Netflix suggestions

Parent Cafe
1

<p>As a family we like to sit down and watch DVDs in the evenings and will probably try to do the same over winter break. The problem is our oldest who is extremely picky in what he will watch.</p>

<p>Things he likes/liked:
Star Trek NG, Voyager, DS9 (but hates the original series)
Serenity (but wouldn’t watch Firefly because it was too much like a western)
Star Wars movies
the two most recent Bond movies
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
the Lord of the Rings movies</p>

<p>Things he hates/won’t watch:
animated movies
MASH
westerns</p>

<p>Younger brother is a little easier:</p>

<p>Likes:
We’ve all been happily watch old MASH episodes while Mathson was away
We mostly didn’t like Stargate and Atlantis after the first season or two, but humored my husband who really enjoys it
We all like Battlestar Gallactica, but for some reason Mathson never got into it
He likes most war movies
He liked 12 Angry Men
Loved Buffy and Angel
Hates:
Hated Farscape (so did I)
Hated Arrested Development (so did I)</p>

<p>We all enjoyed Rope last weekend and I think they might both like the other Hitchcock movies, but I think there are very few I haven’t already seen. </p>

<p>Any other classics that come to mind?</p>

2

<p>I have not watched these, but I have seen them around my house: </p>

<p>Space Cowboys, Apoccalypse Now, Iron Man, Live Free or Die Hard, I am Legend.</p>

<p>I don’t know anything about them.</p>

3

<p>One of my favorite movies from Netflix was St. Ralph. It’s the story of a Catholic boarding school boy who believes that if he can win the Boston Marathon his mother will be miraculously cured of an illness. It’s a coming of age story - funny, sad, and inspiring, with a “Rudy”-like ending.</p>

4

<p>One of the best movies I’ve ever seen was Akeelah and the Bee. I saw it a few years ago in the theater with S2, who was then about 13. (I know, because once he turned 14 that was the end of going to movies with Mom!) S2 also loves 12 Angry Men - has had it for several years and has watched it several times. He also liked Witness for the Prosecution (old version with Marlene Dietrich).</p>

<p>All the males in my family like Das Boot. I hate it.</p>

5

<p>I don’t know about the sons, but mothers of sons will love The Italian/Italianetz. Little Russian orphan boy looking for his mom. Watch his gesture and expression when he finally get to meet mom, I had never seen a more moving scene in a movie. </p>

<p>Just noticed the sons tend to favor action/sc fi, so maybe not. How about The Matrix Trilogy ? The Mummy ? Indiana Jones ?</p>

6

<p>Some of these are rated R:
Run, Lola, Run
Amelie
Iron Monkey
The Bourne movies
Road Warrior (very violent)
Eating Raoul
The Stand (miniseries)</p>

7

<p>My d has similar tastes to your Mathson, and she recently enjoyed the “Tin Man” mini series (available through Netflix).</p>

<p>Have you already seen the recent “Get Smart” and “Iron Man”?</p>

<p>D also liked “Speed Racer.”</p>

<p>Another WONDERFUL (BBC) mini series that kept us all on the edge of our seats - “State of Play.”</p>

8

<p>I can’t vouch for the ratings on any of these, but these are films both of my boys (college and high school age) enjoy (duplication of some already mentioned):</p>

<p>Kill Bill, one and two
Sean of the Dead (there is another with the same actors, but the title escapes me)
Indiana Jones - all of them
Spider Man
The Italian Job
Oceans 11 (and 12 and…)</p>

<p>There are plenty of older war type movies - “Apocolypes Now”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Good Morning Vietnam”; how about The Godfather movies?</p>

<p>It’s always a challenge to find a movie to please everyone in the house!</p>

9

<p>A couple of movies that might be enjoyed</p>

<p>Its a Mad,Mad,Mad, World- My son always enjoyed this film with its all star cast</p>

<p>Waiting for Guffman- One of the funniest movies of all time and my kids watched it three times over the weekend when we first rented it. </p>

<p>My Cousin Vinnie- A funny movie that all enjoy</p>

<p>The Thin Man series- Great '30s Detective comedy </p>

<p>Usual Suspects- Another great suspenseful drama</p>

<p>The Spanish Prisoner- Great Mammet drama with lots of twists and Steve Martin playing a bad guy. </p>

<p>Finally, something that my wife and I enjoyed through Netflix is the “Seven Up” documentary. This English series follows the lives of 10 seven year olds from age age 7 to age 49. There is a film done every seven years that follows their lives. This is an amazing documentary.</p>

10

<p>I don’t think I could stand to watch Get Smart again in either the old or new version - though sister-in-law is threatening to give it to us when she’s done!</p>

<p>They liked the Matrix and Indiana Jones. Ironman is a good idea, we meant to see it when it was out and didn’t.</p>

<p>Younger son will see almost any war movie - especially the submarine ones! But older son is picky about action flicks. They have to pretend to be slightly intelligent. Rated R is okay - sons are 16 and 19. Very violent not so good for dh. He’s kind of squeamish. Won’t watch Alien again, made me watch Pulp Fiction and Schindler’s List without him.</p>

11

<p>Seconding the Bourne movies.</p>

<p>And the other Sean of the Dead movie (as it were - not at all a sequel but the same bunch in action) is Hot Fuzz. H, D (20), S1 (17), and I all love both of them.</p>

<p>How about Snatch? Violent but very smart. And the remake of Ocean’s 11? (Sorry, I see now that vulture already suggested the Ocean movies.) </p>

