February’s good, bad, in-between Netflix choices

Above : A scene from Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film “Inception.” (Photo: Warner Bros.)

It’s the beginning of February, and we’re still in an overall state of lockdown. That makes 11 long months of this pandemic, most of it coming without the easy benefit of seeing movies in a theater.

Not comfortably or safely, at least.

But for those with access to the Internet, and lucky enough to be able to afford subscription services, the movie scene has never been more rich – nor varied in theme, tone, subject matter or, most important, quality. Take some of what’s available this month from Netflix alone, the good, the bad and the in-between:

“Inception” (2010): Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” which was one of the few blockbusters released last year, may not have been comprehensible to anyone other than a university mathematician. Nolan’s earlier film “Inception,” being a story about a gang stealing corporate secrets by haunting their victims’ dreams, plays with some of the same confusing techniques. It, though, is at least slightly more accessible. In any event, Nolan’s visual skills make up for its more baffling sequences. Available now.

“Shutter Island” (2010): When Martin Scorsese makes a certain kind of film, one involving characters lurking on the edge of society, he is masterful. Think of “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas” or “The Departed.” When he attempts to work on more genre projects, he is less successful at maintaining his original sensibilities.  Still, this psychological study starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a weatherbeaten U.S. marshall investigating the seeming escape of a killer from an asylum has its moments. Available now.

“Zathura: a Space Adventure” (2005): Jon Favreau is a film industry force, having directed such hits as his two “Iron Man” films and the live-action “Jungle Book” adaptation, plus executive-producing the “Avengers” films and being the creative force behind Disney’s “The Mandalorian” series. Yet long before he gained such power, he directed this little movie based on the imaginative book by Chris Van Allsburg. It’s not a bad choice for Friday family-night viewing, if just to see a pre-“Twilight” Kristen Stewart . Available now.

“The Conjuring” (2013) and “The Conjuring 2” (2016): These two offerings follow in the grand tradition of such faux paranormal mysteries as “The Amityville Horror,” a film from 1979 that – even in its spinoffs and remakes – never let facts get in the way of a let’s-scare-the-gullible storyline. Two especially outrageous studies of demonic possession, they are reputed to be based in fact. Accept that or not, they are exactly the kind of movies that my “Movies 101” partner Nathan Weinbender likes to seek out. Others may, too. Available Feb. 21.

“Captain Fantastic” : (2016): Viggo Mortensen stars as an offbeat – and that’s being kind – father who trains his kids to survive outside of what most of us would consider mainstream society. Teaching your children to think for themselves is one thing; forcing them to accept your view of the world or else is something else entirely. Never has child abuse been masked as concerned parenting more than in this Matt Ross written-and-directed film. Available Feb. 26.

And that’s just a taste of what February has to offer. There’s so much more, some of which I’ll preview as the week goes by. In any event, view at your own risk.