Katie Cameron
A&E Editor
This week, the Voice staff finally figured out that I know very little about the arts (surprise!) and assigned me an article on something I actually can write about: watching copious amounts of Netflix, because if there’s one thing I love to do, it’s eating cheese in bed while mooching off of my brother’s streaming services.
If you’ve burned through every season of The Office, Mad Men and The X-Files, welcome to my life. But fear not! The following is a list of some of my favorite hidden gems of Netflix. You’ll never have to go outside again.
Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (1968)
This French-Italian sci-fi cult classic opens with a completely unnecessary zero gravity striptease, and it only gets better from there. Barbarella (played by Jane Fonda) is assigned by the president of Earth to rescue captured scientist Durand Durand, and she does it by — how else? — having sex all over the universe. Will Barbarella be able to escape the Orgasmostron Machine when she is sentenced to death by pleasure? Tune in and find out!
Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special (2012)
I am almost 99 percent positive that comedian Maria Bamford is actually a space alien on earth. In this comedy special, Bamford does standup in her own home (“because it’s free”) for an audience of two: her parents. It is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve watched in a long time (and I recently re-discovered my middle school video-blogging career), but it’s also completely hilarious.
Paris is Burning (1990)
This classic documentary examines drag ball culture in the black New York City queer/trans community of the mid 1980s. While the candid interviews of the documentary expose the difficulties of racism, homophobia, A.I.D.S. and poverty at that time, the subjects of the film are also charming and thoughtful. The film reveals the complex performative nature of drag and gender.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-2015)
It’s the 1920s and Essie Davis plays Miss Phryne Fisher, a private detective in Melbourne, Australia. Miss Fisher is a glamorous feminist (what we all aspire to be). Filled with a talented supporting cast, the show gives a glimpse into the decadence of the ’20s, while also tackling relevant social issues, and, of course, murders.
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra play sailors on shore leave in Hollywood, in the first of the three buddy movies the two did together. Singing, dancing and tight pants ensue — what’s not to love? In the most famous scene, Gene Kelly does an entire dance number with animated Tom and Jerry. The movie’s plot is a thinly disguised showcase for Kelly’s dancing and Sinatra’s singing, but like any good musical, it wins you over.
Puppy Party (2009)
This sequel to Kitten Party is one hour of close-ups of puppies sleeping, sneezing and playing in backyards. You don’t even need to watch it. Just screen it during parties, like a puppy Yule log. It’s adorable and should be played constantly.