Since Netflix has been ramping up its movie production in the last few years, some gems have been brushed aside too quickly. People only remember thebest Netflix movies, but the streaming service’s model means that most of the movies and TV shows that are produced can fail to leave a lasting impression.
Netflix often gives a lot of money to top directors, so that they can fund the kinds of projects that more traditional Hollywood studios might see as too risky. This model has produced a few masterpieces over the years, but it has also allowed room for movies that are too quirky, unconventional and unexpected to achieve immediate success.
Before Dan Gilroy and Jake Gyllenhaal teamed up forVelvet Buzzsaw,they garnered critical acclaim for another thriller,Nightcrawler. Velvet Buzzsawis a more comedic offering, aiming a few satirical barbs at a sun-soaked Los Angeles art world, but it still shows flashes of dark violence when it needs to.
Gyllenhaal’s performance inVelvet Buzzsawis much broader and goofier than his haunted everyman characters inPrisonersandEnemy.
Many ofJake Gyllenhaal’s best movieshappen to be thrillers, but his performance inVelvet Buzzsawis much broader and goofier than his haunted everyman characters inPrisonersandEnemy,for example. It fits the tone perfectly, as eccentric art world posers are picked off,Final Destination-style, by a dead artist’s paintings which come to life seeking revenge.
Thebest Coen brothers moviesare split between hilarious crime capers likeFargoand thrilling Westerns likeNo Country for Old Men.The Ballad of Buster Scruggscombines these two disparate styles, creating a comedy anthology movie set in the Old West,with the look ofTrue Gritand the madcap humor of Raising Arizona.
Like any anthology movie,The Ballad of Buster Scruggshas some segments that stand out more than others, but the overall effect is quirky and charming nonetheless. Although the Coens are set to reunite once again,The Ballad of Buster Scruggsremains their latest film for now. This alone makes it worthy of closer inspection, which can reveal the surprising pathos and wry genre satire beneath the surface.
Two years beforeParasitemade history at the Oscars, Bong Joon-ho releasedOkjaon Netflix, but the dark environmental fable is still being overlooked. Fans ofParasitemight be bemused by this offering, which often has the picturesque charms of a children’s story, before the gears of industry crush this beauty into submission.
Okjahas more in common with Bong’s recent sci-fi movieMickey 17in terms of tone. There are touches of the eccentric and the outlandish, with some characters who don’t appear like they could ever exist in the real world. Despite these quirks,Okjais surprisingly powerful and relatable, and its environmental allegory hits hard.
Da 5 Bloodshas a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but an audience score of 53%. This helps explain why it has largely been forgotten about, but it’s certainly worthy of reappraisal. At the very least, Spike Lee’s style means that it’s quite unlike any other film that bills itself as a war drama.
Even with a story rooted in history,Lee keeps his eye firmly on political issues in modern-day America.Da 5 Bloodsinterrogates a lot of these issues from conflicting points of view without ever feeling overly preachy or expositional. The outstanding performances are one reason why the story retains so much vitality and resonance throughout its tonal swings.
Private Lifestars Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn as a middle-aged married couple desperately trying to start a family of their own, either through adoption, in vitro fertilization or whatever other paths they can discover. It’s an uplifting comedy with the ring of emotional truth, but it’s been forgotten about far too soon.
Giamatti and Hahn both deliver tender performances inPrivate Life,and they strike up a relatable and authentic dynamic. They provide the beating heart that carries Tamara Jenkins' film through its intelligent comedy and lifelike drama. In both genres,Private Lifeexcels because it feels so acutely observed.
Vanessa Kirby received an Oscar nomination for her performance in Pieces of a Woman, which is the kind of heavy, worthy drama that streaming services often shy away from. She plays a woman grieving the loss of her child during the birthing process, with Shia LaBeouf and Ellen Burstyn in supporting roles.
Kirby’s performance lights upPieces of a Woman,which presents a three-dimensional portrait of grief. It doesn’t just deconstruct the hidden trauma of the grieving process, but also society’s uneven approach to human tragedy. It isn’t too much of a surprise considering howPieces of a Womanisn’t spoken about as much anymore, considering how painful it is.
Richard Linklater’s favored style of animation has never been more appropriate than it is inApollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood.The rotoscope animation gives the story the appearance of a comic book, and it fits the tone of a story that pastes the fantastical and otherworldly onto the everyday.
Apollo 10 1/2might look like a sci-fi adventure from the outside, butit’s really a semi-autobiographical nostalgia trip that takes inspiration from Linklater’s own childhood.This paints a vibrant portrait of a specific time and place, which sets up an unforgettable finale that cuts to the heart of childhood imagination and memory.
White Noisesets itself up to be a disaster movie, before suddenly revealing that everything blows over and people return to their normal lives. This is a moment of narrative betrayal so blatant and shocking that it becomes darkly humorous. The joke is on the audience, but it’s hard not to laugh along.
Noah Baumbach’s movies are known for their slice-of-life relatability, likeFrances HaandMarriage Story,butWhite Noisetakes a left turn into absurd territory. The adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel seems to take place in an alternative reality, right up until the LCD Soundystem dance number that provides an inexplicable but undeniably catchy ending.
The Killerwasn’t helped by some of its marketing, which seemed to promote it as a dark thriller like many other David Fincher movies. In reality, it doesn’t have much in common with the likes ofFight ClubandSe7en,stylistically, thematically or in terms of its plot.
The Killeris much slower and more ponderous than other Fincher movies, with near-constant narration from Michael Fassbender’s contract killer protagonist. Watching the film again, free from too many assumptions, reveals how many layers there are to it, including its surprisingly effective satire of modern work.
Netflix has been releasing more and more international movies in recent years, but non-English-language movies still struggle to get as much attention in English-speaking countries. This means that hidden gems likeBallerinacan easily fall through the cracks.
There’s nothing subtle aboutBallerina’s bone-crunching fight scenes.
Ballerinais a punchy revenge thriller about a bodyguard who uses her skills to take down the criminal syndicate that tortured and blackmailed her friend. Whether or not the characters are more than friends remains ambiguous, but there’s nothing subtle aboutBallerina’s bone-crunching fight scenes.
