Genre: Crime, Documentary
Director: Juliana Antunes
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Director: Juliana Antunes
With stories like Gone Girl and the true crime boom of the 2010s, it’s easy to believe that these depictions are harmless– fake crime stories are fictional, after all, and surely, it’s important to discuss real crime in order to prevent it. New Netflix docu-series American Nightmare portrays a real life case itself, but it questions the impact these stories have towards real life. It depicts what used to be called the “real life Gone Girl” kidnapping, whose investigation and media speculation was colored by these stories, which hindered Huskins’ rescue. The case eventually led to the real culprit, but American Nightmare challenges the viewers themselves, as it stretches the case across three episodes, portraying each angle in the true crime flair we’re used to speculating with.
Genre: Documentary
The docuseries simultaneously revolves around the precedent that spouses are suspect #1 when their partners go missing/are victimized, as well as the angle of Scott Peterson maintaining his innocence. It’s a heartbreaking, dark Christmas Eve case with a dash of classic Netflix sensationalism with the editing being a smidge extra at times. Still, some elements help, like the splendid visuals for the timeline that help the viewer take note of inconsistencies and red flags throughout the story, of which there can be a lot. But like most middle-of-the-road true crime, it drags. And you stay because the story itself is interesting, in spite of everything.
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Actor: Allen Brocchini
These women put on a mask, are tasked to make people happy, and aren’t doing it for the money because of how little it pays. It’s a striking resemblance to the life of an independent wrestler or a circus freak. And the latter is pretty much how these women are seen by cold and callous higher-ups who seem to only see a bunch of boxes to tick, with admittedly not a lot of specifics to their recruitment process. The insights from talking heads reveal some character from both what’s said and unsaid, and prep time and dance performances get their fair share of the spotlight. So, we can’t say there is no journey to follow—it's a frustrating one—but it’s tough to maintain an extended interest given the ceiling of substance here.
Genre: Documentary, Reality
Actor: Judy Trammell, Kelli Finglass
For better or for worse, we don’t know who our guardians really are, whether that be our parents or other older relatives. However, that usually means that we don’t get to know their dreams, not that they are involved with assassins, like the way Ji-an’s uncle is in A Shop for Killers. The action strikes hard and fast, starting the series off with a sniper attempt on Ji-an’s life, but luckily, the surprised girl can fight back, with the eccentric training that she didn’t anticipate she’ll need. While the time jumps can be a bit confusing, A Shop for Killers has a surprising mix of action and mystery that keeps things entertaining, even if it’s unclear for now how it’s a spin-off to The Killer’s Shopping List.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Geum Hae-na, Kim Hye-jun, Lee Dong-wook, Park Ji-bin, Seo Hyun-woo
Director: Lee Kwon, Noh Gyoo-yeob
This story involves a jealous sister and a boy, which is enough of a foundation for a suspenseful story. Though a bit lacking in depth, onscreen interactions carry a lot of emotional weight and strike the balance of having enough said and unsaid. The upbeat pop hits and casual banter throughout goes a long way to at least break up the film's heavy atmosphere. At its heaviest, it is raw and glorious in its unraveling, placing the ugly side of grief next to the alluring side of envy. But throughout it all, it treats the plot with enough respect to not just be some cheap glorified fantasy.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Alva Bratt, Edvin Ryding, Felicia Truedsson, Ida Engvoll, Mustafa Al-Mashhadani, Zara Larsson
Director: Sigge Eklund
Genre: Drama
Actor: Alexa Goodall, Ewan McGregor, Fehinti Balogun, Johnny Harris, Jonny Harris, Marcus Hodson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
This is a pretty easy premise to invest in: psychotic exes. They don’t fumble the bag, either, giving us a series that takes an active stance against a justice system that is often asleep at the wheel in these cases, and spotlights the victims more than anything else which creates some semblance of hope in a tragic genre. The abusive cycle of manipulative behavior is insane—some people just never find fault in themselves or their logic—and the series captures the escalating frustration in the stories. Still, some outcomes give you immense comfort, and when it comes to this genre, that’s a huge win.
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Amorita Rasgado, Bárbara Mori, Christian Tappán, Horacio García Rojas, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Miguel Rodarte, Natalia Téllez, Ximena Sariñana
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Andy Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Autumn Best, Bonnie Hay, Daniel Zovatto, Darcy Laurie, David Beairsto, Denalda Williams, Dylan Schmid, Geoff Gustafson, James Yi, Jason Simpson, Jedidiah Goodacre, Jessica Chaffin, Jessie Fraser, Karen Holness, Kathryn Gallagher, Kelley Jakle, Matt Visser, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Matty Finochio, Max Lloyd-Jones, Michael Adamthwaite, Michael Jonsson, Nancy Kerr, Nicolette Robinson, Pete Holmes, Rob Morton, Taylor Hastings, Tony Hale
Director: Anna Kendrick
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation
Actor: Chiaki Kobayashi, Koki Uchiyama, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Ryota Suzuki, Shoya Chiba, Yohei Matsuoka, Yuichi Nakamura, Yuma Uchida
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Bae Yoon-kyung, Jun Jong-seo, Kang Na-eon, Kim Do-wan, Kim Kwang-kyu, Kim Ye-won, Kwon Hae-hyo, Moon Sang-min, Park Jae-wan
Director: Kwon Young-il
Genre: Action & Adventure, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction
Actor: David Daker, David Leland, David Rappaport, David Warner, Declan Mulholland, Derek Deadman, Derrick O'Connor, Ian Holm, Jack Purvis, Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, Kal-El Tuck, Katherine Helmond, Kenny Baker, Lisa Kudrow, Michael Palin, Neil McCarthy, Peter Jonfield, Peter Vaughan, Ralph Richardson, Roger Frost, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Sean Connery, Sheila Fearn, Shelley Duvall, Tadhg Murphy, Terence Bayler, Tony Jay
Director: Terry Gilliam
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Florian David Fitz, Janina Elkin, Katharina Schüttler, Katharina Thalbach, Meret Becker, Nilam Farooq, Peri Baumeister, Seumas F. Sargent, Sheeba Chaddha, Uwe Preuss, Yuna Bennett
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Jonathan Meijer