We know the feeling: You’re tired after work and all you want to do is relax and watch some good movies on Netflix. But you have no idea where to start or even what you’re in the mood for. That’s why we’ve curated guides for the best movies on Netflix for nearly every genre we could think of: horror, comedy, indie flicks, rom-coms, serial killers, anime, kids movies, nature documentaries, movies based on true stories, standup specials, TV shows, thrillers, 4k movies and TV shows, and more.
We’ve combined the blurbs from some of those lists and written quite a few more to create this ultimate guide to what to watch on Netflix. We’ll be updating this list of the best movies on Netflix monthly, so you can rest assured that if you see something you like here, you can quickly add it to your queue.
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WATCH: 17 Best Movies on Netflix
The 100 best movies on Netflix
1) Final Destination
The Final Destination films don’t quite get the recognition they deserve, especially grading on the horror movie curve. This first movie kicks off, memorably, with Alex (Devon Sawa) having a premonition of a horrific plane accident. While Alex is unable to prevent the tragedy, he is able to get some people off the plane. But death has a plan for everyone, and the survivors begin dying in increasing convoluted ways. The fun of Final Destination, and most of its sequels, are the Rube Goldberg death scenes, which tease and taunt the audience as much as the characters. —E.S.
2) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Is there a better Stephen Spielberg movie than Raiders of the Lost Ark? Indiana Jones movies have kind of worked on an every-other pattern, so given that logic, we’re due for a good one soon. Yet it’s hard for any of them to compare to Raiders, the original staple of what a modern action/adventure film should be. Netflix may have recently dropped The Godfather, but as far as uneven, classic franchises go, at least they gave us Indiana Jones in return —C.O.
3) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
British comedy nerds will tell you Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the funniest movie ever made, and they’re probably not wrong. From “I fart in your general direction” to “It’s just a flesh wound” to “We are the Knights who say… NI,” the movie’s absurdism is second to none, and set the tone for cinematic comedies for years to come. If you haven’t seen it, I just have one question for you: “What… is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”—C.O.
4) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is easily one of the best superhero films of the past few years, standing alongside Black Panther in terms of visual imagination and joyfully innovative use of the source material. It’s a fresh and funny new take on Spidey’s origin story, focusing on Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) with a supporting cast of Spider-people like Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy (aka Spider-Woman). The combination of CG and hand-drawn animation is revolutionary, and the film is self-referential without being smug. Instead of relying on tired tropes to fill in the gaps, Into the Spider-Verse gives us everything we need to love and understand Miles: A satisfyingly personal story, embedded in a uniquely energetic visual experience. —Gavia Baker-Whitelaw
5) Inception
Between the did-it-fall-or-did-it-not-fall ending and the mind- and gravity-defying visuals, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi blockbuster is one of the defining movies of the decade. The best thing about Inception is that, despite a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, you’re never far from seeing something awesome, from cities folding in on themselves or zero-gravity fights. But Nolan anchors the visual razzle-dazzle in a story that is also emotionally engaging. —E.S.
6) Olympus Has Fallen
Upon its release, Olympus Has Fallen was savaged by critics for its absurd screenplay and over the top violence. Ironically, that’s exactly why Olympus Has Fallen developed a loyal cult following, eventually leading to two theatrical sequels. The film follows a disgraced Secret Service agent has he tried to infiltrate the White House after it gets taken over by North Korean terrorists. Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, and Ashley Judd bring an air of gravitas to this over the top action extravaganza. Set aside its problematic geopolitics and settle in for a great time. – JMB
7) Space Jam
Martin Scorsese’s eye for detail has developed him a reputation as a master of mob movies, but he brings that eye to every production. The Aviator sees the director stepping away from crime to tell the painstakingly recreated life story of Howard Hughes. Led by Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes, The Aviator explores the eccentric billionaire from his days making groundbreaking movies to his revolutions in airplane technology. Thrilling, funny, and heartbreaking, The Aviator is a triumph of historical cinema. – John-Michael Bond
8) Roma
Inspired by his childhood in 1970s Mexico City, Roma is the latest film from visionary writer/director Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity; Children of Men). It’s a moving autobiographical drama about a young woman who works as a housemaid for a wealthy Mexican family, based on Cuarón’s beloved childhood nanny. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest movies of 2018, destined to live on as a highlight of Cuarón’s career. —G.B.W.
9) Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds may not be Quentin Tarantino’s most iconic film (that would be Pulp Fiction). Nor is it his most fun (that would probably be Jackie Brown). Nor is it his most stylish (the Kill Bill films), his most socially conscious (Django Unchained), his most tightly scripted (Reservoir Dogs), or even his longest (The Hateful Eight). But Inglourious Basterds just might be his best. He says as much himself with the film’s winking last line, delivered into camera by Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine: “I think this just might be my masterpiece.” Inglourious Basterds is a cinematic declaration for the ages. The performances, writing, and directing are all immaculate. More surprising is that the movie feels almost like a play at moments, with certain scenes stretching on for a half an hour at a time. —C.O.
10) Soni
Soni is a movie about a society that devalues women on a systemic and personal level. The film follows two women who work for the Delhi Police: Soni (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan), a young police officer with a penchant for not taking crap from people, and her supervisor Kalpana (Saloni Batra). Both women battle routine sexism and bureaucratic headaches, and the cases they get often involve crimes against women. Despite the Delhi setting, Soni’s observations of inequality transcend borders. It’s like looking in a mirror: You see what’s right in front of you, but also everything around you. —E.S.
11) The End of the Tour
Although many close to the late writer denounced the film upon its release, The End of the Tour’s portrayal of acclaimed author David Foster Wallace doesn’t necessarily need to be accurate to be affecting. Following journalist David Lipsky’s unpublished chronicle of Wallace in the last days of his book tour for Infinite Jest, the film is a powerful work on art, interviewing, genius, depression, and the way creative people view each other. Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel do some of the best work of their careers as Lipsky and Wallace, bringing authentic chemistry to this brief but powerful relationship. —C.O.
12) The Social Network
A movie about the birth of Facebook didn’t have to be this good. But this is what happens when A-listers across the board are working at their peak. Through the highly stylized visions of David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin, the movie is built on the themes that will make it relevant forever. Friendship, jealousy, betrayal, ambition—these are the building blocks of classic drama. Zuckerberg and Facebook are well into the “live long enough to see yourself become the villain” phase, but The Social Network continues to get better with age and repeat viewings. — Eddie Strait
13) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
In modern times we’ve become spoiled by the glut of big-budget blockbusters for even b-list superheroes like Bloodshot. 1990, however, was a different time. It’s incredible that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ever got made, but even more miraculous that it’s a great movie. Thirty years after its release the special effects still hold up, allowing for thrilling action sequences full of ninja warfare. But the film’s secret charm is its overwhelming heart, creating fully fleshed-out characters out of our comic book heroes. While the sequels learned hard into children’s entertainment, the original remains a dark yet family-friendly classic. – JMB
14) Under the Skin
In Under the Skin, Scarlett Johansson is an alien who stalks, seduces, and…does something to men she picks up in Scotland. The movie is full of indelible imagery, and it’s a story that provokes as much as it disturbs. —E.S.
15) Blue Is the Warmest Color
Steeped in controversy upon its release (and for good reason,) Blue Is the Warmest Color is nevertheless a nearly unparalleled achievement in 21st-century filmmaking. Discussions about male gaze and directorial ethics are sure to follow many people’s viewing, but we also don’t get many epic, three-hour lesbian love stories. There are elements of Blue Is the Warmest Color that still feel essential, if for no other reason than that we need more of what the film gets right, even while needing less of what it gets wrong. And of course, there are the performances from lead actresses Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, who rightfully became the first actors ever to be awarded the Palme d’Or when the film premiered at Cannes. Playing the two halves of young couple Emma and Adèle, Blue Is the Warmest Color’s leading ladies are both so good, it’s not just that they have created an indelible cinematic love story—it’s as if they’ve reinvented the cinematic love story itself. —C.O.
16) The Photographer of Mauthausen
Netflix honors a World War II hero and photographer Francisco Boix in its newly acquired Spanish film, The Photographer of Mauthausen. The film, which follows Boix as he attempts to smuggle photos that incriminate the Nazi party of war treason while in the Mauthausen concentration camp, is predictably dark, somber, and incredibly difficult to watch—but an essential film about the Holocaust and the importance of upholding the truth. —Tess Cagle
17) Beasts of No Nation
Netflix’s first foray into prestige cinema, at least in terms of narrative filmmaking, was this child soldier drama from 2015. Upon its release, Beasts of No Nation immediately declared that in addition to giving you daily doses of ‘90s nostalgia, the streaming giant was committed to socially engaged stories too. Directed by True Detective’s Cary Joji Fukunaga and starring Idris Elba in what should’ve been an Oscar-nominated performance, this is an intense watch but also a rewarding one. If nothing else, it’ll make you aware of how few depictions of Africa we really see onscreen, and how much that needs to be corrected. —C.O.
