Our Netflix favourites to see out one year and start the next

Our Netflix favourites to see out one year and start the next

Netflix, you surpassed yourself in 2016! If you haven’t seen these already, we highly recommend them!

For the Adults

Stranger Things

If you haven’t seen it, why not? Our favourite viewing of 2016. It took every restraint not to binge watch but it was a delight to sit down to every night. The eight part series follows the adventures of a group of children, trying to find their missing friend, and the mysterious events and people they encounter along the way. A fantastic supernatural tale not to be missed. If you haven’t seen it then change that quick, before the year is over!

netflix-stranger-things

Sense 8

This was the kind of series we could really get into and it was a really good seasonal treat to find that Netflix released a two hour Sense 8 special that would make great viewing for a cozy New Year night in, if you have watched the series so far then see what your favourite characters get up to as the New Year approached.

“The journey continues as these eight singular hearts and minds weave in and out of each other’s lives finding deeper connections, learning darker, more desperate secrets about one another and struggling to identify with more than just oneself.”

The OA

This just seemed to appear out of nowhere just in time for Christmas. A scifi, supernatural series that begins with the return of the main character, Prairie, who had been missing for seven years. Where was she, what happened to her, and most of all, how can she suddenly see when she was blind when she disappeared. Another Netflix gem, we loved it! Go watch it quickly so you can join in all the chat and buzz around this great series.

Lucy

I think I would watch anything with Morgan Freeman in it, but add in Scarlett Johansson and written and directed by Luc Besson and the movie is bound to entertain. An action, scifi movie that we have watched twice already.

“A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.”

The Siege of Jadotville

Another great movie. I was a bit unsure about this one as I don’t like war movies but the action, drama and story of this made me very glad I watched it. The  movie tells the true story of how 150 Irish men held out against 3000 mercenaries. Another one we highly recommend (once you can tune out some dodgy Irish accents!).

jadotville

For the children:

Troll Hunters

A new series that the children are loving. It can be hard to find something that appeals to all three at once but this animation really seems to fit the bill.

King Julien (Series 4)

Another series of King Julien was released and had all the humour and entertainment of the previous series. I have to admit, I tend to find myself sitting with the kids and watching it too.

Horrible Histories

My children have watched these over and over again. They can quote them at this stage but that seems to add to the charm. A fantastic way to get your children interested in history!

Into the Woods

An imaginative amalgamation of a number of different fairy tales all rolled into one, with plenty of singing added in for good measure. My 12 year old loved it!

into-the-woods

Annie (The 2014 version)

We watched the new version of Annie over the Christmas and loved it. Some of the adults preferred the original but it is still well work watching. The story follows a very story line as the original Annie along with many of the favourite musical pieces.

The Netflix Kids Count Down for New Year

countdowntrollhunterThis is one of the great things about Netflix, their New Year count down for the kids, so they can see in the New Year and still make it to bed before midnight. There are a large amount of kids favourites to choose from this year. The choice includes project MC, Beat Bugs, Puffin Rock, Fuller House, Chasing Cameron and Skylanders. All good choices although I think in our house it is a toss up between King Julien and Troll Hunters.

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Whatever you will be doing, or watching as the 2016 comes to a close, we wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Science filled 2017!

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 – a family pick of scifi, history and humour

Netflix Stream Team – a family pick of scifi, history and humour

So far this Irish Summer has been a bit of a washout. As I type, the wind is howling and the rain is sheeting down. We brave it when we can, and, when we can’t, we come up with indoor activities to amuse us. Sometimes though, there is nothing for it but to take out the blankets and turn on Netflix.

Here are some of our viewing recommendations this Summer. I’ve noticed a bit of a trend when comparing the adults choices to the children’s… both seem to include scifi, history and humour – not a bad mix!

THE CHILDREN

Scifi – the  children were delighted to see Guardians of the Galaxy come to Netflix (this movie has a 12s rating) and it has already served them well as a ‘movie night’ option with friends.

Tech – We have introduced a bit more coding in the house this Summer, after a wonderful introduction from Galway’s Coderdojo classes. The children have loved the hour of code and have completed the Minecraft and StarWars challenges. This has sparked their coding imagination, and now they have found Gaming show (in my parents’ garage) they are completely hooked.

Gaming show IMPG

HistoryHorrible Histories is a constant entertainer in this house, even the adults have watched most of the episodes. It is amazing how the children are quoting historic facts, learned from the programme. When they finish the series they just start again from the beginning.

Humour – Apart from the giggles they get from Horrible Histories, the children are also loving the newest series of King Julien. I often pop my head in the room to find three laughing children snuggled on the couch.

THE ADULTS

Scifi – we stumbled across a scifi film called Push and loved it. It certainly deserves more than the three stars it currently has in the rating. The movie is about people with special powers, some can read minds, see the future, implant memories in people’s heads and move objects with their minds. And when the good guys and the bad guys have similar talents the story line keeps moving at quite a pace.

History – I am lucky if I get near the remote control these nights, since the second series of Marco Polo arrived on Netflix my husband has been binge watching. He is curious about the Mongol empire and enjoys the way the drama is portrayed.

Humour – The full second series of Better Call Saul is now available on Netflix. Although the plot thickens and the story gets a little darker, there is still plenty of the humour that so impressed us from the first series.

bettercallsaul

Image credit: Ben Leuner/Netflix

Regardless of what we watch, we usually round off the night’s viewing with a good belly-laughing episode of The Big Bang; It is consistently brilliant!

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Disclosure: As a member of the Netflix Stream Team I have received a year’s 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.