Thread by @CasMudde

Because some people here do value my #MovieReviews 🎥, I have decided to use a special hashtag #cmovies and post them in this #thread 🧵 going forward.

Warning: most come from Netflix US!

Short series about a woman who revenges her husband’s death in a town full of secrets. Good acting and beautiful vistas. Last twist too predictable. 🇦🇹 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Movie about traumatized musical genius and his unlikely mentor, which plays with a range of emotions and social issues without becoming usual US cliché. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on a book, this movie has a very good story, great acting, and an incredible setting. It really pulls you into its vibe. One of the most beautiful movies I have seen in the last years. 🇺🇸⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short documentary about incredible young trans woman who not just battled the state for the right of her own transformation but also for those of others. 🇦🇺 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pretty basic but quite entertaining action thriller with mediocre acting and overall unrealistic story — it also fully ignores that China is a surveillance dictatorship. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Invisible Thread” is a coming of age story of a teenage son of two dads, which subtly and critically illustrates the legal discrimination of gay couples in Italy. Beautiful, funny, touching. 🇮🇹 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartbreaking movie about a teenage girl who tries to take care of her younger brother when her mother leaves. Incredible acting and strong cinematography. Exceptional movie. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

NOTE: last day on Netflix is Jan 31 🚨

A young woman re-examines her life as she is is about to follow her girlfriend abroad. Although a relatively common love story, it is carried by the fresh acting and fun setting in the gay scene of Amsterdam. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well-made, if overly dramatic, kidnap drama that highlights some of the major social issues in post-Apartheid South Africa. 🇿🇦 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartbreaking documentary about refugee children in Sweden who develop “Resignation Syndrome” because of war trauma and insecurity over legal status, which makes them unresponsive for months. 🇸🇪 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Incredibly well-made short movie about a disabled boy who flees the Nazis, which highlights the often forgotten genocide of disabled people. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Take 15 min on #HolocaustRemembranceDay2023 to watch this powerful short movie!

Bit silly action comedy with a zen Brad Pitt about a bullet train full of professional hit men (and women) with many twists and turns. While funny at times, several better movies could have been made with the same budget. ⭐️⭐️

Five very different Indonesian short stories about people dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. They are all original but not all very good. I found the 4th (Cook Book) the best. 🇮🇩 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Comedy drama about a woman is trying to regain her success while being torn between selling out and staying true and facing the big 4-0. Set in New York and shot in beautiful black & white, this is a true gem. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Estranged son takes his dying father on road trip as he works through his failing career and resentment towards his father. Common story, good emotions and music, brilliant Ed Harris. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Old boxer tries to revive his dying career as he is also dealing with corrupt promoters and his criminal younger brother. Basic story, good setting, but movie with ups and downs. 🇿🇦 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some more #cmovies 🎥 reviews for the weekend!

Six-part series about the criminal underworld of a shanty town in Lagos that is raw and well-made but ends with a bit silly long fight scene. 🇳🇬 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Idris Elba stars and directs as a washed-up DJ who hopes for a second chance as he refinds himself as nanny of his best friend’s bratty young daughter. Light entertainment with rad beats. 🇬🇧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quirky series about three very different students who try to develop an app to maximize the female orgasm. Original, funny, and often touching. Looking forward to season 2! 🇵🇱 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And let’s finish today with an absolute stunner!

Heavy but beautiful movie about three boys growing up in poverty within a tense household. Incredible cinematography! 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

I have decided not to review bad movies. Except when it’s a second season of a decent first season, like Young Wallander.

Season 2 (Killer Shadow) was much weaker. Mostly predictable story and the husky voice of the lead actor as well as the fact that all other actors are British was even more annoying. ⭐️⭐️

A botanist is kidnapped by a drug smuggler in the California desert as a cop and other drug dealer are chasing both. Great vistas but the lovie is a bit slow and thin on story. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Vanessa Guillen was a young female soldier who was sexually harassed by a superior and murdered by another soldier. Her family fought for justice after the military bodged the investigation. Infuriating documentary. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Classic romcom about two very different people coming together while working through previous breakups. Traditional story, original and quirky version. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six-part series about a group of people who set up the first sex call lines in the Netherlands, which beautifully captures the spirit of Amsterdam in the 1980s. 🇳🇱 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A mother is released from prison and determined to prove her innocence and win back her daughter through Lucha Libre. While the story isn’t remarkable, it is a series carried almost exclusively by women and with a great setting and vibe. 🇲🇽 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While the story of a cop who moonlights as a bodyguard of a drag Queen at a nightclub has a bit over the top final twist, this movie has delightfully complex and original characters, beautiful music, and an exceptional feeling of love and warmth. 🇧🇷 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

