Grace and Frankie

Netflix stream team – our current family viewing

March 23, 2017nao

We have had some dark weather and lots of rain recently so Netflix has been appreciated all the more in this house. Last week we received a lovely gift from Netflix, some cozy slippers, a nice relaxing herbal tea, a lovely lavender and chamomile spray and a mini beanie for the tablet.

The children were quick in coming up with ways to use everything (I got the tea, they made off with everything else). They asked could they all pop into our bed that evening and watch Netflix on my ipad using the new beanie. As it was the start of the long weekend I decided to give it a go (figuring they’d last five minutes before I’d have to break it up). I settled them in and even sprayed the lavender and chamomile on their pillow and headed back up to the fire and my book. To my amazement their idea worked. They snuggled in and watched the whole moving without any arguments and afterwards they all fell off to sleep really quickly.

Thank you Netflix!

What are the children watching?

Penelope

What were they watching that night? They watched Penelope, a real feel good movie and all three kids gave it the thumbs up!

A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with “one who will love her faithfully.

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Event

The children are also enjoying the Netflix original series of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Event. They are big fans of the original movie which is also available on Netlfix. So far they are really enjoying this eight episode series; they seem to think it is a little darker than the movie with a lot more details and plot lines.

Two by Two

The youngest got to choose a movie for another recent movie night and he chose Two-by-two. I watched it with the kids too and it is a really sweet movie, about fitting in, finding friends and realising who you really are (or if you don’t want to psychoanalyse it, it’s just a cute animated movie!).

Middle School – the worst years of my life

At Hills Village Middle School, budding cartoonist Rafe and best pal Leo challenge their uptight principal by breaking every rule in his handbook.

My kids loved this movie and it prompted my middle child to start reading the books, which is a win-win, right?

What are the adults watching?

I can’t wait to get stuck into the third season of Frankie and Grace, which will be released in just one more day (the 24^th March to be exact). I really enjoyed the first series and was a full blown fan by the end of the second season so I really can’t wait to see what the lovely pair get up to in this next season.

Here is a trailer for the new series:

I don’t feel at home in this world anymore

We really enjoyed this new Netflix movie starring Elijah Wood and Australian actress Melanie Lynskey – I don’t feel at home in this world anymore. If you like quirky movies then check this one out.

Grimm

We have started watching Grimm, a series about a cop who suddenly inherits some special powers and realises that not all people are what they appear. It is early days but we are really enjoying the first series so far.

Iron Fist

This is brand new to Netflix this month and we have watched the first two episodes so far. It was a little slow to start but has good promise and we are all Marvel fans in this family (although the movie is rated 18s).

Danny Rand resurfaces 15 years after being presumed dead. Now, with the power of the Iron Fist, he seeks to reclaim his past and fulfil his destiny.

What are you watching on Netflix at the moment? If you have any current favourites let me know in the comments below.

Disclosure: As a member of the Netflix Stream Team I have received a years subscription to Netflix, free of charge, and an Apple TV, for streaming purposes. As part of Netflix Stream Team I will be posting monthly updates on what we are watching and what is on offer. All opinions expressed will be my own.

Netflix Stream Team – Some current family favourites

May 4, 2016July 31, 2016nao

We had no Wifi…. I’ll pause there for dramatic effect!

……….

Can you imagine? A lightning strike knocked us out, so we had no internet, no on-line work access and…. NO NETFLIX! There were tears!

Luckily it all got sorted and we are back on-line and almost feel we are entitled to some binge viewing, just to catch up. So what have we been watching?

THE ADULTS

We were delighted to see the new episodes of Better Call Saul arriving and jumped straight in. It is looking good but the next episode can’t come fast enough. I believe there should be one new one every week (on a Tuesday). We loved the first series and can’t wait to see what poor old Jimmy gets up to next.

We are big fans of Eastern films and loved Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, so when Sword of Destiny arrived on Netlfix we had to check it out. It was a good movie, not as good as Crouching Tiger, but I’d still recommend it.

Another great arrival to Netflix is the Downton Abbey series. We got completely hooked on the box set, but had only seen four series. Now we have found series five on Netflix we have our viewing sorted for the foreseeable future. So far it is still as wonderful as we remembered it.

When we just want something light to watch before bed we have hit on the perfect solution; we have started watching The Big Bang Theory … right from the beginning. It is 20 minutes of guaranteed laughs and the scientist in me gets an extra kick out of their self-depreciating, nerdy humour.

I love a good ‘detective’ type series, especially if there is some science involved. I’ve dipped in and out of the Silent Witness series on Netflix, which isn’t bad, but, even better is Lie to Me series. We have just started into it but already love it. A fictitious series based on the real-life science of interpreting facial expressions that tell what we say is what we really mean.

