Top 5 Netflix Original Films
By Austin Johnson
5.) Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
“Dolemite is my name, and fuckin' up motherfuckers is my game!”
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The blaxploitation era in the 70’s is super fascinating. Things were changing in the film industry rapidly and rules were being bended. Dolemite is a film that came out in 1975, and then the great Eddie Murphy played Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite is My Name just last year, who was one of the icons during the blaxploitation era. The cast is absolutely insane and Eddie Murphy has rarely been better. It was directed by Craig Brewer, which is strange because I typically don’t go for his stuff, but Dolemite Is My Name damn near overdoses on style and hilarious dialogue.
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4.) The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)
“I have a herringbone blazer and slacks with a hummus stain on the fly.”
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I came across The Meyerowitz Stories one random night while scrolling through Netflix and I immediately put it on because at the time I didn’t realize a Noah Baumbach directed film was just showing up on Netflix. I was blown away with the cast and how damn funny but sad the writing was. The Meyerowitzes are played by Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Marble, and Emma Thompson. The film uses New York as a character which has become a trademark for Baumbach. When the family gathers to celebrate an event honoring their father, dysfunction finds its place and we are there to witness people trying to forgive and live.
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3.) Beasts of No Nation (2015)
“Our country is at war and we are having no more school,
so we are having to be finding ways to be keeping busy.” |
Beasts of No Nation was the first official Netflix Original to be released on the service and it's an extremely powerful film to start with. Civil war breaks out in an unnamed West African country and we are shown the perspective of a young boy named Agu who loses everything and has to figure out an identity. It’s a brutally eye-opening film featuring one of Idris Elba’s best performances ever. Cary Joji Fukunaga is becoming a name to know in the industry, but Beasts of No Nation is his greatest achievement because he was the writer, director, and cinematographer.
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2.) Marriage Story (2019)
“Getting divorced with a kid is one of the hardest
things to do. It's like a death without a body.” |
Noah Baumbach is probably going to keep working with Netflix, which is no problem with me because it seems like he has total control. Marriage Story, like most of Baumbach’s films, was written and directed by him. He’s become an icon in the dramady world and Marriage Story is definitely a film that demanded people’s attention, due to its incredibly raw script and soul-shaking performances from Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Laura Dern. The story is in the title, but it’s all about the journey with Charlie and Nicole Barber as their marriage literally unfolds. He’s broken through a certain stereotype with Marriage Story in my opinion and the sky's the limit from here on out.
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1.) Roma (2018)
“We are alone. No matter what they tell
you, we women are always alone.” |
Alfonso Cuarón has a very impressive filmography that goes all over the globe and sometimes space. Roma was written and directed by Cuarón and he was also in charge of cinematography. It is one of his few masterpieces and the film's setting is his hometown of Mexico City during the 1970’s. Cuarón was born in 1961 so it’s as if we got a snapshot of his childhood, but the central character is a woman. Yalitza Aparicio gives a monumental performance as Cleo, a maid for a family in the city. So much happens for Cleo and the family personally but so much is happening in Mexico culturally as well. It’s a beautifully shot film with loads to say and maybe Cuaron’s best effort ever.
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