Despite it being one of those things that everyone seems to have, I’ve never actually watched Netflix. That is until recently.
With quite a bit of spare time on my hands over the last month or so, I decided it was the perfect time to sign up to Netflix and make the most of the one month free trial.
I’m not going to lie; initially I was a bit disappointed. I’ve heard so many great things about Netflix, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by the choices available, or the navigation. But as I’ve grown used to it, I’ve quite enjoyed having a random selection of shows available at the press of a button.
So, here’s a run-down of what I watched during my free trial. Yes, it’s a lot, but don’t judge me…I don’t normally watch this much TV but there were special circumstances!
How to Get Away With Murder
I wavered over watching this when it was on TV, but in the end I didn’t bother. But it was the first thing that jumped out at me from the array of stuff on Netflix, so I whizzed through series one in a few days.
The show follows five new law students as they begin an internship with their professor, who is also a fierce defence attorney renowned for getting people off all kinds of charges, no matter how guilty they might actually be. But when the body of a fellow student turns up, the group are soon drawn a little too far into the twisting murder case.
I enjoyed this one, but I’m not sure I liked it enough to revisit series two (although I now have a serious Frank crush…just sayin’).
Hinterland
This police drama series from S4C is set in the wilds of the Welsh countryside, near Aberystwyth. It follows DCI Tom Matthias as he returns to Wales and gets caught up in a number of grisly murders. It was the perfect mix of stunning landscapes, moody cinematography and bloody, twisted murders.
Watch it if you liked Wallander.
Jack Reacher
I fancied watching this Tom Cruise film since it came out, as the trailer made it look like a decent action thriller. It wasn’t.
A Hard Day’s Night
The Beatles’ most famous film chases after the Fab Four as they head to London for a television appearance and get caught up in all kinds of mayhem. When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of their movie Help! in which Ringo becomes the target of a bizarre cult who are determined to make him their next ritual sacrifice.
I had high expectations for A Hard Day’s Night, but if I’m honest, I preferred Help!
Sicario
This dark and bloody crime drama stars Emily Blunt as an FBI agent in Texas struggling with the Mexican cartels as their drug dealing operation spreads across the border. When she is recruited into a shady inter-agency task force, she soon finds herself involved in a violent and potentially illegal operation.
Stranger Things
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about this new series, which everyone is raving about. Usually I ignore the advice of the masses, but this time I was tempted. And what can I say, I LOVED this quirky and creepy little show more than anything I’ve watched in ages.
It’s funny, scary and full of great performances and references to other films. Can’t wait for series two!
The General’s Daughter
I’ve seen this John Travolta thriller several times and have watched odd bits of it again this month.
The Thomas Crown Affair
The 1999 remake of the Steve McQueen classic is actually much better than the original, in my humble opinion. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo have electric chemistry as the wealthy art thief and the sassy insurance investigator determined to bring him down. Plus it’s full of amazing shots of New York – if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?
Orphan Black
I’ve heard rave reviews of this Netflix original series and it sounded quirky enough to be up my street. I watched the opening 20 minutes of the first episode, and while the premise had me intrigued, the characters immediately annoyed me enough to make me stop watching.
Bloodline
Another Netflix original series that has amazing reviews, I was attracted to this by the striking artwork. It’s about a Florida Keys family who run a popular seaside hotel. When the dark sheep son returns to attend a family party, he decides to stick around, even if it causes trouble with his family.
This is a slow burner, but from the beginning we see flash forwards to something horrible that’s about to happen. So far I’ve only watched the first episode, as it didn’t particularly hook me, despite the great reviews.
Gotham
Watched about 15 minutes of the first episode but didn’t bother going any further.
The Bridge
This Scandinavian police drama begins with the discovery of a body on the bridge between Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden. Brilliant but socially oblivious Swedish detective Saga Noren is forced to work with her human focused Danish counterpart, Martin Rohde. The two soon uncover a horrific series of crimes and must do everything they can to catch the sadistic killer.
I’ve always enjoyed a good crime drama, and I absolutely loved this! The first two series are available on Netflix, with each following a different story. While I used to watch a lot of subtitled shows, in recent years my attention span has dwindled so I’ve found it harder to concentrate on them. I was worried that I’d struggle to get into this, but it was so compelling, I couldn’t help but get sucked into the ultimately tragic story.
Pretty Little Liars
I watched the first four episodes, but I’m not sure I’ll go any further. I fear I may be a bit old for this teen drama – the secrets all felt a bit high school to me!
Is it worth persevering with? Let me know in the comments.
Top of the Lake
Another dark crime drama, this one was directed by Jane Campion and is set in a small New Zealand town that is in thrall to a violent Scottish drug dealer. When his twelve year old daughter tries to kill herself by walking into the lake, the police discover she is pregnant. The case brings back traumatic memories for a female detective who has returned to the town from Sydney, and is compelled to investigate.
This story is set in an absolutely beautiful area of New Zealand and it’s worth watching for the scenery alone. But it’s not an easy story to follow, full of violent misogynists, rape and people who are struggling just to get by.
The Lava Field
Another Scandinavian crime drama, this time set in Iceland. Again, beautiful landscapes and atmospheric cinematography, plus it stars Heida Reed from the BBC’s Poldark, under her Icelandic name. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as The Bridge.
So I think I got plenty out of my free trial – I know…I had some unexpected time on my hands, what can I say!
If you’ve got any recommendations for things to watch on Netflix, I’d love to hear about them!
Natalie K. says
I am a fellow Netflix non-subscriber as well! I’ve never had an account. I probably won’t for a while because I’m busy with work stuff (including an upcoming certification exam) and personal stuff (writing novels), but I can’t say that I will never have one. Maybe if I make it big as a writer someday, I’ll have time to watch it while winding down in the evenings. 😀
Amy Lord says
Fingers crossed for the making it big as a writer, Natalie! I don’t think I’ll keep my Netflix account going indefinitely, I might just dip in and out when I have time/am particularly bored. After my initial binge, I’m struggling to find much to watch!