QUEUE THIS!

I'm back! Sorry for disappearing, I was in a little over my head with commitments the past few weeks. Hopefully, you used our time apart to catch up on organizing your Netflix queue. Yes, I'm sure that's exactly what you did... This week, I put together a pretty random mix of films for you. (random in a good way, I promise) I love checking in on Netflix each week to see if it's brought me any new treats-- and this week my red-labeled friend really delivered! From big award winners to internet darlings...let's QUEUE THIS!

Nowhere Boy (Sam Taylor-Johnson, 2009)  Netflix says:  "Raised by his aunt since he was a young boy, charismatic teen John Lennon is reunited with his mother, which ignites a bitter battle between the two sisters for John's affections. Along the way, John befriends fellow Liverpool lad Paul McCartney."  Get to know Taylor-Johnson's early work before she makes a splash with the much-anticipated adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Lore (Cate Shortland, 2012)  Netflix says: "After her Nazi parents are imprisoned, Lore leads her younger siblings across a war-torn Germany in 1945. Amid the chaos, she encounters a mysterious refugee named Thomas, who shatters her fragile reality with hatred and desire." I was really surprised to see this already on Netflix.  I've been reading about this film racking up praise around the world, even winning Shortland the Australian Directors Guild Award, then it just pops up in my Netflix queue.  Did it even get a US theatrical release?  I really don't understand how distributors think sometimes...

Venus and Serena (Maiken Baird and Michelle Major, 2012)  Netflix says: "Offering an inside look at the Williams sisters -- Venus and her younger sibling Serena -- this documentary follows the tennis megastars throughout 2011, when disabling injuries and illness threatened to end their careers."  After watching Ava DuVernay's Venus Vs at LAFF recently, I was even more curious about the life of these tennis stars, so it's great to see this Baird & Major doc now available online.

Personal Velocity (Rebecca Miller, 2002)  Netflix says: "Based on a series of short stories by Rebecca Miller (daughter of playwright Arthur Miller), these vignettes tell the stories of three women trying to free themselves from the stifling constraint of the men in their lives."  This one brings back memories of my festival volunteer days.  Nice to see this old friend listed on Netflix...

How to be Louise (Anne Flournoy, 1990)  Netflix says: "Haunted by the death of her mother and without role models, dreamer Louise scours her world for someone to imitate. With the help of James Joyce's Ulyssesand a taxi-driving poet, Louise discovers she is the woman she thought she would never be." Here's a treat for those of you who follow Flournoy's funny web series "The Louise Log." Are the Louises related?

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this week's picks in the comments below.

QUEUE THIS! is a weekly post by Destri Martino that appears on the Broad Humor Blog every Thursday morning. The goal of the post is to get more women-directed films in Netflix queues in order to make a sizable impact on Netflix analytics and buying patterns; thus, getting more films by women directors distributed and seen, and generally heightening awareness about this often overlooked pool of talent. View the past two QUEUE THIS! posts here and here.