Netflix Pick of the Week: Miracle on 34th Street

Being so close to Christmas, my Netflix Pick of the Week (which I haven't done in a few weeks) is Miracle on 34th Street.  Right now, Netflix has three versions of this movie to watch instantly.

The first one is, which might be my favorite, was released in 1947 and stars Maureen O'Hara and John Payne.  The guy who played Santa won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this movie.  If you've never seen any of these movies, this would be a good place to start.  If you are already using Netflix, click here to watch it now.

The second one is the version that was released in 1955.  I've seen this one, but it doesn't stand in my mind as much.  Still a great movie.  Click here to watch it now on Netlix.

The final version that Netflix offers is the 1994 version.  This one stars Richard Attenborough as Santa.  It has the element of being more modern.  Sometimes, when  a movie has been remade this many times, it gets perfected.  I don't know if I would say that about this movie, but it is definitely quite enjoyable.  And, if your family doesn't have a taste for old movies, this one might break them in to this old story that is a great holiday special.  Click here to watch now on Netflix.

Netflix Pick of the Week: Life After People

My Netflix pick of the week is going to be the History Channel series titled, Life After People.

My two boys and myself seriously enjoy watching shows like this.  We don't watch the NBA or the NFL, no... no... That's not for us.  We like the documentaries.  And this is a series that we find to be absolutely fascinating.  Here is the Netflix description:

What would happen to Earth if people simply vanished one day? Using special effects and relying on the speculation of experts in fields as diverse as geology and engineering, this series imagines a fascinating post-human future. Iconic landmarks, at the mercy of the elements, collapse and decay, erasing the last traces of human existence. Meanwhile, new predators prowl the ruins of once-mighty civilizations, dominating the abandoned world.

The show doesn't seek to explain what happened to all of the people, it simply wants to answer the question, "...what would happen to our stuff?"  It always surprises me how quickly our things would decay and rot and fall to nothing.  It reminds me of this passage:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy..."(Matthew 6:19 ESV)

Click here to watch Life After People on Netflix.

Netflix Pick of the Week: The Pluto Files

As we are gearing up to go back to school, I thought it might be appropriate to post an educational movie this week.  Therefore, my choice is the NOVA produced movie, The Pluto Files.  Here is the Netflix description:

In this installment of "Nova," Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium) dishes out surprising facts about Pluto, the notorious "ex-planet" that so many people still seem to love. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was demoted to a mere member of the Kuiper belt in 2006. But passionate opinions -- and emotions -- remain about its place in our universe.

I watched this movie with my boys a couple of months ago.  As it states in the description, the host of this series is Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.  I found this particular topic to be interesting because of his personal connection with the "demotion" of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet.  This series does a great job of making the  material both interesting and educational.  (As a teacher, I know that isn't always easy to do.)

A word of warning, since this topic deals with cosmic objects, it also jumps into cosmic origins. Since this program is secular in nature, their default position is to determine the origins in a universe devoid of God.  Personally, I have never shied away from opportunities like this.  It gives me the availability to teach my children some of the inconsistencies of the naturalistic theories of origins.  What always amazes me is their ability to perceive those problems on their own.

Anyway, if you are already a Netflix subscriber, then I would like to recommend this movie.

Netflix Pick of the Week: 2001: A Space Odyssey

My Netflix Pick of the Week is another classic.  I want to recommend this movie, not because I particularly enjoy this movie or because I think this is such a great movie, but simply because it is a classic.  Here is the Netflix description:

Stanley Kubrick's quiet masterpiece probes the mysteries of space and human destiny. While investigating the appearance of mysterious monoliths throughout the universe, astronauts David (Keir Dullea) and Frank (Gary Lockwood) battle their ship's intelligent computer, HAL-9000. This epic sci-fi drama based on Arthur C. Clarke's story "The Sentinel" was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for its stunning special effects.

The movie is rated G, so the whole family can watch it.  One warning though, the "bad stuff" in the movie is all of the evolutionary references.  If you watch it with your kids, it gives the option of opening up some dialogue on the topic.

If you are already a Netflix subsrciber, click here to watch the movie or to add it to your instant queue.

