Saturday streaming briefs: Four to see on TV

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Saturday streaming briefs: Four to see on TV

Desperately seeking streaming suggestions? Perhaps I can assuage your desperation.

Here are four shows—three series and one movie—Jim and I recently watched (one we’re still watching) and were riveted. You might be, too.

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Must-see magic... for humans!

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Must-see magic... for humans!

Must-see magic... for humans!

One night last week, Jim and I had some time to kill and nothing in the DVR queue. So we searched Netflix for a little something to pass the 30 minutes or so before we planned to head to bed.

What we found dazzled and baffled and entranced us so much we ended up watching nearly an entire season of a new series in one sitting... and didn't even regret it when the 5:45 alarm woke us the next morning and we rolled our weary bones …

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Saturday movie briefs: What I watched on my summer vacation

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Netflix original series

Time's up!

Seems only last week that I started my summer break from movie reviews and movie briefs, but by golly, it's already after Labor Day. Time to get back in the movie groove.

I didn't go to the theater one single time this summer. I did, though, watch a few films on the big screen in my family room. A few fabulous series, too.

Here's the skinny on what I...

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Saturday movie review: Special Correspondents

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Not long ago, my husband and I saw a Graham Norton Show (our favorite talk show) episode in which his guests included Eric Bana and Ricky Gervais. They were plugging the upcoming release of their Netflix original feature film, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS, written and directed by Ricky Gervais. From the giggles and guffaws their banter elicited from the host and other guests — as well as my husband and myself — I figured the comedy would be a fun diversion and quickly added it to my queue.

We finally got around to watching it last week, and it was indeed a fun diversion. Far different from most everything else in my Netflix queue, but far more fun, for sure.

special correspondents netflix film

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS stars Eric Bana as Frank Bonneville, a self-absorbed radio journalist who hasn't reached the career level he hoped for and believes he deserves. Problem being...

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Saturday movie review: The Fundamentals of Caring

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Paul Rudd has created a career primarily out of funny films. I like him best, though, when he's not funny. I'm not talking comedic bits that crash and elicit crickets. No, I mean his dramatic roles where he reveals more heart than humor that most endear me to Mr. Rudd.

I found Rudd's most recent part of that sort, in THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING, more endearing than any before.

The Fundamentals of Caring Netflix Original

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING is a Netflix Original film and I must first give kudos to Netflix for...

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Saturday movie review: Twinsters

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When it comes to book selections, I typically read a couple novels then alternate with a non-fiction of some sort, usually from the biography, memoir, or essay categories.

I do the same with movies. I watch a few dramas then feel the need to balance out the fiction with something real, some sort of documentary. As I recently watched and reviewed THE REVENANT, CONCUSSION, and JOY (funny that they were all dramas based on true stories, right?), I found myself craving a documentary this week.

Twinsters

The winner of my scroll through Netflix Streaming was TWINSTERS, an autobiographical film about a twenty-something Korean gal named Samantha who lived in California and, in a bizarre twist...

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Saturday movie review: The English Teacher

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Julianne Moore is quite an accomplished actress, as we all know, especially in the drama genre. She can also be pretty funny, though, which I realized after recently watching THE ENGLISH TEACHER.

Moore stars with Greg Kinnear, Nathan Lane, Michael Angarano, and Lilly Collins (plus some other familiar faces) in this 2013 comedy, which never hit my radar at the time it hit the theaters but I serendipitously stumbled upon it on Netflix Streaming.

The English Teacher movie

Linda Sinclair (Moore) is a forty-something English teacher who has, pretty much

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Saturday movie review: Alex of Venice

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Watching blockbuster movies as they premiere at the theater can be the ultimate movie experience for movie lovers. That manner of watching movies isn't the norm for most folks nowadays, though. No, most folks are more like me—enjoying movies at home as soon as they premiere on DVD. Or later yet, on streaming services.

The relatively extensive lag between a blockbuster movie showing at the theater to appearing in my Netflix streaming queue means I spend a far amount of time searching streaming options for gems to watch between must-see movies I'm waiting on. I found a gem the other night: ALEX OF VENICE.

alex of venice movie

ALEX OF VENICE is the directorial debut of Chris Messina, whom many may know from TV's...

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Saturday movie review: Life of a King

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Though it's an older movie, I had never heard of LIFE OF A KING until scrolling through the Netflix Streaming options the other day for something to watch for this week's movie review. It wasn't a big hit in the theaters, but I found a fair number of redeeming factors in the 2013 film.

life of a king movie

LIFE OF A KING stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Eugene Brown. The film is "inspired by" Brown's mission to...

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Saturday movie review: Chef

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My advice to you regarding the subject of this week's movie review: Eat before watching!

Heck, it won't really matter, I suppose, for even if you watch this film on a full stomach, the culinary delights in CHEF will have your tummy growling in no time.

chef movie

Food is the star of the comedy CHEF, written and directed by Jon Favreau, but there's a...

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