbarians
Barbarians is a new German Netflix series based on the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, between the Romans and the Germanics, in the 9 CE. Like many TV series based on history, Barbarians prefers to follow the dramatic conflicts rather than narrating the real story, and in this case, the result is remarkable.
Arminius (Laurence Rupp) is a Germanic soldier serving the Romans. His family gave him away as a tribute. His conflicted feelings towards fighting with his own people and being loyal to the Romans is the main motif of the first season.
Ratched
Mildred Ratched starts working as a nurse at a psychiatric hospital in 1974. She easily gets the position she wanted in the system but beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growing darkness. For those who loved One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ratched is not only satisfaction of nostalgia. It is something beyond the story we saw in the Milos Forman’s 1975 film.
Evan Romansky and Ryan Murphy created a prequel for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest that has a darker atmosphere and less space for happy scenes like the old one.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The 1968 Democratic National Convention site was Chicago, and thousands of Americans gathered there to end the war in Vietnam. Police crashed down the protest with violence, but Hubert Humphrey, the democratic party’s candidate in that year’s presidential election, vowed to continue. Early in 1969, the democratic candidate lost and Nixon administration came to power and decided to make an example of seven white protesters, plus Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panthers, despite his marginal involvement.
Aaron Sorkin created a stunning movie that not only shows the intense situation in 1968-9 but also leads us to compare the current unrests against police brutality. It can’t be a coincidence that the film is out just before the election in the US.
His House
Two refugees fleeing violence relocates to a new home in England. This young couple fleed the violence of the South Sudan war and passed the tragic voyage across the Mediterranean.
All the violence in Sudan and the danger of the voyage fade when they face horrifying events caused by some haunting ghosts in their new home. And the cold grey atmosphere of England deepens the horror and loneliness of the refugees.
Remi Weekes, the director, has Fright Bites (2016) and Metamorphosis: Titian (2012) in his record. If you have watched these two brilliant short horror movies, you know what is waiting for in His House.
To The Lake
Watching a pandemic movie during a pandemic may be horrifying but when you compare what you see in To The Lake with the reality around yourself, it gives you a relief.
To The Lake feels reminds us of The Walking Dead Season 1, but the level of dread and suspense is controlled in every episode. The main difference between To The Lake and other apocalyptic movies and series is its realistic approach to the situation. There is no army of zombies or nuclear war but real humans facing horrific death.
The Queen’s Gambit
The Queen’s Gambit is a mini-series based on the novel by the late Walter Tevis. Chess has never been an exciting sport, and nobody thought a movie focused on chess could be entertaining. The Queen’s Gambit proves it wrong.
It shows us the life of a professional chess-player by telling the story of Elizabeth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy). Unlike other chess champions, her route passes through orphanage, isolation, and loneliness.
ParaNorman
Norman is a weird kid with a strange ability to see ghosts and talk to the deads. His power and character keep him isolated in the school, and he has only one good friend.
The peaceful life of the city turns into a zombie war created by a 300 years old witch. Norman is the only one who can save the town and play a vital role in the battle against the witch and zombies.
Two great animation directors – Chris Butler and Sam Fell – are behind Paranorman, and the result is remarkable and amusing.
