In many ways, this has been another day in the office for Netflix at the moment; a shoddy genre is beefing up the streamer’s Top 10 lists, and it’s taking the axe to a series that can only be watched on Netflix (although that second point has a topsy-turvy asterisk to it).
But in other ways, it’s a moment in history; the service is somehow the site of genuine excitement for an upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s allegedly ditched a movie that may or may not even exist, and it’s set to welcome two of television’s finest-ever heavyweights onto its roster.
The Bride of Frankenstein may have just been abandoned, and we still don’t know if it even exists
With Guillermo del Toro down on the grindstone with his Frankenstein adaptation, one has to wonder if the next wave of Universal monster movies will be the key to launching their popularity into a similar echelon occupied by superhero movies. And with rumors of one Maggie Gyllenhaal taking the reins on a Bride of Frankenstein remake, that plot only continues to thicken.
But Bride of Frankenstein is just that; a rumor. It’s peculiar, then, that Netflix has allegedly distanced itself from the project, seeing as it isn’t even confirmed to be real. If true, it just may be the single most pathological exercise in proactivity we’ve ever seen, and to have it come from Netflix would feel strangely appropriate.
Somehow, someway, the specter of M. Night Shyamalan isn’t lingering for Last Airbender fans
If ever a film were capable of flirting with a quick edit of the Geneva Conventions, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender — based on the beloved, critically-acclaimed Nickelodeon cartoon of the same name — would be it. Indeed, as far as adaptations go, perhaps only the infamously woeful The Last Airbender could be properly weaponized for torture purposes.
It’s no great leap, then, to assume that Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the same material — titled Avatar: The Last Airbender — will prove to be much better. Still, one might think that, after Shyamalan’s attempt, the thought of any live-action adaptation of this material would make for more than a few queasy stomachs.
And yet, the Last Airbender fanbase was all smiles when presented with an update on how the series is coming along, with nary a reservation in sight. Their enthusiasm is something to be admired, for sure, and we can only hope that that gets honored with a quality final cut.
A particularly gruesome true crime film is doing as particular gruesome true crime films do on Netflix’s charts
Romantic comedies and bad action movies are all Netflix really needs to make a buck off the streaming charts, and as exhausting as they can be sometimes, at least they never pack a genuinely disturbing punch (unless your opinions are just that harsh).
The same can’t be said about A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case, the latest true crime feature to crack the Top 10 in 45 different countries. Indeed, we’re not quite sure why so many folks have decided to lean on the story of a murdered five-year-old for their entertainment, and we’re not too keen on finding out, either.
Streaming exclusives continue to get the boot, except this one is only kind of exclusive
Sending content that’s exclusive to a streaming service into the ether is a vomit-worthy practice no matter how you swing it; regardless of how bad one may think a show or movie is, stomaching the idea of lost media is an especially slippery slope as the entertainment world becomes more and more digital.
Although, Shooter, an action series that’s about as good as its title is creative — and the latest victim of this epidemic — is a genuinely curious case; indeed, while the rest of the world knows Shooter as a Netflix original, the United States previously knew the USA Network as the show’s original home.
Dubious origins aside, Shooter is still officially bowing out from Netflix’s library with no backup in sight, and we can only hope this trend gets stopped in its tracks before long, lest the next phase of our transition to dystopia rears its head before we know it.
Primetime Emmy royalty will be popping up on your Netflix queues before long
Say what you will about positive reinforcement for poor behavior, but getting to watch Band of Brothers and The Pacific on Netflix is a nearly-indisputable win for the streamer’s subscribers, even if the password-gouging, Lockwood & Co.-canceling rascals at the top don’t deserve to have such shows at their disposal.
But, we viewers will take whatever wins we can at the end of the day, and as the two war dramas prepare to take up arms on Netflix on Sept. 15, we reckon plenty of folks will take this win with a particularly wide smile.