Netflix’s September Lineup: American Indies, Japanese Jazz, Korean Cooking
Netflix this September offers its version of seasonal change. Lightweight if big Hollywood blockbusters yield to American indies of various stripes. A road trip documentary follows two old friends (one of whom is Will Ferrell) reconnecting in the wake of one friend’s gender transition. Mark Duplass helms a series about a teen who becomes a modern-day Henry David Thoreau. But must-see honors this month go to a tale of three estranged sisters waiting for the end of their deathly ill father.
Viewers wanting something a little spicier this month in viewing options should check out several premieres coming from various Asian countries. Japanese films take you into the worlds of Tokyo jazz clubs and female wrestling. A Korean cooking competition pits chefs from diners against chefs from haute cuisine backgrounds. Thailand delivers a tale of desperate ass-kicking set in a housing project.
Whether your taste in cinematic conflict takes you to a powerful anime about orphaned kids trying to stay alive in the face of Pacific War-induced deprivation or a key moment in the rivalry between two top-league college teams, surprise yourself by checking out what Netflix offers this month.
Now Available
3:10 To Yuma– James Mangold (“Logan”) directs this second cinematic adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s short story of the same name. In 1884 Arizona Territory, Civil War veteran and poor rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) needs to escort captured outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to the 3:10 afternoon train heading to Yuma Territorial Prison. Doing so will help Evans get the money he needs to pay off his debts to Glen Hollander. However, getting Wade onto that train means fending off pursuit from the outlaw’s gang as well as others who want to see Wade and/or Evans dead.
Blue Giant
5 Centimeters Per Second–This romantic anime drama from director Makoto Shinkai (“Your Name”) tells three different tales of romance in lead character Takaki Tono’s life. In elementary school, Tono’s inseparable relationship with transfer student Akari Shinohara is tested by life changes which slowly increase the physical distance between them. In the third year of senior high, Tono is now a transfer student lusted after by classmate Kanae Sumida. Adulthood sees Tokyo computer programmer Tono still haunted by his unresolved longings for Akari and the things he never said to her before they separated. The film’s title refers to the speed at which cherry blossoms fall off a tree.
Blue Giant–Yuzuru Tachikawa (“Mob Psycho 100”) directs this adaptation of Shinichi Ishizuka’s manga of the same name. Dai Miyamoto’s lifelong passion for jazz leads him to pursue his dream of becoming Tokyo’s best saxophone player. To that end, he learns to play the tenor saxophone and leaves his hometown of Sendai. Joining up with talented pianist Yukinori Tanabe and childhood friend Shunji Tamada on drums, the trio becomes the group JASS and face the unforgiving challenges of the jazz world. Soundtrack composed and performed by Grammy Award-winning pianist Hiromi Uehara, joined by tenor saxophonist Tomoaki Baba and Shun Ishikawa on drums.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High–Amy Heckerling’s ensemble comedy debut follows over the course of a year the lives of a group of teenagers attending Ridgemont High School in the San Fernando Valley. The stories that unfold include: a battle of wits between a carefree stoner and a history teacher, a freshman who loses her virginity to an older man, an inspirational joyride crash, and public revenge against a cowardly guy. Several members of the film’s cast went on to bigger and better things. These lucky actors include Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, and Nicolas Coppola (who later changed his last name to Cage).
Untold: Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer–Former World Cup winner and U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team member Hope Solo talks about her life and sports career. How did this woman go from a complicated childhood growing up in rural Washington to becoming soccer history’s greatest national team goalkeeper? Having a competitive obsession and a willingness to give everything to soccer helps. But her willingness to be radically candid about equity and recognition issues often made her a focus of criticism.
September 5
Apollo 13: Survival–Peter Middleton’s documentary recounts the story of one of NASA’s greatest challenges. In 1970, a mission to land astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert on the Moon was interrupted when an explosion in the spacecraft service module led to the loss of some of the craft’s precious oxygen supply. Instantly, the Apollo 13 mission went from Moon landing to devising a way to get the three astronauts safely back to Earth. Ron Howard dramatized the story back in 1995. This documentary recounts what happened by using original footage and interviews with both NASA personnel and members of the astronauts’ families.
