Tag: Australia-Netflix (Page 52)

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766. Hidden Love, 2023

Based on the novel by Zhu Yi, Hidden Love has the same aesthetic sensibilities as Yi’s other adaptation When I Fly Towards You. However, due to certain characterizations, the series doesn’t have the same charm. While it’s totally understandable for Sang Zhi to crush on her older brother’s cute best friend, the age difference feels uncomfortable as Zhi is in high school and Jiaxu is a college student. Jiaxu keeps his behavior platonic, but every consideration and kindness Jiaxu does for Zhi is undermined by the fact Jiaxu is aware of Zhi’s crush. Because of this, it’s hard to root for their later adult relationship.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Chen Zheyuan, Ding Xiaoying, Victor Ma, Zhang Baijia, Zhao Lusi

Director: Li Qing-Rong

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767. Heart of Stone, 2023

Between the film’s non-existent marketing and Hollywood's ongoing writers' strike, I knew not to expect much from Heart of Stone, Netflix’s latest direct-to-streaming outing. And sure enough, the spy thriller proved to be a mediocre watch. The plot is facile and generic, another one of those attempts at justifying AI and government data breaches. The acting is subpar, which is expected from the ever-stoic Gal Gadot. About the only good thing you can say about it is that it has entertaining action sequences. Gadot is precise and terrifying, a stunt wonder made for the genre. Now if only the acting matched the action, then maybe the film wouldn’t feel as plain and wooden.

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller

Actor: Alia Bhatt, Archie Madekwe, BD Wong, Enzo Cilenti, Gal Gadot, Giulia Innocenti, Glenn Close, Jamie Dornan, Jing Lusi, Joe Reisig, Jon Kortajarena, Jónas Alfreð Birkisson, Luca Fiamenghi, Mark Ivanir, Matthias Schweighöfer, Neran Persaud, Paul Ready, Roy Sampson, Sophie Okonedo, Thomas Arnold

Director: Tom Harper

Rating: PG-13

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768. Geek Girl, 2024

Based on a romantic YA novel, Geek Girl asks us to believe in its unlikely world, where a plain—beautiful, but plain—girl like Harriet can wow a top model scout (to the point where he begs her to join his agency) and have an in-demand fashion designer have her wear her latest design, all while Harriet barely even tries, much less cares, to join. In this world, too, models aren’t gig workers subject to harsh working environments, but wealthy beautiful people flitting by. This sort of premise could’ve worked in the 2000s, but as cute, wholesome, and occasionally enjoyable as Geek Girl is, it’s hard to overlook these ridiculous instances when more effective teen shows are readily available. There are some missed instances too, like when the show could’ve enlightened us on the seemingly nebulous process of deciding who has “the it factor,” because I’m having a hard time understanding why Harriet has got it. She’s not even interesting-looking in the way, say, Anya Taylor-Joy is, or knowledgeable like her friend Nat (Rochelle Harrington) is. She doesn’t strike impressive poses (come on, the lip bite?) or walk decently. I suppose that’s the point of the show; to rephrase Ratatouille, anyone can model. But I wished they gave someone genuinely different a chance.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Actor: Emily Carey, Jemima Rooper, Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Sarah Parish, Tim Downie

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769. Crypto Boy, 2023

Crypto Boy may seem, at first, to primarily warn against the allure of cryptocurrency, but at heart, it’s a family drama centered around an ambitious man and his immigrant Egyptian father. The Dutch Netflix film is actually a whole family affair, with writer-director Shady El-Hamus casting his brother Shahine and their father Sabri Saad in a real and relatable struggle between generations. That being said, the film is definitely less interested in the actual cryptocurrency scam presented. It takes such a predictable route that the protagonist comes off as foolish, rather than understandably ambitious. With his parallel to the villain, the film seems like it wants its viewers to empathize with the rich Mark Zuckerberg-wannabe, rather than cathartically put him through the consequences. This makes the film feel as disappointing as the crypto promises, as viewers are lured into the film for this, but come out with another thing entirely.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Aus Greidanus, Hannah van Lunteren, Jonas Smulders, Kendrick Etmon, Leny Breederveld, Loes Schnepper, Manoushka Zeegelaar-Breeveld, Minne Koole, Raymond Thiry, Shahine El-Hamus, Tobias Kersloot

Director: Shady El-Hamus

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770. Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer, 2024

