My Ultimate Quarantine Netflix Movie Guide
No Content for Old Men
with Matt Craig
We're now a couple weeks into quarantine, and there's no end in sight. Nobody is really sure how to cope, but if there is one thing that has universally become a part of our new normal, it is Netflix. Viewership is up a stunning 47% in the past few weeks. Unfortunately but undeniably, a lot of that time is being invested in things like "Tiger King" and double digit viewings of decades-old sitcoms. But if you're sick of the stupefying (in the case of "Tiger King," literally, I feel stupid-er) and diversionary programming, maybe you're looking for some high quality movies.
That's where I come in. As I described last week, the experience of watching a good movie has been one of my greatest joys during this period of uncertainty. It transports me to a different world, and when done well, allows me to totally surrender to the decision-making of the filmmaker. I have no idea where the world is headed, but for the next two hours I know I'm in good hands!
Hopefully you can experience the same. So here are 29 Netflix suggestions for every possible quarantine mood.
If you need to catch up on the classics....
I won't even bother to sell you on these movies, because you've almost certainly heard of them and either watched them or made the conscious decision not to. But in case you've been living under a rock, here's a very incomplete list of movies on Netflix which you need to have seen before you can proceed:
The Shawshank Redemption
The Social Network
The Natural
There Will Be Blood
Goodfellas
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (all four are available)
Groundhog's Day
Inglorious Bastards
Malcolm X
The Matrix
Rounders
Inception
If you're someone who really misses sports....
..."Sunderland Till I Die"
Not a movie, but the docuseries "Sunderland Till I Die" has totally replaced sports in my life and temporarily managed to fill the hole in my soul. After a first season that was as raw and revealing as any behind-the-scenes sports documentary I'd ever seen, I was certain that the filmmakers would never get the access again. But out of the blue, Netflix dropped a season two this week. It's intense and pulse-pounding, just like sports should be, but if I could make one suggestion...turn on subtitles before you start!
If you're feeling lonely...
...Her
This movie will absolutely not cure your loneliness. But it's such a beautiful portrait of one man's (Joaquin Phoenix) isolation that you come away feeling understood in a profound way. It also raises some fundamental questions about what it means to be "alive," to be "human," and to be "loved." Warning: you might cry (I can neither confirm nor deny my own tears).
If you're playing too many video games...
....Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
This super fun, super underrated comedy from Edgar Wright does such a good job at creatively implementing video game elements into its storytelling. It helps when you've got a great premise: a shy boy (Michael Cera) must defeat all of his crush's ex-boyfriends in combat in order to win her heart. Plus it's an INSANE collection of before-they-were-famous actors: Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin. A certified good-timer!
If you're unable to see how quarantine life could be worse...
...The Invitation
A group of friends gather for a dinner party high in the Hollywood hills. Someone...mysteriously...locks the door, and suddenly everyone is stuck in a good ol' co-quarantine situation (before we started calling it that). Things go horribly wrong. Any longtime readers of this newsletter know I've recommended this movie far too many times, but it's one of my favorite horror/thrillers ever and maybe eventually you'll listen to me and watch it for yourself! Masterfully crafted tension from start to finish, crescendoing in a WILD release and reveal at the end.
If you're wondering when the machines are going to take over...
....Ex Machina
The movie that made me fall in love with stars Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, and director Alex Garland simultaneously. Its modern interpretation of the age-old "Turing test," determining at what point a robot can be considered human, is totally engrossing. The movie is claustrophobic, unnerving, but also well balanced with levity (including one of my favorite dance scenes of all time). Have recommended this movie to so many people I've lost count.
If you're bummed about the cancellation of the Olympics...
...Icarus
If the plot of this Oscar-winning documentary about Russia's systematic doping scandal were turned into a scripted narrative, it would be far too farfetched to be believed by audiences. And yet here it is, told to us by the state's former executive in charge of the doping! Sports fan or not, I think you'll agree after watching that it's not overstatement to call this an important document in geopolitical history.
If you're prepared to have your mind blown...
...Swiss Army Man
The past week, I've recommended this movie more than any other. I love to expand the concept of what my friends think a movie can be. My recommendation comes with a warning: this movie is WEIRD. But it's so creative, and full of heart, and I've never once had someone take the recommendation and come back to me with anything other than glowing reviews. Paul Dano's protagonist is marooned on a desert island, aided only by the semi-animated corpse of Daniel Radcliffe's character, who becomes his only friend. So weird, but so good!!
If you're prepared to see literal heads blown off...
...Drive
If violence isn't your thing, this isn't for you. Still, there's nothing gratuitous about this contemplative and layered action thriller. Ryan Gosling plays a stunt car driver in movies by day, and applies those same skills as a getaway driver for criminals by night. He falls in love with a girl (Carey Mulligan) who has a troubled ex-boyfriend (Oscar Isaac), who gets into a load of trouble with a mobster (Albert Brooks), threatening the NASCAR dreams of Gosling's friend (Bryan Cranston). What a cast, what an unforgettable tone, what an awesome movie! The best of 2011.
If you're going through a quarter-life crisis...
...Frances Ha
How this movie because a pseudo-anthem of my life I have no idea, but Greta Gerwig's adventure through young adulthood has never really left my mind since the first time I watched it. It's breezy and whimsical even as it grapples with existential anxiety, and if that ain't resonant in 2020 I don't know what is.
If you're craving a good ol' fashioned western...
...Hell or High Water
Actually, it may actually be selling this movie short to label it as simply another western. It's a brilliantly modernized story about the disappearing west, and the desperation that drives men too. The story is great, but what makes this movie special is how natural and authentic the world feels. Chris Pine is a perfect rancher, Jeff Bridges a perfect sheriff, the locations exactly as you'd imagine them being. When you talk about being transported into a different world, this is the movie you're talking about.
If you're still not all aboard the Bong Joon-Ho train...
...Snowpiercer & Okja
Netflix would be smart to break open its piggy bank to land Parasite on the streaming service as soon as it becomes available, but in the meantime, you really need to catch up on director Bong's other English language gems. Okja is the stranger of the two, an environmental conservation parable, while Snowpiercer is more of a hard-charging class warfare thesis set on a dystopian train. Both are entertaining on the surface and rewarding in the subtext.
If you're wanting some capital "C" Cinema...
...The Master
I'm less of a Paul Thomas Anderson fan than I probably should be as a self-proclaimed cinephile. Don't get me wrong, There Will Be Blood is a stone cold masterpiece, a Citizen Kane for the 21st Century, but the only PTA movie I find myself actually recommending to people is this one. It's a thinly veiled drama about scientology, with Joaquin Phoenix's damaged protagonist being drawn into Phillip Seymour Hoffman's cult, featuring some of the best acting in either of those two's incredible careers. It's definitely movie as "Art."
If you're needing a sweet story before bed...
...About Time
I'm a sucker for a high concept romantic comedy (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 500 Days of Summer, Her all on my personal Mount Rushmore), and this one fits the bill. Here's the premise: what if one day you learned that every male in your family has the power to go back in time? How would you use it? Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams lead, with Bill Nighy playing an absolutely note-perfect dad (one could argue the father-son relationship here is more touching than the romantic relationship). This movie is so sweet it's downright syrupy, but in times like these, maybe that's just what the doctor calls for.
If you're wanting to raise your heart rate...
...Good Time
The Safdie Brothers might be young, but they've already got their signature style in place. Their movies are non-stop, anxiety-inducing thrillrides that push plot-plot-plot ahead of everything else. Which makes them super fun to watch, just remember to take plenty of deep breaths. This one is an acting showcase for Robert Pattinson, who is on the run after pulling a heist with his mentally handicapped brother (played by Josh Safdie).
If you wanna see the most attractive man ever on screen...
...The Talented Mr. Ripley
The only competition for Jude Law in this movie, if we're talking about the most attractive men ever projected on the silver screen, is probably Jude Law in The Holiday. It's ironic that people flock to this movie for its idyllic first hour, with Law and Matt Damon and Gwenyth Paltrow and Phillip Seymour Hoffman gallivanting around 1950s Italy without a single care in the world, because second hour develops into a totally unnerving experience. No spoilers, but like a car wreck, you can't look away.
If a buddy cop movie has never made you cry...
...End of Watch
The whole is shot documentary-style, giving it a gritty and intimate veneer. You attach immediately to the LA cop with the camcorder (Jake Gyllenhaal) and fall hook-line-and-sinker for his tender-hearted partner (Michael Peña). Let's just say, when the duo finds themselves in some serious trouble, the movie is not afraid to tug on the heart strings.
If you think Daniel Craig is just James Bond...
...Defiance
Yes, it's true, Craig's final installment as Bond -- No Time To Die -- was delayed a full six months due to the coronavirus. And while he's probably best Bond ever, Craig has shown so much more as an actor (look no further than his hilarious turn in Knives Out). A decade ago, Craig played a real life Robin Hood who hid out in the forests of Belarus protecting Jews against the holocaust. It's an elevated action movie with genuine stakes and heart at its core. Somehow it never gets talked about amongst the other great World War II movies.