I can't resist anything Italian so I was eager to see the new Netflix series "From Scratch" which is about an African-American woman who goes to Florence to study art and meets an Italian, more precisely, a Sicilian chef and, well it goes on from there.
I wouldn't define the story as just a "chick flix" or a "Hallmark card" because the script and the acting are really superb. The story may well appeal to women more than to men (although Lino is eye candy for the gay audience as well as for the ladies) but there is more substance to the story that gives it a wider appeal.
The inter-racial relationship presents a tension that drives the story initially but the complexity of the characters and ultimately their acceptance, respect and love are the values that make the story real. It's addictive. We watched several episodes each evening and finished the series last evening. Emotional.
This may start out as a popcorn film but by the last few episodes you'll be trading the popcorn for kleenex.
Another series is Tiny Pretty Things a drama that takes place at a ballet school in Chicago. The series begins following an accident - or was it attempted suicide or attempted murder? that leaves a student in a coma on life support. We see the passion and dedication of the students for their art and the intense physical endurance and athletic abilities and emotional discipline required of them as they train and compete for a place in the world of dance.
As the series progresses we are given glimpses into the personal lives of the students and the demons that they wrestle with as they try to fulfill the expectations imposed on them by parents, instructors and themselves. The lies, the schemes, the back-stabbing, the passion, the emotions, all keep the viewer interested. We are not yet finished watching the series but have only a few episodes left in our queue. Popcorn, yes.
5 comments:
I'll put "From Scratch" on my "to watch" list -- it does look good! And I loved seeing those scenes from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence -- brought back memories of my own trip there!
I hadn’t heard of these. More for the list. Thanks! I too have a hard time resisting anything Italian.
I'm going to pass these on to M.P., who has Netflix on his computer. He *loves* the Hallmark movies at Christmas, and cookery too.
BTW, you recommended Bros a while back. We were gonna watch that one Friday night on YouTube - but instead of the usual $3.99, they wanted twenty freakin' dollars for the privilege! That's as much as we pay for a bag of Whataburgers and onion rings now, a rare splurge for us. So we'll wait until the ticket price comes down.
We saw "Bros" in the theater for less than that.
Ballet dancers can be a murderous bunch.
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