2020 is seeing some Netflix originals getting a lot of positive buzz.
From dramas to gripping documentaries, the streaming giant is experimenting with plenty
of fresh ideas.
With Netflix's release schedule ramping up more than ever, we want to make sure that
you don't miss out on any hidden gems.
Over the years, there have been endless films and TV shows inspired by Bram Stoker's 1897
novel Dracula.
Now, the world's most famous vampire has come back to life once again in a new BBC series,
which is available in America exclusively on Netflix.
And with the creators of Sherlock working behind the scenes, you know that the writing
will be clever and engaging.
If you're familiar with the story of Dracula already, the general narrative of this series
probably won't surprise you...at least, not at the beginning.
The unwitting Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to meet his mysterious new real estate client
and finalize the sale of his home, but little does he know that he is walking into a trap
set by a vampire.
This time around, the showrunners took some creative liberties, especially as the series
progresses.
Initially, the episodes take place in the late 1800s, so you'll get plenty of that classic
Dracula vibe.
Then, with the final installment, the show jumps forward in time and delivers a modern
twist on the ancient bloodsucker.
"I'm Count Dracula."
Plus, there's no denying that the higher production value means this adaptation is more visually
striking than some of the previous versions of Dracula.
If you're a big fan of horror, this series is a solid choice, and with only three episodes,
you could sink your teeth into the whole series in one afternoon.
The Decline is a thriller out of Quebec that features a group of Canadian survivalists
who have just arrived at a training camp.
This collection of strangers may be divided in their political beliefs and backgrounds,
but they can all agree on one thing: our modern society is doomed to collapse, and when it
happens, they're going to be ready.
Alain, who runs the camp, kicks things off by teaching the participants some useful skills
that they might need if civilization breaks down, like growing their own food and protecting
themselves with some serious weaponry.
Suddenly, the group descends into chaos when a training session, involving explosives,
results in a tragic fatality.
And while it was clearly an accident, they don't know what to do next.
Alain is far too paranoid to allow law enforcement on his massive, secluded property, but some
of the participants want to report what happened.
As tensions in the group turn violent, the survivalists must learn how to survive one
another, rather than a disaster from the outside world.
If you're looking for an addictive thriller to binge-watch, then get comfortable and settle
in with the first episode of The Stranger.
Based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same name, this British mystery follows the life
of Adam Price, who learns a devastating secret about his wife from a woman he's never met
before.
When he asks the woman who she is, she has a mysterious response...
"Think of me as a stranger.
A stranger that knows."
She informs Adam that his wife, Corinne, faked a pregnancy.
And when Corinne finds out that Adam knows the truth, she disappears.
But it turns out that this isn't the only secret that this enigmatic stranger is hiding
up her sleeve.
The tension continually builds throughout the series, and you'll be on the edge of your
seat as you watch the stranger at the center of this story unravel the lives of all those
around her.
Bloodride is a Norwegian horror anthology that will literally take you on an extremely
wild ride.
The show perfectly balances frightening scenes, suspense, and morbid humor.
While the anthology format can be difficult to master, this series definitely pulls it
off.
Each episode begins with an intro scene on a bus, featuring the characters that will
appear in the series.
Although their stories are not interconnected, the terrifying bus driver indicates that all
the passengers are headed for an eerie destination.
The various stories featured in Bloodride take viewers from a village that's the home
of an ancient sacrificial Viking stone, which the residents use for their own nefarious
purposes, to a creative writing class, where a student finds out that she's living in a
classmate's horrific story.
With six unique episodes to delve into, you're bound to find a few favorites that will genuinely
make your skin crawl.
The Cold War-era drama The Coldest Game received positive attention on the awards circuit in
Poland, but it isn't well-known internationally, not yet, anyway.
Now that the film has officially been released on Netflix, American audiences can finally
see it for themselves.
In The Coldest Game, former chess player and skilled mathematician Joshua Mansky, portrayed
by Bill Pullman, is wasting his days away playing card games at a bar and drinking heavily.
One day, everything changes when he's kidnapped and roped into an escalating conflict between
the United States and the Soviet Union.
American spies force Mansky to fill in for a deceased U.S. competitor at a chess tournament
in Poland.
Now he has to go up against the reigning Soviet champion, Alexander Gavrylov.
Unfortunately, Mansky's brilliance is only matched by the depths of his alcoholism.
"You're drunk and still genius.
How do you do it?"
"Pure math and pure vodka."
However, it turns out that there is much more going on than just an international chess
tournament.
Mansky is stuck in the midst of a proxy war between the world's most powerful nations
and the stakes couldn't be higher, for him or the United States.
The Silent War, also known as Sordo, is a Spanish film set during World War Two that
tells the story of a man named Anselmo.
Along with his partner Vicente, Anselmo is a guerilla fighter who helps lead a small
band of soldiers.
Early in the film, the group makes a grave mistake while rigging a bridge with dynamite,
the explosion goes off too soon, and the fighters end up bearing the brunt of it.
Anselmo survives the deadly blast but loses his hearing.
Meanwhile, Vicente is trapped by debris and Anselmo can't rescue him before enemy forces
approach the scene.
Now, all alone and deaf, he must make it out of hostile territory alive without being able
to hear the endless dangers that surround him.
Queen Sono is the first Netflix original series produced in Africa and this crime drama is
definitely bringing something new to the platform.
It tells the story of a secret agent, Queen Sono, working in South Africa and trying to
solve the mystery of her mother's murder.
She's involved with a clandestine organization called the Special Operations Group, but to
everyone else in her life, she's merely an art trader.
Queen may use unorthodox methods to gain intel, occasionally getting criticism from the other
agents she works with, but no one can deny that she is very skilled at what she does.
And when she decides to put her talents to the test to see if she can finally crack the
case surrounding her mother's death, no one is getting in her way.
"So you can handle yourself now?
There's only one way to find out."
"But, yes, I could kick your ass."
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