18) Taxi Driver
In Taxi Driver, a depressed Vietnam War veteran takes a night shift driving a taxi around New York City. As a result, his job gives him a front-row seat view of the city’s seediness. Warped by his own delusions, he radicalizes himself, and he attempts to take out a presidential candidate and a pimp. Martin Scorsese expertly ramps up the tension in the film, and Robert De Niro’s all-consuming, largely internalized performance cements Taxi Driver as an all-time classic. —M.J.
19) High Flying Bird
High Flying Bird tells the story of a sports agent caught in the crosshairs of an NBA lockout who tries to end it on his own. A strong script from Moonlight screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney and a leading performance from André Holland make potentially insider story compelling, and the film takes on the NBA’s long history of exploiting Black athletes in the process. —Michelle Jaworski
20) Groundhog Day
At less than two hours Groundhog Day may be one of the shortest offerings on this list, but it’s easily the funniest. When the days start to run together and all feel the same take comfort in watching Bill Murray share your pain. This 90s hit finds Murray as a smartass TV weatherman who finds himself reliving the same day over and over while reporting a story. Directed by the late great Harold Ramis, Groundhog Day is a masterpiece of family-friendly dark comedy. Snuggle up with Punxsutawney Phil for some much-needed laughs this quarantine season. – JMB
21) Gerald’s Game
It’s the year of the Stephen King adaptation, and Gerald’s Game might be the best one. Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus) takes a novel that has long been considered unfilmable and imbues it with tension and emotion. Carla Gugino gives a standout performance as Jessie, a woman who is left handcuffed to a bed in a remote cabin after her husband Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) dies unexpectedly. The bulk of the film concerns her survival and how deep into the past she can go, and it actually improves upon the novel. —A.S.
22) The Naked Gun
Parody films aren’t designed to stand the test of time, but get the broadest laughs when they’re released. All too often these movies date themselves immediately by going overboard with references. What makes genre titans like Airplane and The Naked Gun such rare treasures are their dedication to original jokes. Leslie Nielson’s beloved police parody follows an idiots cop as he races against time to stop an assassination attempt against the Queen of England. The Naked Gun’s focus on parodying cop shows gives it an odd sense of timelessness, but we’d be lying if said our favorite gag wasn’t the giant condoms. – JMB
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23) The Other Guys
In the world of underrated Will Ferrell movies, no title deserves rediscovering like 2010s The Other Guys. For decades action movies have placed a spotlight on the adventures of gun-toting hero cops like Riggs, Murtaugh, and Callahan. Now it’s time to meet the other guys, pencil pusher Detective Gamble (Ferrell) and his disgraced partner Detective Hoitz who once shot Derek Jeter by mistake. Together this unlikely duo set out to fight a bloodthirsty corporation and an ocean of cop movies cliches along the way. Come for Ferrell, stay for Michael Keaton quoting TCL the entire movie. – JMB
24) Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine is the kind of movie that’s so sad, it occasionally feels like it’s trying to rip your heart out through your chest. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as Dean and Cindy, a couple whose relationship we see disintegrate as it cuts back and forth between when they first got together and their older, more damaged selves. Director Derek Cianfrance, who would go on to make The Place Beyond the Pines and The Light Between Oceans shot the flashback scenes in a kind of grainy, Instagram-worthy style that ultimately serves to make them more romantic, while the present-day scenes look sleeker and colder, reflecting a kind of harsh realness. Both performances are heartbreaking (Williams was nominated for an Oscar for hers), probably because the two leads actually spent time living together like a real couple between filming the scenes set in the past and the ones set in the future. By the time their characters had to break up, it feels all too real. —C.O
25) Lucid Dream
A South Korean riff on Inception, Lucid Dream follows a journalist, Dae-ho, working to find his son, who was kidnapped three years earlier. The investigation has gone cold, but an experimental technique allows Dae-ho to relive the day his son was taken through lucid dreaming. For a premise as inherently grim as a parent searching for a lost child, Lucid Dream is surprisingly fun. The investigations taking place in dreamland and the real world intersect in interesting ways and the story is constantly upping the stakes. —E.S.