Netflix Pick of the Week: Dragons or Dinosaurs

click to go to Netflix

I visited the Creation Museum for the first time yesterday, so my Netflix Pick of the Week is going to reflect the topics that are trending in twitter stream of my mind.  The pick this week is Dragons or Dinosaurs.  Here is the Netflix description:

Mythological representations of dragons appear in cultures worldwide, often resembling dinosaur species identified through their fossilized remains. Could this mean dragon legends are rooted in reality? This documentary seeks to find out. Interviews with researchers indicate that the existence of dinosaurs might actually help support the biblical story of creation and explain other mysteries of our cosmic origins.

I added this movie to my instant queue several months ago.  It sounded interesting, but I was never in the mood to watch this movie when I sat down to make my nightly viewing choices.  I eventually watched it during one of my bouts with illness over the winter months.  I was stuck in bed with only the Roku to entertain me, so I decided to go ahead and give this documentary a shot.  I'm going to tell you right now... I did not regret that choice.

This documentary was very well done.  It includes plenty of interviews, historical facts, and other relevant information that is demonstrated in a believable fashion. It seems that the dragon myth, which covers the globe in a countless number of different cultures is actually quite important.  Important enough to draw the attention of different evolutionary and atheistic proponents, who have attempted to give an answer for these origins of these myths.

I highly recommend this documentary.  Give it a shot.  If you watch it, add your thoughts here.

Netflix Pick of the Week: High Noon

My "watch instantly" pick of the week is an old black and white classic movie called High Noon.  Here is how Netflix describes the movie:

Retiring Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) insists on defending his town from a gang of hooligans who are due on the noon train -- but he faces the task alone as the cowardly townspeople flee like rats from a sinking ship. Director Fred Zinnemann creates an incredibly tense Western (rightly considered one of the true genre classics) that unfurls in real time -- as the clocks on the wall constantly remind us. Grace Kelly and Lloyd Bridges co-star.

When I was a kid, pretty much all that I watched was old movies.  High Noon is one that I can distinctly remember watching on more than one occasion.  I always liked this movie because Gary Cooper, who does a great job of playing the "ordinary guy," continues to stick to his decision of taking a stand against the villains, even though, one by one, the townspeople, who had just talked about how much they love him and owed him so much, would refuse to help him in his time of need.  He was undaunted by their lack of loyalty, because he knew what was the right thing to do regardless of the outcome.  So, he goes it alone, prepared to face these guys by himself.

This brings me to another aspect of this movie that I really enjoy.  As the events begin to unfold, as the description states, "in real time," we don't experience any amazing, no way that's possible, shootouts.  Instead, we see a very believable guy with some believable villains facing off in a believable way.

If you haven't watched a good old western lately, this is the one you should watch.  And if nothing else, you will have the theme songs stuck in your head the rest of the day.  If you have Netflix, click here.

Netflix pick of the week: Microcosmos

My Netflix pick this week is going to be a documentary that my whole family enjoyed... Even my wife!  The documentary was called Microcosmos.  Here is the Netflix description:

Employing unique microscopic cameras and powerful specialized microphones, this highly praised French documentary is a fascinating look at the seldom-explored world of insects and other minute creatures as they go about their daily lives. With footage of ladybugs feasting and snails mating to a mystical score by composer Bruno Coulais, the film won five César Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Music.

Like I said, we all enjoyed the movie.  There was only a little bit of talking at the beginning, but this method of exploring this "microcosmos" was simply captivating. Once we started it, we couldn't finish it.  I will warn you though, more than once it shows some insects mating... and some snails... fascinating, but gross.

It is available for instant viewing, so if you have Netflix, you can click here and go straight to the movie's page.  Here is the youtube trailer for the movie: (The Netflix version is in English, but the trailer is in French.)

Netflix Pick of the Week

My pick for this week is going to be a long-time favorite: Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I am actually really excited about this.  I loved this show when I was a kid.  I don't want to offend anyone, but I thought it was way better than the originals... don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the originals, but this one was better.  I also think that it was much, much better than any of the following shows.  Better than Deep Space Nine, better than Voyager, and Better than Enterprise.

Netflix just added all of the Star Trek shows, and included all seven seasons of The Next Generation.  I can't wait to start watching these with my boys!