Our family likes to unwind on weekends by having a family movie night or two. We’ll make popcorn and we let the girls pick out what they want to watch. I haven’t yet figured out why kids want to watch the same things over and over. I think I have seen Moana 5 times already. But, we just go with the flow because it relaxes them and they smile a lot.
After we get the kids off to bed, sometimes we just need some mom and dad TV or movie time. Netflix is our go-to streaming source for comedy and drama series and films with a slightly more adult theme. Recently, we watched the Netflix video Okja and just watched season one of the series GLOW. Here’s a little teaser if you haven’t seen either.
Okja
Okja is the story of a genetically engineered pig species that is designed to end world hunger. Okja, one of the pigs, is a gentle giant who has grown up with her friend Mija, portrayed brilliantly by An Seo Hyun, on her grandfather’s mountain farm in Japan. The two have an endearing and inseparable relationship.
Unfortunately, Okja is destined for the dinner table, as promised by Lucy Mirando, the head of the corporation that designed this super breed. Tilda Swinton plays the eccentric Mirando. The film’s corporate characters remind me of the larger than life dictators and leaders in The Hunger Games trilogy and Snowpiercer, if you remember them.
The digital animation of Okja is amazing. If it were not for the somewhat disturbing, yet insightful, subject matter and a bit of adult language, I would be inclined to let my girls watch this. Until they grow older, this film is reserved for mom and dad. It’s a must see in my book.
GLOW
GLOW stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. It is set in the 1980s when women were going through a heightened phase of feminism. Yet, the premise exploits the main characters by placing them in a fairly sexist arena – a WWE style wrestling ring complete with tight fitting Jane Fonda workout era leotards and plenty of makeup. The women all have intriguing, if not troublesome stories that have led them to take on this type of work.
Marc Maron plays the role of the producer of an entertaining wrestling TV show that these women are the cast of. Maron is hilarious, as always. And, the cast of women do a great job of pulling off this crazy, suggestive style of all-girl fighting. Of course, there are plenty of side stories that border on the ridiculous, yet comical.