The Queen Of Villains
I Used To Be Funny–How did Sam Cowell (Rachel Sennott, “Bottoms”) go from being an aspiring comedian and au pair/surrogate older sister to becoming an emotional wreck? Answering that question means flipping back and forth between Sam’s current state of emotional turmoil and the funny and caring person she used to be. At the story’s core is a look at how trauma can warp both a person’s creativity and their relationships.
September 7
Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist–Gifted Yoo Se-Poong serves as physician for the royal family. However, thanks to a conspiracy, he gets expelled from the royal palace. Poong’s wanderings bring him to the beautiful and mysterious Gyesu Village. There, he meets an eccentric teacher named Gye Ji-Han and a widow named Seo Eun-woo. Thanks to their influence, Poong learns to treat both his patients’ physical ailments and their mental pains.
September 10
Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood With My Father–In this reality series featuring the stars of “Travels With My Father,” comedian Jack Whitehall is about to become a father for the first time. But what does it mean to be a father? To answer that question, Jack and his father Michael will travel around the world to see what fatherhood means to different cultures. They’ll also dig into the type of father that Michael is and the type of father Jack wants to be.
September 12
Black Mass–In this crime drama based on a true story, FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) wants to infiltrate and bring down the Angiulo Brothers’ Mafia-connected gang. To do so, he enlists the help of an old friend from the South Boston area: Irish hoodlum James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp). Even though Bulger hates becoming a rat, he sees his association with Connolly as providing protection for the crimes he commits as leader of the Winter Hill Gang. Connolly, on the other hand, lets his shared past with Bulger blind him to the darker changes taking place in his personality. (Note: The real-life Bulger hated Depp’s portrayal of him.)
Into The Fire: The Lost Daughter–Charlize Theron produced this true-crime documentary. Cathy Terkanian was only 17 when she was forced to put her daughter up for adoption, but she never stopped thinking about the child she lost. That daughter, now known as Aundria Bowman, went missing in 1989 and was never found. Terkanian may have learned of Bowman’s disappearance in 2010. But she uses a mother’s instinct and intuition to follow any possible lead in a determined search to find the missing girl alive. Her quest would take an entire decade before reaching an end.
Penelope
September 13
Officer Black Belt–Lee Jung-do may look like an ordinary restaurant delivery guy who likes playing video games and hanging out with friends for drinks. But he’s also a prodigy in taekwondo, kendo, and judo…and he doesn’t think twice about helping people in trouble. One such person Lee helps is a martial arts officer attacked by a violent probationer. Lee succeeds in helping the officer, but the cop’s injuries keep him off the job for five weeks. The delivery guy becomes a temporary replacement for the martial arts officer, and he’s paired with probation officer Kim Sun-Min. As Kim works with violent offenders on probation, Lee’s job will be to provide much-needed ass-kicking when things get dangerous.
September 16
30 For 30: Catholics vs. Convicts–Director Patrick Creadon’s personal documentary recounts the legendary 1988 football battle between the Miami Hurricanes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Both teams were undefeated at the time of the matchup, but years of bad blood preceded this game. Creadon, who was a Notre Dame senior at the time, recounts such significant events as a 1985 matchup where the Hurricanes ran up the score against the Irish. But it would be the film’s titular slogan printed on a popular bootleg T-shirt made by Creadon’s friend Pat Walsh that would truly ramp up tensions between the two schools and spark a still-infamous rivalry.
30 For 30: Pony Excess–From 1981-1984, the Southern Methodist University Mustangs held the nation’s best college football record thanks to the team’s “Pony Express” backfield. But when the school’s football program started coming apart in the mid-80s, University administrators let Dallas’ oil barons and real estate tycoons push a “victory at any cost” direction for the Mustangs. Flagrant and frequent NCAA violations became the Mustangs’ norm, until the inevitable blowback happened.
30 For 30: The U (Parts 1 & 2)–In the 1980s and 1990s, the University of Miami would fashion its Hurricanes football team into a powerhouse of bad boy players. However, the team’s resulting culture of swagger and lawlessness would nearly kill the school’s football program altogether. New head coach Butch Davis attempts to rebuild the team the right way with a combination of ingenuity and deliberately seeking out self-disciplined and academically responsible men for the team. But can Davis’ rebuilding efforts survive his departure?
