Aarcflick

Aside from its big-name hits like Stranger Things, Emily in Paris, Squid Game, Wednesday, Bridgerton, and Monster, the crime genre is clearly Netflix's bread and butter. I can't pinpoint the exact moment this obsession began, but yes, the streaming platform has cultivated such a loyal audience that it can release even the most low-budget series or films; as long as they're set in some subgenre of crime, they'll be a success. And the most obvious consequence of this phenomenon, as with all phenomena in the entertainment world, is the emergence of a formula, since it allows a factory to mass-produce a product without really investing in quality.  You have a kind of tormented detective in the protagonist's role, the most unsuspecting person in the cast is the true antagonist, there are a bunch of red herrings that prevent you from figuring out the twist too soon, and then everyone goes home happily ever after. Sure, some creators are allowed to experiment with this for...

Even before Saoirse-Monica Jackson makes her mid-season appearance, it's clear that "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast" comes from the same sensibility as "Derry Girls," where Jackson played the anxious teenager Erin Quinn. This dark comedy isn't just streaming on Netflix, where "Derry Girls" became a global sensation after its initial run on the UK's Channel 4; "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast," so far known simply as "Belfast" to reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, also centers on a tight-knit group of Northern Irish friends prone to nervous babble and rash decisions. But for creator Lisa McGee, who is investing some of her legitimately earned capital in three delightful seasons of "Derry Girls," "Belfast" represents a step up in scale and ambition. ("Belfast" also initially aired on Channel 4 but moved to Netflix due, in part, to rising production costs.) By adding dual timelines, de...

 A decade ago, filmmaker Matteo Rovere achieved unexpected international success with *Veloce come il vento* (Fast as the Wind), a rare example of an Italian commercial film that transcended its borders and even garnered awards. Rare, because action films focused on car racing usually only get theatrical release when they have the backing of major Hollywood productions. However, Rovere has the ability to operate at that level, and with *Motorvalley* he attempts a similar approach, this time in series format. As in his previous film, *Motorvalley* combines family melodrama with action and suspense, structured around a motor racing championship: in this case, the Italian GT circuit. Parents and children, lovers, traumas, money, racing teams, and the inevitable technical problems inherent in high-level competition serve as narrative pretexts for Rovere and his team to stage a long succession of tense and thrilling automotive sequences, both on and off the track. Here, racing isn't jus...

Not that we ever doubted Netflix, but they've outdone themselves with the upcoming mystery thriller, The Art of Sarah. The Korean series follows Sarah Kim (Shin Hye-sun), who has been living an extraordinary lie, which unravels when she becomes embroiled in a murder investigation. With such an unforgettable story at its core, The Art of Sarah has everything it needs to be the mystery thriller of the year! To give you an idea of ​​The Art of Sarah, Sarah is behind a Seoul-based luxury brand and lives an opulent lifestyle, but no one knows much about her. That is, until she meets her match, the determined detective Park Mu-gyeong (Lee Jun-hyuk), who begins to uncover her true identity while pursuing a killer. Who exactly is Sarah Kim? And what is she hiding? Stars: Shin Hye-sun, Lee Jun-hyuk, Kim Jae-Won Before The Art of Sarah premieres on Netflix, here's everything you need to know: the plot, the cast, and how to watch it. In The Art of Sarah, we meet Sarah Kim (Shin Hye-sun), ...

The film follows a young Japanese artist grappling with gender identity, social rejection, and self-discovery as he seeks a living on stage with the support of an unconventional doctor. I went into "This Is I" expecting a fairly traditional biographical drama, and in many ways, that expectation was met. What I didn't anticipate was how frequently the film would oscillate between quiet, intimate storytelling and moments that seem almost determined to underline their own importance. The result is an emotionally sincere, often captivating, sometimes frustrating, and ultimately worthwhile film, even when it doesn't fully trust its audience. Director: Yusaku Matsumoto Writer: Masahiro Yamaura Stars: Haruki Mochizuki, Tae Kimura, Seiji Chihara The story follows Kenji, a young man who feels profoundly out of place in his body, his social environment, and the rigid expectations placed upon him. From school hallways filled with casual cruelty to familiar spaces laden with sile...

 Michael Mann didn't invent the grunge heist thriller, but it's fair to say the Chicago-born auteur introduced a turn-of-the-century romanticism to the ingenious crime plot about solitary men with strict codes that nearly everyone in adjacent milieu has attempted to emulate, intentionally or not, ever since De Niro and Pacino first sat down opposite each other to ponder their desolate male longing. Bart Layton's "Crime 101" appears to be no different, hot on the heels of one of Mann's most successful descendants: Christian Gudegast's "Cave of Thieves" duology.  But as any competent criminal knows, appearances can be deceiving. …Not so much in this case, since Layton's take on Mann is as straightforward as you'd expect, including some of the iconic filmmaker's longtime collaborators in key roles. However, what "Crime 101" loses in the novelty of a genius determined to outwit the law, it gains in the absorbed execution of a co...