I have mentioned how much I loved the Grace and Frankie series in a previous post so I was delighted to see that Neflix will be releasing the second series on 6th of May… That’s only three more sleeps!!

THE CHILDREN

The children have now watched every Fuller House episode and have decided to return to the original Full House series too.

They have really enjoyed rewatching some old favourites like Hotel Transylvania, A series of unfortunate events and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

They are currently watching The Little Vampire, in small daily installments and have plans to watch Astro boy for a movie night during their mid term break.

FAMILY VIEWING

We were hit by a nasty tummy bug recently. When myself and my daughter found ourselves convalescing on the couch instead of heading off to a family get together, we compensated with an afternoon of Netflix. First up we watched Brave, a wonderful movie no matter how many times you watch it, and appropriate enough for some Mum and daughter time.

Then we watched Ella Enchanted; I have to say, I really enjoyed it. An interesting variation of the classic Cinderella story with plenty of humour and lots of girl-power to boot.

And that about sums up what everyone in the Science Wows house has been watching of late. Netflix have a lot more great series and movies coming on-line soon so stay tuned for more of our recommendations.

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Disclosure: As a member of the Netflix Stream Team I have received a years subscription to Netflix, free of charge, and an Apple TV, for streaming purposes. As part of Netflix Stream Team I will be posting regular updates on what we are watching and what is on offer. All opinions expressed are my own.

Netflix Stream Team – current favourites – Part 1, the adults

November 26, 2015April 18, 2016nao

Things have been a little crazy around here of late, so we are happy to embrace the darker colder days, a roaring fire and, of course, some Netflix. Want to know what we have been watching? Well, here is what the adults have been enjoying, and next week we’ll share the children’s choices.

My favourites…

I have just finished the first series of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. I liked it from the beginning but quickly got to really love it! It is the perfect blend of warm-hearted humour, with the kind of characters you grow to love very quickly. It was my perfect “wind down” TV viewing and I can’t wait for the next series. In the meantime though, I am happy to rewatch some of my favourite episodes, like the one where Frankie and Grace go out for a night out together, and each gets to choose the clothes the other wears!

I also watched The Duchess, staring Kiera Knightly. I’ll admit, I am not always a bit fan but I did really enjoy this one, and, as a mother, I could really relate to certain parts, although thankfully I live in a much more gender-balanced world!

When I have the control and tv all to myself and feel like an extra special treat I love to watch an episode of Chef’s table! There is no part of this series that I do not love! The food, the chefs, their life stories, the attention to detail, the ups and downs. The passion of each chef really comes through in this excellent documentary.

The male perspective…

My husband has a string of recommendations, none of which I have seen, so I think I need a day of complete catching up!

Firstly, he really loved Narcos, I did see a bit of it but decided it wasn’t for me but I have heard great things about it and he assures me that it was really well made and a great insight into what really went on.

He enjoys quirky, more alternative movies and so his current top three are Horns, Spring and What we do in the Shadows. Horns stars Daniel Radcliff, who finds himself with a dead girlfriend, a town out for blood (his) and two even more disturbing facts…. firstly, he is growing horns and secondly, people seem obliged to tell him the absolute truth. Some things are better not said, and, people sharing their inner thought with you is not always a welcome event. As you can imagine, this can make for very humorous viewing… on the darker side of mainstream!

Spring is another very alternative film, somewhat slow moving but with an interesting plot and ultimately, a love story, coming from a very unusual angle. He says it certainly keeps you interested!

What we do in the shadows is apparently a very funny portrayal of a group of vampires trying to deal with modern life from banal domestic squabbles to feeding problems and the real issues with eternal life. If you like a quirky film, this one is for you.

On a more sombre note he says Beasts of no nation is rough but compelling. Sometimes it is good to take your head out of the sand for a while.

A united front…

Of course, sometimes we do sit down together, as “real” grown-ups and, on the odd occasion, we get to see a whole movie, start to finish, no interruptions, children miraculously asleep. On such occasions, we have managed to watch…

The Help! I loved the book and the movie definitely did not disappoint, both of us thoroughly enjoyed it! A big, fat ten out of ten! With a lovely ‘feel good’ factor ending! The only down-side to the movie is that you will NEVER want to eat chocolate cake again!

If you enjoy nature programmes, as we do, and want one with amazing camera shots and imagery, then you can’t go wrong with Hidden Kingdom. I would love to see a documentary on the making of it, to see how they managed all those amazing shots! Take a look…

Another (black) comedy that we really enjoyed (and all this makes me realise how ‘alternative our viewing is’) was A long way down. Definitely one to watch.

So that should keep you going for a while… now I’m off to hide the remote so I can get first dibs tonight!

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