Year after year Netflix proves to be the leading streaming service in spite of current competitors (like Amazon and Hulu) and new ones (Like Disney + and Apple TV+). Netflix is the biggest service in producing exclusive films for their subscribers -either by streaming it directly or by having limited release first in theatres- that has the biggest stars and competing for the top awards, with movies from different genres like sci-fi, Drama and even animation.
Netflix had a great year in 2018, when Alfonso Cuarón’s Mexican film Roma- which Netflix had acquired its distribution rights- won 3 Oscars, including Best Foreign Film.
In 2019, Netflix produced more films that entered the Oscar race and many received various nominations and wins including the Golden Globes and SAGs.
In the coming list we’ll review the best original films by Netflix in 2019:
A romantic comedy about childhood friends Marcus and Sasha, who grew apart but they meet again years later. Although Sasha got engaged and became a celebrity chef, Marcus still lives with his dad and is a struggling musician, but through the events they reconnect and get closer to each other. The film had a fun and yet touching side to it and the great chemistry between
Ali Wong and
Randall Park (who co-wrote the screenplay) made it more entertaining. Also we get to see
Keanu Reeve playing himself -as Sasha’s new boyfriend- and Marcus tries to compete with him to impress Sasha which is one of the most hilarious scenes in the film.
A drama about a true story- based on a memoir by
William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer- that takes place in 2001 where the young boy William lives with his family of farmers in a small village in Malawi, Africa. But when terrible drought threaten the village with famine, William decides to build a windmill to power an electric water pump as he faces many challenges to achieve his goal.
British actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor starred, wrote and directed the film (in his directorial debut). He gave strong performance of a father who tries to protect his family in the toughest conditions. He also learned Chichewa- which is the local language in Malawi- as he spoke with it in large part of the film.
A sci-fi thriller that takes place in a high tech bunker after the extinction of humanity, where a robot called ‘Mother’ designed to repopulate Earth raises a girl named ‘Daughter’. But when a mysterious woman suddenly appears, their unique bond becomes threatened.
In spite of the closed surrounding where the film is mostly shot and only three main characters, it manages to be suspenseful and gripping. Also the robot is well designed, along with impressive performance by rising actress
Clara Rugaard and two times Oscar winner
Hilary Swank. The film is directed by
Grant Sputore (in his directorial debut), from a screenplay by
Michael Lloyd Green
.
The Movie is a follow up to the events of the highly successful TV series “
Breaking Bad” which aired for five seasons from 2008 till 2013, about the story of high school chemistry teacher Walter White who decides to produce and sell drugs with the help of his former student Jesse Pinkman after he learns that he has lung cancer. The film focuses on Jesse after he escaped from his captors in the series finale, as he’s on the run from the police and looks to have a fresh start. A number of actors from the series appeared in the film with
Aaron Paul reprising his role as Jesse in the lead.
The film is written and directed by the creator of the series,
Vince Gilligan in his directorial debut, who also co- created the TV series ‘
Better Call Saul’ which is a spin-off prequel of ‘Breaking Bad’.
Aaron Paul gave a powerful performance as the solo protagonist in the film, who’s haunted by his painful past and memories. The film gave a good conclusion to the eager fans of one of the greatest TV series ever.
A historical drama revolving around Henry, Prince of Wales who stayed away from royal life, until he became the King of England (Henry V) following the death of his father and his brother during the 15th century. Unlike his father, the new king- played by the talented rising star
Timothée Chalamet- tries to lead his country by peace and reconciliation until he finds himself drawn into war against France, taking his loyal friend John Falstaff (played by
Joel Edgerton) as his chief military strategist.
Robert Pattinson plays a small role as arrogant French Dauphin, who was specifically chosen by director
David Michôd for his bold acting style. The film is based on several plays from
William Shakespeare's "Henriad" and Joel Edgerton co-wrote the screenplay with David Michôd. From the interesting things about the film is the strong performance by the cast and the well made battle scenes.