A man is stranded in the Arctic and tries to finally make a break for it when he finds a seriously injured woman. Slow and boring. 🇩🇰 ⭐️⭐️

“The Endless Night” is a short series about the horrific fire in a club in Porto Alegre, which killed 245 and injured 630. It shows the pain of the parents of both losing their children and being betrayed by the state. Hard to watch at times. 🇧🇷 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pretty classic Holleywood romcom with the wonderful Reese Witherspoon and the mediocre Ashley Kutcher that only stands out in some funny dialogues and interactions. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A woman cheats on her husband and is being hunted by him and his cousins to save the family honor. Incredible portrayal of the will to survive. Beautiful vistas and cinematography. Exceptional! 🇹🇷 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Moving partly fictional movie about Pope Benedictus XVI and Pope Frances, two complete opposites who found each other over several days of discussions, carried by the great acting of Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Price. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

8-part series about 3 poor kids who get placed in an elite private school in Delhi. It is rare that I hate every character in a series but here I did. Awful people, decent story. 🇮🇳 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A group of geeks in a rough neighborhood try to navigate gangs and prejudices while pursuing higher ambitions. Nice movie with some clever social criticism. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fairly classic love story about struggling poor father and hard-nosed lawyer. Despite shallow characters and mediocre acting, it has a great feel good factor. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Romanticized movie about the Spanish anarchist bricklayer Lucio X, who robbed and cheated banks in Paris. Great story, decent movie. 🇪🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emotional movie about the Battle for Narvik, Norway, in 1940, which not only depicts the horrors of war for soldiers but also the moral dilemmas that civilians face. Very well-made. 🇳🇴 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two cops try to solve a kidnapping case at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the case becomes more complex, so does the pandemic. Good setting, bit over the top story. 🇪🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two guys work undercover on a drug deal but are both played by their handlers. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg have witty convos in a very thin action comedy. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Truly bizar and original series of short episodes about two psychopathic teens who run away and try to feel. Every single character in this series is bizar. Season 2 was a bit weaker (freshness wears off). 🇬🇧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Documentary about Spanish war reporters that features interviews with largely the same incoherent message: it’s a terrible job, which kills a lot of colleagues, whose lives are more important than the news, but our jobs are still crucial. 🇪🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Documentary about a homeless hitchhiker who became an Internet sensation and hero and ended up a convicted murdered that mostly shows the amorality of tv (news) industry. Crazy true story though. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Movie about a mother of a missing daughter who finds a community in other parents and children of missing of people. Heart wrenching movie about lawlessness and femicide in Mexico. 🇲🇽 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six-part series about a variety of different contemporary crimes, from swatting to cybercrimes and revenge porn. Well-made but not remarkable. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on real story, this movie captures the personal drama of the failed British bombardement of the Gestapo HQ in Copenhagen that hit a school instead. Harrowing but cinematographically very impressive. 🇩🇰 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Truly bizar thriller about a mother who leaves her children and starts a new life but her past catches up with her. While original, it was a bit too much for me. 🇬🇧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An interracial lesbian love story set in the context of post-Apartheid traumas that has strong acting and scenes but too much supernatural and sorcery subtext for me. 🇿🇦 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Group of male strippers reunite for their last big tour. While thin story and characters, it has an exceptionally relaxed and warm feeling. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Exceptional documentary that includes interviews with the last living generation of Germans who participated in Nazi Germany. Chilling, confronting, at times confusing. Brilliant to learn and teach about fascism! 🇩🇪 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Call Me Chihiro

A former sex worker works at a small restaurant as she tries to escape her past while taking care of some local misfits. Slow, at times moving, and beautifully filmed. 🇯🇵 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shocking documentary about NGO that helps Thai, Burmese and Cambodian fishermen who are enslaved by big companies, sometimes for many years. Exceptional! 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Documentary about causal sex/hook-up culture that focuses on students on Spring Break in Florida. Despite some “experts”, it’s thin and sensationalist. It is also so American as they all need to be drunk to “perform”. So cringe. ⭐️⭐️

PS > made by Christian fundamentalists.

