The Top 25 Movies on Netflix Right Now To Make You Think
Twice weekly I am asked for movie suggestions. Sometimes more. Maybe you are looking for other movies like Primer, or a new complex dialogue movie. Sometimes you guys want to know what I’m holding back from you guys. And of late, I have been getting more and more requests for the best Netflix movies out there. A lot of times I find you guys the coolest movies, but if they aren’t accessible to you, they aren’t easy to watch? Who cares? And basically everyone has Netflix. (If you don’t, the 80’s are calling… they want their Beta copy of E.T. back.) So this post? This is an attempt to get you guys off my back dangit! Hahaha, no, I’m kidding. It’s just one more time that I can give, and give, and give to you all! Hahah.
So these are my 25 biggest, most mind blowing, grade A Netflix movies that are ripe for the pickings right now. Man this list is good:
The Ritual – 3.5/5
One of the most recent Netflix movies I have discussed here on the site is The Ritual. Five guys are planning a guys only vacation, but before they do, one of their own dies as one of them shows a shocking act of cowardice. When the four head into the woods of Northern Sweden they apparently are being hunted by their own fears and mental chaos because nothing else makes sense. THiNC. Take – horror movies really aren’t my thing. But this is really scary movie that deals with regret, and guilt, in such an amazing way, I can’t not recommend it enough.
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore – 5/5
When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals. THiNC. Take – This was possibly my favorite movie of last year. I literally cannot say enough about this crazy, quirky, fantastic movie. So utterly surprising.
Forgotten – 4/5
A family moves homes, and it is obvious that Jin-Seok suffers from hypersensitivity, and has issues we don’t fully understand. When his brother is thrown into a van and abducted and then returns not remembering being abducted? Jin-Seok begins to believe his brother isn’t his brother anymore? THiNC. Take – This movie is one glorious mind-job movie you have to see to believe. Really fantastic film. Nothing is as it seems here.
Otherlife– 3.5/5
A startup has created the ability to build virtual reality experiences of the mind through the use of eyedrops. And in their attempt to monetize their solution all kinds of craziness ensues. THiNC. Take – Sort of a sci-fi, star crossed lovers movie where two people – one truly lucky, the other cursed, struggle against the ‘natural’ order to find love. Fantastic movie for this list.
Circle – 3.5/5
A number of hostages awake to find themselves in a game for their lives. Everyone begins struggling to figure out what is happening as people start dying left and right. THiNC. Take – This is one of the craziest idea movies I’ve ever seen. It literally is a philosophy 101 lifeboat scenario incarnate. Such a crazy mind job movie.
Dark – 5/5
Ok, so most of this list consists almost entirely of movies. And Dark? Is a TV show. But, I cannot recommend this show enough. A town in Germany has young boys abducted and they might just be reappearing dead years earlier? Later? Something really strange is going on here. THiNC. Take – Literally might be my favorite TV show ever. So much so that I crafted an enormous Dark Family Tree to keep track of the enormous list of players in this movie.
The Discovery – 4/5
A scientist discovers that there is verifiable proof that there is something after death. And just like that, large swaths of the planet begin committing suicide. As the researcher begins researching more about this afterlife we start to think we don’t know the entire story here. THiNC. Take – Great concept. Amazing world building. Fantastic acting and just a glorious right hook ending.
Shimmer Lake – 4.5/5
The town of Shimmer Lake is shaken by a murder. Only problem is that the small town is so interwoven with deceipt and intrigue there is no telling in where this movie is going to go. THiNC. Take –Oh my gosh, movies that work in reverse, generally never work. Memento being the big exception. But Shimmer Lake is a movie that works back to front in some of the most clever ways possible.
Stranger Things – 5/5
A boy goes missing, and a strange girl appears. A mom basically goes nuts. A vast scientific collective is on to some weird discoveries and weirder powers? What is going on here in the show that will define a generation. THiNC. Take – Yes, I’m late to this party. And yes this is a fantastic television show, through and through. Cut from the same cloth as The OA and Dark. All three TV shows are totally worth your time. So much goodness here.
Icarus – 3.5/5
Most documentaries are calculated and almost scripted from beginning to end. But Icarus was a story that pivoted and twisted as a new, totally new opportunity that presented itself. A man begins doping in a bicycle race to see where it will get him. But simultaneously, we begin learning that Russia has been running an Olympic Games doping scandal for years and years. THiNC. Take – This documentary actually played out in the headlines of the world. It has effected global relations. It has effected hundreds and hundreds of Olympians the world over. And continues to effect Russia directly. It’s just as fun a ride as it is important.
Spectral – 2.5/5
A special unit in the near future is fighting a war with what turns out to be spirits of some kind. A battle that unless they figure out the right technology, they are going to lose. THiNC. Take -This movie is actually a fun special effects real for those that love special effects. Sure, there is some story here. Sure there is some clever twists. But it’s mainly about the really sweet special effects happening here.
