By Nate Scott |
March 24, 2020 10:50 am
You’re stuck inside, being a good citizen during a global coronavirus pandemic. That means you’re probably also looking for some things to watch. A lot of things to watch. You’re stuck inside for a while, after all.
Let us guide you through your next movie night with 43 movies that we recommend that are currently streaming on Netflix. These are organized alphabetically, and have a nice mix of drama, comedy, thrillers, and sci-fi.
Why 43? Honestly, that was just the number of movies I wrote down that caught my eye, and why not 43? It’s a fine number, I suppose.
Here are the movies to stream on Netflix:
1. Blade Runner — Ridley Scott’s masterpiece is moody, gorgeous, and more influential than I think people realize. Be patient with it, it’s that good.
2. Blow — Johnny Depp’s turn as a globe-trotting drug kingpin is equal parts menacing and fun.
3. Blue Ruin — This movie, ahem, ruined me. Caught it on the advice of a friend and it quickly became one of my favorite movies of the last decade or so. Violent, chilling, but moving.
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — Ang Lee made a pastoral martial arts movie, and in doing so not only elevated the genre, he perfected it.
5. The Dark Knight — It remains the gold standard for superhero movies for a reason.
6. Dolemite Is My Name — Eddie Murphy is back and pitch perfect in this remake.
7. Ex Machina — This sci fi thriller is unnerving but absolutely spellbinding. Alex Garland, the writer and director, also just released a new show ‘Devs’ on Hulu and FX.
8. GoodFellas — The mobster classic still holds up. Yeah, it’s long, but what else do you have going on?
9. Groundhog Day — Perhaps Bill Murray’s finest movie. Funny, sweet, and with as good a conceit for a film as there ever was.
10. Hell or High Water — This modern western took rage at the big banks and transformed it into a gorgeous character study of two brothers, played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster.
11. Hugo — Martin Scorcese’s ode to early cinema is a must-watch for film buffs.
12. Inception — Christopher Nolan’s film is bombastic, stylish, and at times totally ridiculous, but that’s half the fun.
13. Incredibles 2 — This sequel is just as amazing as the original, and Mr. Incredible’s time stuck at home is as honest a portrayal as single parenthood as I’ve seen in cinema.
14. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark — I mean, it’s one of the best movies ever made. Not sure what else needs to be said.
15. Inglorious Basterds — I have a soft spot for any film that shows righteous people hunting down Nazis, and Quentin Tarantino’s has more of that than you could ever imagine.
16. The Irishman — The Netflix original is star-studded and well done. It’s long, but you can watch it like a mini-series. Again, time you got.
17. Jerry Maguire — This movie has moments that hold up incredibly well and others that, well, they don’t, but it’s still a fantastic portal into the 90s.
18. Kill Bill — The most stylish gore-fest martial arts movie ever made.
19 / 20. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / The Return of the King — Why are only the last two Lord of the Rings movies on Netflix? I’m sure something to do with money, but honestly, the final two are my favorites.
21. Magnolia — Tom Cruise is so spellbinding in this you’ll find yourself watching entire scenes while holding your breath.
22. Marriage Story — Noah Baumbach’s unflinching but hopeful look at a divorce doesn’t sound like much fun, but the performances are so good and the writing so spot-on, you’ll find yourself getting caught up in it.
23. The Master — Paul Thomas Anderson’s look at a religious cult that seems a lot like Scientology has brilliant performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
24. Miracle — The acting? So-so. The accents? OK. The hockey? Incredible, and even though you know it’s coming, you’re going to get emotional when Al Michaels makes his famous call.
25. Monty Python and the Holy Grail — Oh, you know, just one of the three or so funniest movies ever made. You can watch it right now! It’s just sitting there!
26. Moon — This movie is beautiful and smart, and messed me up for weeks. That’s all I’ll say.
27. Moonlight — The Oscar winner is gorgeously shot, and the spare performances perfectly tell this coming-of-age story.
28. Mystic River — This Dennis Lehane adaptation has Sean Penn giving one of the great furious performances of the ages.
29. National Treasure — I’m a sucker for this movie. Odds are, you are too. It makes NO sense and it’s perfect.
30. Okja — This Bong Joon-Ho flick is a magical realist excoriation of the meat production industry. But, you know, also fun and funny.
31. Philadelphia — This unflinching look at the early days of the AIDS epidemic has two all-time performances, from Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.
32. Purple Rain — We miss you, Prince.
33. Roma — Alfonso Cuaron’s film is deliberate. There are subtitles. It won’t be for everyone. But every ten minutes or so he’ll hit you with a shot that’s so gorgeous you’ll gasp.
34. The Shawshank Redemption — One of the most re-watchable movies of all time. It feels a bit sacrilegious not to just stumble upon it halfway through on cable, but it’s a great movie, start to finish.
35. Silver Linings Playbook — This movie kind of came and went through the national consciousness, but it holds up pretty well, especially the performance from Robert De Niro.
36. Sin City — Back when comic book movies actually tried to look like comic books, there was Sin City. It’s overwritten and silly and exactly right.
37. Snowpiercer — Another Bong Joon-Ho film, this is a class-war-raid film set on a speeding train in a dead world. It’s a bit heavy-handed at times, sure, but it’s also engrossing and the action is amazing.
38. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — I almost can’t believe how good this movie is. I’m not usually into animation or superheroes, but this movie was one of my favorites of the last year.
39. Step Brothers — Sublime idiocy.
40. There Will Be Blood — Paul Thomas Anderson’s finest film is haunting and weird, but will leave you rapt from start to (bloody) finish.
41. The Two Popes — This film was originally written as a play, and you can tell. (I mean that as a compliment.) The drama comes from the words exchanged, not from any action or plot, really.
42. Y Tu Mama Tambien — The film that launched Alfonso Cuaron into the global spotlight, it’s a stunning coming-of-age tale set in rural Mexico.
43. Zodiac — This look at two journalists hunting for a serial killer may not give you the answers you want, but it’s David Fincher at his very best, with stellar performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhall.
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