Netflix Picks – 27th March 2015

 

Another week gone, another weekend on the horizon. If all you’re planning on is a lazy weekend, or you’re simply searching for something to watch tonight, we have combed Netflix to come up with some options for you.

 

Two Days One Night

In Two Days One Night the Belgian directing duo Jean-Pierre and his brother Luc Dardenne tell the story of a young Belgian mother’s struggle to keep her job. Her colleagues have opted for a large pay bonus in exchange for her dismissal, leaving her with only two days to try to convince them to keep her job. A simple premise with much more bubbling underneath, the protagonist in Two Days One Night is brought to life by Marion Cotillard in one of the best performances of last year, receiving an Academy Award nomination for her outstanding portrayal of the struggling mother.

Whip It

The feature film directorial debut from Drew Barrymore is a hell of a lot of fun. Based on the novel by former roller derby athlete Shauna Cross, the film tells the story of misfit outsider Bliss (Ellen Page), who longs for life outside of her small hometown. During a shopping trip to Austin, she discovers a roller-derby league, and feels like she has finally found her people. The film was wrongly marketed as a bit of a ‘chick-flick’, mainly due to it having more women than men in the cast, but is thoroughly enjoyable for both genders, with plenty of whip-smart dialogue, and ing turns from SNL alumni Jimmy Fallon and Kristin Wiig.

 

Aladdin

There are a surprising amount of good Disney films on Netflix, and one of the best is 1992’s Aladdin. The film tells the classic story of a young street urchin who falls for a princess, and uses a the magic powers of a genie to turn himself into a prince so he can marry her. That obviously simplifies the plot a lot (there’s an evil parrot, a magic carpet, and a mischievous monkey too), but I’m assuming you have a fair idea of the story by now. There are two things that make Aladdin one of the best Disney films, the Academy Award winning music by Alan Menken, and the other is the outstanding voice acting by Robin Williams. Williams brings a frenetic energy which works wonderfully in animation, with the speed of which he changes voices and characters being matched measure for measure on-screen.

District 13

This French action thriller is perfect for a Friday night film, where alcohol is flowing and expectations are low. So the plot isn’t really that good, and the acting is a bit wooden, that’s not what you come for, you come for the incredible action, and boy does it not disappoint. In a distant future in Paris, the corrupt government have created a border around the lawless district 13, leaving it to fend for itself. An undercover cop and a street smart ex-thug team up to try to stop the district from destroying itself, by trying to deactivate a stolen nuclear bomb. As I said, the main draw for this film is the action, and mainly because it stars the creator of Parkour (the sport of moving fast through urban landscapes, by running, jumping, and climbing) David Belle and ex-stuntman Cyril Raffaelli. The pair are outstanding at quickly negotiating the tower blocks riddled with thugs, with Belle in particular providing some truly jaw-dropping moments. If this is up your street, the sequel District 13: Ultimatum is also on Netflix.