Someone once said that Netflix is like a fridge full of food you don't want to eat. And that is absolutely the case...sometimes. Here, I present you the exceptions to the rule, the rare refrigerator snacks that stand apart from your roommate's week–old leftovers.
To fill your post–Lady Bird need for anything involving Saoirse Ronan: The Lovely Bones
Saoirse Ronan is radiant and wonderful, and if you felt something missing in your life after watching Lady Bird, it was probably her. The Lovely Bones, a supernatural drama about a girl who watches over her family in the afterlife after getting murdered, is definitely not as fast as Lady Bird, but Ronan’s performance is magical and captivating. Prepare yourself for emotional devastation—don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To motivate yourself to get out of bed and go to Pottruck: Bring It On
Netflix is adding not one, not two, but five Bring It On movies to their roster in January. If you’re too lazy to trudge through ice and snow to get to the gym, try watching one of these cheerleading movie—and arguably sports movie—classics. Their saga of friendship, sportsmanship, and tight abs will have you sweating on an elliptical in no time. Just think—if you can get to the gym every time you watch one of these, you’ll have exercised four whole times this semester (four more times than this reporter will have gone).
To Netflix & Chill: Lovesick
Do people still use the phrase “Netflix and chill?” Anyway, for lack of a better euphemism, if you’re picking something for a night of Netflix and chilling, Lovesick, whose third season was just added to Netflix, is ideal. It’s a British sitcom with the right balance of quips, capers, and romantic entanglements that can be enjoyed without requiring 100% of your full and committed attention.
To not Netflix & Chill: Definitely, Maybe and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days
These are movies that pair well with Halo Top, a bottle of wine, and a principled rejection of the concept of cuffing season. Enjoy Ryan Reynolds and Matthew McConaughey at their pre–Blake Lively, pre–Oscar, rom–com best.
To boycott watching entirely, for moral reasons and solidarity with the #metoo movement: Midnight in Paris
The past few months have seen the fall of some of Hollywood’s most powerful and prominent figures for allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Men and women all across the movie industry are coming together to make sure the culture of silence around sexual misconduct in Hollywood will end. But Woody Allen, who has been accused by his daughter Dylan Farrow of sexual abuse when she was a child, seems strangely immune. Allen continues to churn out new projects starring female stars like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Emma Stone, who are vocal supporters of #metoo but have no problem working with Allen. He bafflingly faces none of the same treatment that Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, or Louis CK received. Don’t watch his movies: it gives him more money and more proof that people are happy to accept and forget his abusive actions.
