Picking something to watch over the weekend is more difficult than the thousands of titles on Netflix would try to make you believe The issue at hand, of course, is that by scrolling through the thousands and thousands of highly acclaimed movies, so many choices can sometimes stupefy an audience humbly looking for a gentle piece of entertainment to fill their lives.
More often than not, we find ourselves doomscrolling through Netflix, trying to determine our next go-to watch — the next piece of entertainment. Brain fog usually affects our judgement, and we end up grumpy and sleepy, unable to decide on a film. Worry not; we at Best of Netflix have decided to create a comprehensive list for you every week to choose your next weekend watch.
With thousands of movies on offer, finding great content on Netflix isn’t the most challenging thing. However, with so much choice, often, breaking those thousands of titles into a concise list of great movies to watch can feel like an unwelcome uphill task. Thankfully, we’ve done all the hard work for you and picked out some classic movies to sink your teeth into.
Below, you’ll find a heady mix of new titles, classics heading to Netflix and everything that we think is worth your valuable viewing time this weekend. If you can only find a little bit of peace and quiet to watch a movie or two this weekend, then chances are one of those perfect movies can be found below.
Five must-see movies on Netflix:
Fargo (Coen brothers, 1996)
Though it has been made into a popular Netflix series and many viewers know Fargo only by the show, the series is derived from the 1996 film by the Coen brothers, who are among the most eminent filmmakers of America. This project was their attempt to completely eliminate the familiarity of the true-crime genre and to make it something truly extraordinary.
With explicit murders and merry detectives, the film takes us to snow-covered Minnesota, where spilt blood readily stands out in comparison to the all-encompassing white. Steve Buscemi plays a con artist called Carl, who is a part of one of the most iconic scenes in the film where he ends up in a wood chipper.
Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
Christopher Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi action thriller revolves around a group of dream terrorists who invade their target’s subconscious and rummage around for the secrets they are looking for. Christopher Nolan intricately constructs layers after layers of dreams, and consciousness and weaves important symbols into these layers. Inception is his most direct exploration of his obsession with human psychology.
It is an ambitious project whose concept is very appealing, but it fails to translate well to the cinematic medium. Inception aims for complexity but ends up being complicated, with no respite for the viewer except for the philosophical examinations of dream architecture. Still, it remains one of Nolan’s best efforts.
Watch Inception on Netflix now.
Seven (David Fincher, 1995)
American filmmaker David Fincher is a great fan of a twist, with several of his films, including Fight Club, The Game and Gone Girl, each containing thrilling narrative turning points. None of his twists are better than the one in his dark 1995 crime film Seven, a film that sees a serial killer dispatch his victims using the story of the seven deadly sins, whilst two detectives, played by Brad Pitt and Freeman, try to foil his plans.
Providing much of the film’s substance, Morgan Freeman’s hardened character grounds Pitt’s erratic young character, acting as a bridge between the old school way of policing, and the new.
The Babadook (Jennifer Kent, 2014)
Proving herself as one of the leading voices in horror, the Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent released the critical and commercial success The Babadook in 2014, followed by the dark drama, The Nightingale in 2018.
Becoming one of Stephen King’s favourite modern horror films, The Babadook follows a mother and son scarred by grief who are forced to face a dark entity that has jumped off the pages of a storybook and into their home. Simple yet terrifying in its design, the titular monster of Jennifer Kent’s film becomes the star of the show as a realistic and highly disturbing representation of pure dread.
Watch The Babadook on Netflix now.
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)
Probably the most famous film on this list, Moonlight received international recognition when it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It also solidified Barry Jenkins’ presence in the world of contemporary cinema, and he went on to make other projects such as The Underground Railroad.
Moonlight is a beautiful coming-of-age tale about a man, told in three segments relating to different periods of growth. It asks important questions about identity and sexuality, presented in the most mesmerising, cinematic way possible.
Watch Moonlight on Netflix now.
