Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.

Netflix Alternatives: "Paul Blart" bumbles back into theaters

Barnyard

(Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)


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.

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 alternatives for the week of April 17, 2015.

New This Week: “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (Starring Kevin James, Neal McDonough and Molly Shannon)

Netflix Alternative: “Barnyard” (2006, featuring the voices of Kevin James, Courtney Cox and Sam Elliot)

This week's new release is the sequel to the 2009 Kevin James vehicle “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.” James reprises his role as the bumbling cop, who now finds himself in Las Vegas vacationing with his family when trouble catches up to him. If you’re a fan of James but have no desire to see him play Blart again, check out Nickelodeon Films’ 2006 animated hit, “Barnyard.”

The film features James as the voice of Otis, a literal party animal who, much to his dismay, has to deal with new responsibilities that require him to become more mature. Though it received fairly poor reviews when it first came out, it’s certainly an enjoyable movie that will prevent you from having to sit through another unbearably painful Paul Blart movie.

New This Week: “Child 44” (Starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Noomi Rapace)

Netflix Alternative: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (2011, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch)

Whereas last week saw the release of an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, this week features the release of a film that can only be described as the polar opposite of "The Longest Ride." “Child 44” stars Tom Hardy as a disgraced agent in Soviet Russia who must team up with a general (Oldman) in order to capture a serial killer who preys on children.

Based upon Tom Rob Smith’s novel, the trailers sell the film to be a taut thriller. However, if the film’s mixed to poor reviews have you reconsidering your decision to hit the theater this weekend, Netflix offers one of he best spy thrillers in recent memory for streaming. Nominated for three Academy Awards, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of John le Carre’s novel, is sure to entertain.

Set in London in the early ‘70s, the film stars Oldman as a spy searching for a Soviet double agent nestled at the top of the British Secret Service. Solid performances along with exceptional cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema make “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” a solid alternative this weekend.

New This Week: “Monkey Kingdom” (Narrated by Tina Fey)

Netflix Alternative: “Wings of Life” (2011, narrated by Meryl Streep)

Just in time for Earth Day next week comes Disneynature’s latest documentary, “Monkey Kingdom.” The documentary follows a group of Toque macaque monkeys who find their lives effected by various factors, including being run out of their home by a neighboring tribe of monkeys.

If the premise sounds interesting, but you can’t fork over your hard-earned money on a documentary about nature, Netflix features another Disneynature’s flick, “Wings of Life." Narrated by Meryl Streep, the film looks at various winged animals including bats and hummingbirds and examines how their food chains are becoming increasingly endangered.

That’s it for this week. Be sure to check back next week when I’ll have alternates for “Age of Adeline,” “Little Boy” and “The Water Diviner.”

Contact this reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or on Twitter: @S_Weinstein95

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.


Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.

Subscribe to Pressing Matters



×

Notice

This website uses cookies to make your experience better and easier. By using this website you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.