A Chris Evans/Ryan Gosling actioner and A Shania Twain doc: This week’s best and biggest on Netflix

Check out Jordan Parker’s ‘The week’s best and biggest on Netflix’ every Friday on CityNews Halifax

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Check out Jordan Parker’s ‘The week’s best and biggest on Netflix every Friday on CityNews Halifax.

Gone Baby Gone

Every single time this one hits Netflix again, I have to highlight it.

Perhaps most incredible is that Ben Affleck – trying to make a comeback from his disastrous Gigli days – knocked it out of the park here with his directorial debut.

He also co-wrote the screenplay, adapted from the amazing Dennis Lehane novel, and this crime flick is among the best of the 2000s.

It follows two Boston detectives who are looking into the kidnapping of a young girl, and the fallout of the case that sends ripples through the town.

It stars Ben’s brother Casey Affleck in an incredible performance. With Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Michelle Monaghan and Amy Ryan – nominated for an Oscar here – it’s one heck of a cast.

This is my favourite flick of 2007, and an amazing directorial effort from Ben Affleck. It will blow you away.

4.5/5 Stars

The Foreigner

Growing up, Jackie Chan was an absolute force of an entertainer, and someone who could always be counted on for a good flick.

And here he teams with director Martin Campbell – who did Casino Royale and The Mask Of Zorro – for an action feature that transcends the genre.

Chan stars as quiet businessman Quan Ngoc Minh, a man sent to the brink after his daughter is killed in a terrorist attack. When he receives no help solving the case from the government, a long-buried set of skills come to the forefront.

He searches for the truth, and won’t stop until he gets justice for his daughter.

Chan is wonderful in a dramatic turn here, and he’s joined by Pierce Brosnan in a really cool little film.

Chances are you missed this in theatres back in 2017, and here’s your chance now.

4/5 Stars

The Gray Man

There are movies made to win Oscars and unending critics’ praise, and there are movies made to make the masses cheer.

The Gray Man is an action movie with a A-list star pedigree that aims to put you on the edge of your seat, and succeeds.

Directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, best known for Marvel films including Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, they infuse a style and aplomb here that’s impossible not to enjoy.

It follows a convict who is let out of prison to work as a CIA Operative. He has no file and no identification. Dubbed ‘Six’, he completes missions and kills marks at the behest of the government.

But when his country turns on him, he goes on the run. With a hard-hitting former colleague with a penchant for torture goes after him, he must find the secrets his government is hiding before it’s too late.

It’s a familiar story, I’ll give you that. But it’s done so well and with so much glee that you’ll love it anyway.

Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans are top of their game, and joined by Ana de Armas, Alfre Woodard, Rege-Jean Page and Billy Bob Thornton.

It won’t break new ground, but it was enjoyable enough to get a sequel greenlit. I think you’ll find yourself enthralled.

3.5/5 Stars

Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl

I watched this one with curious interest, not sure how much I would really enjoy it.

What I found out was there is a whole lot about Shania Twain to be impressed by, and I adored this documentary.

Director Joss Crowley and Twain herself take us from her early years to where she’s at now, and they made me fall in love with this icon all over again.

The Canadian songstress has more hits and more pedigree than I ever realized, and she really paved the way for so many country artists.

To learn about her life and what she’s done to become such a megastar was so enthralling and inspiring.

If you weren’t a fan before seeing this one, you will be after.

4/5 Stars

Irresistible

This is a strange, strange little movie, but I have to say I really enjoyed it start-to-finish.

It’s a biting post-Trump satire that skewers the American political system, and the thinking that landed our friends to the south in the position they were in.

It follows Democratic strategist and spin-master Gary Zimmer, who finds himself looking for the next big thing following the Clinton presidential loss.

He heads to a small, conservative town in the Midwest to get a democratic farmer and veteran elected following a video of him that goes viral online.

What he doesn’t bargain for, though, is his longtime lover and rival, Faith Brewster, deciding to help with the Mayor’s campaign as he seeks re-election.

Steve Carell and Rose Byrne are fabulous here, and they’re joined by a winning Chris Cooper, Brent Sexton, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, and Will Sasso.

The Daily Show alum and 23-time Emmy winner Jon Stewart writes and directs this hilarious film. But I’ll warn, it wears its Democratic politics on its sleeve. You’ll love it or hate it, and that’s for sure.

4/5 Stars