26) Her
Crowned many times as the best film of the year when it was released in 2013 and frequently cited as one of the best films of the decade since, Spike Jonze’s unconventional love story between a man named Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and his phone named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson is immaculately made. The gorgeous cinematography, distinctive production and costume design, and haunting music all work together to create a wholly original portrait of the near future. Phoenix and Johansson both give performances that rank among the very best of their careers. —C.O.
27) Killing Them Softly
The mid-2000s financial collapse felt like a bloodletting for Americans of all classes, an act of economic violence that reverberated across the nation. The only good thing that came out of it is art like 2012’s Killing Them Softly. In this darkly comedic, yet absolutely thrilling, crime allegory a card game robbery goes wrong, collapsing the entire economy of a group of gangsters. It’s up to a mob enforcer (Brad Pitt) to track down the robbers and bring justice to the local economy. Brutal violent, yet brimming with pitch-black humor, Killing Them Softly is one of the best-hidden gems on Netflix.
28) The Killer
This well-executed Brazilian shoot-em-up flick cuts no corners in telling its serpentine story and spares no gory details. Branded as O Matador outside of the United States, the film stars Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado as Cabeleira, a manchild assassin searching for his adopted father through the lawless badlands of Pernambuco. —Kahron Spearman
29) The Ring
In the digital era, The Ring could have easily lost its power. But thanks to brilliant pacing and a slow reveal of its main villain, this ghost story has held up long past when most households had a VCR. The premise is simple: There’s a tape that kills everyone who watches it within seven days. Equal parts murder mystery and ghost story, this slow-burning horror classic throws twists at you until its final minutes. As creepypasta begins to cultivate the campfire stories of a new generation, it’s nice to look back at The Ring as a precursor to the horrific urban legends to come. — JMB
30) Ant-Man and the Wasp
Ant-Man and the Wasp had the impossible task of following Avengers: Infinity War, and it wisely chose to do its own thing instead of trying to one-up Thanos. Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who’ve been on the run from the FBI since the events of Captain America: Civil War, have built a tunnel that will take them into the Quantum Realm so they can rescue a trapped Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). But they need a missing piece of the puzzle from Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who’s three days away from the end of his house-arrest sentence. With plenty of callbacks to the first Ant-Man, the visual and verbal gags mostly land, and the action scenes are engaging and take full advantage of its landscape. Though it probably won’t convert any viewers who aren’t keen on its titular hero, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a fun and humorous film that doesn’t overstay its welcome. —M.J.
31) Frances Ha
Noah Baumbach is having an incredibly prolific late career—churning out Greenberg, The Squid and the Whale, Mistress America, Margot at the Wedding, and While We’re Young in an amazing decade-long stretch. During that span, he also made Frances Ha, a riff on Annie Hall as seen through the lens of Godard, Truffaut, and the masters of the French New Wave. Instead of watching a couple slowly drift apart, Baumbach tracks the dissolution of a best friendship between Frances (Greta Gerwig, in her star-making role) and Sophie (Mickey Sumner). It’s not only a lovely Woody Allen homage but one of cinema’s best portraits of millennial disaffection to date. —N.L.
32) Monster House
Every neighborhood has that house: the one kids tell stories about, the one house that creeps out even the adults. Monster House is about that house—a haunted house coming to life—and the trio of kids it terrorizes. Monster House feels like an ’80s throwback, in the vein of something like The Goonies. It’s inventive, a little spooky, and the animation looks great. Even better, this haunted house story is the kind of family movie that adults will enjoy just as much, if not more, than kids, a worthy add to any family Netflix queue. —E.S.
33) Paris Is Us
Elisabeth Vogler’s Paris Is Us follows Anna, a young Parisian woman in search of reality, authentic experiences, and anything that will tether her to people and the world. Feeling an increasing sense of isolation, Anna questions everything about reality, from everyday experiences down to whether she’s just living in a simulation. Paris Is Us is pretentious and honest, and it won’t be for everyone. Vogler shoots the film with a floating, fluid camera that creates indelible imagery and puts you in Anna’s headspace. It’s an immersive and unique experience. —E.S.
