It is time for another Netflix watchlist. In these times of pandemic there is not much to do besides staying home and watching some fun films or series. So to help you through the lock down we put together some interesting films/series for you to enjoy.
Vikings
I am starting with my personal most favorite series of all time, Vikings! The name pretty much speaks for itself. The series takes you back to the era of the Vikings where a simple, yet curious, farmer Ragnar Lothbrok lives with his wife Lagertha in a place in Norway called Kattegat. However, Ragnar and Lagertha are no common farmers since they are also Viking warriors who love to explore the world and raid new places from time to time. This show is originally introduced by the History Channel but is now finally on Netflix for you to enjoy. The strength of this series is that it is mainly based on historical accuracy as far as that is possible. That is what makes this series so interesting to watch next to the blood, drama and action. By watching this series the makers will introduce you to the culture and habits of the Vikings. Often, all kinds of different rituals are performed by the Vikings which gives you a better insight and perhaps an understanding of their motives. Did you for instance know that a Viking beliefs that to be welcomed in their heaven (Valhalla) one needs to die in battle like a proper warrior. Only then will you be welcomed in Valhalla. This makes you understand why Vikings can be such aggressive people, because they believe dying in battle is something to be praised for. This is also the reason why Vikings fight so fearless and brave. In the series they usually speak English most of the time, but the series shows you the original languages spoken in that era from time to time to show that there is a communication gap between certain parties. The series began somewhere in 2013 and has now 5 seasons on Netflix. Season 1 to 3 contains 10 episodes each of approximately 45 minutes each. In season 4 and 5 the episodes increase to 20 episodes each of approximately 45 minutes. IMDB rated this series a 8.6/10. I can personally vouch for this series, it will be well worth your time I assure you. Especially if you are into history, action and a lot of plot twists. I have been watching this series since 2013 and I have yet to find a series that peaks my interest more than this series.
The Witcher
For the sake of variation and for total awesomeness we are going to switch up the historical reality with Polish fiction. If you don’t like fiction then that is such a pity, because this series is definitely enjoyable. The Witcher is originally a Polish novel series which is later made into an amazing video game for the latest generation gaming consoles (e.g. PS4 and XBOXONE). Fun fact: the video game developers were also Polish who worked together with the author to make the setting as accurate as possible. The great success of this video game (The Witcher 3: the wild hunt) is partly the reason that the series now exists on Netflix. Netflix started to work on this a while ago in collaboration with the author of the novel series and the video game developers as well to make the series as accurate and consistent as possible in comparison with the other work. So with no further due let’s introduce you to this world. A Witcher is a person who is trained since the age of a young child (sometimes abducted and against its will). They are trained to be sharp and physically strong, because the purpose of a Witcher is to hunt monsters in return for coin. The last step of the training for a kid to become a Witcher is the mutation. The mutation is something that takes away the emotions of a person and gives back sharp senses, cat-like eyes and a form of special magic. Most of the kids who go through the transportation process do not survive, therefore there are not a lot of Witchers in the world. You can see a Witcher as the equivalent of some kind of pest-control service. In the series you follow the live of a Witcher named Geralt of Rivia. The world he lives in is a fantasy world where magic, other magical races and devious monsters exist. Geralt is just living his life and he is trying to come by while doing his job. However, faith has something else in store for him and so he gets tangled up in affairs that he might see as bothersome at first. The Netflix series came out around the end of 2019 and has therefore only one season yet. Don’t worry though, this series was absolutely a success and there will be another season out in 2021. On IMDB this show got rated 8.3/10. The season contains 8 episodes with each the length of approximately 1 hour. If you like fantasy series like Game of Thrones than you will highly likely love this series as well. This might even get you hooked on the books and video game right after watching it as well. Don’t forget to toss a coin to your Witcher!
