UPDATED: Judd Apatow’s uproarious comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin has been added to our list of the best movies on Netflix Australia. Read more about it on page 6!
If you’re new to Netflix and want to find the best movies to watch, or you’re tired of browsing the app for 30 minutes before finding something to watch, you’ve come to the right place. With thousands of movies at your disposal, it’s easy to get stuck in binge-watching mode, but finding the honest-to-goodness best films can be a bit of a hassle.
In an effort to determine the best of the best, we’ve put together a list of the greatest possible films you can watch – curated by TechRadar editors and backed up with ratings from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes – so that you don’t have to sift through the muck. We’ll keep this best-of list up to date with the latest movies that are must-watch, so you waste zero screen time searching.
As tech enthusiasts, it’s perhaps unsurprising that we’re obsessed with science fiction here at TechRadar. From glorious space operas to mind-bending films that make you think, there’s something for everyone on our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix Australia.
Annihilation
If you’ve seen writer-director Alex Garland’s previous sci-fi masterpiece, Ex Machina, you’ll know to expect a wild ride with his follow-up, Annihilation. Based on the highly regarded novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation follows a group of women who set off on an expedition into an environmental disaster zone where the laws of nature don’t apply. Natalie Portman leads the pack as a biologist searching for her missing husband, and she’s joined by Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and more. Though the film has only just been released in theatres in the US, Australia is lucky enough to be one of the countries getting the film on Netflix right away. Equally brainy and terrifying, Annihilation has all the makings of a modern science fiction classic.
IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Rogue One: A Star Wars story
As the first Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One had some pretty lofty expectations to live up to. Rather than try to replicate the formula that made The Force Awakens such a smashing success, director Gareth Edwards delivered a proper war film, one that had more in common with Saving Private Ryan than The Empire Strikes Back. Remember in A New Hope when the Rebellion got its hands on the Death Star plans that would lead to victory at the end of that film? Rogue One is about the group that stole those plans. Yes, it is a Star Wars prequel film, but don’t worry – there’s no Jar Jar Binks in sight.
IMDB Rating: 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Edge of Tomorrow
A terrific science fiction war film starring Tom Cruise, Edge of Tomorrow plays like a cross between Halo and Groundhog Day, where the Cruiser is thrown directly into an alien war only to die almost immediately and then forced to repeat the day over and over, becoming a little more battle-hardened each time. Joining him is Emily Blunt, playing a tough-as-nails soldier who helps Cruise figure out a way to close this never-ending time loop and end the war for good. Backed by a terrific script and some fine chemistry between Cruise and Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow is a fantastic special effect extravaganza that should please both sci-fi and action fans.
IMDB Rating: 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
District 9
The film that put both director Neill Blomkamp (Elysium) and star Sharlto Copley (Powers) on the international stage, District 9 is an ingenious science fiction Apartheid allegory that puts marooned aliens in South African concentration camps. An anti-alien pencil pusher (Copley) has his whole world turned upside down when he is sprayed with some kind of liquid that is slowly turning him into an alien, and now he has to team up with one of the “prawns” he so despises if he has any hope of turning back to normal. Hilarious, action-packed and filled with flinch-worthy body horror moments, District 9 is an instant classic that rightfully earned a best picture nomination at the Oscars.
IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Midnight Special
The kind of smart science fiction film that Steven Spielberg used to make in his ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ heyday, Midnight Special continually offers a sense of wonder as its story unfolds. Without spoiling too much, the film centres on Roy (Michael Shannon), a father who must protect his special son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) from both the US government and a cult after it’s discovered that the boy has otherworldly powers. Along for the ride are Alton’s mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) and Roy’s close friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton). With surprises around every corner, you never really know where Midnight Special is going, though what you can expect are some truly terrific performances and a mind-blowing finale. Fans of Stranger Things should check this out.
IMDB Rating: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Minority Report
What if you could prevent murders before they’ve occurred? More importantly, what would you do if you were due to be sentenced over a murder you haven’t committed yet? That is the premise of Steven Spielberg’s spectacular sci-fi film, Minority Report. Loosely based on the Philip K. Dick story of the same name, the film sees Tom Cruise play the head of a futuristic ‘Precrime’ Division tasked with stopping murderers from carrying out their violent actions. They can do this thanks to the psychic abilities of three siblings known as ‘Precogs’. But what happens when this trio of soothsayers predicts a murder carried about by Cruise himself? Spoiler alert, he runs! A visually stunning film that’s filled with ingenious and forward-thinking technological ideas that will likely become a reality in years to come, Minority Report is intense and action-packed.
IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
The Terminator
While other films from the same time period have struggled to stay relevant, The Terminator remains as interesting and unique as it was 33 years ago. An undisputed classic of intense, unrelenting action, The Terminator kickstarted the career of uber-director James Cameron, who would go on to direct such classic blockbusters as Aliens, Titanic, Avatar and, of course, Terminator 2L Judgment Day. If you’re looking for a retro masterpiece that holds up to modern-day cinema standards, you can stop searching – The Terminator is a must-see for any fan of science fiction, action and horror.
IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
A triumphant return to the screen for the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens sees the characters we love from the original trilogy, like Han Solo, Chewbacca and Leia, set off another adventure with a new generation of wonderful characters. Ironically, for a series set among the stars, Director J.J. Abrams brings the franchise back to Earth by dialling down the CGI that hobbled the prequel trilogy – this is a Star Wars movie that uses real locations and sets, as well as puppets and actors in costume, to recreate the spirit of Episodes IV through VI. Featuring thrilling action, incredible special effects and terrific performances, The Force Awakens is the best Star Wars film in over 30 years.
IMDB Rating: 8.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Gravity
It took an agonising seven years for director Alfonso Cuarón to follow his masterful last film, Children of Men, but what an incredible follow-up! With Gravity, he sure did stick the landing (ahem) and hit this one right out of orbit (I’ll let myself out). This nail-bitingly intense film, in which Sandra Bullock’s character must use her wits to survive in space after a catastrophic shuttle accident, is a technical marvel – the kind of film that wows even the likes of James Cameron, who called Gravity “the best space film ever done.” A perfect marriage of drama and special effects, Gravity is an absolute classic.
IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
We all love a good scare (so long as we’re safe and sound at the end of it), so with that in mind, we’ve taken the liberty of shining a spotlight on some of the best horror movies currently streaming on Netflix Australia. These freaky flicks are guaranteed to send shivers down your spine!
It
Get ready, fright fans — the highest-grossing horror movie of all time has made its way onto Netflix and is bound to make you terrified of clowns all over again. Based on Stephen King’s classic novel of the same name, It follows a group of tightly-knit adolescent misfits known as The Losers Club as they investigate an evil force that’s been stealing and murdering children in their small town for decades. With its late ’80s setting and talented cast of young performers, It is bound to appeal to fans of Netflix’s brilliant series Stranger Things (and not just because Finn Wolfhard stars in both). As far as Stephen King adaptations go, it’s one of the very best, managing to strike the right balance between horror and heart. Simply put, It is the kind of crowd-pleasing scare film we’d like to see more of. We recommend watching It before the upcoming sequel, which takes place 27 years later and sees the kids all grown up and terrorised by Pennywise the Dancing Clown all over again.
IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Jaws
The film that defined the term ‘blockbuster’, Steven Spielberg’s classic fright film Jaws has swam its way onto the the service and is hungry for more viewers to chomp on. When an aggressive great white shark starts eating swimmers in the lead up to Fourth of July weekend, the mayor of a popular tourist destination sets a bounty for the shark’s head. The town’s sheriff (Roy Scheider), an oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and a shark hunter with a grudge (Robert Shaw) set out on the seas to take it down for good. They’re gonna need a bigger boat…
IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
It Follows
Considered a modern horror classic by many, It Follows sees a young girl (Maika Monroe) terrorised by a sexually-transmitted demon. This terrifying apparition looks different every time and will chase you relentlessly until you either pass it on by sleeping with someone else, or until it catches up to you and finishes you off for good. To make matters worse, if the person you pass it on to dies, it will turn its attention back to you again. Did we mention that it can only be seen by the people that have been ‘infected’, so your friends won’t be able to help as much as they’d like to? Yeah, it kinda sucks. Stylish, atmospheric and with a terrific John Carpenter-inspired synth score, It Follows in an effective horror movie which may suffer a little from a few odd decisions by its characters, but is still well worth watching.
