Part of what I love about Netflix streaming is its extensive list of foreign films. They may not be big-budget blockbusters, but there are some gems out there. Foreign films allow us to visit other countries and experience dynamic cultures,
Part of what I love about Netflix streaming is its extensive list of foreign films. They may not be big-budget blockbusters, but there are some gems out there. Foreign films allow us to visit other countries and experience dynamic cultures, all from the comfort of our beanbags.
“Agata and the Storm” chronciles an older businesswoman who becomes involved with one of her customers, a much younger man. For some inexplicable reason, when events in her life become turbulent, the electrical devices around her start short-circuiting and comedy ensues.
The story is cute and we get to see Italy, but we are left wondering why Agata can blow up lightbulbs. Maybe the message is lost on me, being a man. Maybe The Force is strong with that one.
My father served in the Navy during the Korean War, but military service never made my short list of things to do after high school. Instead I went to college at the University of Idaho (Go Vandals). The first Gulf War found me 21 years old, a very draftable age. My concern was that Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Republican Guard would drag the United States into such a deep conflict that the draft would be reinstated and I would be asked to go to war.
As the years have passed and the wars have begun and ended, I find myself with great admiration for those men and women who enter harm’s way, sacrificing their lives to protect our way of life.
“Restrepo” takes us to Afghanstan and drops us on the front lines in the region’s most strategic valleys at an outpost named for a fallen comrade. We walk with the soldiers as they do their jobs and are forced to cope with the hazards of war.
I’m thankful I did not get called to war, and films like “Restrepo” only confirm my worst fears about the stress and strain our military men and women face during combat. Their stories cannot be ignored. We can’t walk in their shoes, but we can support them, walk beside them. Thank a veteran next time you get a chance.
“Agata and the Storm”
Cast: Licia Maglietta, Giuseppe Battiston, Emilio Solfrizzi
This show is: Quirky, Romantic
Rated: NR
Common Sense rating: Adult situations, brief nudity
Middle-aged Agata, bookstore owner, becomes involved with a man 13 years her junior. Add her brother’s equally turbulent life and Agata finds herself influencing the world around around her in mysterious ways. 3 of 5 Netflix stars.
“Restrepo”
Cast: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
This show is: Violent, Emotional, Dark, Gritty, Suspenseful
Rated: R
Common Sense rating: Language, descriptions of violence
Author Sebastian Junger, author of “The Perfect Storm,” and photographer Tim Hetherington document the work, the fear and the brotherhood that comes from holding off a deadly enemy. This documentary allows the viewer to witness the trama of war. 3 of 5 Netflix stars.
Five movies from the queue
1. Star Trek
2. Pandorum
3. Bottle Shock
4. The Warlords
5. Saints and Soldiers
