With cinemas closed again, the international box office is in limbo, and we are once again at the mercy of the streaming services. Thankfully Netflix have done a great job of refreshing its library. Here are a few films you may not have caught first time around that are worth checking out.
Babyteeth: Great little Aussie film where nothing is what it seems. A teenage girl dealing with cancer begins a relationship with an older drug dealer. She introduces him to her parents who are, understandably, horrified. Over time they begin to see his worth. As the film progresses, the relationships change. The four leads are excellent, particularly the father played by Ben Mendelsohn.
Manhattan Murder Mystery: This is not the best Woody Allen movie, but it is maybe my favourite Woody Allen movie. Annie Hall was originally a murder mystery with an added romantic subplot, eventually they dropped the murder story line and created the template for the modern romantic comedy. The murder plot, however, remained on Woody’s mind. So he went back to it 20 years later and even got Annie (Diane Keaton ) back. Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston co-star. Great fun.
Wild Rose: My monthly mention of Jessie Buckley is here. Absolutely incredible performance from the Kerrywoman. She plays an extremely talented, but troubled, Scottish nanny who dreams of going to Nashville to become a country singer. I hate sentimentality and I hate country music, but I love this movie. So give it a shot even if you do not like the premise.
BumbleBee: If you have a house full of kids and they want to watch a fun action movie with a great soundtrack that the whole family can enjoy. you could do a lot worse than BumbleBee. You do not need to have seen any other transformer movie to follow it, which is a good thing, because they are truly terrible.
Searching: A great little thriller for an older audience than BumbleBee. One of those films which is a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Told entirely on a laptop and smartphone screen, a father is trying to track down his missing 16-year-old daughter. Tense but satisfying thriller with great twists, and an ending that just about pays off.
