My Netflixes of the Month

I’ve been all over the Netflix this past month. I mean, ALL OVER. No genre has been safe. Documentary? I’m coming for you. Lifetime movie from 2011? Lock your doors. Teeny-bopper spookfest? Ding dong!

 

I don’t know what July was all about for me. Schizophrenia, maybe. Or inability to make decisions. Or super-ability to make many decisions. Whatever the reason, much Netflixes (Netflixi?) were had by my eyeballs.

 

Here’s what I watched:

 

 

1) An Honest Liar

Does anyone remember James Randi? A former magician, he used to debunk paranormal phenomena, so-called miracle workers, and psychics profiting off others’ naiveté. I used to watch him on “Johnny Carson”, and “That’s Incredible.” (Why don’t I just call myself San Diego Grandma?). At any rate, I loved to hear how Randi exposed those guys who claimed to heal the sick, or read people’s minds, or bend spoons. Full of vim and vigor and self-righteousness, Randi fought for all the people who were easily swayed out of money or dubiousness. In his ’80s now, Randi moves much slower, but still has the trademark fire and snappishness I recall. “An Honest Liar” documents his career and recounts true irony when Randi was fooled himself by a big life deception that rocked his “I’ll-always-see-trickery-coming” world. This one was my favorite of the month, except for…

 

2) Tig

Tig Notaro is one of those comedians who you’re never sure said something funny, but after delivering a post-joke smirk and long pause, it’s clear she did. Laid back and deadpan, Tig delivers comedy sets with an ease that raises her above the more frenetic comedians who make your brain fire too many synapses to keep up. A few years ago, life dealt Tig major bad hands all in a row (deadly infection, death of her mom, breast cancer), and this documentary shows the moments up close and personal. I liked the pacing and mood of this documentary because it showed the woman behind the comedian, which doesn’t always come across in other productions like it.

 

3) Haunter

What can I say? Sometimes a girl needs to cleanse her documentary palate with inane thrillers that are super cheesy, but of course, also awesome.

 

4) Secrets in the Walls

What can I say? (Did I already say it?) See directly above.

 

5) Noah

If you’re in the mood for epic biblical, do it. (It’s much better than “Gods & Kings” in my opinion.) (But still meandering and self-important.) (Still: epic biblical has its place in my heart.)

 

BONUS! The 100

I haven’t watched this post-apocalyptic series, but my two daughters (ages 9 and 11) are obsessed, along with my husband. I asked my oldest to write a little summary about it for you to chew on, and she came back with this:

 

“This show appealed to me because of the ingenious plot and drama. “The 100” is an enthralling story of bravery and drama. 97 years earlier, the planet we know as earth has become uninhabitable due to a nuclear war. But there are survivors. They live on a space station that circles the earth called the ark, where any crime committed by a person over the age of eighteen is punishable by death. The ark is faced with one inevitable fate: they will run out of oxygen. Scrambling for a solution, they send 100 children to earth to determine if it is habitable…”

 

That right there is more sensical than anything I’ve ever written. So, obviously I’m not inviting her back.

 

San Diego Grandma out!

 

{I’m a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam}