Welcome to a new week and another list of superb movies waiting for you onNetflix. I’m confident that you will enjoy at least one of these—they’ve won awards, received rave reviews, and are some of my all-time favorites.
Netflix shuffles its library each month, so there’s no guarantee that these movies will stick around. So, if something looks appealing, waste no time in grabbing the remote and pressing play!
2023
Runtime
1 hour 46 minutes
Past Livesis an incredibly strong directorial debut from Celine Song. It’s about two childhood friends, Na Young and Hae Sung, who attend the same school in South Korea and develop a crush on each other, but Young’s family moves to Canada and they lose touch. The film is set over three periods—1999, 2011, and 2023—and explores the pair’s relationship and different lives.
This isn’t a flashy, over-the-top romantic movie. Instead, it’s a contemplative piece, not afraid to spend time with the characters and let scenes linger, strengthened by the fact that Greta Lee and Teo Yoo play the adult versions of Young and Sung with great nuance.Past Livesis bound to stay with you.
2015
3 hours 7 minutes
Quentin Tarantino rarely makes a bad movie—The Hateful Eightcertainly isn’t one. It’s about eight strangers, played by icons like Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who take shelter in a haberdashery during a blizzard. Tensions rise, of course, and it’s not long before violence follows.
It’s set almost entirely in a single room, which lends the movie a suitably claustrophobic atmosphere, and is full of sharp dialogue and humor in the typical Tarantino manner. Be sure to watch out for a moment involving Kurt Russell and a real antique guitar, which led to the museum that lent the instrument to declare it would never hand out its guitars for movies ever again.
2014
1 hour 40 minutes
Everything is awesome, and that includes 2014’sThe LEGO Movie. It might seem odd in retrospect, but there was no guarantee that a movie based on the Danish plastic bricks would be a success. Thankfully, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller at the helm, the directors ofCloudy with a Chance of Meatballsand21 Jump Street, the result is a delightfully fun flick that is entertaining for children and adults alike.
The voice cast, featuring the likes of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, and Elizabeth Banks, are all great, but it’s really the writing and animation that makeThe LEGO Movieshine. The premise is standard—construction worker Emmet is the chosen one—but it leads to all sorts of chaos, including the hilarious arrival of Will Arnett’s Batman (who deservedly got his own spin-off movie). It looks amazing too, like a real LEGO set come to life.
2022
2 hours 19 minutes
Knives Out, directed by Rian Johnson and featuring a starry ensemble cast, was one of my favorite films from 2019, so I devoured the standalone sequelGlass Onionwhen it landed on Netflix three years later. With Daniel Craig in the lead as detective Benoit Blanc, complete with his surprising Southern American accent, this whodunnit makes for an amusing and captivating watch.
This time round, a wealthy tech company founder (played by Edward Norton) invites his friends to his private island mansion to play a murder mystery game. Somehow, Benoit Blanc ends up with an invitation, which comes in handy when an actual murder occurs. It’s twisty, silly, and clever, with some great performances. I can’t wait for the third film due later this year,Wake Up Dead Man.
1960
1 hour 49 minutes
You know the famous scene fromPsycho: the shower, the knife, the music. But if you’ve never actually watched the entirety of this Hitchcock masterpiece, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Set at the Bates Motel, run by its odd proprietor Norman (Anthony Perkins), Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) checks in for the night following her theft of thousands of dollars from her work. As you might imagine, her stay doesn’t go smoothly.
It’s hard to overstate just how influentialPsychowas, and every moment has been endlessly analyzed to the point where it feels like there’s nothing new to say, but the simple matter is that it’s a tense thriller that stands up to this day. It spawned sequels and a TV spin-off, but you can’t beat the original.
I hope you enjoy these films as much as I did. There are plenty ofhidden gems on Netflix, so once you’ve exhausted this list, browse through the streaming service’s extensive catalog and see what you discover.
Netflix
Stream all of these great movies, along with plenty more original and licensed programming, with a Netflix subscription.
