For as many streaming services as there is currently are, Netflix remains possibly the premiere platform to watch movies and television shows. The first mainstream streaming service there was, it’s a platform that continues to boast some of the finest and most noteworthy movies you’ll find anywhere.
With a streaming catalog mixed between Netflix original movies and endless amounts of well-known movies like Bullet Train, Troy, and Glass Onion, there’s no shortage of potential viewing options when it comes to Netflix’s impressive lineup of movies.
Here are some of the movies you can currently find streaming on Netflix that we’d recommend checking out.
Updated: December 23.
Mystery: Glass Onion
The whodunit to end all whodunits, Glass Onion is the ambitious follow-up to Rian Johnson’s previous film, Knives Out. Just as big and bold as Johnson’s prior outing in the mystery genre, it establishes Johnson’s intrepid detective, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), as a force to be reckoned with, existing in the same fictional model as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poiriot.
Needing a new case to catch his interest, Benoit Blanc (Craig) is invited to the remote luxury island of an eccentric tech mogul (Edward Norton), along with the mogul’s closest friends. There, the billionaire’s plans for a “murder mystery game night” are interrupted by an actual murder, with Blanc trying to root out the guilty party responsible.
There are plenty of similarities that connect Knives Out with Glass Onion (the large cast, the scenic locale, the number of plot twists sprinkled throughout). But rather than just being a blatant ripoff of his earlier film, Johnson takes painstaking steps to set it apart, building a movie that’s every bit as fun, unique, and rewarding as his first whodunit.
Documentary: The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari
It’s not often that a documentary trends number one as the most-watched movie on Netflix. But if there’s a word you can use to describe The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari, it’s exceptional.
As terrifying a documentary you can ever imagine, The Volcano traces the build-up and immediate aftermath surrounding the 2019 Whakaari volcano eruption. Made up of footage taken at the actual site of the eruption, it follows survivors who witnessed the explosion, and the various relief efforts designed to rescue all those trapped within the volcano’s vicinity.
Trending just one week after the Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcano eruptions in Hawaii, The Volcano explores the bone-chilling reality that comes with a natural disaster of such epic proportions as Whakaari and Mauna Loa. It’s a film that won’t do much to ease your anxiety, but it’s a fascinating documentary that’s easy to fall into nonetheless.
Comedy: Who Killed Santa?
Will Arnett has been doing a delightful job with his latest Netflix comedy series, Murderville. Thankfully, this past week has seen Arnett release a special one hour episode in between seasons of his new hit show — one that’s loaded with laughs and split between three performers that will be sure to please most viewers.
After finding a Santa Claus actor murdered with a giant candy cane, ace detective Terry Seattle (Arnett) teams with three amateur inspectors (Jason Bateman, Maya Rudolph, and Pete Davidson) to interrogate a host of probable suspects.
If you’ve ever seen Murderville, you’re familiar with the formula of the show. To those who’ve never had the pleasure, essentially, Arnett stays entirely in character, giving his guest detectives an opportunity to improv their way through the whole episode. It’s hilariously good fun with a goofy premise behind it, perfect for SNL viewers and fans of improvisational comedy.
Drama: Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Alejandro G. Iñárritu is among the more visionary directors we have working today. His recent films like The Revenant and Birdman, and even his earlier works like Amores Perros, are modern masterpieces in the film industry. Unfortunately, his most recent movie, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, doesn’t quite live up to the heights of Iñárritu’s best efforts, but it still makes for a compelling movie.
Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho) is a successful Mexican journalist who’s made a name for himself in Los Angeles. As his reputation and work grow more renowned with time, Silverio begins to experience a deep longing to return home, leading to several hallucinations and visions related to his past in Mexico.
Most reviewers tended to criticize Bardo for being overly-indulgent in its portrayal of success and overly long in its runtime (just over two and a half hours). If you’re willing to look past its flaws, though, you might be able to recognize the more positive aspects associated with the film, such as its crisp cinematography and surrealist imagery.
Action: Bullet Train
One of the biggest new arrivals to Netflix in recent weeks is the 2022 action comedy, Bullet Train. A visually gripping movie with a fantastic lineup of actors at its disposal, it can be accurately described as a live-action anime movie, complete with over-the-top fight sequences and witty one-liners throughout.
On a mission aboard a Japanese bullet train, hapless hit man “Lady Bug” (Brad Pitt) is surprised to learn that he’s not the only person on the job — finding the train loaded with assassins all trying to eliminate their competition.
With Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, and Bad Funny filling in the rest of the cast, Bullet Train is likable enough from a casting standpoint alone. If that weren’t enough, the movie’s outstanding action scenes and high-speed thrills will be enough to hook most viewers — even if the movie peters out a bit by the halfway point.
Family: Trolls
It seems easy to joke or outright dismiss Trolls based entirely on its child-centric premise and characters. However, more open-minded viewers might be surprised by the above-par quality of the movie, as well as a soundtrack that’s bound to linger in your head for a few days afterwards.
After their town is invaded by a race of brutish creatures known as Bergens, two young Trolls of vastly different personalities (Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake) set out on a quest to save their village.
Trolls is more directly geared towards kids than other DreamWorks properties (a main example being the innuendo-laden Shrek). Still, even adults will be able to appreciate the movie’s lighthearted humor, vibrant color palette, and utterly massive cast (which includes Zooey Deschanel, Russell Brand, James Corden, and Gwen Stefani).
Epic: Troy
Don’t be fooled — Troy isn’t a straight adaptation of Homer’s seminal work, The Iliad. Ditching the mythological components that characterize the book (mostly related to the Greek gods interfering with the Trojan War), the movie is instead a run of the mill sword-and-sandal epic loosely based on Homer’s legend.
When the Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) seduces the King of Sparta’s wife (Diane Kruger) and returns home with her, the vengeful Greeks launch an all-out campaign against the city.
An ancient epic that owes plenty to similar films like Gladiator, Troy is noteworthy for its massive ensemble cast (Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Rose Byrne, and many others), music, and exciting action sequences. Fans of The Iliad might be disappointed, but those who enjoy large-scale battle sequences and Brad Pitt will have plenty to rave about.
Western: The Quick and the Dead
In the mid ‘90s, genre filmmaker and Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi oversaw his own version of a Spaghetti Western. Highly stylized and over the top in more ways than one, Raimi’s movie (The Quick and the Dead) was far from the most revolutionary Western ever made, but its originality and wide cast is enough to sustain most viewers.
In the frontier town of Redemption, a lone gunslinger (Sharon Stone) enters a tournament run by the corrupt mayor (Gene Hackman) to determine the deadliest quick-draw shooter in the area.
An underrated entry in Raimi’s canon, The Quick and the Dead is geared more towards hardcore Western enthusiasts or those who hold an affinity for a specific style of filmmaking (Kill Bill and Django Unchained fans in particular will likely adore it). Despite this, the cast alone is enough of a reason to tune in and watch, the movie including such familiar faces as Russell Crowe, Keith David, Lance Henriksen, Gary Sinise, and a pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio.
Romance: Notting Hill
How is it that Hugh Grant is in practically every romantic comedy? Seriously, if Mariah Carey is the Queen of Christmas, then Grant is definitely the King of the Rom Com. Even when compared to Grant’s usual body of work, though, Notting Hill is an above average film — a fun, well-acted comedy containing two fine lead performances.
Will (Grant) is the owner of a struggling bookshop in Notting Hill, London. By chance, a popular American film star (Julia Roberts) enters his shop, with the two developing a mutual attraction to one another in spite of their obvious differences.
Roberts and Grant make for a great pair together, with Notting Hill propelled by an amazing script and some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. As with the best rom coms, it’s also a movie that shows that love can sprout from anywhere, regardless of differing social classes or barriers (a poignant message to remember any time of the year).
Underrated: Yes Man
Yes Man isn’t typically recognized as Jim Carrey’s crowning achievement in the world of comedy. And yes, to be fair, it isn’t nearly as great as his career-defining work with Dumb and Dumber or The Truman Show. But its originality and Carrey’s straight-laced performance make it a sadly overlooked entry in the actor’s layered filmography.
Lonely, depressed, and at odds with his friends, a miserable bank teller (Carrey) enters a self-help program. There, he is challenged to simply say yes to every opportunity that presents itself in life — no matter what it is.
One of the better movies in Carrey’s later career, Yes Man is punctuated with several standout scenes that’ll forever live rent free in your memory — mainly a scene-stealing Terence Stamp and Rhys Darby. On a more profound level, it might even encourage you to say yes to more things in life (after all, love it or hate it, it’ll guarantee you a new experience, which is what life’s all about).
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
source https://wealthofgeeks.com/movies-on-netflix-now/
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