34) Moonlight
Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture-winning film tells the story of Chiron in three parts as he grows up and comes to terms with his sexuality and learning to be comfortable in his own skin. Chiron is a gay, Black man, and the movie’s focus is narrow, but its themes are universal. The cast is remarkable, including the three actors who play Chiron, Naomie Harris, Janelle Monae, and Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. Moonlight is one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners, which means a ton of people need to catch up with it. —E.S.
35) She’s Gotta Have It
Dramatically deciding whether someone is right or wrong for you is a common trope in the dating world (and in romantic comedies), but having to choose between three people is another story. Directed by Spike Lee, She’s Gotta Have It follows Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) who is in the middle of choosing between three men on totally different ends of the personality spectrum. One man is a total narcissist, another a controlling alpha male, and the third a shy geek who seems the most genuine. Darling’s process of trial and error is pretty laughable, but it also leads her to discover much more about herself than she knew before. —Kristen Hubby
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36) Free Fire
Before Brie Larson became a megastar with Captian Marvel she honed her action chops it this brilliantly ballistic crowd pleaser. 2016’s Free Fire is an action-packed black comedy about an arms deal gone wrong, leaving two rival gangs stuck in a warehouse full of guns and grudges. Beyond Larson, the cast is still bonkers, with Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, and Jack Reynor rounding out the sharply dressed crew of killers. Free Fire doesn’t break new ground, but it shows just how far a little redesigning can go to spruce up a familiar idea. – JMB
37) The Mask of Zorro
In the pantheon of great 90s movies, we humbly submit that The Mask of Zorro is one of the rare reboots that actually surpasses the movies that inspired it. Antonio Banderas brings the swashbuckling masked vigilante to life with boundless charm, injecting plenty of humor into this action packaged hit. This film also served as one of Catherine Zeta-Jones’s first major leading roles as the adopted daughter of Zorro’s nemesis. Full of epic sword fights, massive-scale battles, and romance The Mask of Zorro is a thrilling treat. – JMB
38) Freaks
One of the most exciting parts of the explosion in superhero movies over the last decades is seeing filmmakers begin to experiment with the genre. Freaks is a small indie film with massive abominations that realize themselves as a perfect mix of sci-fi and horror. 7-year-old Chloe never leaves her house or her father’s side. The duo have barricaded themselves in their home in fear of Abnormals, superpowered humans who threaten humanity’s existence. But a visit from a stranger opens Chloe’s eyes, and her entire world will come crashing down. – JMB
39) Dallas Buyers Club
As a movie about LGBTQ subject matter, Dallas Buyers Club leaves something to be desired. Not only does it omit elements of the real Ron Woodroof’s story, it fails to clearly define whether Rayon, the film’s second lead, is transgender, a cross-dresser, or identifies in some other non-binary way. Where Dallas Buyers Club does succeed is in its depiction of the AIDS crisis, stigmatization that came with an HIV-positive diagnosis, and the far-reaching effects it had in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto’s Oscar-winning performances as Woodroof and Rayon, respectively, are also among the best of their careers (particularly in Leto’s case), and the direction from Jean-Marc Vallée (Big Little Lies) is stunning. —C.O.
40) Mr. Roosevelt
In her directorial debut, Noel Wells (Master of None, SNL) plays Emily Martin, a struggling YouTube-famous comedian who hastily moves back to her hometown of Austin and has to adjust to the new relationships around her—and the death of a cat. It’s a love letter to a time and place, though not exactly a love story. Emily is directionless, but her self-discovery includes some very relatable moments and a great Holly Hunter impression. —A.S.
41) Spring Breakers
Harmony Korine’s infamous crime drama about a group of four college girls who rob a restaurant to fund a debauched spring break trip has finally hit Netflix. Starring former Disney icons like Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez, Spring Breakers can’t figure out if it wants to be a serious movie or a trashy exploitation thriller. Thankfully that means it’s packed full of nudity, sex, and even one oddly hot threesome with the grossest James Franco you’ve ever seen. —John-Michael Bond
42) A Futile and Stupid Gesture
A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Netflix’s feature film adaptation of Josh Karp’s 2006 book of the same name, is an exploration of the creation of humor mag National Lampoon and its odd-couple co-founders, Henry Beard (Domhnall Gleeson) and Doug Kenney (Will Forte), it’s removed enough from its 1970s origins to offer new insight into its generational influence—and it also re-contextualizes satire in an era littered with “fake news.” —A.S.
43) The One I Love
This low key sci-fi mindbender focuses on a couple (Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass) getting more than they bargained for during a weekend getaway. Moss and Duplass come across clones of themselves, and the more they interact with their alternates, the less stable their relationship becomes. As the twists and confusion increase, the emotional stakes rise and become more intriguing. It’s the kind of movie that would have coasted on its cool concept in lesser hands, but McDowell and writer Justin Lader, with a stellar cast, concocted something that will linger after it’s over. If you’re a fan of Shane Carruth’s high-brow mindbenders, make some time for Charlie McDowell’s directorial debut. — E.S.
44) Dear Ex
Before dying, Seng Cheng-yuan came out as gay and left his wife, Liu San-lian, and son, Seng Cheng-hsi, so he could live with his boyfriend Chieh. With their lives already upended, Cheng-yuan’s death leaves his family wracked with grief. Dear Ex is a darkly comedic look at three grieving people as they struggle to get their lives back on track. The strong writing, acting, and directing help the movie arrive at some moving emotional truths. —E.S.
45) Hush
Hush is an hourlong cuticle-ripper. The 2016 film centers on Maddie (Kate Siegel, who co-wrote the screenplay), a deaf and mute author who lives in a secluded cabin in the woods. And there’s a killer on the loose, wearing a creepy white mask. This premise might sound awfully well-tread, but Hush upends the typical home-invasion thriller by letting us see the threat (The Newsroom’s John Gallagher Jr.) unmasked, forcing the tension to build as Maddie finds different ways to thwart his murderous advances. By immersing us in Maddie’s silent world, the tension is even more palpable, and the fact that she’s a writer of fiction allows the film to expand in some inventive directions, even as her fate remains unsure. —A.S.
46) John Carter
Few films in history have been as unfairly attacked as John Carter, a notorious box office bomb whose only crime was being marketed terribly by Disney. Based on Edgar R. Burrough’s John Carter of Mars, the film tells the story of a Civil War veteran who awakens one day on Mars. His quest for survival leads into conflict with the various alien cultures on Mars, and eventually back into a life of war he tried to abandon. Beautifully designed and brimming with thrilling action John Carter is a sci-fi action extravaganza that deserves a second look. – JMB
47) The Interview
With the right actors, a great script, and a talented director a film doesn’t need big locations to be good. In the case of The Interview, it really only needs one room. A man is pulled out of his bed by cops and thrown in an interrogation room. They tell him they think he stole a car. But the police’s questions keep meandering to other topics, and soon it becomes clear there are other crimes they’re looking into. The Interview is a thrilling, often chilling look into banal evil. Hugo Weaving may be best known as Mr. Smith in The Matrix, but this is his scariest villain. – JMB
48) The Ip Man Trilogy
Donnie Yen (who audiences will recognize as the blind warrior Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One) stars in the trilogy of biographical martial arts films as real-life Wing Chun master Ip Man, who eventually became Bruce Lee’s teacher. The first film focuses on events that occurred during the Sino-Japanese War, the second film follows Ip after he opened a Wing Chun school in Hong Kong, while the third featured a young Bruce Lee (played by Danny Chan) going to Ip’s Wing Chun school to learn martial arts. While the fights are excellently choreographed and executed, it’s the emotional story that brings it home. —M.J.
49) Green Room
If you liked Blue Ruin, you should check out writer-director Jeremy Saulnier’s follow-up, Green Room. A punk band, led by the late Anton Yelchin, stumbles across something they shouldn’t see and ends up trapped in a venue in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention that the club is run by neo-Nazis? Well, it is, and the Nazis are led by Patrick Stewart. The band has to fight its way out, and that’s about it for plot summary. The movie is violent and incredibly tense, and the filmmaking and storytelling are as lean, muscular, and vicious as an attack dog. —E.S.
50) The Incredible Jessica James
The Incredible Jessica James opens on something many of us are all too familiar with: a very bad Tinder date. Jessica Williams plays an aspiring playwright, working through her failures in New York. She’s not above stalking her ex on Instagram or lying to her parents. But Williams gives us a performance that reminds us that we’re all human and that falling down is not something to be ashamed of. In the process, she breathes life into the tired rom-com genre. —Sarah Jasmine Montgomery
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51) Sleeping with Other People
As much as it might seem like Sleeping with Other People is trying to be an “edgy” romantic comedy from the trailer, it’s actually a strong standard-bearer for the genre. Written and directed by Bachelorette’s Leslye Headland and starring Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis, this time-honored story about two people who have known each other since college but can’t get out of their own way to be together is When Harry Met Sally for the Instagram generation. It does have a few raunchy moments, but overall is way more sweet than salty. —C.O.
52) Mudbound
Adapted by Rees and co-writer Virgil Williams from Hillary Jordan’s novel, Mudbound traces the stories of two families during WWII, one white, one black. They intersect when the McAllan clan buys the farm the Jackson family has worked on as sharecroppers for years. It’s worth watching Mudbound for its devastating ending alone. It’s impossible to deny that Hollywood is better for taking a chance on filmmakers like Dee Rees and stories like this. —C.O.
53) 1922
There’s yet another Stephen King adaptation landing on Netflix, and this one involves rats and murder. In Zak Hilditch’s take, Thomas Jane plays Wilfred James, a Nebraska farmer who has a crisis of conscience when wife Arlette (Molly Parker) says she wants to move to the city and take their teenage son. What follows is a signature King ghost story but it expands in Jane’s dead-eyed portrayal of Wilfred. Mike Patton provides the anxiety-inducing soundtrack, and it couldn’t have been a better choice. —A.S.
54) Wheelman
Wheelman stars Frank Grillo as a professional getaway driver who finds himself with $200,000 in his trunk and some very bad people on his tail after a bank job goes pear-shaped. Staged almost entirely within the confines of the car, Wheelman blends an intense neo-noir storyline with a gritty, charismatic lead performance by Grillo. More French Connection than The Fast and the Furious, Wheelman is a ride well worth taking. —David Wharton
55) Hell or High Water
In the oppressive heat of West Texas a pair of desperate brothers decide to rob banks in order to pay off their mortgage. It’s a simple plan and one that might work if weren’t for the Texas Rangers on their heel or one brother’s reckless tendencies. Hell or High Water is a movie that lives in the little moments: Out-of-towners being schooled by an old waitress, brothers sharing a meal, partners bantering, and cops and robbers having standoffs. There’s a reason this movie became a sleeper hit at the box office and scored a slew of Academy Awards nominations. Times may be tough for the characters, but the audience reaps the benefits. —E.S.
56) The Kindergarten Teacher
When Lisa, a teacher frustrated with her life, discovers one of her students, Parker, has a talent for poetry, she takes a special interest in him. As it becomes clear to her that no one else values his gift as much as she does, she becomes obsessed. Her determination to nurture Parker’s talent leads her down a dark path. Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a tremendous performance as Lisa, and writer-director Sara Colangelo makes a strong impression with tricky material. —E.S.
57) The Hateful Eight
Long, bloody, and shamelessly self-indulgent, The Hateful Eight is peak Tarantino. The story centers on two bounty hunters and a prisoner who take shelter one night with a group of five other suspicious characters in a Wyoming haberdashery to escape a blizzard. Pasts are explored, secrets are unveiled, and soon bodies start to drop. Tarantino’s mix of provocation and exploitation doesn’t work as well here as it does in some of his other films, and the three-hour runtime makes it a tough sit, even if you saw the roadshow version that contained an intermission. But the movie looks fantastic, shot on 70mm by cinematographer Robert Richardson, and it features a career-high performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh as notorious criminal Daisy Domergue. But the best part of The Hateful Eight hands down is its score, for which composer Ennio Morricone won a much overdue Oscar. —C.O.
58) Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro
Released in 1979, The Castle of Cagliostro is somewhat different from Hayao Miyazaki’s more famous works at Studio Ghibli. While he went on to make other adaptations like Howl’s Moving Castle, Cagliostro is actually part of a wider franchise. It belongs to the anime/manga series about Lupin III, a master thief inspired by the early 20th-century literary character Arsène Lupin. His adventures fall somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and comedy heist capers, with The Castle of Cagliostro following Lupin as he tracks down the origin of some counterfeit money. (Money that he stole, naturally.) —G.B.W.