How in the hell did this get Oscar nominated? 🤷‍♂️ A silly murder mystery that mostly blows money away in a second-rate and fairly boring movie. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️

A high school girl gets caught up in a lie and doesn’t know how to get out of it. Funny movie about a serious topic with nice music and great references to the 1980s brat pack movies. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Series about a stalker who tries to control every aspect of his relationship. Original in use of voice-over of what people think but first season started to run out of steam a bit. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Kings of the World

A street kid takes his friends from the city to the countryside to claim his grandmother’s land in the National Resettlement Plan. Cinematographically beautiful depiction of the harsh realities of life in a largely lawless country. 🇨🇴 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

A disfunctional family is forced to spend a week together after the father dies. Warm and wonderful take on a classic theme. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Modern take on the classic detective genre with the same clichés and dominant voice-over as the old ones. Some big names but overall average. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Snow Girl

Six-part series about the kidnapping of a young girl and a young reporter who doggedly pursues the story to overcome her own trauma. Intense and at times truly disturbing. 🇪🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on true story about a boy who saves his small Village in Malawi by building a wind generator. Both depressing and uplifting! 🇬🇧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blockbuster by and large monopolized the video rental business only to go bankrupt because of the Great Recession. This documentary follows the last Blockbuster store in Bend, OR, and the nostalgia of renting movies. Good story but movie just drags on. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️

A woman is struggling to get by and rolls into a fraud operation that quickly takes over her life. Great strong woman movie. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Documentary about Bob Weir, the guitarist of the legendary hippie cult band Grateful Dead. Just like the band, this documentary doesn’t really do it for me. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️

Famous Mexican norteño band plays concert at Folsom prison 50 years after Johnny Cash did. Beautiful documentary that also humanizes the prisoners at the men and women prisons. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Movie time!!! 🎦

A famous chef messed it all up and wants to get back on top. With a mix of old and new friends he struggles and wins. Fairly classic theme but very well made and with wonderful vibe. 🇺🇸⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Documentary about the porn website Pornhub: how it influenced the porn business and the accusation of profiting from child porn it is facing. Broad range of voices but leaves a lot unclear. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tear Along the Dotted Line

Incredible six-part series of short animated episodes about a cynical leftie guy who doesn’t want to grow up and embrace life. Phenomenal animations, hyper monologues, and incredible reflections and warmth. Truly exceptional. 🇮🇹 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Idris Elba is a fallen cop who breaks out of prison to catch an evil genius serious killer in this well-made but cliché crime thriller. 🇬🇧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A disgraced lawyer works as a private detective and gets a case that changes his future as he deals with his past. Nice anti-hero and good story. 🇹🇷 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashton Kutcher plays Steve Jobs, focusing particularly on the pre-success period. Jobs is an obsessive and vindictive nerd and the movie is pretty bland. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️

Based on real story of military vet holding up bank, this tense and incredibly sad movie addresses major social issues in chilling and heartbreaking way while excelling in terms of acting and cinematography. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Pretty classic nerds become cool movie but build around a heavy metal band. But thin but the music compensates for that. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decent documentary about the friendship and split between two key figures of 20th century Black history that tells and rewrites history. Not much new in it though. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Sky High: The Series” is based on a real story, but too heavily romanticized, about the daughter of a criminal who wants to make a name of herself while dealing with betrayal by her dad, lawyer, and the police. 🇪🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

And now to some gems!

French series about a black social worker in the banlieu who accidentally rolls into the presidential elections and wins. With great main character and humor it subtly tackles many important issues. 🇫🇷 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brilliant movie in the best of British traditions about the man who broke Enigma and who died because of government repression of homosexuality. Incredible acting and story-telling. Exceptional! 🇬🇧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Animated movie about two young artists who live next to each other and fall in love. Wonderful vibe and incredible animations. Truly spectacular. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Documentary about a guy who would become the obsession of the president of the Pez candy company by feeding the Pez dispenser collector community. Amazing story that has been made into a brilliant documentary, which also deeply humanizes mental health issues. 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+