ARQ – 4/5
This is a movie about a couple that wake in a bed together, wondering how they got there. And when two men break in and end up killing them, only to reset and start all over again? You know you have an amazingly good story on your hands. THiNC. Take – This is a really really great story, with a fantastically tight script. The deeper you dive the more you realize you don’t know what is going on.
Cloverfield Paradox- 2.5/5
A new movie in the world of Cloverfield, this movie finds ourselves in space as we dive deep into the origin story of the Slushy, and the Cloverfield monsters that will one day ravage the earth. THiNC. Take – I enjoyed this movie mainly for its connection back to the original. Was not stellar, but it answered a ton of questions about how the Cloverfield universe works.
The OA – 4.5/5
The OA begins with the sudden reappearance of a woman that has been missing for years. The story she tells of her abduction will take you on the ride of your life. THiNC. Take – Some say this story is better than Stranger Things and even better than Dark. Not sure who I believe, but I will say this, it gives both a run for their money that is for sure.
The Invitation – 4.5/5
A couple invite some friends over for a party. The party happens to have something of an ulterior motive to it. But everyone knows that. But the question remains… What is that ulterior motive? THiNC. Take – The Invitation is a nearly perfect Indie movie in my mind. Might be a wee bit slow on the start. But over all, it packs a wallop when it starts steamrolling downhill.
Midnight In Paris – 4/5
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée’s family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s everyday at midnight. THiNC. Take – this movie inverts on itself like some of the most complicated movies we discuss here on taylorholmes.com. And yet it stays light and fun.
Radius – 4.5/5
A couple with a strange connection realize that if they get too far apart, everyone within a certain radius dies. Uncovering their connection and what happened to them before they kill half the town is their goal. THiNC. Take – when the plot goes from trick to true discovery is when this movie really starts to take off in my mind.
What Happened to Monday – 4/5
Set in a world where each family is licensed one child per family. A father with seven identical twin daughters allows them out one per day. But there is something wrong, and Monday has disappeared. THiNC. Take – This is a cool film that dives much further than you think it will. It goes beyond murder mystery to dystopian investigative reporter into the underbelly of their corrupt society.
Black Mirror – 5/5
Black Mirror is this generation’s Twilight Zone. Each episode is a different dive into the chaos of technology and near-term science advances. But be careful, it might just break your brain. THiNC. Take – Pro-tip? If you are a bit faint of heart… I’d skip Season 1 Episode 1. The rest are lesser extreme. (By a factor.)
Super Dark Times – 4/5
A fatal accident hits a trio of kids that don’t know what to do about it. And as the repercussions of their mistakes take hold, it turns a small town inside out. THiNC. Take – What makes a person evil? Or bad? How does that take hold? Where does that come from? All conversation points we discussed over on my post talking about this movie.
Synchronicity – 4/5
A physicist who invents a time machine and becomes suspicious that others may be trying to steal the technology. THiNC. Take – I really can’t say much more than that. Anything more than that will give this tightly wound story away. Time travel goodness right here.
Survivalist – 3/5
In a bleak dystopian future, a man, barely surviving on his small garden slowly loses his grip on reality as time goes on. Eventually two women of questionable origin arrive. What do they want and why are they there? THiNC. Take – This is for the tougher metaled among us. Definitely a bleak story that rewards the patient.
Creep – 3.5/5
Mark Duplass and his brother are mini-demigods of mine. Their ability to churn out low budget, high concept ideas are unrivaled. In Creep, a man hires a videographer to video his day. And he may or may not be a serial killer. THiNC. Take – This movie is awkward and brilliant in equal parts. Think two buddies with a video camera being completely unhinged along the along the way.
Creep 2 – 4.5/5
This time? A woman answers the Craig’s List request for a videographer for the day. Their one upmanship goes way way too far. Which makes it all the more fun to watch. THiNC. Take -Where Creep 1 was two guys mind-jobing each other, Creep 2 is between a male and a female. Which immediately ratchets up the discussion to power politics and gender equality.
Anon – 3.5/5
In this bleak future, everyone immediately sees who everyone else is. And those who would like to hide their identity are considered illegal. Among this dark backstory, murders begin happening for the first time in years. THiNC. Take – Basically a larger budget Black Mirror episode. Clever in its premise.
Twenty. Five. Movies. All very worth watching. Most mind jobs of really high quality. You are welcome.
I really am shocked that more people don’t just paypal me piles of cash more regularly. I mean, the service I provide to you and your life would seem to be at LEAST that valuable. Enjoy, and make sure you let us know here which mindjob movies I’ve missed on Netflix so we can grow this to a second edition!