IMDB Rating: 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
The Babysitter
One for the horror comedy fans, the Netflix Original film The Babysitter, from director McG (Charlie’s Angels), is an energetic and fun flick with some killer one-liners and a star-making performance from Aussie actress Samara Weaving (yes, she’s related to Hugo), whom horror fans may remember from her role in the first season of Ash vs Evil Dead. The plot is simple: kid develops a crush on his incredibly cool babysitter, only to find out that she’s sadistic, devil-worshipping killer with a group of equally psychotic friends, all of whom are planning to kill him. Though he’s a total wimp, he must now fight back in order to survive. Gory and funny in equal measure, The Babysitter is a hell of a time.
IMDB Rating: 6.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Evil Dead
One of the few horror remakes that fans of the original have embraced, The Evil Dead (2013) takes the outrageous series in an even gorier direction than ever before. Director Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) drops the slapstick comedy that was introduced in Evil Dead II, dialling up the gory grossness that made the original film an instant classic among horror fans. Sure, it lacks the winning charisma of Bruce Campbell, whose presence is definitely missed and cannot be replaced the mostly bland cast found here, but the film is still a slime-covered blast that puts its actors through hell regardless – just the way it should be. Groovy.
IMDB Rating: 6.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Documentaries offer unprecedented insight into the lives of real people and the extraordinary events that surround them. Fiction is great, but fact truly has the power to move and inspire people like nothing else. With that said, here are some of the best documentaries currently available to stream on Netflix Australia.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream
An epic 4-hour documentary on the classic rock band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Peter Bogdanovich’s all-encompassing opus follows Tom Petty and his band from childhood to 2007 and is packed with candid interviews with the band’s members, as well as the people that helped them become who they are. Having tragically passed away at age 66, Tom Petty will forever be remembered as one of the best songwriters in rock and roll, and a pioneering artist for everyone who has come since. If you’ve only just become aware of Tom Petty following his untimely death and want to know more about his impact on rock music, Runnin’ Down a Dream has you covered.
IMDB Rating: 8.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Amanda Knox
Following the enormous success of its original docu-series Making a Murderer, Netflix has once again returned to the ever-popular ‘true crime’ well with Amanda Knox. The Netflix Original documentary tells the harrowing story of an American exchange student who spent four years in an Italian prison after being convicted for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Forced to endure the prosecution’s various character assassination tactics, including public slut-shaming, Knox maintains her innocence at all times, with her appeals eventually reaching Italy’s Supreme Court. Amanda Knox is an effective and truly eye-opening documentary that is not to be missed.
IMDB Rating: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Rubble Kings
Thought the classic ’70s film The Warriors was pure make-believe? You’d be surprised how much truth was actually buried under all the crazy costumes. Throughout the decade, the New York City borough known as The Bronx was teeming with gang violence; each gang with its own uniform, its own war-chief and its own piece of turf to fiercely defend against rival gangs – sometimes to the death. Rubble Kings documents this fascinating era, interviewing many of the key players and giving insight into the series of events that would eventually bring peace to The Bronx at the tail end of the tumultuous decade. Fans of The Warriors, The Get Down and Hip-Hop Evolution will adore Rubble Kings. Okay, boppers. It’s time to add Rubble Kings to your Netflix queue…
IMDB Rating: 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
We love a good thriller, which is why we’ve narrowed down some of the best ones that are now available to watch on Netflix Australia. These films will have you on the edge of your seat in suspense, so sit back, try to relax, and enjoy.
The Villainess
Equal parts Oldboy and La Femme Nikita, The Villainess is a female-driven Korean revenge thriller with the most incredible and original action sequences this side of The Raid — seriously, the first-person knife fights and shootouts in this put Hollywood action movies to shame. Sook-hee (Ok-bin Kim) is apprehended after carrying out a killing spree that leaves dozens of gangsters dead. She’s given a choice: train to become a ruthless assassin and receive freedom after ten years, or spend the rest of her life in jail. Obviously, she chooses the former, and before long it becomes clear to her that her rampage was spurned on under false pretences. Now, it’s time to make everyone pay for what they did to her.
