Lots of Fetchland readers already subscribe to services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, or even Marvel Unlimited.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

Standup: Five Sure Things

Free on:

• Netflix

If you’ve ever been to Times Square in NYC then you’ve invariably been asked the question, “Do you like comedy?” by some otherwise unemployable handing out allegedly free tickets to standup shows that are nowhere near Times Square. It’s not really free because there’s a two drink minimum and the drinks are $20 each but YOU said you like comedy. See that’s the trick. It’s a trick question, isn’t it? Everybody likes to laugh. It’s human nature to like comedy. The lure’s a sure thing with those Times Square fisherman using loaded questions as bait.

We deliver this What’s Free Wednesday as a fetchland version of “Do you like comedy?” only in our case we’ll actually deliver great free laughs and you can drink or not as you choose. With the understanding that we all love to laugh and some peeps are just better at delivering the comedy goods than others, we’ve composed a list of the best standup on Netflix. They’re all guaranteed hilarious – Sure Things and we’ll even give you a little blurb for each to tell you why. Are they in any particular order? Hell, yeah they are – best is #1, as it should be. The world is chaotic enough. Even so… all five are fantastic.

1. John Mulaney: New in Town

Mulaney has mastered storytelling with a voice all his own and even though they’re uniquely John’s, each story’s so well told it feels like home. When he talks about Law & Order Special Victims Unit you’ll realize he’s a true bro who lives in the same afternoon TV watching universe you enjoy. Many of his comedic observations are such perfection you actually can’t believe you never articulated these things you’ve always thought. Mulaney’s Trump joke is so remarkably apt and funny it will hold strong through all of Trump’s future media adventures. In fact, this whole standup special stays funny with repeated viewing and it’s certainly destined to be a classic. Best news of all – John Mulaney has a new special coming out on Netflix November 13th called The Comeback Kid. We can’t wait!

2. Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain

First things first, fast forward fifteen minutes to get to the standup act because the beginning is all what a long road it’s been becoming the amazeballs magical comedy man Kevin Hart story stuff. Let’s just get straight to the funny – right? And once you do, there’s still an entire hour of laughing your buttocks off. Hart talks about personal finances and his personal life; including unforgettable stories portraying his hilarious cokehead Dad and vengeful funeral attendees. What makes him special is that Kevin puts his whole heart out there on stage and keeps it 100% real. He’s the kind of comic that makes you feel like you’re best friends out for the night having the most raucous good time ever.

3. Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe

You gotta love Gaffigan, the palest boy next door in the land. He’s got tons of kids and stories galore that are certain to ring true for anyone with a child. Yes, it’s all true. Going to Disney IS just like spending the day waiting in line at the DMV on the surface of the sun. His spiel on photos hits home and then Jim follows it up with hilarious body talk, the magic of black clothes, gym misbehavin’, and, of course… the glorious delights of food. Gaffigan’s real gift is that he can riff on and personify anything – even socks and make you laugh all the while. It’s a small world in Gaffigan’s comedy and his bit on hotels reminds us that even when we venture out into the big wide world we’re still all apparently staying at the same damn place.

4. Gary Gulman: In This Economy

Netflix, the discman, and The Karate Kid are just a few of the multifarious topics explored in this wonderful comedic adventure. A man so special that on his license it says “kind” next to “eyes,” Gulman sticks to his financial theme throughout and keeps us laughing. He shares his recession-busters with us and portrays a gut-busting hilarious conversation between Bill Gates and Trump. Gulman’s specialty lies in the specific details he reminds us about things forgotten, like the receipt paper from Jiffy Lube – perfect for keeping if you just happen to have a 35 ring binder at home. He’s got an awesome take on things with tightly woven stories that carry you away in an entirely new way of making many familiar topics so funny.

5. Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening

This was Ansari’s premiere comedy special as standup and his enthusiasm is pure electricity. He does his character Raaaandy, a pretty close approximation to the gentleman Aziz, but still the character adds a little bit of fresh funny to the mix. Mainly his comedy comes from that amusing outrage burning within his special Aziz brand belly. His bit on bedding thread counts is a perfect example of this and it really gets the comedy rolling. The best part of this special is when he talks about messing with his cousin Harris. He really brings us into the Ansari world and how much fun it is to play there. There’s only one drawback to the special – some material, about R Kelly and Kanye for example, may get dated. But Aziz is clearly a comedy keeper and his flagship hour seals the deal.

Katherine Recap<

Lots of Fetchland readers already subscribe to services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, or even Marvel Unlimited.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

The Kids Are All Right

Free on:

• Netflix

Married lesbians Nic and Jules, played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore respectively, each had a child using the same sperm donor years ago. The kids are now sixteen year old Laser and eighteen year old Joni – both curious about their biological father. This premise for The Kids Are All Right intrigues at the onset but the story only gets better after that and not just because said sperm donor happens to be the amazing Mark Ruffalo. He plays Paul, a bohemian restaurateur with a chill attitude and open heart. Bening’s Nic works as an OB/GYN and is the organizational neatnick of the family. Her wife, Jules, heretofore a housewife, now jumpstarts a landscaping business with the purchase of a beat up truck.