Tiger King
You might have heard about this show lately, because it is well discussed online and on social media. You may have seen some names like Carole Baskin or Joe Exotic come by a few times while surfing on social media. There are even lots of new memes going on about due to the release of this show. To be honest, I don’t really know what makes this show so “good”. Maybe it became so popular due to the lock down. All I can say is that it made me laugh out loud a few times and it was kind of a roller coaster of drama to watch. The show keeps your attention by bringing in new perspectives all the time that makes you change your opinion quite frequent. The show is about tiger keepers in America who have had quite the crazy experiences. The show revolves mostly around Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin and their associates. Joe Exotic is a gay cowboy who is a tiger breeder and he has quite of an exotic character. He starts out by working for Carole Baskin, but then peculiar things start to happen like the sudden disappearance of Carole Baskin’s husband. Joe is convinced that Carole murdered her husband and fed her to the tigers for her own benefit, but is this true? Carole holds up quite a convincing story in her defense according to some people, but she has quite a sinister aura around her like she is holding something back. Her story is maybe not so plausible after all. Since a lot of people starting to question her honesty. Especially after they get to know her better. Is she guilty or not? This question will be bothering you the whole series long and you may change your opinion after each episode. A long story short, Carole and Joe become arch enemies and they would do anything to see the other one broke for life. They get in personal and legal feuds while they both need to maintain a tiger zoo. Next to that a lot of things happen in their personal lives that make or break their competitive position towards each other. Who shall be the real tiger king or queen? Who shall walk away from this unharmed and who’s life will never be the same again? This mini-series has lots of plots twists and opinion changers in it which will keep you interested, amazed and laughing out loud for the time being. To find out the answers you can watch 1 season of 8 episodes which are all between 40 – 50 minutes each. On IMDB the show gets a rating of 7.7/10.
Once upon a time in Hollywood
This is a movie of one of the most legendary film makers of all times, namely Quentin Tarantino. You may know him from popular movies such as Kill Bill, The hateful eight and perhaps his most famous one Pulp Fiction. His name is not the only big one associated to this movie because Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are in the lead as well. Not to forget side roles by famous actors such a Margot Robbie and Al Pacino. As you might have guessed, the setting is in Hollywood around the final years of the golden age of Hollywood, which is in 1969 Los Angeles. Leonardo DiCaprio plays as Rick Dalton, a famous but fading TV star in Hollywood. Brad Pitt is playing as Cliff Booth, which is Rick Dalton’s stunt double and best friend. Hollywood is changing and Rick and Cliff hardly recognize it anymore. Nonetheless, they are here to make money and be successful. Sometimes that can be quite hard for the both, because Rick makes some bad choices which set back his career. Rick is in doubt about whether he actually still wants to be in the showbiz. In the mean time his stunt double and best friend Cliff is not getting any younger and he is having a hard time finding work. His career is mostly already over. Rick is still living life of luxury in Beverly Hills, but not for long if he won’t find new work. That is easier said than done, however due to his personal struggles and other wacky events that take place. In this movie you really get the feeling of seeing and being in old Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino has his own unique ways of editing and he shows that yet again in this movie. The funny ways of how he sees certain shots and scenes really fit well with the theme of the movie. Will Rick stay wealthy or lose it all? Will Cliff and Rick still be friends? And what about Cliff’s career? Will he survive in the fast changing environment of Hollywood? You can find out by watching this movie, however be warned. The movie takes 161 minutes of your time and can be a little tedious as can be expected from Quentin Tarantino. The movie has an IMDB rating of 7.7/10.
Central Intelligence
Last, but not least. Central Intelligence. I saw this movie in the cinema when it came out and I did not regret it at all. If you see the cast of the movie, you might already think that it is a combination that cannot go wrong. With Kevin Heart and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, this movie is already set up to be a hilarious movie. My prejudice proved me right. I thought the movie was absolutely hilarious and that is why I would like to add it to the list. Comedy is not the only reason why I would like to add it to the list. Next to being hilarious, the movie provides a lot of action and (gun) fights which will keep you entertained while they switch it off with laughter and some occasional heart-felt scenes. Kevin Heart plays as Calvin Joyner, an accountant who was the most popular kid in high-school. High school reunion is approaching and suddenly an old acquaintance of Calvin contacts him to his surprise. It is Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson who plays Robbie Weirdicht which is a bad ass CIA agent. However, Robbie was the opposite of Calvin in high school since Robbie got picked on and bullied all the time. That is why, at first, Calvin did not recognize Robbie while Robbie contacted Calvin via social media, because Robbie had changed his name into Bob Stone. Finally, they agree to meet each other and that is where the trouble starts for Calvin. Robbie needs Calvin’s help and it is really urgent. Calvin starts to realize that when suddenly his life turns into an action packed movie. Bullets and explosions everywhere. People chasing him and his family and for what reason? Calvin is starting to doubt what is happening and who he can trust. So what will happen? Who can Calvin trust and why is Robbie contacting him now after all these years? This movie is 107 minutes long and has an IMDB rating of just 6.3/10. A bit underrated in my opinion, but opinions are subjective of course and therefore differ.
I hope you enjoyed reading about these awesome and worth-mentioning films and series on Netflix. If you did not see them yet, then I hope you will give these films/series a shot because I truly enjoyed them for what it is worth. It is not like you have got much better to do anyways in these times of pandemic and home-stay lock downs. This was it for this week. Tune back in next week for another article. We wish you all good health and stay safe!
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