Happy Holidays! This week on What To Watch Right Now, we’re watching some of pop culture’s most awesome female heroes. There’s nothing quite like seeing an attractive woman beating bad guys up, so clear your schedules, because these are the scariest and toughest women on Netflix! And while you’re at it, make sure to revisit previous episodes of What To Watch to figure out what to watch…

Ep. 11 and Ep.10

KILL BILL VOL. 1 and VOL. 2 – DIR. QUENTIN TARANTINO (2003-2004) IMDB

KILL BILL is the epitome of a strong female character and that’s actually an understatement. The Bride is simply a strong character and one that you’re rooting for from the very beginning. We know that she was wronged and we know that she’s looking for revenge, but it’s not until the film progresses much further that we learn why she’s on an extensive mission to kill so many people. Regardless, it’s just fun to watch her slice off limbs with her cool samurai sword.

The Kill Bill’s were Tarantino’s 4^th and 5^th films, so you can very well expect a lot of violence, an excessive amount of blood, more curse words than most people utter in a lifetime, and one hell of a good time. With THE HATEFUL EIGHT being released this week, watching or rewatching Kill Bill will be a great warm up to what will surely be a violent, bloody, curse filled, masterpiece as well. I really can’t recommend watching Kill Bill enough. It seriously has something for everyone to enjoy. Tarantino is one of cinema’s most knowledgeable students and he includes some of his favorite cinematic moments in beautiful homage all throughout these two films. That being said, it’s a revenge flick, a kung fu movie, a western, and so much more. Watch them back to back if you feel inclined, or you can take a break in between to watch a few episodes of…

JESSICA JONES – SEASON ONE (2015) IMDB

The newest collaboration between Netflix and Marvel is everything we hoped it would be and a little bit darker. JESSICA JONES follows the mildly depressing life of former superhero turned private investigator, Jessica Jones, as she solves crimes and attempts to stop her biggest threat yet. If you were a fan of the Netflix/Marvel series, DAREDEVIL, I’m sure you will enjoy Jones as well, but don’t expect too many similarities. Daredevil was dark, but from my early impression, Jones takes it even further. We know that her brief run as a hero didn’t end well and is still affecting her today. She abuses drugs and alcohol and according to Krysten Ritter (the title character) she can be “…dry and sarcastic and a total asshole…”

Everyone in the show gives amazing performances, which allows the characters to really come to life in a believable and extraordinary way. They’re all well developed, so we feel for them and worry when put in danger; something we can’t always say with other superhero TV shows (looking at you DC). David Tennant of DOCTOR WHO fame is one this years best villains on TV, in my opinion. He’s actually quite scary. My only complaint is that the show is so hard-hitting and emotional that I wish there had been a stronger comedic relief element. Daredevil had Foggy to break up the tension, but I haven’t seen a character quite like that yet. All in all, Jessica Jones is another hit from Marvel and Netflix, leaving me very excited for whatever comes next.

Welcome to another episode of What to Watch Right Now on the Official Zito Media Blog! We’re currently NOT counting down the 12 movies of Christmas, so if you’re looking for overexposed Christmas movies to watch… look elsewhere. Over here, we’re recommending some of the most fun and intriguing movies and TV shows available on the Netflix Instant Stream.

IN BRUGES – Dir. Martin McDonagh (2008) IMDB

Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) flee London after a hit gone wrong, only to await orders in the most boring place Ray could ever imagine, Bruges. Where is Bruges? Well, it’s in Belgium. What is there to do in Bruges? Apparently not very much, aside from sightseeing. However, what follows makes for one of the most hilarious, heart wrenching, and exciting hitman films of the last decade.

The synopsis of IN BRUGES certainly doesn’t sound like the typical hitman movie; All these hitman have to do is lie low for two weeks in Bruges, waiting for their boss to give them further instructions. That being said, In Bruges is not a typical hitman movie. In fact, there really isn’t whole lot of action before the last 30 minutes or so. This doesn’t hinder the film in any way, it actually makes it so much more intriguing. We grow to understand these characters as we learn why they had to flee their homeland and soon grow to sympathize with them and care for them. Sure, they might kill people for a living, but deep down, they have feelings just like non-murdering professionals. Even in such a boring place, they find themselves in bizarre situations, attempting to outrun the guilt of their chosen life paths. To reiterate, even though an absurd comedy about two hitmen in a small Belgium town doesn’t sound like a very good watch… It is. There’s not much more to say than it’s a diamond in the rough. A true hidden gem.

THE X-FILES – Nine Seasons (1993-2002) IMDB

But you know what’s not a hidden a gem? THE X-FILES. It’s simply a gem. One of the most popular TV shows of the 90s, that acquired a massive cult following and spawned two movies and a second run coming out next year, isn’t to be ignored. To be honest, I had never even considered watching The X-Files until last Friday when I was so bored I thought my head was going to explode. Needless to say, I’ve finally jumped on the UFO theorist bandwagon.

FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully team up to crack the X-Files, the FBI’s most secret and unexplained cases. While Mulder is a firm believer in the paranormal, Scully is a little more difficult to convince. Together, they travel the country encountering strange phenomena that could put their careers and their lives at risk. I haven’t even gotten too far into season one and I’m already hooked. I’ve always been a fan of UFO and paranormal TV shows, but The X-Files clearly transcends the stereotypical conspiracy genre. It seems to be a lot like TWIN PEAKS (featured here in Ep. 8), which also features David Duchovny, so if you’re not into strange, you probably won’t like The X-Files. However, it doesn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with the characters and the world they inhabit, because The X-Files is making its triumphant comeback thirteen years after the original run in 2016.

Welcome to the tenth installment of What to Watch Right Now! I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping up or not, but make sure to go back and see if some of my recommendations are still on Netflix and watch them! I wouldn’t recommend them if they weren’t awesome. And trust me… I have good taste. That’s why we’re watching cartoons today

THE SECRET OF KELLS – Dirs. Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey (2009) IMDb

This is a fairly unknown Irish animated film about a young boy named Brendan in a medieval monastery that is being held under siege by a Viking raid. When a mysterious old “Illuminator” arrives to their town with his white cat, Brendan is recruited to go on an adventure outside of the town’s giant wall and into the woods forbidden to him by his strict uncle. Once in the forest, his life is in danger, but he makes friends with a forest spirit named Aisling who aids him in his quest but warns him to not meddle with the dark deity of the woods. And then a bunch of really awesome, scary, and cute things happen that elevate this film to a much higher standard than most children’s animations.

Like I said, THE SECRET OF KELLS really seems to be an under-appreciated movie, at least from my own personal experiences. Though, after a very short amount of research I discovered that it was actually nominated for an Oscar in 2010. Which just proves my point that it’s a fantastic film that I bet you’ve never seen. Director Tomm Moore recently directed the acclaimed SONG OF THE SEA as well, which is not on Netflix, but shows that the man can make some heartwarming and profound cartoons. ‘Kells’ tells an incredibly interesting story set in an enchanting world that forces the audience to engage and be swept up in the fantasy. You can watch it with your children or you can watch it alone on a Wednesday night (like me), either way you’re bound to enjoy this little tale.

DISNEY SHORT FILMS COLLECTION – various directors (2015)

Now, I know I usually recommend a TV show along with a feature, but to be completely honest, I’m running out of shows to watch. If you’d be so kind, please comment below with some shows you think I should watch and maybe I’ll recommend them back to you in a future episode! But as I attempt to catch up, here’s something a little different.

Much like Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios frequently joins short films to the beginning of their feature presentations. And while they’re not always as memorable as the Pixar shorts, they sometimes create classic gems that will certainly withstand the test of time. In this collection of such shorts, Disney has archived some of their very best; Oscar contenders PAPERMAN and FEAST, the groundbreaking GET A HORSE, princess shorts FROZEN FEVER and TANGLED EVER AFTER, and a bunch of other really great films.

This is another great thing to put on for kids that will be equally as entertaining for adults. In fact, some of the shorts such as Paperman and JOHN HENRY seem more aimed to adults than children! Regardless, you can easily find entertainment in the entire hour and a half of 12 shorts with some insightful intros to go along with them.