Netflix can sometimes be a bit hit and miss when it comes to movies, but some new additions have proved unexpectedly strong this past week and here are the highlights.
The big one last week was Project Power, the streaming service’s take on the all-encompassing zeitgeist of superpowers. A police officer, a teenage drug dealer and a vengeful man form various sides of the investigation into a new drug that affords its users temporary superhuman abilities, along with those behind its creation.
Safety Not Guaranteed also landed last week and is a quirky mix of humor, romance and sci-fi that got Colin Trevorrow noticed and subsequently the job of directing Jurassic World. A trio of journalists are assigned to investigate a newspaper advert (remember them?) asking for companions for a journey back in time, and discover a paranoid but rational man whose mission sparks meditations on regret for past mistakes and the abandoning of dreams as we age.
Freak Show sees a flamboyant teenager begin attending a conservative high school, refusing to compromise himself despite the ridicule and abuse he endures from his peers, then decides to run for Homecoming Queen. The story makes points about how everyone in high school is set apart in some way, and that being true to yourself will put obstacles in your path but also ultimately lead to you being happier.
Fearless is an animated family movie where a teenage gamer becomes the guardian of a trio of superpowered babies as a result of completing his favorite game, and must protect them from the armies of Earth and the machinations of an interstellar warlord who wants to steal their powers.
And finally, The Lost Husband was the last of the big arrivals this past week and sees a widowed woman moving with her kids to a rural farm to start over, and as a mutual attraction grows between her and the hunky farm hand, she begins to emerge from her grief and come alive again. Being isolated from the world is something many people have been struggling with lately, many of us also coping with the loss of loved ones, which has led to this particular movie riding Netflix’s Top 10 list all week long.