This is a 3-episode true crime docuseries that shows great care to the victims and affected parties of this particular case. Whether they're detectives, autopsy specialists, victims' relatives, witnesses—all seem to share in this safe space, exploring thought processes behind why a certain place or person might be targeted, while at the same time extending support to the queer community directly harmed by this trauma. The production and reenactments are sleek without being overbearing or needing to sensationalize unnecessary details. The only time the atmosphere shifts is when we see the perpetrator's perspective, which is a kind of creepy that draws no sympathy or intrigue to itself. Its pace can drag in the middle of an episode, but it's a true crime mini-series with a straightforward, respectful approach, and these days that's more than enough.Genre: Crime, Documentary
Actor: Debbie Pollack, Katrin Faust, Lucia Lu, Miroslaw Wawak, Monika Laschke, Niklas Kohrt, Patrik Berg, Rick Hübner, Tristan Bumm
Director: Caroline Schaper, Jan Zabeil
Rating: TV-MA

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771. Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal, 2024

If you’re not familiar with the Ashley Madison scandal like me, then this series—at least initially—comes as a highly addictive watch. Of course you’ll want to know how a dating site promoting infidelity was created, used by millions, and eventually hacked. Who wouldn’t? But the intrigue quickly fades once you realize it’s coming from the subject matter alone. The documentary itself adds little to the discussion. There are no new discoveries to be had and no new angles to look at it from. It could’ve gone philosophical or sociological and looked deeper into why people craved discreet relationships and affairs in the first place. Or it could’ve gone technical and explored the business development side of the story more. It also could’ve conducted its own investigation of the data breach, if not to know who was behind it, then to get closer to cracking the case at least. But as it stands, this Netflix series is just a mere retelling of a Wikipedia page that only occasionally grips you.

Genre: Documentary

Rating: TV-MA

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772. Alexander: The Making of a God, 2024

Attempting to be both a serious, well-researched documentary and a serious, hard-hitting drama is nothing new. Many shows on educational channels like History have long employed skilled actors and directors to elevate their reenactments. But Netflix’s Alexander: The Making of a God doesn’t seem to know where (or when) to draw the line. There is no tonal balance, no tasteful blending of the two; instead, drama and docu are smushed into one incoherent mess. And that’s a shame because, on their own, they could have been worthwhile. The production value and acting that goes into the drama have enough heft to carry it through, while the history and research (though not the strongest) are engaging enough to whet our appetite for learning more. But as they stand, these mixed genres only distract us from appreciating either.

Genre: Documentary, Drama

Actor: Agni Scott, Alain Ali Washnevsky, Buck Braithwaite, Christopher Sciueref, Dino Kelly, Jadran Malkovich, James Oliver Wheatley, Kosha Engler, Mido Hamada, Mohamed Attougui, Salima Ikram, Souad Faress, Steven Hartley, Waleed Elgadi, Will Stevens

Director: Hugh Ballantyne

Rating: TV-MA

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773. Agent Elvis, 2023

Agent Elvis is the latest reimagining of the King, this time as a cool and collected James Bond-esque spy in a 60s neon-lit world. The adult animation series takes fun and unserious turns, in 1960s world history and also in Elvis’ life. The show turns faulty on-stage shows into recollecting spy trauma, poor film performances into body doubles that step in during his missions, and pins known financial troubles to a cartoon monkey. It’s an interesting approach from co-creators John Eddie and ex-wife Priscilla, along with some cool animated sequences. It would have been successful in reimagining Elvis at his best, if the comedy was funny enough to match.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Actor: Don Cheadle, Johnny Knoxville, Kaitlin Olson, Matthew McConaughey, Niecy Nash, Tom Kenny

Rating: TV-MA

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774. Adrishya Jalakangal, 2023

Ordinary people don’t choose to join a war, but oftentimes, they are dragged into it, forced to fight, and become victims of it because of people in power. Adrishya Jalakangal takes this idea in a dystopic future, where war has turned India into a police state, and mixes in a watchman who’s able to talk with the dead. While the message is necessary and the idea is novel, the execution feels uneven, as the anti-war and magic realist elements feel like elements from what should be two separate movies. Alongside the sluggish pace and the dialogue that’s a tad too on the nose, it’s hard to get through Adrishya Jalakangal when it can’t decide what it wants to focus on.