IMDB Rating: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Gerald’s Game
2017 has been a great year for Stephen King adaptations (ahem, The Dark Tower aside), and the new Netflix Original film Gerald’s Game joins It and 1922 in the upper echelon. In an attempt to rekindle their marriage, Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) and Jessie (Carla Gugino) retreat to a remote lake house. When a sex game goes awry, Jessie is left alone and handcuffed to the bed and must overcome her mounting paranoia and deep, personal demons. Though the film mostly takes place within the one room, Gerald’s Game remains thrilling from start to finish. It also features one of the best performances of Gugino’s career.
IMDB Rating: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Munich
Though he’s established a rabid fan base due to the success of blockbuster films like Jurassic Park, Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark, director Steven Spielberg is arguably in at his best when tackling more grown up fare – films like Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan can attest to that. However, there is one film in particular that is arguably the most complex and adult of his entire career, and that film is Munich. Based on the real-life tragedy that occurred during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, in which the entire Israeli team was taken hostage and then massacred by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, the film sheds light on Israel’s secret retaliation missions. Allegedly, these black ops saw undercover Mossad agents (played here by the likes of Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Ciarán Hinds) track down and assassinate the men believed responsible in a rather public manner. Rather than take sides in the still ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Spielberg questions the cost of vengeance on the conscience and soul of an entire country, asking whether it ultimately achieves anything other than more bloodshed. A riveting film that does not shy away from the story’s more harrowing aspects.
IMDB Rating: 7.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Wake in Fright
One of the most powerful and harrowing films in Australian cinema history, Wake in Fright forces audiences to take a good hard look at Australia’s destructively macho drinking culture. Marooned in a small outback town while he waits for a train to Sydney, schoolteacher John Grant (Gary Bond) stops in at a local pub to pass the time. Sounds innocent enough, right? Unfortunately for John, a chance encounter with a pack of local louts sends him on an incredibly dark odyssey into the Australian heart of darkness. As shocking and menacing as any horror movie, Wake in Fright is an extremely confronting masterpiece that requires a strong stomach.
IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Drive
Drive is the film that made it cool to love Ryan Gosling. Based on the novel of the same name by James Sallis, this pulpy thriller is one of the most stylish films of the last decade, having almost single-handedly revived the neon ’80s synth-pop scene. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, Only God Forgives), Drive sees Gosling play a nameless stunt driver who works as a shady wheelman by night. When a job goes horribly wrong, this ‘driver’ must dispense violent justice to make things right for those he cares for. The film’s immense influence can be felt across all forms of media – the video game Hotline Miami, in particular, owes a large debt of gratitude to Drive. A loving ode to the early tough-guy crime movies of Michael Mann, Drive is essential viewing.
IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
The Silence of the Lambs
Simultaneously terrifying and mesmerising, The Silence of the Lambs is the film that catapulted the fictional character of Dr. Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter to mythic proportions. This brilliantly psychotic serial killer, played with great menace by Sir Anthony Hopkins in the role won him an Oscar, has since gone on be the subject of several films, books and even a fantastic television series. But while his impact on The Silence of the Lambs is huge, the story belongs to Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), an FBI trainee who is given the task of consulting with the infamous man-eater in an effort to track down a deranged killer that’s skinning his victims. Foster’s role is less showy but more impressive, played with equal parts determination and vulnerability. We fear for her because we see ourselves in her shoes, but also because we get a real sense of what drives her character, both emotionally and mentally. These characters may have appeared in many other films, but The Silence of the Lambs is still the best by a long stretch. A true masterpiece.
IMDB Rating: 8.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
We’re serious cinephiles here at at TechRadar. It’s not all about Star Wars around here – we enjoy a good tear-jerker, too. There are many sensitive drama films streaming on Netflix Australia right, and these are some of the best ones. So grab a hanky and get ready for a heavy night in.
Dunkirk
A harrowing tale of grand-scale survival against all odds, Christopher Nolan’s film Dunkirk re-enacts one of the most significant events in World War II — namely, the evacuation of over 300,000 Allied soldiers who were trapped in the French port town of Dunkirk with no supplies and barely any ammunition while surrounded by heavily armed German forces. Codenamed Operation Dynamo, Winston Churchill’s decision to enlist every available civilian vessel capable of reaching Dunkirk resulted in the vast majority of stranded troops being rescued. Had the scenario gone another way, the Allied forces may have lost the war. Following the events by land, air and sea, Nolan offers a surprisingly intimate look at the evacuation, despite being set against an epic backdrop. One of Nolan’s best films to date, Dunkirk is a must-see war film the explores human courage in the face of almost certain death.
IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 9.2
Your Name
A worldwide phenomenon, Your Name is the highest-grossing anime film of all time — that’s right, bigger than any Studio Ghibli film or science fiction blockbuster. That a simple story about a young girl from a rural town switching bodies with a young man from bustling Tokyo hit such a cord with audiences is a testament to the heartfelt writing that helps bring these animated characters to life. Makoto Shinkai’s film is the kind that will have you laughing one moment, then crying the next. A joyful and beautiful love story told in a unique and cerebral way, Your Name is one of the true anime masterpieces, sitting alongside the likes of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away and the legendary Akira.
IMDB Rating: 8.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Good Time
Good Time stars Robert Pattinson in the type of performance that will make you forget all about his involvement in the Twilight saga. We’re talking young De Niro good, here. When his mentally-challenged brother is snatched by the police after a bank robbery, Connie (Pattinson) sets out to do anything he can to free his brother before getting sent to the brutal Rikers Island jail complex. This sets off a night that spirals out of control extremely fast. There’s pretty much no way of predicting what will happen next. Gritty and grimy, Good Time is an intense film with an incredible soundtrack and fantastic cinematography. One of the best films of 2017.
IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
The Revenant
The film that finally bagged Leonardo DiCaprio a much-deserved Academy Award, The Revenant is at once a stunning technical achievement and a gut-wrenching tale of survival in the harshest wilderness imaginable. Based on the true story of Hugh Glass (though fudged a little for the sake of added drama), a man who was left for dead by his fur-trapping party after a savage bear attack (amazingly realised here in one of the film’s many single-take camera shots). Now, Glass must carry himself across 200 miles of snowy hell to track down down the man who killed his son (that part is made up) and left him to die alone, played here by a mumbly Tom Hardy. A powerful film with incredibly cinematography and exceptional performances, The Revenant is a must-see piece of cinema.
MDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Full Metal Jacket
An astonishing work of immense power, Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece Full Metal Jacket examines man’s innate desire to kill, memorably told against the backdrop of the controversial Vietnam War. The film is split in two halves – the first, which is set at boot camp, follows a young recruit who is pushed right over the edge by an abusive drill sergeant. The latter half focuses on a military journalist who watches in horror as Vietnamese people are killed indiscriminately by the soldiers he’s following for reasons they don’t even understand. Will they make a killing machine out of him, too? Essential viewing for war film aficionados.
IMDB Rating: 8.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Lawrence of Arabia (Restored Version)
One of the greatest historical epics of all time, Lawrence of Arabia has arrived on Netflix in its recently restored form. Trust us when we say that the film, which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, looks even more sublime now than ever before. Desert landscapes are vast and immaculate, skies (and Peter O’Toole’s eyes) are the incredibly blue, and close-up detail is off the charts. Still, underneath all the eye candy on display, lies one of the most inspiring war stories of all time, all of which is based on true events in the life of British officer T.E Lawrence, who led the Arab tribes against the Turks in WWI. If you haven’t seen Lawrence of Arabia before, we suggest you set aside a weekend (this movie is very, very long) and remedy that as soon as possible.
IMDB Rating: 8.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Beasts of No Nation
As Netflix’s first original movie, Beasts of No Nation had a lot to prove. The VOD scene had traditionally been associated with low budget indies and D-grade horror films, but with Beasts of No Nation, Netflix managed to convince people that high quality (dare I say, Oscar-calibre) films could be streamed at home and shown in theatres at the same time. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective season 1), Beasts follows the loss of a child soldier’s innocence as he’s forced to do unspeakable things. The film hits like a sledgehammer, never shying away from the brutality and horror experienced by this young boy (played masterfully by newcomer Abraham Attah). Equally powerful is Idris Elba’s portrayal as the boy’s remorseless and despicable commander. Though not what you’d call a crowd-pleaser, we hope that Netflix continues to bring us brilliant films like this.
IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Blue is the Warmest Color
As soulful as it is erotically-charged, it’s not hard to see why Blue is the Warmest Color won the highest prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival – its portrayal of two women who fall in love and allow each other to discover their true selves is truly special. Though Emma (Léa Seydoux) is a blue-haired free spirit, Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) doesn’t feel comfortable in her own skin. While Adèle’s friends initially shun Emma due to her sexuality, she soon realises that Emma is the only person with whom she can express herself openly and bare her soul to. Together, the pair experience the ups and downs of a mature relationship, while also exploring social acceptance and their sexuality. A beautiful masterpiece that will take you on an emotional roller-coaster throughout its lengthy 3-hour running time, Blue is the Warmest Color is a film you won’t soon forget.
IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Okja
Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer) is an eclectic filmmaker, and his latest work, Okja, is in a genre all of its own. Is it an adventure film? Is it science fiction? Is it a drama? Is it a fairy tale? Is it satire? The answer is… all of the above. With a style that’s somewhere between Spielberg and Miyazaki, the film follows a young Korean girl’s quest to rescue her best friend Okja, a super-pig that was created by the multi-national conglomerate Mirando Corporation for the purposes of consumption. Flipping between heartbreaking and joyful at the drop of a hat, Okja is an emotional roller coaster of a film that may well have you reconsidering your dietary choices.
IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Schindler’s List
This is one of the most affecting movies that you will ever see. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a factory owner who begins to help his Jewish workers during World War II after he sees them persecuted by the Nazi Germans, the movie is a study in brevity. Steven Spielberg manages to find the human stories in the atrocity of WWII without shying away from the true horror of what happened during the conflict. Winner of several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, Schindler’s List is a film you won’t soon forget.
IMDB Rating: 8.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Selma
A heartfelt and considered look at Martin Luther King Jr’s struggle to gain equal voting rights, campaigning in racially-charged Alabama, Selma was one of the finest films of 2014 and was rightly nominated for a Best Picture Oscar as a result. It may have missed out on the top gong, or a Best Director nod for director Ava DuVernay, but David Oyelowo’s performance as the civil rights leader is a powerful one, with a supporting cast recreating the inspiring story with great respect. With recent real-life events showing that racial tension is still as prevalent in 2017 as it was in the 1960s, Selma is more relevant than ever. Powerful and moving, Selma is a must see film about courage, determination and the fight for equality among all people, regardless of their colour.
IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Need a good laugh? Netflix Australia is home to some terrific comedies, with a number of hilarious movies ready to stream in an instant. Some are light-hearted, while others are pitch black. With that in mind, there’s a comedy for everyone below.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Unlucky in love, nice guy Andy (Steve Carrell) has yet to go all the way with a woman despite being 40 years old. While he has quietly resounded himself to the possibility that he may never lose his virginity, his rambunctious co-workers (Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and Romany Malco) have made it their mission to get Andy laid, no matter what. And, just when you think you have the movie figured out, it reveals itself to be a surprisingly sweet story about friendship and moving into the next stage of life. Featuring more gut-busting one-liners and sexual misadventures than you can poke a… err… you get where we’re going with this, Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin is one of the most hilarious comedies of the 21st century.
IMDB Rating: 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Swingers
The indie film that made stars out Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, Swingers is a hilariously hip film (well, in the ’90s it was) about friendship and moving on from a devastating breakup. Stylish and energetic, the film also made Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow) one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. Worth watching for the hilariously-needy answering machine scene alone. Based on a winning script by Favreau (who would go on to huge success as a director with films like Iron Man and The Jungle Book), the movie is so, so money.
IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Coming to America
Perhaps the most charming and endlessly entertaining comedy of Eddie Murphy’s career, Coming to America takes the standard ‘fish out of water’ concept and weaves pure magic with it. Unhappy with the arranged marriage set up by royal parents, Prince Akeem of the wealthy (and fictitious) African nation of Zamunda sets off for America in search of love with help from his squire, Semmi (Arsenio Hall). Before long, Akeem falls for the smart and independent Lisa (Shari Headley), heir to the McDowell’s fast food restaurant empire. Insistent that he win her affections with his personality and not his wealth, Akeem and Semmi pretend to be poor and acquire jobs at McDowell’s. Now, the pair must contend with Lisa’s over-protective father (John Amos) and her jerk boyfriend (Eriq La Salle). Full of heart and bloody hilarious, Coming to America is a comedy classic.
