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Netflix alternatives to 'The Wedding Ringer,' 'Paddington' and 'American Sniper'

Several movie posters are placed on display in front of the Valley Art Theatre on Mill Avenue on Jan. 12, 2015. (Kat Simonovic/The State Press)
Several movie posters are placed on display in front of the Valley Art Theatre on Mill Avenue on Jan. 12, 2015. (Kat Simonovic/The State Press)

Several movie posters are placed on display in front of the Valley Art Theatre on Mill Avenue on Jan. 12, 2015. (Kat Simonovic/The State Press) Several movie posters are placed on display in front of the AMC Theaters at the Centerpoint on Mill Avenue, Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Tempe. (Kat Simonovic/The State Press)

Each week, reporter Shane Weinstein takes a look at what major motion pictures are hitting theaters and offers suggestions of alternate films to take in on Netflix. Here are his alternates for the week of Jan. 16, 2015.

Imagine this: Friday rolls around, and you decide you want to go to the movies. There's only one problem. You look up the week’s new releases, and none of them strike your fancy. Feeling disappointed, you open Netflix and scroll endlessly trying to find something that grabs your attention.

New This Week: "The Wedding Ringer" (Starring Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting)

Netflix Alternate: "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994, starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell)

In "The Wedding Ringer," unlikely duo Kevin Hart and Josh Gad team up for a comedy about a man (Gad) so desperate for groomsmen in his wedding that he hires a professional (Hart) to act as his best man and hire the rest of the groomsmen. While hilarious, the film definitely veers toward being raunchy and vulgar.

If neither of those two are in line with your sense of humor but you are still in the mood for a romantic comedy, look no further than Mike Newell’s heartfelt Best Picture nominee "Four Weddings and a Funeral." The film stars Hugh Grant as an awkward but lovable Brit who becomes smitten with a woman he conveniently meets at four different weddings and a funeral.

While I’m not the biggest Grant fan, his turn in this film is quite enjoyable and the movie as a whole makes for a perfectly enjoyable and family-friendly alternative to a romantic comedy that may be too offensive for some.

New This Week: "Paddington" (Starring Nicole Kidman, Michael Gambon and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington)

Netflix Alternate: "Brother Bear" (2003, featuring the voices of Joaquin Phoenix and Rick Moranis)

This week, iconic children’s book character Paddington Bear, voiced by Ben Whishaw ("Skyfall, "Cloud Atlas") comes to life on the big screen.

If you can’t get yourself to buy into the film given the absurdity shown in the film’s trailers, Disney’s 2003 hit animated film “Brother Bear” is streaming on Netflix. The film follows a young Inuit man named Kenai who hates bears because of his brother's death but gains a new perspective when he finds himself transformed into a bear.

The film touches on some important themes such as forgiveness and allowing oneself to picture things from various people’s perspectives and is one of Disney’s most underrated animated movies. If you find “Paddington” to be a bit too much, “Brother Bear” serves as a perfect alternate.

New This Week: "American Sniper" (Starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller)

Netflix Alternate: "Shooter" (2007, Starring Mark Wahlberg, Michael Peña, and Danny Glover)

Clint Eastwood’s second directorial effort in the past year has been receiving rave reviews throughout the festival circuit. Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the greatest sniper in military history. The film tells his story and is based upon the book of the same name, but if the story’s unfortunate ending is ultimately too depressing, director Antoine Fuqua’s “Shooter” serves as a perfect alternate.

The film follows Wahlberg’s Bob Lee Swagger, a former marksman who is called back into action when he discovers a plot to assassinate the president. But when Swagger is double-crossed, he must fend for his life and find the man who set him up.

Featuring no shortage of high-octane action sequences as well as outstanding performances by the film’s leads, “Shooter” is a perfect alternate for Eastwood’s latest.

That’s it for this week. Be sure to check back next week for alternatives for “Strange Magic,” “The Boy Next Door,” “Mortdecai” and “Black Sea.”

 

Send Shane your movie suggestions at seweinst@asu.edu or follow @S_Weinstein 95 on Twitter

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