Netflix Watch Instantly Recommendation Thread

I'm sure Netflix will push hard for another season but the writer/director has said there was no plan for another one

second series would be v dumb and bad

How did you watch Squid Game in terms of subtitles/dubs?

Personally gone for original Korean dialogue with English subs. the subtitles are very, erm, detailed.

I did the english subtitles, they were occasionally not well done.

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/10/1044830237/squid-game-is-the-latest-example-of-when-subtitles-are-a-little-off

the worst thing about the show was the english actors in masks, not one of which could deliver a believable line

Feel like English-speaking actors in non-English productions are usually pretty bad, I almost don't notice it anymore

I've read that you want English, not English (CC).

I think I'm one of the few who didn't love SG. It didn't feel like a waste of time but I wouldn't have regretted not watching it.

yeah there are two sets of subtitles: one is closed captions for the English dub - this is the translation that everyone is complaining about, and should be avoided imo.

The subtitles for the original Korean dialogue are much better but there are still a few major things off (fyi i don’t speak Korean but have watched enough Korean content in my life to notice). One example is during the night watch scene, where the subtitles show Ali calling Sangwoo by his name, after the latter asks him to stop calling him boss.

But what Ali actually calls him is “hyung” - meaning “older brother”, a term of affection used by Korean males towards older males they’re close to. This is actually what makes Sangwoo’s later betrayal of Ali even more devastating - Ali thought of him as family. His last words before he gets killed (“Sangwoo hyung”) even calls back to that scene.

I can kinda understand why they went with the simplest route there, cos I guess they don’t really have the time to explain the Korean language’s use of honorifics to a non Korean audience. but still, that was a huge moment where I thought the subtitles didn’t adequately reflect what was happening on screen.

Ah fuck I messed up the formatting there, sorry for major spoiler!!

I think I'm one of the few who didn't love SG.

We watched the first episode, didn't particularly like it, but had heard it got a lot better. Got as far as the first scene in episode two and checked out. I am just not in the mood for that particular type of callous violence just now.

the physical and emotional violence only gets worse!
yeah i dug it

I don't regret watching it, but I don't think I'd have minded missing the show entirely (especially some with some of its gore).

Is Squid Game part of a South Korean genre or at least deeply intersectioning with one? Wondering if there is anything else as good from there. Started watching My Name last night which seems to be a similarly violent crime related drama. Not sure if that is similar enough to categorise them. & that makes 2 series so far which share violence as a partial trope.
I thought there might be reference to further things on this board but I'm not sure what search engine terms to use. I did find some other titles from current Korean tv when googling that are highlighted in the wake of Squid Game but not sure that's something to go by.

I keep thinking of Alice in Borderland but is that Korean? I thought it was set in Japan.

Alice in Borderland is probably most adjacent but yeah that's Japanese and set in Tokyo

Kingdom is South Korean and definitely worth a watch, especially if you're partial to hats (although set in medieval times)

Also Sweet Home but that's post-apocalyptic.

anyway, excited to dip into midnight mass

I haven't watched any of Mike Flanagan's other stuff, but the recommendations from here were enough to steer me to this. Three episodes in and it's properly creepy. As good old Irish Roman Catholics, we are having fun with some of the details. Like, Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and quiet. It is definitely not the day when you have a potluck with a load of food. You're not meant to eat anything except dry toast and black tea. And a responsorial psalm is supposed to have responses. It's in the name. I'm also assuming that the old-age makeup on half the cast means they're going to get younger at some point, but I am here for whatever jump-scare disaster is about to befall this super-attractive island population.

Also, it's always great to see Henry Thomas.

Kingdom was great. I also really liked Beyond Evil, which is a small town cops and crime drama.

Squid Game reminded some of us of the Korean game show Please watch the Korean game show "Genius" with me but I don't know if that's a little too different. For a game show, it does have a lot of drama (and is great)

do they shoot losers of Genius to death?

