Netflix goes Halloumi and Chill
The last week of the month is traditionally a time for a rundown of movies and shows to catch on Netflix in the next month. I never thought that one day a Cyprus movie would be included in that list but here we are! Shot exclusively on the island, Find Me Falling is officially the first Cyprus movie to be featured on Netflix, on July 19! The streaming behemoth apparently isn’t just adding content to its library but is actively promoting the movie to international markets, with trailers released in multiple languages ahead of its premiere. Following Maestro In Blue’s success in Greek-speaking markets, it’s safe to assume that Netflix is looking for some halloumi-shaped ideas for future projects. But what else is on this month?
Lost, seasons 1-6 (just not for you)
Geo-locking content is idiotic and a downright archaic practice in today’s global society. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to blocking certain services (in this case, content) for some regions of the world. I understand that there are copyright and licensing hurdles to overcome but surely limiting content to a single region is not the way to solve that problem. Mainly because the public’s reaction is ‘Well I guess this is a job for VPN and torrent sites’. Resulting of course in a significant loss of revenue from people who are glad to pay the provider but can’t.
Lost, the iconic early Aughts series about a group of survivors who end up on a mysterious island returns to Netflix, after six years. The series is famous for its many twists and turns as the characters slowly realise that the island they crashed on has some very dark secrets. Available in the US but not sure where else.
Exploding Kittens
Back in 2015, The Oatmeal webcomic creator Matthew Inman had an idea for a card game called Exploding Kittens. It was meant for adults, it was funny and easy to play and understand. He released it through online funding platform Kickstarter and was met with huge success. Years later, Inman decided to capitalise on that success and created an adaptation of the game. True to the source material, the series Exploding Kittens is absurd, offensive and highly entertaining! Tom Ellis (who played the Devil in Lucifer) is the voice of God, who is banished to Earth to reconnect with humanity. The problem is that he is in the body of a chubby housecat! Also, the Anti-Christ is the cat next door!
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Axel is back! Two decades after the last movie in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Eddie Murphy is back as Detective Axel Foley. This time he springs into action after his daughter is threatened and teams up with a new partner, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. All your beloved characters return as Axel once more spreads chaos in Beverly Hills!
Cobra Kai
Karate Kid is all about overcoming adversity and being triumphant when everything seems lost, through commitment, hard work and sheer force of will. It is almost poetic that this is the exact same premise for the franchise’s comeback. After they slipped into obscurity, the stars of the first movie decided to bring back the series as a low-budget, limited YouTube series. Cobra Kai was a massive success and prompted Netflix to buy the rights, increase the budget and sign off on multiple seasons. Season 6 will be split into two parts, with the second one released in November.
As far as the story goes, after eliminating the Cobra Kai dojo the senseis and students now have to take on their biggest challenge yet: the Sekai Taikai, the World Championship of karate
The Man With 1000 Kids
There are many things one can be addicted to: drugs, gambling, and booze. Here’s one you probably never heard of before: donating sperm to fertility clinics. The Man With 1000 Kids is a borderline insane documentary about a deeply disturbed Dutch man called Jonathan Meijer who fooled fertility clinics and families by donating sperm to hundreds of desperate people who wanted a family.
Find Me Falling
By Cypriot filmmaker Stelana Kliris, Find Me Falling stars Emmy and Grammy award-winning actor/songwriter Harry Connick Jr as he plays a washed-out rock star who failed to make a comeback. Dejected, he decides to escape his woes by moving to Cyprus and buying a house for cheap at a cliffside location. Turns out though, the reason why he bought the house so cheap is because it is a suicide hotspot! The protagonist now has to deal with people attempting suicide, the locals, and an old flame coming back into his life. According to Kliris, “This film is a love letter to Cyprus, and I hope that it transports audiences and gives them a little bit of magical escapism. Plus, there was nothing better than walking out on set on a cliff overlooking the endless blue horizon of the Mediterranean Sea. You can’t ask for a better ‘view from the office!’” Be sure to watch!