This big change for Jules, combined with her daughter Joni going away to college, soon makes for a potent elixir of insecurity and empty nest syndrome setting the couple off on an unpredictable path. And because it’s a Julianne Moore character, you know there will be nudity… and sex. While Jules spirals into uncharted territory, the kids, Joni and Laser, get to know their sperm donor daddy. At first they keep Paul from their parents, “the moms” but then a hilarious misunderstanding results in the moms finding out about Paul. From here forward The Kids Are All Right shifts with ease back and forth between funny and heartbreaking. The dialogue captures the way people actually talk with such accuracy you’ll forget this isn’t actually Julianne Moore and Annette Bening just hanging out in real life lesbian-style. Not only does the brilliant wordplay compel but the story brings to life the complexities and frailties of crazy contradictory real human behavior. This movie reminds you that as much as people totally don’t make sense… they also really do. The writing along with remarkable acting from the entire cast make the characters unforgettably real. They will undoubtedly remind you of people you know. The insightful characterizations and fresh take on what it means to make a family will capture your heart. There are no villains or heroes in this one, just perfectly cast A-list actors in top form playing characters so familiar they feel like family.

The Kids Are All Right was ahead of its time when it came out in 2010, already presuming a world of perfectly normal, long term, gay marriage. It was also just flat out one of the best comedies of that year, if not the best one, mainly because it’s so much more than funny. This story moves and enlightens you all while you’re laughing your ass off. And most of all you can’t help but care for these women and their beautifully imperfect pairing. The film inspires a wellspring of empathy for every character even while they clash with each other, maybe especially then.

Music also brings even more authentic emotion into the story with an exceptional soundtrack as well as a lovely rendition of Joni Mitchell sung acapella by a resplendent Annette Bening one fateful night with the whole lot of them gathered at the dinner table. That particular dinner just happens to be when the rubber meets the road for this family. The truth comes out and nothing will ever be the same but that doesn’t mean things won’t get better. One thing is for certain though, every character will change as a result and you’ll be pulling for each the whole way through.

–Katherine Recap

Lots of Fetchland readers already subscribe to services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, or even Marvel Unlimited.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 😉

Let The Right One In

Free on:

• Amazon Prime
• Netflix

When you try to convince someone they should see some movies the biggest initial hurdle can sometimes be that irksome question – What’s it about? This is especially the case with the Swedish stunner Let the Right One In. Especially given the past few years of Hollywood and primetime TV’s obsession with all things sexy vampire, it works against this spectacular movie that it just happens to have a vampire at the center. Still, this one’s definitely not sexy and the movie’s not even really about vampires either. It’s about loneliness. Don’t you want to see it now? Seriously though, it’s a gorgeous film with brilliant storytelling and true resonance. This one stays with you. The story gets deep into the heart of early adolescence with its marrow crushing isolation and longing for love. It’s not romantic love here, though, and that’s part of what makes the story so special.

The main characters, Oskar and Eli, are the loneliest twelve year olds in the world. Oskar is the preteen king of bad haircuts and Eli lives in the apartment next door, a pale misanthrope of indeterminate gender. They share qualities of outward fragility and resolute inner strength. We see this in Oskar early on when he knives a tree over and over echoing the tauntings of his bullies. Soon after Oskar and Eli meet for the first time and we’re thrust into their puzzle-piece perfect connection.

It’s Sweden, a bleak but beautiful universe of snow, serial killing, and subtitles. The mystery here isn’t about what happened or whodunit, you find all that out right away. But still, this is a movie filled with mystery. One of the main questions arises from knowing who the killers are but wondering about the curious methodology of the human on human murders. In fact, the biggest question arises out of this human element. Why the vampire does what they do is obvious, after all. But what’s up with this weird ass human? He just gets more bizarre as the story unfolds.

Although gorgeous, Let the Right One In can also seem gruesome at many turns. It doesn’t scare, necessarily, because there’s a matter of fact quality to the storytelling. In fact, an omnipresent pre teen realism will certainly arouse audience cringes throughout and there’s a feeling that this is all really happening which manages to somehow disturb and console all at once, perhaps because it’s so utterly engaging. One of the cool details in the movie is the oddness of the adult characters. They talk and behave in a stilted way that brings you right back to the awkward years when adults were aliens saying things like, “Thanks for yet another evening steeped in friendship and merriment,” before hugging goodbye.

If you love a fulfilling ending that reveals mysterious origins like the unwrapping of a glorious gift, this movie satisfies. It has one of those perfect conclusions – inevitable and yet completely unexpected that keep a film in your mind’s eye even after the credits roll. You do have to really watch this one, though. It’s not a good movie for doing laundry or finishing paperwork. There are subtitles and a lot happens in the silence. So when you’re ready for an intense, riveting, and kinda creepy movie experience on Netflix, this one’s for you.

–Katherine Recap