For years, Guillermo del Toro has discussed his plans to create a Frankenstein film. It’s truly a passion project for him. It’s quite amusing when someone’s lifelong ambition leans towards something terrifying – that’s the world of horror movies!
Lastly, del Toro completed his Frankenstein film, which will be released in theaters and on Netflix this fall. Now the comparisons can start: between Dr. Victor Frankenstein (portrayed by Oscar Isaac in del Toro’s adaptation), who is driven by the desire to create life, and del Toro himself, who was equally passionate about bringing his vision for the movie to the screen!
The film boasts an incredible cast. Alongside Isaac, Jacob Elordi plays Frankenstein’s Monster, and Mia Goth is Isaac’s love interest. Charles Dance also stars as Victor Frankenstein’s father (since his name isn’t listed, let’s call him Artie Frankenstein – it’s a fun name!), and Christoph Waltz plays Goth’s uncle and Victor’s supporter. Waltz seems perfectly suited to play Victor Frankenstein himself, so it’ll be interesting to see if that influences his character and performance.
Watch the latest trailer for Frankenstein below:
Netflix recently released what they’re calling “Creature Reveal Art.” We used to simply call these posters, but I suppose it *is* art that showcases the creatures, so the name works.
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro reimagines Mary Shelley’s famous story of Victor Frankenstein, a highly intelligent but self-centered scientist. He brings a creature to life in a shocking experiment, which eventually causes the downfall of both the scientist and his heartbreaking creation.
Frankenstein will be released in cinemas on October 17th, followed by its debut on Netflix streaming on November 7th.
12 Great Netflix Movies You Never Watched
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
Somehow, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler went 20 years between films; their last project together before Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories was Happy Gilmore! They are so damn good in this, it makes you wonder why we haven’t gotten two decades of collaborations between the two. Regardless, The Meyerowitz Stories was worth the wait, with the two making a very convincing pair of half-brothers each dealing with their own dysfunctional relationships with their artist father Harold (Dustin Hoffman). (Stiller and Sandler recently reteamed on a slightly-more-well-known Netflix movie called Happy Gilmore 2.)
The Other Side of the Wind (2018)
I can’t believe how much Netflix dominates the movie world now – they’ve even got directors who’ve passed away ‘working’ for them! It’s wild to think Orson Welles died in 1985, but there’s his name on the screen. I almost fell out of my seat when I saw this phrase: “Netflix presents … An Orson Welles Picture.” It’s honestly one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen in a theater.
That title card really sets the mood for what’s to come. The movie was pieced together from around 100 hours of footage, using Welles’ notes and a rough cut he made of some scenes. A team of producers and editors say they were trying to finish the film he originally envisioned – a movie he filmed on and off throughout the 1970s as his finances went up and down. The finished product definitely *feels* like a Welles film – visually, it’s a lot like his documentary F For Fake, which he made around the same time, and thematically it echoes Citizen Kane – though it’s not quite as polished (and sometimes it’s a lot goofier!) than his best work.
Private Life (2018)
I have no knowledge of Tamara Jenkins’ personal life. However, I understand the struggles with infertility, as my wife and I experienced them firsthand. This film feels incredibly authentic, suggesting it’s rooted in someone’s true story. It centers on a couple (wonderfully portrayed by Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti, both delivering some of their best work) desperately trying to conceive a child. This is a growing issue in today’s world, as people prioritize their careers and delay starting families, yet it hasn’t been shown on screen with this level of raw honesty before. Jenkins has taken these intensely private and painful moments and transformed them into something truly beautiful.
Triple Frontier (2019)
If this movie came out in a different time, it would have been a low-budget action film shown as part of a double feature. Today, with streaming services, it was just one of many movies that appeared on Netflix in 2019 and was quickly forgotten. However, if you missed Triple Frontier, it’s worth searching for it in Netflix’s library.
The posters, filled with tough guys in tactical gear, made it seem like a standard war or action movie, but Triple Frontier is more like The Treasure of Sierra Madre; a dark story warning about how greed can destroy a group of former soldiers who team up to rob a drug dealer, only to have their careful plans fall apart due to countless small problems. (Have you ever considered how much weight money adds up to? If you steal too much, it can even prevent your helicopter from taking off!) Ben Affleck’s recent performances suggest he understands the damaging effects of greed, which might explain why he gives one of his best performances in years here.
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019)
Martin Scorsese directed this unusual film about Bob Dylan, though he didn’t film the Rolling Thunder tour himself back in the 1970s. Instead, he created Rolling Thunder Revue by combining concert footage with clips and scenes from the fictional movie Dylan made at the time, the seldom-seen Renaldo and Clara. The film also features new interviews with many people involved, including Dylan, who reportedly discusses his work on camera for the first time in ten years. In the opening moments, he jokingly admits, “I don’t remember a thing about Rolling Thunder! It happened so long ago, I wasn’t even born.”
