11 Movies (And One Show) You Have To Watch On Netflix

Netflix Streaming Guide - August 7th, 2024

Here’s the thing about the almighty Netflix algorithm — it’s actually counting on you not scrolling very much. I know we all complain about the exercise of clicking through endless rows of previews for an hour and never actually picking something, but the way the interface is set up it seems like Netflix wants to sell you on something within the first two or three rows. (And it’s no coincidence that maybe 7-10 of those 15 titles are Netflix originals….)

I bring that up to say that even when I was trying to scroll through the entire Netflix library, see all the movies on the service, it was NOT easy. In fact, I ended up seeing the same handful of movies from that first 15 served to me again and again.

It’s a perfect example about how modern algorithms work. The algorithm almost seems determined to cram down your throat various titles that it has determined are most similar to stuff you’ve already watched previously.

So how are you supposed to discover new things?? I’ve got you! Utilizing all of the 1000+ movie suggestions I’ve made over the past six years in my Friday edition of the newsletter, I’ve hand-picked some of the best of the best. These are all different titles than last month’s Netflix Streaming Guide.

Much like my Cinephile Bucket List, I’ve broken these down into categories that should help you to browse depending on the vibe you’re looking for on a given night, with blurbs both new and old like a sales pitch to convince you to try out movies you’ve hopefully never seen before.

These guides will be updated regularly on a rolling basis. Let’s get into it!

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