Grave Of The Fireflies–Studio Ghibli’s highly acclaimed adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka’s semi-autobiographical short story takes viewers to 1945 Kobe during the waning days of the Second World War. Seita and Setsuko are siblings eventually orphaned thanks to the aftermath of an American bombing raid. They slowly realize they can’t depend on their distant aunt for help as she’s more interested in exploiting them as long as possible. But how long can the two children survive on their own as they slowly die from malnutrition?
Rez Ball
September 17
Culinary Class Wars Season 1–Whose food would be considered more delicious: food produced by a local diner owner or what’s produced by a Michelin-starred chef? This new Korean reality show competition attempts to answer that question by pitting 100 contestants from different culinary genres against each other in two teams. The Black Spoons consist of home restaurant cooks, pub owners, cafeteria workers, and others working in the food industry. The White Spoons include Michelin-starred and celebrity chefs who have already made their culinary mark.
September 19
The Queen Of Villains–In the 1980s, Dump Matsumoto (Yuriyan Retriever) is a kind-hearted girl who wanted to make her mark on the highly male-dominated pro-wrestling world as a heroic wrestler. But when she gets fired from her job, she decides to play a villain terrorizing the roster of All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling. That decision would shoot Matsumoto to fame, leading to her becoming head of the villainous Atrocious Alliance as well as engaging in a well-publicized feud with the Crush Gals.
September 20
His Three Daughters–Azazel Jacobs directs this acclaimed drama about three estranged sisters who are brought back together by their dying father. Eldest Katie (Carrie Coon) feels it’s time to plan for their father’s end stage, including getting a DNR signed. Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) has been caring for their father, but her down time is split between getting high and gambling on sports. Out of town sister Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) constantly talks about her daughter and does yoga. Can the sisters’ opinions and beliefs about one another change for the better?
Klass 95–In 1990s Colombia, high society member Shaio Dominguez founded an international modeling agency with the help of her sister and cousin. Dominguez wants to use the agency to help women interested in bettering their lives. Edgar Trejos becomes interested in infiltrating the society woman’s agency for less savory purposes. He’s an underworld frontman, and the agency would be a great way to clean up his image.
September 24
Penelope Season 1–Independent director Mark Duplass helms this unusual mix of coming-of-age and survivalism. Penelope (Megan Stott, “Little Fires Everywhere”) is a 16-year-old who feels out of place in the modern technologically-dependent world. Yet she feels herself drawn to nature. So the teen decides to run away from her family and fashion a different life for herself in the Washington State wilderness. That process, though, involves a lot of trial and error.
Will And Harper
September 26
Bangkok Breaking: Heaven And Hell–Thanks to a perilous decision good-hearted rescue worker Wanchai made during a housing riot, he gets suspended from work and is reduced to doing food deliveries. During a boba milk tea delivery to hospital nurse Meiji, Wanchai and the nurse accidentally get entangled in the kidnapping of Duangkamol. The kidnap victim happens to be the daughter of the tycoon whose evictions sparked the housing riots. Can Wanchai figure out a way to both save Duangkamol and escape the dangerous Ruamjai Housing Community alive? It’ll be a challenge, especially as Wanchai is not the greatest of fighters.
September 27
Lisabi: The Uprising–In 18th century Nigeria, Egba farmer Lisabi sparks a rebellion against the oppressive Oyo Empire. The rebels defy their oppressors thanks to Lisabi’s own abilities and his harnessing of his fellow farmers’ resources. The climax of that rebellion, the defeat of 6,000 Oyo Empire soldiers, would finally end centuries of Egba subjugation.
Rez Ball–The title of Sydney Freedland’s film refers to Reservation Basketball, a form of basketball predominantly played by Native American teams. It’s marked by aggressive plays, quick scoring, and forced turnovers. New Mexico’s Chuska Warriors are one such Native American team, a flawed but talented group who dream of winning the state championship. But can the dream still be viable when the team loses its star players?
Will & Harper–This road trip documentary follows a 16-day journey taken across America by two best friends: comedian Will Ferrell and former SNL writer Harper Steele. The former comedy show scribe is transitioning to female, but she worries that she’ll lose some dear friends in the process. Ferrell worries that he might clumsily do or say something offensive to his old friend. This road trip will be a way for the duo to get reacquainted with one another, even as the threat levels they encounter on the road fluctuates depending on which part of America they’re in.
