Each year, the world is consuming content at a faster pace. However, ever since the coronavirus pandemic locked people inside everywhere, that pace was accelerated even further. For streaming services like Netflix, the global health crisis has shown itself to be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, competition from the studio circuit was virtually annihilated overnight. On the other, matching the unprecedented demand from viewers has proven nearly impossible. Even so, here are some great new movies that the streamer has decided to add this week.
If you enjoyed Ryan Murphy’s new historical drama set in the post-war Hollywood Hills, you might wanna put Jay Roach’s 2015 Trumbo on your watch list. This story, which is also set during the Cold War, follows a screenwriter struggling to keep his foot in the door of the industry after the GOP brands him a Soviet sympathizer. If the premise isn’t enough to get you interested, it’s also got Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston in the lead and critics have said it’s one of his best performances, which is really saying something.
Next up, there’s another period piece, this one set during the Great Depression. Public Enemies, a movie that’s now over ten years old, narrates the violent war between a group of mobsters and an increasingly intolerant Federal Bureau of Investigation. A darling of streaming services, the film has been available online many times over and likely won’t stay on Netflix all that long, so definitely check it out while you’ve got the chance.
Perhaps owing to the commercial success of Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 hit Parasite, Netflix also added a bunch of foreign titles to its library this week, which is good for cinephiles as international productions are often devoid of the soul-crushing, capitalistic influence that afflicts Hollywood productions. Wadjda, for instance, is a Saudi Arabian dramedy about a girl who enters a Koran recitation competition so that she can raise the money necessary to buy a bike. With a 99% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s sure to blow your socks off.
For a full list of everything that hit the streaming service this week, see here.
