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Saturday, March 21, 2020

WHAT TO STREAM ON NETFLIX WHILE IN ISOLATION

Miscellaneous streaming things:

What To Stream On Netflix: The new shows this week on Netflix

“Feel Good” (Netflix Original, Season 1)

‌Premise: In this comedy, a female stand-up comedian with addictive behaviors falls for a woman who has only experienced heterosexual relationships. The two begin to date, but the comedian is still working through addictions.

‌Setting: Contemporary London

‌Is it any good? Metacritic, which aggregates critic evaluations of the quality, scores it 84 out of 100. A few critics are comparing it to “Fleabag.” given the balance of humor and addiction. Lucy Mangan at The Guardian gave it a rare five out of five-star review, calling it a “beautiful, truly funny love story.”

‌Notable Cast: Lisa Kudrow, Mae Martin and Charlotte Ritchie

‌Runtime: The first season runs six episodes of roughly 25 minutes.

“Tiger King” (Netflix Docu-series)

‌Premise: In this docu-series, a charismatic, drug-using, polygamist named Joe Exotic who owns a tourist trap zoo hires a hitman to kill a rival.

‌Setting: An Oklahoma roadside zoo in the recent past

‌Is it any good? Metacritic score: Positive, but only two reviews so far. This has “Wild Wild Country” vibes in that it focuses on a mythical, ridiculous and dangerous central figure. Nick Allen at RogerEbert.com gave it a four out of four. Here’s a quote from that review:

"“Tiger King” is Netflix comfort food of the highest order: it immerses viewers in a mind-boggling lifestyle and series of scandals, and yet the term “true-crime” doesn’t do justice to its greatness."

Runtime: This limited series runs seven episodes of roughly 45 minutes.

The new movies this week on Netflix:

“Silver Linings Playbook”

Premise: In this romantic comedy, a divorced man with bipolar disorder moves back with his parents after a stay at a mental health facility. He meets someone new who wants to team up for a dance competition.

Setting: A Pennsylvania suburb.

Is it any good? Metacritic, which aggregates critic evaluations of the quality, scores it 81 out of 100. It earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for her role.

Notable Cast: Along with Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Chris Tucker and Jacki Weaver.

Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes

“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Premise: In this espionage thriller based on a John le Carré novel, a career British intelligence officer comes out of retirement to try and find a mole in the organization.

Setting: Mainly London during the 1970s Cold War

Is it any good? Metacritic score: 85. It earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Gary Oldman.

Notable Cast: Along with Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, CiarĂ¡n Hands and Tom Hardy.

Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes