What to watch this weekend--Sept. 29

Here's what to watch, stream and procrastinate with this weekend.

"Flatliners" (in theaters Sept. 29)

"Flatliners" follows a group of medical students as they, essentially, bring one another to the brink of death then quickly revive them, so they can each explore the (potential) afterlife. "You haven't lived until you've died," the poster reads (or, maybe, until you've seen "Flatliners").

"First They Killed My Father" (Netflix)

Angelina Jolie's latest directorial effort, based on Loung Ung's devastating memoir about her escape from the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, has already been on Netflix for a couple weeks. But if you haven't already, check it out. The film is Jolie's most well-received project so far, perhaps from Ung's involvement and Jolie's own connection; she adopted now-16-year-old son Maddox from Cambodia when he was seven months old.

"The Magic School Bus Rides Again" (Netflix, Sept. 29)

Netflix hitched a ride on the nostalgia train with "Fuller House" last year, and the streaming service is at it again with "The Magic School Bus Rides Again." It's not, unfortunately, a live-action adaptation of the beloved 1990s cartoon, and a "Magic School Bus" in 2017 certainly won't be the same. But Kate McKinnon has taken on the role of Ms. Frizzle, so how bad can it be?

"Saturday Night Live" season 43 (Netflix, Sept. 30)

"SNL" was an awards magnet at the most recent Emmys, nominated for 22 and winning four. It's back this weekend for season 43, with Ryan Gosling hosting. The actor could probably stand onstage and offer nothing but his signature, dopey smirk for 45 minutes, to the audience's delight, but Gosling has been diligently preparing for the job.

"Beauty and the Beast" (Netflix)

Netflix had been steadily adding Disney flicks to its repertoire all month, and "Beauty and the Beast," with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens taking on the title roles, caps it off. I maintain that the film was wholly unnecessary, as are Disney's dozen-plus live-action adaptations currently in development, but that doesn't mean it's unenjoyable.

daviskn3@miamioh.edu