A biographical comedy about performer Rudy Ray Moore who became famous in the 1970s for portraying the character Dolemite both in his stand-up shows and a series of blaxploitation films. Comedic star
Eddie Murphy plays the title character- after three years of absence from the big screen- from his early days as a struggling performer, through creating the persona of Dolemite with his over the top routine and appearance until he decides to make a movie against all odds and the obstacles he faces with the crew to finish the film and achieve his dream of success and fame. Murphy managed to sink into this versatile character with his funny and hilarious performance, along with an outstanding supporting cast including
Wesley Snipes and
Keegan-Michael Key.
The film was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy and Best Actor for Murphy.
Is the first animated movie for Netflix, written and directed by
Sergio Pablos (in his directorial debut) who worked with Disney as a character designer in the 1990s and is best known for creating the highly successful Despicable Me franchise. The film was produced by Pablos’ animation studio in Spain and used a unique animation style that combines CGI lighting techniques with hand-drawn animation. Leading the vocal performance are stars:
J.K. Simmons and
Jason Schwartzman as Klaus and Jesper. The story follows the spoiled son (Jesper) who’s sent by his father to work at a post office in a distant town in the north. Upon his arrival, he is shocked by the miserable state of the town which makes him eager to finish his mission and go home, until he meets a reclusive woodsman (Klaus) whose house is filled with toys, together they develop an unlikely friendship that makes them transform the town and its people when they start delivering toys for the children.
The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.
A drama written and directed by
Noah Baumbach who used his own personal experience and others around him to show the inside world of divorce and its details. The film follows a stage director and his actress wife who decide to separate after years of marriage, taking us into the struggle each side go through to get a divorce. Among the strong elements of the film is the intimate and heart-breaking script, and the powerful performance by
Scarlett Johansson and
Adam Driver that will make viewers burst into tears along with them.
The film is nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for
Laura Dern, who won various awards for her performance including a Golden Globe and SAG.
A biographical drama about the story of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who was elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, and how he called Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio years later to help him find a new path for the Catholic Church following the crisis that was called the Vatican leaks.
The film sheds light on the tense relationship between the current Pope then who was known to be conservative and the liberal Cardinal was became his successor. And in spite of having contradicting views about how the church should handle controversial topics, the two men slowly grew closer, with each one confessing his deepest secrets to the other. The film had a light humor to it, in spite of its serious topic, along with the outstanding performance by acting giants
Anthony Hopkins and
Jonathan Pryce (who both received Oscar nominations for their roles), who looked a lot like the real life characters they were playing and they learned to speak more than one language to make their portrayal more realistic.
The film is nominated for three Oscars including Best Adapted Screenplay for
Anthony McCarten, who wrote the screenplays of important films like: The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Was one of the most anticipated films of the year, because of the big names behind it. Director
Martin Scorsese was finally able to do this dream project ever since the book - titled I Heard You Paint Houses by
Charles Brandt- that the movie was based on was published in 2004. The film follows the rise of Frank Sheeran (played by
Robert De Niro) in the world of organized crime from his start as a truck driver in the 50s until he became the right hand man and bodyguard of powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (played by
Al Pacino) in the mid 70s. During his journey, the film shows important stops in American history and many names that were associated with them.
It became one of the most expensive (with budget of $159 million) and longest films in Scorsese’s career (run time of 209 minutes). A big part of the budget went to the visual effects, especially the digital de-aging technology, that was used to make the actors look younger than their real age. As the films uses flashbacks to tell the story of the three lead actors ((De Niro, Pacino and
Joe Pesci) since they were in their 40s in spite of being over 70 in real life. In spite of Scorsese being no stranger to crime mobsters movies (like
Casino and
Goodfellas), but here he offers a more mature and deeper cinematic experience while still maintaining his unique directing style.
The film received five Golden Globe nominations and ten Oscar Nominations including Best Picture and Best Director.
The cast gave amazing performances and the script written by
Steven Zaillain - who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Schindler’s List in 1993- was full of interesting details, with the rest of the elements of the film including costumes, cinematography and set designs that all helped to create this brilliant masterpiece.
