My Favorite Shows and Movies on Netflix

I’m sharing some of my favorite shows and movies that I’ve been watching on Netflix lately.

If you’re anything like me, I’ll be enjoying some down time over the holidays. Having the chance to sit down and watch some Netflix with family will inevitably happen, so I thought that I would share some of the things I’ve enjoyed watching. Enjoy! Looking for more Netflix recommendations? Check out this post from last year.

Shows

Anne With An E

Even though I’m sad that the series ended at only three seasons, I’m so glad that I got to enjoy those three seasons. I thought that the final episode felt rushed, but they did at least try to tie up as many story lines as they could. At least in Canada, season three debuts on Netflix on January 3rd 2020.

I loved that the TV show made Anne her own, while still staying true to the spirit of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books. There were so many moments from the books that I really hoped that they’d being into the show, and for the most part, that happened.

Mindhunter

I have to admit that I was late to discovering Mindhunter, but now that I know about it, I really like it. Mindhunter follows a couple FBI agents who working in the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy. The criminals that they focus on are real life ones, which makes it an interesting mix of fiction and true life.

I’m currently halfway through season two and I love how season two is shaping up. I’ve found it to be a bit different than the first season, but just as good.

The Crown

If you’re a history buff at all, I highly recommend watching The Crown. Season three was released last month and I’ve been binge watching it since. I only have a few episodes left and I don’t want them to end!

My favorite episode so far in season 2 was about the Aberfan mining disaster. I had honestly never heard of Aberfan before I watched the episode, despite how terrible it was. I can only imagine the heartache and pain that that town went through.

Hip Hop Evolution

It’s so interesting to me to learn about the history of hip hop with this documentary series. I was born in the early 80’s so I was too small to remember a lot of what is featured in the documentary, but I definitely remember the deaths of Biggie and Tupac as a teen.

Even though hip hop is a “newer” genre of music it has such a rich and varied history. If you’re at all interested in music or hip hop culture, Hip Hop Evolution is definitely something that you should watch.

This Is Us

I think just about everyone has heard about This Is Us by now. While it definitely has it’s overly cheesy moments, I’m hooked. I can’t stop watching because I’m so invested in the characters and I want to know what happens to them.

If you haven’t started watching yet, I highly suggest watching from the beginning. It’ll be worth it to know the backstory of all the characters, which comes in handy as you watch more of the show.

Movies

The Big Short

This movies recounts the 2008 financial crisis and stars Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling. Movies and documentaries based on real life are some of my favorites, and this one was no different. It made what happened and how it happened easier to understand, though I know that Hollywood oversimplified things.

I thought that the cast was great – in addition to Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling, it also included Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, and Marisa Tomei. The Big Short was also nominated for a bunch of awards, so you know that it has to be good.

League of Legends

While I definitely knew that esports were a thing before watching this documentary, I had no idea how big that industry was. I’ve played a few video games in the past, but I was always a very casual gamer. Being able to see the other side where video games are a huge hobby and the elite actually make money from it was eye opening for me.

Bob Lazar: Area 51 and Flying Saucers

While I still don’t think that Bob Lazar is who he says he is and has worked on and studied alien spacecraft, I still thought that this was an interesting documentary. There’s just too many things that don’t add up for his story to be real. I really liked that the doc included so many interviews with him. He’s been in the news for so long now that the old interviews were interesting to watch and I’m glad that the filmmakers decided to add them in.

Scream trilogy

Rewatching these movies just before Halloween was so much fun! The first Scream movie came out when I was in high school and I remember renting it at Blockbuster and watching it at my friend’s house.

While the movies weren’t great and were definitely meant for a teen audience, they’re still fun horror movies to look back on and watch again. It doesn’t take much to figure out who the killers are. But sometimes you just need movies that don’t require too much thought and you can just enjoy.

I Am Maris

I Am Maris follows the story of a now young woman who struggled with mental illness as a teen and ended up using yoga (among other things such as inpatient treatment, therapy, and medication) to help her recover. It was refreshing to hear someone be so honest about their struggles. She clearly had a great support system in her family. She also had lots of options at her disposal to get better. Having found something in yoga that she could really relate to was something that I’ve also experienced.

It’s such a great documentary, if you’re into yoga I would highly recommend you check it out. And if you don’t follow Maris on Instagram, I think you’ll want to after watching this movie.

Behind the Curve

I’m all about watching things that are different from what I’ve experienced. I love getting a peak into a world that I have no idea about, and that’s definitely what happened when I watch Behind the Curve.

While I definitely did know that flat earthers existed, I don’t think I realized that there were quite so many of them. As in there’s so many of them that they put on conferences. There’s definitely a lot more flat earthers out there than I expected.

Booklyn’s Finest

While this is an older movie (it was released in 2010), it has some of my favorite actors in it – Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke. Don Cheadle is one of my all time favorite actors and I’ll watch pretty much anything that he’s in.

Brooklyn’s Finest follows the stories of three NYPD officers. Don Cheadle plays an undercover cop. Ethan Hawke plays a father with twins on the way who is feeling crunched for money. And Richard Gere plays a cop is is just days away from retirement but is just barely hanging on.

Now that you know what I’ve been enjoying on Netflix, what are you loving? Share your picks in the comments below.