A Monster Calls – Picture: Focus Features
Welcome to your weekly movie recommendation list for those with Netflix in the United States. There were a number of great new movies added this week plus we’ll also touch on one or two you may have missed along the way. Here’s 5 Netflix movie picks for the weekend.
If you missed anything new this week, check back on our what’s new on Netflix hub for the full list of everything new.
Now, let’s get into the recommendations.
Hook (1991)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins
Runtime: 142 min
Awards: Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 17 nominations.
We’ll kick off with a recommendation we’ll make every single time it gets readded to Netflix.
The fantasy epic starring the late Robin Williams is an absolute delight that despite being panned when it first released, has grown a cult following since.
If you’re not familiar, the movie screams 90s follows Robin Hood when he’s much older and a functioning alcoholic.
A Monster Calls (2016)
Genre: Family, Fantasy
Director: J. A. Bayona
Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell
Runtime: 108 mins
Featuring an all-star cast, this movie was largely looked over when it released half a decade ago and now you can finally watch it in the US courtesy of Netflix.
The movie plays out like a classic fairytale story akin to the likes of Jack and the Beanstalk or some have even compared it to Disney’s Bridge to Terabithia.
It’s about a young boy who invents a friendly monster to help him deal with his troubles growing up.
Outside the Wire (2021)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Director: Mikael Håfström
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Emily Beecham, Pilou Asbæk, Damson Idris
Writer: Rowan Athale, Rob Yescombe
Runtime: 114 min
For those following the “one big movie every week” marketing tactic that Netflix rolled out this week, Outside the Wire fills that position this week.
Featuring Anthony Mackie (who has become a regular in Netflix Originals), follows a soldier and a state-of-the-art android who team up to try and stop a nuclear attack.
While it’s certainly not genre-defining, there’s enough here to keep you hooked to the end despite the fact, it’ll likely be soon forgotten.
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy (2021)
Genre: Documentary, Crime, History
Director: Stanley Nelson
Runtime: 89 min
Our documentary pick of the week is one that takes a look at the drug trade in the 1980s. It’s perhaps the most in-depth documentary of its kind with solid interviews and archival footage throughout. It also looks into more of the racial issues surrounding the roaring drug trade too and probably won’t fill you with much hope by the end.
It comes from producer and director Stanley Nelson who has produced PBS’s American Experience as well as worked on documentaries covering The Black Panthers, The Black Press and Freedom Riders.
The Intouchables (2011)
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Director: Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano
Cast: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot
Runtime: 112 min
Awards: Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 41 wins & 39 nominations.
Our final movie highlight of the week is an absolute gem if you don’t mind subtitles. The French movie received rave reviews when it released a decade ago.
It’s based on a true story and follows a wealthy man who is a quadriplegic and goes out of his way to hire an ex-con to help him with his daily chores and live life to the fullest.
That’s all we have for now, we’ll be back with more movie picks next week.
