Hello Readers! Welcome to Stephanie the Yarn Monster’s Netflix Pick of the Week.
I wanted to try something new on here and I figured I’d experiment with some short Netflix reviews. When I’m cooking, or doing chores, or working on cosplays or wedding crafts, I like to have the tv on in the background. It’s a great way for me to multitask: I get to watch movies and shows on my to-watch list, and I get something productive done at the same time. And there’s lots to find on Netflix – films that haven’t been in theatres for a long time, or little hidden gems or Netflix specials that might never made it to theatres in the first place.
And now, with everything going on, I feel like we will all be watching a little more Netflix (and other streaming services). The NAC has already cancelled the next play I was going to see, and events and hangouts are slowly dropping out of my calendar, so I guess this is a good time to dive deep into Netflix.
So once a week, I’d like to share a few of my thoughts on something I’ve watched. This week’s pick:
Girls with Balls directed by Olivier Afonso – horror/comedy: This French film recounts the tale of a team of volleyball players who become lost in the woods. They and their coach become the targets of a group of hunters (aka inbred cannibals). Hilarity (and gore) ensues, many of the circumstances are sexualized, and the everything is loosely narrated by some strange guitar player.
Pros: It was funny and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Even though a lot of moments were overly sexualized for comedy, it wasn’t done in an uncomfortable, male-gazey sort of way. I really the choice to make the hunters mute; they were a lot creepier since they didn’t say anything.
Cons: The dog dies. The characters were all stereotypes – it worked for the comedy, but there was very little character development. To be fair, a movie like this really doesn’t need a whole lot of character development. And even though the gore was pretty over-the-top, I wish it had been even more outrageous.
Final Thoughts: I’d watch this again. And I think volleyballs are now an acceptable weapon to use in a horror film. Go Falcons!