<p>The Prestige.</p>

12

<p>Also, West Wing. D and S1 both love it.</p>

<p>How are the mathsons on humor? I don’t see a lot of it in your list. Most of the classics we have around are in that vein - lots of excellent Preston Sturges stuff, plus Marx Brothers. And the Thin Man 1 and 2, though they’ve already been mentioned - and honestly, S1 doesn’t LOVE them the way D and I do.</p>

13

<p>Mixed on humor. Monty Python movies and Spamalot were okay, but they didn’t care for the TV show. Like MASH and Spaceballs. I think younger son would like The Thin Man, I loved them, but I think girls in general probably like them better than boys. They might like The Marx Brothers - should probably just make them see one to be educated. They (we) tend to like clever dialog more than the slapstick stuff. Preston Sturges is an idea - I seem to have missed seeing most of his movies. I’ll try Shaun of the Dead, I’d never heard of it.</p>

14

<p>Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Galaxy Quest
Spaceballs</p>

15

<p>vulture- the makers of Shaun of the Dead also did Hott Fuzz (I think this is the movie you’re thinking of).</p>

<p>how about dr. strangelove?</p>

16

<p>the Kill Bills are pretty violent. How about Air Force One and The Fugitive? Lots of Kids like the “Heroes” and “The office” Series.</p>

17

<p>“Hot Fuzz” is it, and the proper spelling is “Shaun of the Dead”. Not sequels, but both were very entertaining for our entire family.</p>

<p>I’d also suggest the Tom Clancy based movies; “The Hunt for Red October”, “Patriot Games” - and I know there are others based on the Jack Ryan character.</p>

<p>How about the “The Pink Panther” movies. Some slap stick elements, but the dialogue is usually pretty witty and entertaining. The whole James Bond series would seem a good option too; fun to compare and observe the changes over time.</p>

<p>Thanks all - I’m gathering good suggestions to add to my Netflix list, too!</p>

18

<p>We saw all those Tom Clancy movies earlier this year with my war movie buff.</p>

<p>Dr. Strangelove is an excellent idea. It’s come up in conversation at various times that the boys ought to see it.</p>

<p>Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - seen and they hated. I liked it better than the book which I think is stupid.
Galaxy Quest - loved it.
Spaceballs - liked it, though it’s kind of stupid.</p>

<p>Pink Panther might go over - I don’t know if I want to rewatch them though. Our youngest has actually seen a lot of the old Bond movies with friends, but we might pick up some of the old ones for fun.</p>

19

<p>My boys loved Last of the Mohicans. They also really enjoy the Jackie Chan Rush Hour movies and also Shanghai Knights…and Shanghai Noon…</p>

<p>the British version of The Office is excellent…and wonderful to watch one episode after another…until you are squirming because Ricky Gervais is so weird… </p>

<p>there is another British show, Hustle, not sure if Netflix has it or not…but that is fun to watch at times. </p>

<p>The Unit, a CBS show is worth watching…you can probably get that from Netflix… </p>

<p>Face Off is a riveting movie…with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage…</p>

<p>which makes me think of The Rock, with Nicolas Cage…</p>

<p>Friday Night Lights was a great movie…</p>

<p>so was The Caine Mutiny (Humphrey Bogart) excellent story…</p>

<p>Gladiator is an excellent movie…</p>

<p>not sure I am addressing your specific request, just trying to think of movies/shows my own 2 boys have loved…</p>

<p>Good Morning Vietnam…</p>

<p>all of the Star Wars movies, they can be fun to go back and watch in the sequential order of the story, since they started with 4, 5, 6, then 1, 2, and finally 3… </p>

<p>we liked the recent Wall-E…</p>

<p>have fun…</p>

20

<p>You mentioned Hitchcock, so I’m sure you’ve seen “To Catch a Thief” and "North by Northwest”. And while not Hitchcock, consider Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in “Charade”.</p>

<p>For Sci-Fi, you can watch the 80’s cult classic, “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai” starring Peter Weir. I can’t begin to describe the plot, but the 80’s clothing and hair styles are a hoot.</p>

<p>For your younger son, a war movie: “The Train”. The last great war movie shot in black and white and on location, it’s a true story about a group of French Resistance fighters (led by Burt Lancaster) asked to stop a Paris train bound for Germany with looted Impressionist art. The late Paul Schofield plays the German general. The story takes place just days before the liberation of Paris by Allied forces. Lancaster is asked to risk the lives of his group to save the French patrimony of so-called “decadent art” from falling into German hands. This movie asks big questions. Brilliantly directed by the late John Frankenheimer (“The Manchurian Candidate”)…</p>

<p>For action/spy thrillers, there is none finer than “Ronin” again directed by John Frankenheimer. Robert DeNiro and the great French actor Jean Reno play mercenaries out to retrieve a package from another group of mercenaries. The movie was shot on location in France. Dialog by David Mamet that is to die for. Listen closely. This is one of the bleakest movies ever made that features a great car chase sequence. </p>

<p>For thrillers from the direction of Michael Mann, watch “Collateral” (Tom Cruise/Jamie Foxx) and “Heat” (DeNiro/Pachino). Nobody does dark, sinister urban landscapes like Mann. “Collateral” has hit man Cruise hiring cab drive Foxx to drive him around LA at night for a series of “errands”. The cinematography is mesmerizing. And “Heat”: the best bank robbery shootout ever put to film.</p>

<p>And finally for the holidays, I recommend “The Preacher’s Wife” starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Huston. A re-make of “The Bishop’s Wife”, Denzel Washington plays an angel sent down from Heaven to mend a troubled marriage between Whitney Huston and her preacher husband, Courtney Vance (late of Law and Order: Criminal Intent). The movie is a quiet meditation on relationships. It’s a fine holiday movie that does not scream at the audience and with characters that you like. The movie was shot on location in what looks to be in one of the outer New York boroughs.</p>