Netflix’s new crop of movies for February comes with a handful of can’t-miss gems to make your work week go a little smoother, so let’s get straight to the point, shall we?
We recently lost a giant in the comedy world with the passing of Catherine O’Hara, so in honor of the Canadian SCTV Legend, I’ve included one of my favorites that’s currently streaming on Netflix. To keep things interesting, there are two more titles, including a sci-fi thriller about artificial intelligence with chilling realism and a Wes Anderson classic.
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The best of the exhibition
Comedy legend Catherine O’Hara was in the midst of another renaissance in her 35-plus year career when she sadly passed away on January 30, with award-winning, scene-stealing roles such as Schitt’s Creek Moira Rose and more recently the study Patty Leigh, a quietly lethal executive. O’Hara’s brilliance will be greatly missed, but fortunately it lives on in his formidable body of work, most notably several of Christopher Guest’s genre-defining mockumentaries: Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration.
If I had to pick one to wear this week, it would be The best of the exhibitiondefinitely. In it, Guest takes aim at the hilarious and serious world of competitive dog shows with one of the best casts ever assembled. In the film, five teams of owners and their dogs converge on Philadelphia to compete in the annual Mayflower dog show, including Eugene Levy and O’Hara’s awkwardly cute Gerry and Cookie Fleck and their Norwich terrier, Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) and their depressed Great Dane, and Harlan Pepper (guest) and his “talking” Blood Hound, among others.
What makes the Guests movies so brilliant is that much of the dialogue is improvised on the spot, resulting in some of the film’s most outlandish and strangely funny moments. Take it and use it to criticize the seriousness with which those involved in the dog show world operate – the cut-throat politics, the status changes, the insipid press commentary – and you’ve got an uncomfortably real comedy that will have you rolling.
The best of the exhibition
- Release date
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September 29, 2000
- Execution time
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90 minutes
- Director
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Christopher guest
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ex machina
New for February on Netflix is Alex Garland (the beach, 28 days later) Eerily calm AI sci-fi thriller Ex Machina. Still as relevant as it was in 2014, it was a groundbreaking exploration of artificial intelligence when we all started asking questions and wondering what human AI could be like. When it came out, I remember thinking that if the AI humanoids were heading in this direction, let’s put it back in the bottle and bury it.
ex machina follows Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a talented coder for search engine giant Blue Book. Young and enthusiastic, Caleb is thrilled when he wins a contest that sends him to the remote, secluded jungle facility of the company’s brilliant CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). But Caleb soon discovers that he has been chosen for a more specific purpose: to meet and evaluate Ava (Alicia Vikander), a highly evolved humanoid robot. Ava is beautiful, intelligent, and alarmingly human, and Caleb is attracted to her.
But what does ex machina So chilling, on the one hand, is its claustrophobic atmosphere within the sealed enclosure that it begins to feel more like a prison. And we soon understand why, as Nathan’s (and Ava’s) true motives are revealed in a tense and thrilling climax that makes this thriller a true gem. ex machina is a visually stunning winner of the Oscar for best visual effects, surpassing Fury Road, The Martian, and even The force awakens. It also has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
ex machina
- Release date
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April 24, 2015
- Execution time
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108 minutes
- Director
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Alex Garland
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Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson’s brilliantly sweet and quirky seventh film, Moonrise Kingdom, He noted the auteur’s commitment to what is known as his “dollhouse aesthetic,” the hyper-stylized look of his films that makes them feel like self-contained, diorama-like sets. The film was a box office and critical success, earning Anderson his third Oscar nomination, for original screenplay.
At its core, however, it is a story of first love. Set on the fictional New England island of New Panzance in 1965, it follows young Khaki Scout Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) and rebellious bookworm Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), who become pen pals, fall in love, and decide to run away together to the hidden island cove they call Moonrise Kingdom. His disappearance sends the entire island on a chaotic manhunt. Everyone is looking for them: local police officer Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), scoutmaster Khaki Ward (Edward Norton), and Suzy’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), who must find them before a hurricane hits.
Moonrise Kingdom is drenched in Anderson’s vivid pastel palette, making each frame look as if a Norman Rockwell painting came to life. And the music by legendary composer Alexandre Desplat and Benjamin Britten creates a fitting and timely soundtrack that works with the film’s themes: childhood fantasy and adult overcompensation. It’s one of Anderson’s best.
Moonrise Kingdom
- Release date
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June 21, 2012
- Execution time
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94 minutes
- Director
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Anderson
Set up your weekly movie-watching list with these three suggestions, or if you’re more in the mood for a TV series binge, we’ve got you covered there too.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous currents
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two or four
Stream original and licensed programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.