Rainy days make me want to just stay at home every night after work and beg off on going out with friends on weekends. But while I still go out almost every night of the week to workout or to meet friends, it’s somehow become a habit of mine to watch a movie on Netflix just before I call it a night.
If you find yourself feeling like you just want to stay home to relax after work or school, here are some of the recent films I’ve watched on the streaming giant:
1. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
This is the most recent film I watched on Netflix and it’s another original. If you love reading and browsing books at your nearest bookstore, then I’m sure you’ve seen the book by Jenny Han of the same title. I haven’t read the novel to be honest because well there’s just so many books I want to read! But when I did read online that Netflix was making this into a movie, I made a mental note to check it out for myself. I even saw on Twitter once that the author of the book offered to write love letters for her followers’ crushes – they just needed to provide her the details about the crush. I thought that was a pretty cute way of promoting the film.
Anyway, so the story is about Laura Jean Covey, an introvert American-Korean teenager who writes love letters to all her big crushes but never sends them out. When the love letters somehow got sent to the guys she liked, it wreaks a havoc to her love life.
I have avoided rom coms for awhile but I’m glad that when I decided I’d watch them again, this is one of the latest I’ve seen. It’ll definitely make you remember what it feels like to have a new crush or a budding romance – all that warm fuzzy feelings. I couldn’t get enough of Laura Jean and Peter! The story is so high school and I’m 33 but this was seriously super kakilig! I’d watch it again and again!
2. The Ugly Truth
Speaking of rom coms, this is another one I recently watched. It stars Katherine Heigl as an uptight TV producer who is forced to run a morning show hosted by a misogynistic pig played by Gerard Butler about modern relationships.
In my list of rom coms to watch, this was definitely in the bottom if it was even included. I read bad reviews on this film. Also I just don’t see Gerard Butler as a lead guy in a romantic role. Oh well. I finally gave it a chance and I would say it wasn’t so bad. It’s kind of nice – just don’t expect kilig from this film though because Katherine and Gerard just don’t have chemistry!
But it’s got an interesting story to it. It’s kind of like He’s Just Not that Into You where the guy guides the leading lady on how to navigate in the modern dating world to land the guy.
3. The Secret Life of Pets
This was a film I wanted to see in the cinema but never did because well movies are expensive nowadays and I have a lot of things I like to spend for. Anyway, so it’s finally on Netflix and I thought I needed to watch a feel good movie before I go to sleep.
This computer animated adventure film is about Max, a terrier enjoying a good life in a New York city building until his owner surprises him by bringing in another dog into the family, Duke, a giant and unruly canine. When they get lost in the big city, they encounter a group of animals planning an attack against humans and what ensues is a story full of action and laughter.
I don’t own a dog. Actually I don’t have pets now. When I was kid, I did own a fish, a bird, a rabbit and a dog. We tried cats but they only ran away. Now there are cats living in our house but they’re not really officially part of the family. They kind of just made themselves at home here. But when I was growing up, I did wonder what my pets did when their human owners aren’t around. Well this story sure answered that! Ha! Ha!
4. The Equalizer
This stars Denzel Washington as Robert McCall who lives in a quiet life but has a secret past life. When he meets a young girl under the control of an ultra-violent Russian gangster, he decides to end his self imposed retirement and become a sort of avenging angel for the helpless.
I thought it was a good movie. Denzel Washington was quite a bad ass in this film. Just be prepared for the gory scenes because this movie doesn’t spare you from the blood bath. And recently, I read that it now has a part 2! Check out the trailer for Equalizer 2. It definitely seems like a movie worth watching again if only to watch Denzel in action again.
5. The Stepfather
The movie stars Penn Badgley as the son returning home from military school finding out that his divorced mom is now engaged to a new guy, David whom she only recently met but makes her so happy. Though David appears to be the ideal husband, he turns out to be a psychotic serial killer out looking for his perfect family and will kill when it turns out that his new family ends up disappointing him.
I love a good suspense film and this movie brings it! It kept me at the edge of my seat, rooting for Penn Badgley’s character to keep on digging about David, to not let his guard down on him and ultimately to save his family from becoming another one of his victims. There was also that part of me who wanted to scream at Selma Ward’s character (Badgley’s mom) and call her an idiot for being so trusting so easily of a man she just met. I mean, my gosh! Yes, you’re lonely from being divorced and don’t want to end up growing old alone but you’ve only met the guy!