Let’s start with things you might be interested in if you live in Cluj. You know Mircea bravo? his films are set here, and a few of his features are on Voyo, including “Vecina” and the one that looks like a copy of “My Weekend at Bernie’s.” And the “Flavors of Romania” documentary series is directed by a British director, so it is in English, and about the kinds of things English might be interested in and not know yet.
There are also nature documentaries about Romanian wildlife, as well as documentaries and films covering Romanian history. (The kings, the heroes, the scientists…) Some of these are in Romanian but partly in English (the last King of Romania left the country and speaks English. One of the famous queens of Romania was British.)
As with any streaming service, most films you might look for are not there. There are quite a few classic Romanian shows (we recommend La Bloc for learners, others have recommended Las Fierbinte but I find that show just dumb. Yeah, if your Romanian teacher gives it to you for homework, you can always change teachers. It’s meant to be funny, but it’s too much like the guys who hang out at the local casino.) However, they do have categories. They don’t always pick the best films from their catalogue to showcase, but the top picks might have something you’re interested in. if you do find a show you like, there’s a new feature we like.
Voyo now gives you the ability to click on actors, and then search by actor or director.
There are 8 Adam Sandler movies, 8 Will Smith, all the Ghostbusters (1, 2, girl ghostbusters, and Afterlife with Egon’s grandkids, about 8 Laurel and Hardy, and 6 Luis de Funez! I would guess that alone merits at least the first month’s subscription. It doesn’t have my favorite Laurel and Hardy nor my favorite Funez, but A Chump At Oxford had me laughing, and Funez is always funny, whether he is battling aliens or visiting New York.
We can also find Romanian actors and directors. Sometimes the search doesn’t seem to work, it times out or something strange. But that guy Florian Piersic who has a cinema named after him in Cluj? He has a few films on Voyo. So do other big actors.
Three Tarantino, Hateful 8, Django Unchained, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Wonder what all those swear words are in Romanian? So do I, but often a big swear is translated as the Romanian equivalent of “oh brother” or “sue me.” Some of the newer Romanian films on there have strong swear words, unfortunately they are said so casually you don’t realise they are swears.
Then there are nine Spidermans films, including three that have the word “home” in the title.
There appears to be something for everyone, even those who like bad acting. There are five Steven Segal movies. (9 Van Damme films, but one is an “Expendibles.”) Chuck Norris in “The Cutter.”
5 Julia Roberts, including “Mirror Mirror.”
There are a few Hungarian films, including a few of the new ones: Kincem, Semmelweis, and Hadik. I thought I was the only person in the world who liked Hadik and “Asterix and the Middle Kingdom,” but I promise I am not on the commissioning board for Voyo. Another film I love that somehow got there, “Becsúszó szerelem.” I liked it better in the cinema, I think the sound was designed for whoever was in control of projecting at Cinema Victoria that day. You can turn on or off Romanian subtitles for some movies.
In addition to the usual English, and Romanian ones (like Las Fierbinti) I counted at least 33 Turkish dramas, and quite a few Latin American ones (mainly Mexican, no Brazilian ones I could find yet), and even half a dozen Indian dramas.
Despite the fact that there is a lot of garbage still there (Steven Seagull and hallmark dramas), you can still find enough that is worth watching. They do seem to promote low quality shows on their page, and some of the genres make it look like they have an agenda, but hey, the algorithm seems to be better at recognising what I like than it did a few years ago. If I watch Laurel and Hardy, and Funez, it shows me more classic comedy.
A warning however. The version of Ghostbusters on there is slightly different from the one that came out in British and American cinemas. One of those deleted scenes that was considered inappropriate at the time? It’s in there, as part of the film, not as an extra. Also, living in Cluj makes Laurel and Hardy slightly less enjoyable for some reason.
Oh, and there was a film with some key scenes taken out (it was rated 12 in the cinemas but all ages on Voyo), but that is leaving Voyo soon anyway.
Yeah, there is that annoying thing with all streamers.
But a lot of classic Romanian tv shows and films are also there, not Nea Marin, but the BD series and Bobocil and classic book adaptations. Maybe you can also see some of these on YouTube, but at least the autoplay on Voyo doesn’t take you to some weird news show designed to make you angry.
Some of the newer Romanian shows are terrible, created by AI and insulting to the intelligence. (They are made for children but are too stupid for most children.) However, at least if more talented filmmakers realise there is a market for this, we can hope for better in the future.