3 underrated Netflix movies you should watch this weekend (June 21-23) | Tech Reader

Calendar Girls. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. These movies all belong to a subgenre once known as “women’s pictures,” but that is now referred to as “Oscar-bait” or “chick flicks.” These films aren’t particularly great, but they do their job. They give older actresses decent roles, provide a scenic tour to some faraway place, and provide a moderate amount of amusement for a good 90 minutes or so. The Miracle Club is the latest movie in this genre, and it’s no better or worse than the rest.

The film is set in 1967 Ireland and follows four women as they journey to Lourdes, France, to find their own unique fulfillment. Lily (Maggie Smith) wants to get out of Ireland, Eileen (Kathy Bates) thinks the trip will cure the lump in her breast, Dolly (Agnes O’ Casey) believes it will inspire her mute son to speak, and Chrissie (Laura Linney) hopes to bond with Lily by sharing news that she’s pregnant with Lily’s deceased son’s child. Yeah, that’s a lot, but The Miracle Club is a breeze to watch, and it’s always a pleasure to see Smith and Bates sink their teeth into nice, juicy roles.

I love watching movies that reveal something to me I didn’t previously know, and that do so under the cover of being an incredibly engrossing genre picture. That’s what Operation Hyacinth is, and why it’s so special. The film takes place in 1980s Poland, and tells a fictional story about the real-life Operation Hyacinth project, which the Polish government initiated by creating a national database of the country’s homosexuals so they could spy on them.

One officer working in Operation Hyacinth is Robert, a straight twentysomething working-class dude who wants to prove his worth to his stem father, who also works for the government. But as Robert goes undercover as a gay man cruising Poland’s nightclubs, he realizes that who he works for doesn’t have the best intentions, and a web of lies, betrayal, and murder is gradually uncovered. Piotr Domalewski’s film is never less than engrossing, and it gets things just right: the ’80s period detail. the rising feeling of paranoia and fear as Robert’s masquerade threatens to be discovered. and the gradual realization that everything Robert has worked for is wrong. It’s a cracking good thriller, and one with a voice and a conscience that’s now rare in the genre.

If that sounds serious, well, that’s because it sort of is. But it’s also not that deep either, as the film tends to veer into thriller territory, and that’s why most critics at the time didn’t like it. The plot is fairly straightforward: teenage Jake and his younger brother. Brian. witness their mother Wendy (Garr) quickly falling in love with Sam (Weller) following her divorce. It starts off well, with Sam giving the boys dirt bikes and Wendy some much-needed attention, but things go south quickly once Sam’s past — and penchant for drugs — catches up with him. It’s not great cinema, but there’s some quality acting here, particularly from Collet and Garr, and it’s fun to see Tony Stark and Carrie Bradshaw as awkward teen actors early in their careers.