MY FAV NETFLIX MOVIES

1. A CHRISTMAS PRINCE THE ROYAL WEDDING

The surprise sequel to Netflix's first Original Christmas movie, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding makes its main problem known in the title. Granted, the first movie was made with a clear enough sense of fun to forgive the sidelining of a real "Christmas" feel, in favor of royal family intrigue. The same is true for the sequel, but even without commercial breaks, trying to deliver a satisfying holiday story while competing with the an economic crisis in Aldovia AND the stress of a state wedding is impossible.

2. A CHRISTMAS PRINCE

The movie that started it all for Netflix's current crop of holiday-themed original movies, and one which remains superior to the sequel (like so many impossible-to-follow classics). The story of an everyday New Yorker going undercover in the royal family of an unspecified English(?) nation may have been old hat to Hallmark veterans, but Netflix struck gold. With Rose McIver starring in what turned out to be National Treasure: Undercover Christmas at the Palace and matched with Ben Lamb's brooding - but in an English way - the feels were real, the romance up to snuff, and the intrigue positively palpable.

3. THE GODFATHER

The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974): Francis Ford Coppola has made many remarkable movies, but there’s no doubt his obituary will lead with The Godfather films. In Mario Puzo’s bestselling story of a mafia family, Coppola found the perfect outlet for his filmmaking skills and thematic obsessions: family, morality the nature of America, and the Italian-American immigrant experience. Shot with a command of darkness and shadows that would make Rembrandt proud, they marry a propulsive narrative to memorable characters whose pursuit of the American dream leads them to do things they once couldn’t imagine doing. Released just two years apart, they’re extraordinary accomplishments, with Part II enriching and improving on the first installment. (There’s a third movie, released years later, that’s worth a look but falls well short of these originals.)

4. THE SHINING

Another Stephen King entry, this thriller directed by Stanley Kubrick sees Jack Nicholson embody an alcoholic father who takes an offseason position as caretaker of a remote hotel in order to jumpstart his writing career. He brings his family along for the ride and soon, supernatural hauntings begin to happen. Twin girls at the end of a hallway, the ghosts of slain Native Americans, Nicholson’s character losing his ever-loving mind, an elevator filled with blood, all the normal elements of a truly terrifying King adaptation can be found in this one.