netflix – Geek Groovy

Emily the Criminal

Emily the Criminal

Directed by John Patton Ford

(2022, Low Spark Films)

It’s an Aubrey Plaza year – what with The White Lotus, Season 2 shooting to number one on HBO Max, and this, Emily the Criminal that she produced and starred in becoming the number one movie of Netflix.

I am here to tell you both are well deserved.

Emily the Criminal follows a character named, well, Emily, as she struggles to make ends meet, pay off student loans, and just tries achingly to get a solid footing in life.

It seems that every time she takes a step forward, she is pushed two steps back. When a co-worker in the food delivery service hands her a phone number to call to make some fast cash, she calls it, which lands her in a random warehouse of credit card scammers.

The Munsters

The Munsters

Directed by Rob Zombie

(2022, Capital Arts Entertainment/Hero Squared/Spookshow International/Universal 1440 Entertainment)

If you, like me, were hoping that director, Rob Zombie would delve into a reimagined, dark take of the classic 1960’s tv show, The Munsters, you might as well request Grandpa Munster to create a potion for you to grant such a wish.

This wildly bizarre take on The Munsters, which itself was already wildly bizarre is embarrassingly lacking of any intelligence, wit, or nuance.

I, like many others, watched in excitement as the Instagram posts rolled in from Budapest (where the movie was filmed) from Rob Zombie. The stills looked like something great was being created. Something new, dark, fresh, and different, breathing life (ahem) on a fun, classic tv show.

It wasn’t until filming wrapped and the actual trailer (not the teaser trailer which still showed promise) dropped that one would ask if this might be a joke. Was this just Mr. Zombie playing with the audience?
The trailer made the movie look like a cheap, straight-to-video movie you might find in the reduced price movie Wal-Mart bin.

Echoes

Echoes

Directed by Vanessa Gazy

(2022, Endemol Shine Australia/Netflix)

Who’s who in this whodunnit mystery on Netflix?

Michelle Monaghan just plays twins, Leni and Gina who have taken care of and been a part of (understatement) each other since they were children.

Now that they are grown adults they try to keep this pact they made as youngsters to do just that but when one twin goes missing, it sets off a litany of twists and turns that begin to unravel the two lives of the twins going back decades.

Don’t Look Up

Don’t Look Up

Directed by Adam McKay

(2021, Bluegrass Films/Hyperobject Industries)

In Adam McKay’s movie, Don’t Look Up, two scientists played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, are tasked with the mission of alerting all citizens of Earth of devastating findings that a comet is on a collision course with the planet in what is called a “planet killer.”

Among these citizens of Earth are the President of the Unites States, played by Meryl Streep, her son who serves as her Chief of Staff, played by Jonah Hill, and the rest of her cabinet.

Unfortunately, due to the ever-growing, non-science believers in the country led by the President, who is more focused on her image than that of an oncoming doomsday, the scientists face an uphill battle finding themselves in the surreal moment of actually having to convince people of these facts.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Directed by David Dobkin

(2020, European Broadcasting Union (EBU)/Gary Sanchez Productions/Gloria Sanchez Productions/Netflix/Truenorth Productions)

I don’t usually watch Will Ferrell movies anymore. What used to be fun and niche now always seems to be predictable and boring.

However, due to a friend’s recommendation, I watched “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.”

What may be surprising here is that I’m not about to say that I was pleasantly surprised or that this changed my opinion on the modern day Will Ferrell.