We’re all spending a little bit more time at home at the moment and new releases, at least theatrically, are nonexistent due to cinemas remaining closed. Netflix has continued to kick out new releases, almost on a weekly basis, with the likes of The Wrong Missy, the superb Extraction, and, just this past week, The Lovebirds hitting our screens. However, this is the perfect time to look at their extensive library and check out some of the movies you may have missed over the past few years all of which are available on the streaming service in various territories. We’ve brought you these lists frequently in the past, but here are five more finds of the best now playing.
The Highwaymen
I loved this film – a different take on the Bonnie and Clyde story, this time told from the point of view of the lawmen on their trail across America. Accomplished filmmaker John Lee Hancock is behind this 2019 movie with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson playing the roles of Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, a couple of Texas Rangers charged with bringing the criminals to justice. This one briefly appeared in cinemas last year before making its debut on the home streamer to mixed reviews, but I got a lot out of this brilliant new spin on the story of the infamous duo.
Monos
If you’ve not heard of Monos, then let us educate you. This film, also released in 2019, is one of the best of the year. The film gained traction on the film festival circuit, kicking off at the Sundance Film Festival and then Berlin and many others – in fact, if you take a look at the film’s Wikipedia page, you’ll see the many accolades that the film picked up at various festivals all over the world. The story revolves around a group of teenagers who have to look after an American hostage. A ‘Lord of the Flies’ style story, the film is an impactful look human nature and features superb performances from its young cast as well as a remarkable score from Mica Levi. A slow burn, but an absolute must if you’re yet to see it.
The Invitation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9kJV7c9eKA
Here’s one that I saw on the festival circuit a few years ago, the jaw-dropping The Invitation. Directed by Karyn Kusama, who would go on to direct Nicole Kidman a couple of years later in Destroyer, the film revolves around a dinner party in the Hollywood Hills. It is one of those movies where it is best not to reveal so much, but proceedings kick-off when Logan Marshall-Green as Will is invited to a party at his ex-wife’s house, so he decides to take his new girlfriend – as you do. There, some strange things start to happen and proceedings start to take a turn for the worse for Will as his ex’s true intentions slowly rear their head. Come for the slow-burn, stay for the exceptional, shocking ending. One of the best genre films we’ve seen in ages.
Uncut Gems
If you’ve not heard of Uncut Gems, then you’ve also been missing out. The film debuted in cinemas in its domestic territory through A24 but actually landed on Netflix as an original in international territories. The film is directed by the exceptional Josh and Benny Safdie and attracted huge acclaim from critics following its first screenings at 2019’s Telluride Film Festival and then the Toronto International Film Festival. Adam Sandler leads the cast as Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler who, as we soon learn, is having a few issues. Ratner has taken to extreme measures to pay off his mountain of debts by importing an impressive stone from a mine in Africa. The film is an absolute pressure cooker of a film with Ratner’s wheeling and dealing front and center during the whole film. Ratner elevates his credit with local bookmakers and also seeks new casinos out of the state to wager his cash, the next bet bigger than the last as he continues on his quest to make money to pay off his creditors. Sandler is the best he’s been for years in this movie and was robbed of all of the major awards last season. Luckily his performance is available on Netflix virtually everywhere for all to see. Uncut Gems is unmissable stuff but not for the faint-hearted.
Long Shot
It is safe to say that Netflix is rife with dozens of sub-par comedies, particularly rom-coms. It’s safe to say that Long Shot is not one of them. Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron plays two childhood friends who are reunited later in life as the latter heads out on the campaign trail as a candidate to become the President of the United States. Rogen and Theron are both outstanding in this comedy that, while gross-out in places, is intelligent and well-staged.