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Actor: Indrans, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Nimisha Sajayan, Tovino Thomas

Director: Bijukumar Damodaran

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775. Where the Tracks End, 2023

Ambitious and sincere, Where the Tracks End is a sweet coming of age centered on a tender community and mutual aid in the face of worker exploitation. Alternating between the young son of a traveling worker adjusting to a new town and an inspector tasked with informing small schools of an initiative that will force their doors closed, the film loses the chance to be impactful with either. This love letter to teaching and the importance of education is admirable as it holds together the community element of the script. Although the impact goes off-track due to its lack of commitment to one solid narrative, the heart behind it (and the children's innocent will to live a better life) shines through every so often.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Actor: Adriana Barraza, Blanca Guerra, Clementina Guadarrama, Fátima Molina, Gabriela Cartol, Guillermo Villegas, Jero Medina, Leonardo Alonso, Tete Espinoza

Director: Ernesto Contreras

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776. Vasco Rossi: Living It, 2023

As impressive as Vasco Rossi’s life was, it’s hard to connect to someone you haven’t heard of, which is probably why this docuseries is best seen by die-hard music fans alone. The series takes its time to introduce Rossi and explain his impact on Italian music, but even then, it can seem like something you’ve seen before. The documentary shies away from the cultural specificities and nuances that make Rossi the singular musician that he is, attempting instead to generalize his life into clear-cut sections as if it were a book. Even with Rossi present and narrating many parts of the series, it still lacks the ruggedness and spikiness that made Rossi’s music burst with relevance in the late 20th century. There is a sense that the filmmakers created this series with an international audience in mind, but by making his story as general and universal as possible, they might have inadvertently diluted Rossi’s power.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Vasco Rossi

Rating: TV-MA

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777. Oregon, 2023

For a film with virtually no plot, there’s a lot of fuss going on in Oregon. The characters are constantly yelling and complaining, but the noise—like the plot, the set, and everything else about the film—is empty. The beauty of a Turkish summer is reduced to indoor sets, where much of the film takes place, and there here’s barely any movement, leaving us stuck with dialogue and half-baked backstories that don’t seem to serve any real purpose other than to fill in the film’s overlong runtime. The problems are superficial and solved almost immediately, purely by talking it seems, and there’s no attempt to connect the many disparate stories it shows. A farce like this could’ve worked if it got sillier and more ridiculous by the minute, but Oregon just goes in repetitive, unfunny circles.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Ali İpin, Alper Saldıran, Aslı İnandık, Burcu Biricik, Ferit Aktuğ, Nazlı Bulum, Nejat İşler, Nevra Serezli, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Serkan Çayoğlu, Zihni Göktay

Director: Kerem Ayan

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778. NASCAR: Full Speed, 2024

Whether or not one is a fan of auto racing, a documentary series like NASCAR: Full Speed manages to stay exciting simply due to the extreme nature of the sport. It isn't just a highlight reel of wipeouts and close calls, of course, but the insights we get into how complex (and expensive) racing is—and how much these racers have put on the line for themselves—increases the tension in every lap. Still, there's a sense that Full Speed is only sticking to the stories and personalities we expect to see in this kind of show. And like many other sports docs, it can't help but begin to go through the usual motions, becoming more like white noise punctuated by bursts of thrilling action.Genre: Documentary
Actor: Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron
Rating: TV-MA

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779. Bitconned, 2024

True crime stories set in the world of crypto are still relatively unexplored and therefore have a real contemporary edge to them; they feel more relatable because these criminals share the same online spaces we do. Bitconned taps into this with a more casual, carefree energy, but it also brings up the same concerns—namely: how helpful is it, really, to give this much attention to a con artist currently running free? The film spends most of its time explaining how its main characters built their scam then failed spectacularly at covering their tracks, but after a while even the entertainment of others' mistakes needs to be supported by more thorough analysis, which this documentary doesn't provide.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Actor: Damian Williams, Ray Trapani, Robert Farkas, Sam Bankman-Fried, Sohrab Sharma

Director: Bryan Storkel

Rating: R

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780. As If It's True, 2023

With their personal life offered for consumption, carefully curated for viewers and sponsors, the social media influencer has become a fascinating character to study, especially with the job becoming Gen Z’s top career aspiration. As If It’s True examines this character through Gemma Stone, using the fake relationship trope to examine the lengths to which she would cling to her clout. John Roger’s debut feature blurs the line between real and the fake, not just for Gemma and James but also for the viewers, and it brings up much to say about how this aspiration can ruin people. However, the lines are blurred too much, as the ideas don’t mesh cohesively as it could. As If It’s True is an interesting character study, but the film hasn’t allowed itself to see the human side of the people highly incentivized to be fake for views.Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Adrianna So, Angellie Nicholle Sanoy, Ashley Ortega, Jan Silverio, Khalil Ramos, Marnie Lapus, Rachel Coates
Director: John Rogers

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