Some Netflix classics to tide your holiday over: 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.

Hey everyone. I’m out of the office for a while on a much-needed vacation, but I have a few from the Netflix vault that are absolutely worth you checking out. I’ll be back January 6th with brand new recommendations for you.

In the meantime, enjoy these gems.

Brooklyn

I have to be honest, they really don’t make them like Brooklyn anymore.

This beautiful love story is quiet, assured and will pull you in and not let go for a second. I thought it was absolutely splendid, and it earned three Oscar nominations in 2016.

It follows an Irish immigrant who lands in Brooklyn in the 1950s, and she quickly falls in love with a local man. But when her past comes knocking, she has to choose between countries as well as lives for herself.

Director John Crowley made Colin Farrell film Intermission and misfire The Goldfinch, but this is by far his best work.

Saoirse Ronan is elegant here, and she’s joined by Emory Cohen, Domnhall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and more.

It’s a haunting piece of film, and one worth checking out again and again.

4.5/5 Stars

The Power Of The Dog

This one nabbed Jane Campion a well-deserved Best Director Oscar last year, and was my favourite film of 2021.

It follows misogynist, ruthless rancher Phil, and the fear he puts into his family and friends. He mistreats his brother and tries to drive the man’s new wife and her son out.

But suddenly, Phil’s perspective begins to change. The only issue is no one can really trust that his intentions are pure.

Oscar-worthy performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kody Smit-McPhee highlight this one.

It’s as close to a perfect movie as I’ve seen in years, and I can’t recommend it enough.

5/5 Stars

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

I will never get over the loss of the Best Actor trophy by the late Chadwick Boseman to Anthony Hopkins.

Boseman is a short career-best here in his final role, and his energy is captivating. He’s joined by a never-better Viola Davis in a commanding turn.

It follows blues singer Ma Rainey, who sees tensions rise and violence erupt when she and her band gather at a studio to record in Chicago in 1927.

Based on the August Wilson play, it rightly won Makeup and Hairstyling and Costume Design Oscars, but it deserved more.

It was like watching a live play, with all the in-the-moment drama and intrigue, and I was mesmerized.

I love Anthony Hopkins, but I believe to my core Boseman deserved the Oscar for this one.

4.5/5 Stars

Parasite

This is the movie that sparked my love of foreign-language films, and I’m so grateful to have seen it. Parasite is spectacular.

I am going to keep this short – because the less you know, the more you’ll enjoy the experience.

It follows the struggling Kim family, who con their way into jobs with the wealthy Park family, and the lengths they’ll go to in order to keep their new lifestyle.

It’s a classic, and director Bong Joon Ho has created his masterpiece here. It’s a drama, comedy and satire all in one.

This film has some bite, and it’s so much fun to watch it unfold. I wish I could turn back time so I could watch it again for the very first time.

5/5 Stars

Marriage Story

There are few films that hurt to watch more than Netflix’s original film Marriage Story.

It follows the disintegration of a marriage, and the struggles the matriarch and patriarch have in keeping a civil household for the child.

Writer-director Noah Baumbach makes an effective, affecting film that will pull you in so many directions.

Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Julia Greer, Alan Alda, Laura Dern, and the late Ray Liotta are all electric.

This one left me sobbing, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget what it was like seeing it.

4.5/5 Stars