Here are good moves to watch on Netflix:
‘4 halves’
A curious Italian romantic comedy that explores the concept of soul mates through the premise of what would happen if a certain group of people were paired differently. A balanced film that deviates from the easy paths of this type of proposal and has an efficient work by its cast, a skilful work by its scriptwriter and a solvent work by the director. It’s not that it’s anything really revolutionary, but titles like this are appreciated in such a hackneyed subgenre.
‘Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood’ (‘Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood’)
One of the best Netflix original movies to date and the best of this 2022 without possible discussion. Richard Linklater once again makes use of nostalgia, this time to remember, in his own way, everything that surrounded the launch to the moon. With a touch of fantasy, when she shines brightest is when she recreates those memories with contagious energy.
‘Big Bug’
The French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet makes here a very identifiable work within his cinema that is also his first feature film in almost a decade. An eccentric film that mixes science fiction with the traditional in an uneven but stimulating way, counting on a peculiar gallery of characters and a great technical finish.
‘Blonde’
A fascinating film that uses the figure of the mythical Marilyn Monroe to offer an antibiopic that at times even flirts with terror. The excellent interpretation of Ana de Armas is the best performance of a work that embraces the extreme without even fearing the possibility of being ridiculed.
‘Black Crab’ (‘Black Crab’)
A stimulating post-apocalyptic film that more than meets its objective of immersing the viewer in the universe it presents, while also being very successful when it comes to showing the hardships its protagonists face on a practically suicidal mission. Unfortunately, interest wanes in its last act, but everything we see before it more than makes up for it.
‘Silverstone Siege’ (‘Silverton Siege’)
Inspired by true events, this South African film is a tense thriller set during the Apartheid years, well supported by its cast and which manages to engage the viewer’s attention and induce some reflection despite making use of certain tiring clichés of this type of story. .
‘The stranger’ (‘The Stranger’)
An intense thriller based on a fascinating true story that has its best asset in the great performances of Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris , the two great protagonists of the show. Built over a slow fire, it may be a little scattered, but it always engages and keeps the viewer interested, even when it may seem that nothing is happening.
‘The cat caco’ (‘Cat Burglar’)
A magnificent interactive animated film from the creator of ‘Black Mirror’ that drinks directly from the style of Tex Avery . Witty at all times and funny most of the time, she is a delight that invites you to see all the options for that attempted heist, enjoying one both when the protagonist gets away with it and when it ends in a very bad way.
‘The Sea Monster’ (‘The Sea Beast’)
An endearing animated adventure that shines more visually than narratively, where it proposes a story that mixes ‘Moby Dick’ with ‘How to train your dragon’ in a not particularly memorable way, although it does turn out to be more effective in building its plots. characters. All in all, good entertainment for the whole family.
‘The wasteland’
The first Spanish Netflix film in 2022 pays special attention to achieving an oppressive atmosphere to get the viewer to connect with the anguish that its two protagonists are going through. In addition, both Inma Cuesta and Asier Flores are very convincing in their respective characters, but it is fair to note that interest drops somewhat in their final stretch, where it seems that David Casademunt runs out of ideas about what he wants to tell us.
‘Claw’ (‘Hustle’)
Adam Sandler puts his most comic side aside to lead this effective sports drama about the world of basketball that tells how two people try to fulfill their dream in the NBA, one getting the position he has been looking for for so many years and the other playing there. It has the peculiarity that the Spanish Juancho Hernangómez is its co-star.
‘Stroke of luck’ (‘Windfall’)
One of those small films that relies almost entirely on its protagonists and the strength of its script. I for one am enjoying Jesse Plemons playing the hateful rich here immensely, to the point that he only sustains the feature when certain weaknesses start to emerge around the hour of footage.
‘The House’ (‘The House’)
A striking stop-motion animated film divided into several stories, all of them linked to the house of the title. As usual in these cases, the baggage is somewhat uneven, but all of them offer something of interest, often flirting with terror, but never leaving aside the general absurdity of what they propose.
‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
It is far from the sensational Tobe Hooper film with which the franchise started in 1974, but that does not mean that we are facing a most enjoyable slasher as long as we assume that what interests those involved the most is the accumulation of corpses and the generosity in displaying Leatherface’s crimes on screen in the most graphic way possible.
‘Metal Lords’
There are films that do not stand out so much for what they tell as for the way they are made, and here you can see a special affection for their characters and a great casting job so that this is transmitted to the viewer. That’s the great strength of this cute teen comedy that manages to remain fresh throughout despite often being quite obvious in its intentions.
‘Munich on the eve of a war’ (‘Munich: The Edge of War’)
An interesting film about the tensions prior to a war, in this case World War II. What really matters here are the diplomatic moves to avoid what seems inevitable or at least postpone it as long as possible, so that everything ends up tending more to spy movies, but with a perhaps more relaxed approach than is ideal, giving the sensation of moments that might have worked better as a miniseries. All in all, it’s worth it and Jeremy Irons is very good.
‘Revenge now’ (‘Do Revenge’)
A fairly successful adolescent comedy during its first two acts, where it balances that poisonous touch typical of little jewels of the subgenre that it has as references with the pull of its two protagonists. Then the thing decays in its final stretch, but not so much that its viewing ceases to be an enjoyment.
‘Nothing new in the west’ (‘Nothing new in the west’)
New adaptation of the novel by Erich Maria Remarque that plunges us fully into the battlefield during World War I. Very reliable and immersive in the war scenes, curiously when it stands out the most is in the most intimate scenes, reflecting the relationship between some of its protagonists.
‘Wendell y Wild’
One of the most unfair flops of the year, partly because Netflix didn’t really know what to make of this new stop-motion movie from the ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ director. It is true that it falls short of the major works of its head, but it mixes the comic with the terrifying well and has an exquisite visual finish.