No but only because then they can't have surprise returns later!

This is killing me pic.twitter.com/upNCDzk3iO

— The Hubris Guy (@Frail_Old_Woman) October 31, 2021

lool!

The documentary about the Sparks Brothers is now on Netflix in the US

:D

Should I watch more than 2 eps of Bly Manor?

I think so? Honestly I can't remember what all happened in that but I have decided Mike Flanagan is great. Also I appear to be in love with his wife (Kate Siegel). But do not watch Hypnotic, the new netflix movie she is in (that he didn't write or direct), it is stupid beyond belief even though she is good in it as always.

Hah okay

Bly Manor is good imo, apart from the ending. My take is almost everything Mike Flanagan does is great except his endings lol (Midnight Mass and Hush being the exceptions so far).

Hypnotic was the dumbest movie I saw this year.

Finally getting around to the new season of Sex Education and after a wobbly ep 1 (imo) it has totally hit its stride in ep 2

Interested to know what others here think. I think it’s still one of the very best things they’ve ever done

Loved season 3

S3E1 of Sex Education had me worried they'd lost the magic. But rest of season was great. It benefited from continuing to expand the character pool and exploring the lives of the many major characters.

Yeah I thought it ended up being really good, especially the Nigeria bit.

i have forgotten much of sex education's first two series, I really need to find some recap or something before I do season 3.

Ahem,

"I looked at some cheese and got an erection.": SEX EDUCATION on Netflix

ty ^

Anybody tried the Black western, The Harder They Fall?

S5 of Bigmouth is out!

^^Wasn't quite ready for the accidental self-harm stuff in EP 2.

Anybody tried the Black western, The Harder They Fall?

― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Thursday, November 4, 2021

it's good! takes itself just the right amount of serious. anachronisms abound but it's aiming for dramatic accuracy, not historic. lakeith stanfield just keeps getting better.

To no surprise, I guess: https://www.nme.com/news/tv/squid-game-creator-confirms-second-season-3091182

New Narcos season extremely boring or am I just really tired.

Maya and the Three is so good. Obviously it looks very colorful but that extends to the writing and the story too. And at least thru the first three episodes it unfolds itself like a video game (not a criticism, just very tickled at the metatextual influences at play nowadays).

I stopped watching Squid Game after episode 8. Meant to get back to it but have had no desire.

lol there's only one more episode. you don't want to see how it ends?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbIxYm3mKzI

Anybody watching Arcane?

I just finished, it’s handsome and well made but mostly grim, hopeless, and humorless.

I just started it tonight because first I started the blade runner cartoon and it seemed really dumb and cheap and I read tons of terrible review of it many of which said "look at Arcane for what you can do" so I did and didn't even know it was based on a video game or whatever and while I'm not sure I'll keep watching it and if I'm interested in the story, it is pretty beautifully made and miles better animated than the blade runner one. And has that iranian actress from the Expanse which is kinda funny.

ugh yes the bladerunner cartoon was v boring, like watching extra characters wander around GTA or something

I’m about halfway thru Arcane. Came into it without any knowledge of the lore - I’m not really sure how Arcane relates to league of legends. Anyway the animation is excellent, story so far B maybe B+. I’ll keep watching.

I'm on my third HiGH&LOW film - they're all on netflix, Japanese franchise featuring assorted J Pop idols playing the different factions of youth gangs in a fictional shanty town district of Tokyo (I think?). Real live action anime bullshit, but very compelling in that "trying to keep tabs on a frankly excessive amount of different characters and organisations" way, reminds me of the Yakuza Papers in that regard. The action is pretty good, with some real "how did they do that?" camera work and the first two films both end with epic LOTR style battles featuring scores of extras instead of CGI so that's great. Some absolutely insane outfits as well, this last one had a dude sporting an awesome "MEMBERS AND NON MEMBERS ONLY" shirt. Very compelling.