Netflix recently acquired the U.S. rights to stream Disney movies – including Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar movies – so a whole slew of new titles, including Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Finding Dory will hit Netflix later this month. Which means there’ll be even more options to choose from when you procrastinate that research paper you were supposed to start, like, several weeks ago. But you know you’re going to watch Netflix instead of studying anyways, so here are a few things worth streaming.
Stranger Things: TV-14, 8 episodes, 5 stars
If you spend any time on the internet, then you’ve probably already heard about the Stranger Things phenomenon that’s taking over. The TV show debuted on Netflix earlier this month and quickly became the hottest show to watch, and has already secured a second season set to come out next year. The show follows a series of strange things that take place in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana in the early ’80s: a government lab full of secrets, a boy who disappears after seeing a mysterious creature, a girl who can control things with her mind but refuses to talk. It’s not exactly horror – trust me, I can’t handle scary stuff at all – but it is a thriller, so think Lost, Steven Spielberg and Stephen King all mixed together at the same time. Hang on for the ride because once you start, you won’t be able to stop.
Planet FIFA: TV-14, 1 hr 34, 3 stars
If you like documentaries about good old-fashioned soccer scandals, then this one’s for you. Planet FIFA offers an in-depth look at the scandal that rocked the sport of soccer last year, when an FBI investigation accused 30 high-ranking FIFA officials of deep-rooted corruption, including charges of bribery and criminal schemes that dated back for decades. Lots of people ended up in jail or suspended from the sport, including the current FIFA President. The documentary also gives a good history of the FIFA organization and how the World Cup came about – and it’s also entirely in French, so you’ll have to turn the subtitles on, but it’s well worth watching for any soccer fan.
Before We Go: PG-13, 1 hr 35, 5 stars
Chris Evans (aka Captain America) wrote, directed and starred in the indie film Before We Go that debuted in 2014. The whole movie takes place in one night, in which a man and a woman – who are both strangers – meet and wander the streets of New York City in a late night adventure and eventually tell each other their secrets. This movie might be more of an acquired taste for some people, but I fell in love with it the first time I watched it. I won’t spoil it, but the movie doesn’t have a typical ending – but the ending is the best part of the whole two hours, in my opinion.