IMDB Rating: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Fight Club
You know what they say: black comedy is still comedy! While the first rule of Fight Club may be that you shouldn’t talk about Fight Club, it’s extremely hard to keep quiet about a film as provocative as this. Though its messages are based in extremely dark satire, David Fincher’s film is as nihilistic and anarchistic as any major film studio has ever produced. Violent, gross and incendiary, Fight Club sees emasculated males bash each other’s faces in to make themselves feel manly once more. While the film’s themes are intended in jest (the film is basically Gen X’s ultra-dark version of a Marx Brothers comedy), they certainly resonated strongly with certain fans, many of which would go on to start their own fight clubs. Despite being misunderstood by its biggest admirers, Fight Club is one of the must-see films of the late ’90s.
IMDB Rating: 8.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Hot Fuzz
Following the success of their classic rom-zom-com, Shaun of the Dead, director Edgar Wright, star and writer Simon Pegg and co-star Nick Frost teamed up once again to bring their hilarious sensibilities to the buddy-cop movie genre with Hot Fuzz. London super-cop Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is involuntarily transferred to a village in the English countryside for making his superiors look bad by comparison. There, he teams up with dim-witted (but well-meaning) cop Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and together, the pair uncover a murder conspiracy. If films like Point Break and Bad Boys II are in constant rotation at your place, you absolutely owe it to yourself to grab a Cornetto and watch Hot Fuzz.
IMDB Rating: 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
American Psycho
It may look like a thriller, but Just like its main character, American Psycho is something entirely different under the surface. Quite frankly, most people don’t expect this film to be as funny and endlessly quotable as it is. Director Mary Harron and co-screenwriter Guinevere Turner did the unthinkable when they took on the job of adapting Bret Easton-Ellis’ hugely controversial and largely unfilmable book, American Psycho – they looked beyond the source material’s horrendously graphic and seemingly never-ending violence to focus on the scathing satire of the greed-obsessed ’80s buried underneath. Christian Bale solidified himself as one of the world’s most exciting actors in the role of Patrick Bateman, the Wall Street yuppie with an insatiable lust for blood and dinner reservations. Both shocking and hilarious, American Psycho is a remarkably clever cult classic.
IMDB Rating: 7.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Though they live on the other side of the law, we as people tend to be fascinated by criminals. Whether it’s the outlaw lifestyles they lead, or the fact that they live those lives on the edge and do things most of us wouldn’t dream of, something about their stories makes them cinematic gold. Here are some of the best crime movies now streaming on Netflix Australia.
The Wolf of Wall Street
The characters in the fact-based film The Wolf of Wall Street may very be completely reprehensible with little-to-no redeeming qualities, but damn if they aren’t freakin’ hilarious. An adults-only tour through the real-life antics of white collar criminal Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio at his most unhinged), the film revels in the excess and debauchery of Wall Street in the 1980s, where thieving yuppies spent millions of dollars on drugs, hookers and extravagant lifestyles they did not earn. While the film’s three hour runtime might scare off potential viewers, Martin Scorsese’s energetic direction keeps the action moving at a lightning-fast pace. The film was also stars Margot Robbie’s in her breakout role, playing Belfort’s ever-suffering wife, Naomi. Jonah Hill is also incredibly funny as Belfort’s partner in crime, Donnie. If you love Scorsese’s classic film Goodfellas, chances are you’ll enjoy this just as much.
IMDB Rating: 8.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Snatch
A rollicking crime caper movie from Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels writer and director Guy Ritchie, Snatch takes everything great about that movie and dials it up to 11. Featuring a large cast of colourful cockney crooks, including Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Dennis Farina, Benicio Del Toro, Vinnie Jones and Brad Pitt (particularly memorable as an unintelligible Gypsy boxer), Snatch flies thick and fast with hilarious quotable lines and energetic performances. Whether they’re chasing after a diamond the size of a fist, or betting on illegal bare-knuckle brawls, you can expect these characters to end up getting into all kinds of mischief.
