"2017"

Hard to believe, but it’s been five years since Netflix first aired “Five Came Back”, the Emmy-winning documentary that recounts how five top Hollywood directors used their cameras to help us achieve victory in World War 2. The names of these men should be familiar, as they made some of the best movies of their time: Frank Capra, John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, and George Stevens.

Recently, someone mentioned a pirate movie, and to my own surprise, I realized I’d never weighed in on them — a serious oversight. Over a full century of cinema there have been many bad or indifferent pirate-themed films, and really only a few great ones — all the more reason to connect you to the best of what’s available.

At age 83, Anthony Hopkins became the oldest person ever to win a Best Actor Oscar, for his astonishing portrayal of a proud man struggling with dementia in “The Father” (2020).

As the weather warms, in our house the Brazilian tracks start playing, mainly those glorious sixties samba tunes from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz, and so many others. The music is sexy, sad, and impossibly romantic, like the country itself.

I’ve assembled ten outstanding “under the radar” titles released over the past five years that didn’t earn a single Oscar nod, but that win awards from those audiences lucky enough to find them. Just watch a few, and see for yourself.

With my awareness of passages heightened by a turbulent year, I was moved to compile a list of all the amazing players who have left us over the past twelve months. Some were big movie stars and household names, others skilled and reliable featured players who spent most of their careers on the stage or television. 

For a truly memorable holiday movie night, it’s hard to beat 1947’s “The Bishop’s Wife,” starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and and David Niven.

Olivia de Havilland’s death not only marks the passing of a great actress, but also the last vestige of Hollywood’s Golden Age, when the old studio system held sway. In those far-off days, motion pictures, viewed in theaters still owned by those studios, were widely considered the pre-eminent form of mass entertainment.

Until those bright, active days return, outstanding international films can help satisfy that yearning for far-off places. Below are ten special Netflix titles that should satisfy your itch to travel the world.