Netflix releases a ton of new films and series every month but unless someone that is in charge of setting up the "HOME" screen feels at though you should know about it, it is easy for some of these great titles to simply pass you by.
Many times I feel as though Netflix favors things they find politically compelling and of course the films that they actually made. The first thing I hate but the 2nd one I can completely understand why they would do that. You always promote your own product first, right?
Here are some suggestions from me that I think will likely not be promoted by Netflix, but you should definitely have a search for to see if it is available in your region.
Most of the releases this December, just like every December prior to this one, are Christmas movies and series but I have intentionally not included them in my list except for one interesting documentary that I give a brief mention to towards the end.
December Netflix Picks
CHEF
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This film took me by surprise because Jon Favreau tends to focus on directing rather than starring in films. It is a very nicely done film about the life of a top-level chef who decides that he is fed up with the hoity-toity dining experience in big cities and instead decided to both spend more time with his family and also start a food truck. It doesn't sound like a great story but trust me, it is fantastic. There is this one particular scene where Jon is making the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich I have ever seen that on its own is just mind-blowing.
Do not watch this film hungry - you will regret that decision!
50 first dates
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Yeah I know it's an Adam Sandler silly comedy with Drew Barrymore and they have at least 3 of those with the same people. This one is a story about a woman who is incapable of forming new memories each day because of some sort of head trauma. Therefore Sandler's character has a really difficult time getting to know her because every day, regardless of how good the day prior was, she has no idea who he is.
It's a completely absurd plot but somehow it just works. This is one of my favorite Sandler films and it is somewhere in between his super serious films (which are mostly great) and his slapstick silly films that inexplicably make tons of money at the box office despite being, for the most part, pretty terrible.
E.T.
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If you haven't already seen this film you either weren't alive (or old enough to remember things) in the mid 80's or your parents didn't like you. This was a global phenomenon when it was released and it basically launched the career of Drew Barrymore and solidified Stephen Spielberg as one of the greatest directors of all time.
The movie is nearly 40 years old yet since they didn't rely too terribly on the very limited CGI that existed at the time and instead went for full scale models and expertly crafted puppetry, the movie still looks realistic today.
I have seen this movie dozens of times but still sit down to see it a couple of times a year. I can not say this about most other films.
Other additions of note
The Holiday Movies That Made Us: This is a documentary that shows the most famous Christmas movies of all time and gives you some insight into how they were made, and how popular and iconic they became. Oh, and Die Hard is in there :P
Jurassic Park: I feel as though this franchise has run its course and we are slowly starting to see them run out of ideas. Well, they still make hundreds of millions of dollars on each new release so they will likely keep making them for a while longer. This is where it all began and is still definitely worth seeing.
Unfortunately, a lot of the other things that have been released this month are garbage including *Little Nicky" starring again, Adam Sandler but there are a few gems in there. None of the above featured films other than The Holiday Movies That Made Us even popped up on my home screen (because it is a Netflix doco) so you too may have to search for them in order to even see if they are available. I hope they are!