IMDB Rating: 8.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
City of God
If you’ve blasted your way through both seasons of Narcos and want another South American crime epic to get stuck into, consider City of God as your next destination. Based on true events that took place over three decades in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, the film accurately recreates the lively and energetic vibe of Brazil, but also counters it some truly harrowing scenes of devastating violence. In the ‘City of God’, children brandish firearms and kill each other indiscriminately over petty drug deals. While that might sound like too much to bear, the terrific filmmaking on display from Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund will keep you on the edge of your seat, as will the film’s authentic performers and compelling story. One of the greatest films of all time, City of God is like Goodfellas scored to a samba beat.
IMDB Rating: 8.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Pulp Fiction
Perhaps the most influential movie of the 90s, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the big prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the hearts and minds of an entire pop culture-obsessed generation. Presented as an ingenious crime anthology with three interlocking parts, Pulp Fiction follows two hitmen as they go on a job and experience what may or may not be an act of God, a dinner date with the crime boss’ wife which (almost) spirals out of control, and a boxer who accepts money from the aforementioned boss to take a dive, but opts to skip town instead. Violent, audacious and with little concern to the rules of cinema, Pulp Fiction is the kind of whip-smart classic that can be watched at the drop of a hat. The film may have seen its fair share of imitators over the years, but none of that has diluted Pulp Fiction’s immense power.
IMDB Rating: 8.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Buckle up for some heart-pounding entertainment with some of the most kick-ass action movies now streaming on Netflix Australia. Adrenaline junkies will get a kick out of every one of the brawny movies listed below.
John Wick: Chapter Two
In the first John Wick, they killed his dog, sending this boogeyman-like professional killer (played by a never-better Keanu Reeves) on a roaring rampage of revenge where no noggin remained bullet-free. In John Wick: Chapter Two, our favourite head-shooting hitman is on the defensive, as he is betrayed by an old associate and left to fight off every trigger happy assassin in New York and abroad. With even more insane stunt work and mythology building than the original film, John Wick 2 is an action-packed middle chapter which promises to end in an almighty bloodbath for the upcoming trilogy-closer, John Wick 3: Parabellum.
IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol on Netflix before the latest film in the saga, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, hits theatres. Why should you do that? Because the fourth entry in the M:I series, which is directed by animation legend Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) is not only the best Mission to date — it’s one of the best spy movies of all time, period. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team (which includes Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton) must stop a crazed madman (the late Michael Nyqvist) who believes the only way to save the world is to destroy it. Featuring brilliant spy antics, clever gadgets and the best stunts of Cruise’s death-defying career (seriously, one particular sequence which takes place on the world’s tallest building is positively vertigo-inducing), Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is as close to perfection as these kinds of films get.
IMDB rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
The Warriors
Set in a heightened version of New York in the dirty 1970s, where the streets are ruled by violent gangs in crazy costumes, The Warriors follows one particular gang (we’ll give you one guess as to what they’re called) that’s framed for the murder of a visionary gang leader during a city-wide midnight summit. Originally meant as a peaceful event, The Warriors must now make it back to their home turf at the other side of the city with every other gang in town out for their blood. Will they survive long enough to prove their innocence? And will the real culprits get what’s coming to them? A fantastic piece of ’70s pulp, The Warriors is a guaranteed great time. And while its vision of colourful gangs lording over the slums of NYC seems outlandish, it’s a lot closer to the reality of the time than most people realise. To learn more about this bygone era, check out the documentary Rubble Kings, which is also streaming on Netflix (read more about it on Page 3).
IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Wonder Woman
The DC Cinematic Universe has had a bit of a rough start in its attempts to catch up to competitor Marvel, with films like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad unable to adequately please both fans and critics. That all changed with Wonder Woman, the first DCU movie to receive universal praise across the board. Perfectly cast as Wonder Woman a.k.a. Diana Prince, Gal Gadot breathes warmth and love into the world’s most famous female superhero. Diana is swept into the wars of man when charming pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash lands near the hidden island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons. Sensing that WWI is the doing of Ares, the God of War, Diana sets off with Steve into the world of man to end the war (and Ares) once and for all. One of the greatest superhero movies of all time, Wonder Woman is a triumph. Now let’s hope we get more DC movies like this…
IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The sequel to Marvel’s 2014 phenomenon, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 finds the intergalactic heroes thrust into another adventure, one that could reveal
