Welcome to What to Watch, a twice-weekly handcrafted newsletter for Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Friends, whether you’re alone, with a partner, or with family - happy Valentine’s!
One of the first non-Moroccan people I’ve ever met (at age 18) was my now good friend Kacie, an American who at the time also lived in Rabat. She introduced me to a lot of things: brownies (stolen from a U.S. embassy party), barbecue sauce, the game Left 4 Dead, and also the notion that Valentine’s day is not just a romantic celebration.
“You can even wish a happy Valentine’s to your mom” I remember her saying, which at first and without explanation seemed like an insult. To Kacie, my mom, and all of you, I wish a happy Valentine’s! In this e-mail, you will find a film that celebrates family love and a funny TV show that celebrates (and makes fun of) romantic love.
THE TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
No Tomorrow
This easy rom-com show set in Seattle is about a girl who falls for a hot guy she meets at the farmer’s market. The first time they meet she was asking a confused vegetable seller: “what kind of listeria precautions do you take with your rutabagas?”
When she finally gets invited to the guy’s house, she discovers that he is even more alternative than she is. “Your house looks like a Skymall catalog,” she says, to which he replies: “I know, thanks.”
And when it seems that this guy can’t get any better, he does: he believes that an apocalypse will take place in exactly 8 months and 12 days, and he lives accordingly. For example, he only drinks a beer called Carpe Diem.
If you’re looking for a sweet and light TV show, look no further than this.
📰 The Guardian: “No Tomorrow isn't as obvious a slam dunk as the CW's other boundary-pushing, female-driven comedies Jane the Virgin or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but if you enjoy both or either of those shows, this is a delightful companion.”
📺 on Netflix U.S. and Canada; 🍅 rating:88%
THE TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
The Farewell
New today on Amazon Prime.
This story of strong family bonds was one of the best movies of the past year and having missed the Oscars (except in embroidery), it was one of the biggest snubs of the awards.
The Farewell is based on the true story of a grandma who gets diagnosed with a fatal disease and her family who keeps that information from her. They organize a fake wedding in China where she lives to say goodbye.
Rapper Awkwafina is incredible as the granddaughter at the center of the story. Living in New York and having a complicated relationship with China, she embodies the cultural question at the center of the story: is it OK not to tell the grandma? But also: can a wedding that’s really a funeral to everyone but one person be held without that person’s suspicion?
The best thing about The Farewell, and it’s mostly thanks to Awkwafina’s performance, is that it’s never melodramatic. It’s technically a comedy, it’s often funny, and when it’s sad, it’s heartfelt.
📰 Wallstreet Journal: “The lovely paradox of The Farewell is that everyone in it tries to hide their feelings as long as they can, yet their story goes straight to your heart.”
📺 on Amazon Prime U.S. and select other geographies; 🍅 rating: 93%
Readers’ top picks
Dolemite is My Name on Netflix is our readers’ top movie pick. It stars Eddie Murphy in his first R-rated movie since 1999, he plays famous comedian Rudy Ray Moore.
The miniseries The Pharmacist is our readers’ favorite TV show this week. It’s about one man’s personal fight against the opioid epidemic. On Netflix everywhere.
New titles worth your time
Yesterday Netflix premiered the second installment of Narcos: Mexico. As gripping, well-made and well-acted as the original Narcos, this version about Mexcian druglords stars Diego Luna and Michael Peña.
And from Netflix Family, the 2019 animation A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon has been added as well. In this chapter, Shaun the Sheep gets into mischief with a new friend, an alien.
Apart from The Farewell, the top movie pick, no notable titles were added to Amazon Prime this week.
Great titles that will soon expire
The Harvey Milk biopic starring Sean Penn and directed by Gus Van Sant Milk leaves Netflix tomorrow, Saturday, February 15th. And Scorcese’s Gangs of New York leaves Wednesday, February 19th.
The little-known but excellent 2016 documentary Magnus leaves Netflix next Friday, February 21st. It’s told in English and it’s about the early days of Norwegian genius Magnus Carlsen who became a chess Grandmaster at age 13 and went on to win the World Championship. Think of it as Americana but about someone who is actually gifted.
No notable titles expiring on Amazon Prime this week.
The Newsflash: It’s not just you, Netflix has fewer movies
Online publication TV(R)EV ran an article this week that calculated that Netflix has 400% more shows that it did 2010 BUT … wait for it … it has 45% fewer movies.
It’s easy to assume that Netflix is always adding and investing in new content, but while that may be true for TV, it’s definitely not true for film. If you’ve had Netflix for the past 10 years, you’ve lost 3025 movie options that your (cheaper) subscription used to get you.
This data is for Netflix U.S.
Why such a big disparity? The writer summarizes Netflix’s strategy in:
Give a man a movie, he’ll watch Netflix for a couple hours. Give him a TV show, he’ll call out sick and watch Netflix for days.
Streaming platforms understand that at this point in time, while getting new subscribers is important, an even bigger focus is knowing how to keep them. Users are more engaged and happier (and not canceling) watching a TV show they can break into many days than a movie they have to watch in one take.
But if you like watching movies more than shows, you’ve probably already realized this in one way or another, and have been looking elsewhere for movies. This could explain why, despite the chatter about Netflix killing cinema, the last two years have seen the biggest Box Office revenue in history. Netflix is not after cinemas, it’s after TV channels.
That’s it for this week, I hope there is something in there for you.
The next edition will be in your inbox on Friday, February 21st.
Until then,
Bilal Zou, founder [bilal@agoodmovietowatch.com]
Carried with the support of the Creative Europe Program – MEDIA.