Rolling Thunder Revue is a fun and imaginative film presented as a documentary. It’s not quite This Is Spinal Tap– obviously Dylan and his tour were real – but it’s likely more similar to that type of movie than many viewers will expect… if anyone can even find it hidden within Netflix’s catalog.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Don’t be put off by the long title or the fact that this movie is based on a singing competition that wasn’t well-known in the US until recently. It’s easily Will Ferrell’s funniest film in a decade. He has great chemistry with Rachel McAdams, who is just as funny as he is. They play a pair of platonic (and Icelandic) friends who unexpectedly get the chance to represent their country in the yearly Eurovision Song Contest. The contest itself is hilarious, the songs are surprisingly memorable and amusing, and Ferrell and McAdams are both fantastic. If you don’t enjoy it, well, that’s just silly.
High Flying Bird (2020)
Watching movies with intelligent characters is always enjoyable. When movie characters are clever, they keep us guessing because their actions aren’t predictable. Generally, you only find truly smart characters in compelling films – it’s hard for less skilled filmmakers to write them well. High Flying Bird is one of those films, filled with bright characters and brought to life by director Steven Soderbergh and writer Tarell Alvin McCraney. Moonlight’s André Holland stars as Ray Burke, a basketball agent searching for a way to resolve an NBA lockout that threatens his star player’s career. The film feels like an Ocean’s movie, but set within the high-stakes world of sports business – and it’s incredibly intelligent.
Descendant (2022)
Documentary filmmaking involves both carefully watching events and asking insightful questions, and Margaret Brown excels at both. She knows how to ask the important questions to the right people, and she skillfully combines their responses into a wide-ranging look at a community in Alabama dealing with the discovery of remains from the Clotilda, the last ship that brought enslaved Africans to the U.S. Brown also understands when to simply film someone and let things happen naturally. Many Netflix documentaries are quickly made to take advantage of current events. Descendant is different.
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022)
Richard Linklater returned to animation after 15 years with a film exploring the blurry line between dreams and memories, and how dreams can sometimes feel more vivid than reality. Apollo 10 1/2 shows Linklater remembering his childhood in Houston, near NASA, and playfully imagining being chosen as the first boy in space. This happened because a problem during construction created an Apollo capsule too small for adult astronauts. By recreating the atmosphere, visuals, and sounds of the late 1960s, Apollo 10 1/2 felt like a personal journey through the mind and early life of a talented filmmaker.
Leo (2023)
Netflix quickly gained a major supporter in Adam Sandler, and he’s been responsible for many of the platform’s biggest hits, including Murder Mystery and Happy Gilmore 2. He also helped bring Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories to life with his star power. More recently, he voiced a character in Leo, a surprisingly good animated film about a grumpy classroom pet who decides to break out and experience the world before it’s too late. While it could easily have been overly sentimental or silly, Leo is actually heartwarming and quite humorous (and it’s a musical!). What really stood out was how accurately the movie portrayed kindergarteners – as the endlessly energetic and chaotic little people they are.
Rebel Ridge (2024)
As a huge movie fan, I really think Aaron Pierre deserved way more attention for his incredible performance as an upright Marine caught in a mess with corrupt police officers in Rebel Ridge. It came out on Netflix in September 2024 along with a ton of other new releases, and sadly, it didn’t quite get the buzz it deserved. But let me tell you, Pierre was absolutely sensational. And Jeremy Saulnier, the director known for Blue Ruin and Green Room, delivered another fantastic action film – it felt a lot like First Blood, but seen through the lens of today’s complicated world.
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
Growing up, I was really captivated by how the song “We Are the World” was made, and I would repeatedly watch the documentary about it – We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song – . This new documentary blends recent interviews with Lionel Richie and other prominent artists who participated in “We Are the World” with incredible footage from The Story Behind the Song. Now that I recognize everyone, watching the recording of “We Are the World” feels like looking back at a fascinating snapshot of 1980s pop music, rock, and fashion. (Lindsey Buckingham’s hair! It’s just incredibly… big and shaped!) It’s also interesting to observe how all those famous people interacted with each other, especially with so little support staff around. Who naturally stepped up as the leader? Who seemed anxious? Did anyone have a little too much to drink? Who got upset when someone suggested singing in Swahili? If you enjoy watching those kinds of dynamics, you’ll really like this film, even if you don’t particularly love the song “We Are the World.”
