Need something to do this weekend?
You could read a book, but you can also spend some time watching some of the new movies Netflix just added to its library in October.
At the top of Watch With Us’ binge list is The Bourne Identity, a now-classic action film starring Matt Damon as an amnesiac assassin trying to figure out who is trying to kill him.
Already missing summer? Then watch Call Me by Your Name and transport yourself to a sunny Italian cottage where young Timothée Chalamet gets his heart — among other things — broken.
Finally, do we really need to convince you to rewatch The Devil Wears Prada? No? That’s all.
‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002)
Two fishermen rescue a man drifting in the Mediterranean Sea. Barely alive, the man can’t remember his past or even his name. But after an encounter with two Zurich officers that leaves them barely breathing, he starts to believe he’s someone very dangerous. Turns out, he’s right — he’s Jason Bourne (Damon), a top assassin employed by a top-secret CIA black ops program, and everyone in the world seems to want him dead. The only person he can trust is Marie (Franka Potente), an innocent German tourist who helps Jason at first for the money and then out of a growing infatuation for him. It’s the two of them against the world, and the odds are definitely not in their favor.
The Bourne movies changed the way action movies were made, and it all started with an under-the-radar, modestly budgeted action thriller adapted from a novel dads in the ‘80s read cover to cover. Starring then-pretty boy Damon, The Bourne Identity shouldn’t have been as successful as it was, but the unbeatable story (who is Jason Bourne?) and well-staged action sequences by director Doug Liman make The Bourne Identity a genre classic — and gave birth to a franchise that’s still thriving today.
The Bourne Identity is streaming on Netflix.
‘Call Me by Your Name’ (2017)
Some people take advantage of the summer break and are super active; for 17-year-old Elio (Chalamet), all he wants to do is lie around the pool and play piano. His family is spending the summer in an idyllic Italian cottage, so can you blame him? But Elio’s isolated idyll is disturbed by the arrival of Oliver (Armie Hammer), a twentysomething grad student who is tall, blond, impossibly good-looking and inevitably annoying to Elio. Yet as the weeks progress, Elio and Oliver grow closer until they realize their unlikely friendship turns into something even more improbably — lust and love.
For anyone who longs for the lazy days of summer, Call Me by Your Name is just the movie to relive those fantasies. It’s a brilliant film in many ways: the acting, particularly by Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg as Elio’s thoughtful papa; the soundtrack, which contains a few wistful pop songs from troubadour Sufjan Stevens; and the cinematography, which bathes you in the warmth of the Italian sun. But what makes Call Me by Your Name an instant classic is the way it faithfully captures a pivotal moment in time in a teenager’s life, when love is the most important thing in the world. It’s a deeply felt love story that understands that the pain of letting go is just as important to remember as the pleasure of discovering someone you really vibe with.
Call Me by Your Name is streaming on Netflix.
‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2005)
Demanding? Unreasonable? A bitch? Sure, maybe those adjectives are correct when they’re used to describe Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the imperious editor-in-chief of Runway magazine. But honestly, can you blame her? She’s surrounded by people who are never ready, suggest fashion spreads her magazine has already done before and can’t remember what she wore to that thing she attended sometime last month with that person. To make matters worse, her new second assistant, Emily Andrea (Anne Hathaway), is woefully unprepared, dresses in lumpy blue sweaters, can’t get her Starbucks coffee when she wants it and is just a tad fat. A bitch? Well, you would be too if you had to walk in her size 6 Manolo Blaniks.
There are certain movies that are just perfect, and The Devil Wears Prada is one of them. It’s an endlessly rewatchable comedy that, while over 20 years old, hasn’t aged a bit. Even all the hautre couture in the film still works, with Andy’s mid-film makeover still the envy of every burgeoning fashionista. The direction and the script are top-notch, but it’s the cast that makes this Devil so seductive and irresistible. Streep is note-perfect as Miranda, a boss who demands as much perfection from herself as those around her, while Hathaway and Emily Blunt as first assistant Emily are a sparkling comedic duo worthy of comparison to Lucy and Ethel.
The Devil Wears Prada is streaming on Netflix.