59) The Place Beyond the Pines
Though not as utterly soul-crushing as his breakout film, Blue Valentine, director Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines is still a tour de force in sadness. Telling three different stories over two generations, Pines is a movie about the bond between fathers and son and how the choices we make resonate well into the future. Though it falls short of its epic ambitions, the film is a great throwback to the gritty American dramas of the 1970s—not to mention the rare “guy cry” movie, i.e. it has action but will also put you in touch with your emotions. Co-lead Bradley Cooper is good in the movie’s second section, but the film never quite gets over Ryan Gosling’s towering performance in the first. As a carnival bad boy skilled in motorcycle stunts, Gosling (reteaming with Cianfrance here following the success of Valentine) is the tattooed heart of gold at the center of this picture. —C.O.
60) 6 Balloons
In Marja-Lewis Ryan’s 6 Balloons, one long night tests the limits of compassion. It tells the story of Katie (Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson) a woman who’s trying to plan a surprise birthday party for her boyfriend. But as the day goes on she collides with her brother Seth (Dave Franco), a heroin addict who’s using again. “The loneliness inside those dark moments is almost more crippling… not being able to talk about the things; not knowing where to talk,” Ryan tells the Daily Dot. “If this isn’t your story, then maybe you can gain a little empathy for people who are experiencing this. And if it is your story, hopefully, you can feel a little less lonely.” 6 Balloons is very much about middle-class addiction, based on a similar night Ryan’s best friend (and the film’s co-producer) Samantha Housman experienced: Her brother, a lawyer, was addicted to heroin. —A.S.
61) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before became a full–blown Internet sensation upon its release last August. And to be honest, it probably should be. Not only is it a funny, smart rom-com with positive representation in the vein of Crazy Rich Asians and Netflix’s other recent additions to the genre, it’s also a savvy update on the classic template put forth by John Hughes. For those of you still not in the know, the film is set in motion when the private letters of high-schooler Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) are unleashed upon the world, and sent to all her secret crushes. To cover her tracks, she makes a pact with hunky lacrosse player and new Internet boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) designed to to help maintain both of their social standings. As you might’ve guessed, things don’t go as planned. Cue audience swooning. —C.O.
62) Y Tu Mamá También
Back in the days when video stores were still a thing, I rented Y Tu Mamá También on a recommendation from a friend, not knowing what it was about. Given that it had “Mama” in the title, I figured that meant it was family-friendly and invited my mother to watch it with me. (Cut me some slack; I was 14 and really, really dumb.)If you’re familiar with the plot of Y Tu Mamá También, you’re aware that decision was a big mistake: The 2001 Mexican-set drama is about a steamy love triangle between Tenoch (Diego Luna); his best friend, Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal); and his cousin’s wife, Luisa (Maribel Verdú), who is dying of cancer. She accepts an invitation with them to go on a road trip to see a secret beach known as “Heaven’s Mouth,” and their journey quickly turns into a tangled mess of erotic fantasy. The funny thing is that both my mother and I ended up adoring it—although for very different reasons. She liked how boisterous Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-nominated screenplay was (loaded with playful, scatological banter between carmates), and I enjoyed the film’s sexual politics, with the movie set against a time of governmental and social upheaval. This is a time in Mexican society when Tenoch and Julio’s gay male friends have boyfriends, which makes the pair’s own erotic encounter all the more dangerous.—N.L.
63) National Treasure
The world full of action movies, but the adventure genre is often drowned out by machine gunfights or super-powered battles. Thankfully there’s National Treasure, a family-friendly adventure around the world in a race against evil to save history. Nick Cage stars as Ben Gates, a historian and treasure hunter who’s must protect the Declaration of Independence from greedy criminals. If you’ve always daydreamed of a Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego movie, this is your best bet. -JMB
64) Step Brothers
Step Brothers is an immaculate comedy that doesn’t lose any luster no matter how many times you’ve seen it. Dale (John C. Reilly) and Brennan (Will Ferrell) should have ended the run of developmentally arrested white guy characters in a just world. Who needs best friends when you can stay in and watch Step Brothers any time you want? —E.S.
65) Mustang Island
At the start of Craig Elrod’s black-and-white indie drama, Bill (Macon Blair) has been dumped, and he’s not taking it well. He enlists his brother and friend to join him on a road trip to the South Texas coast to help win her back, but of course, things go astoundingly wrong. Some very dark comedy is drawn from their foibles, but Mustang Island also drives home the importance of having people in your life who get you. —A.S.
66) Under the Shadow
In 1980s Tehran, during the War of the Cities, a mother and daughter stay huddled up in their apartment as their city is bombarded by missiles. The historical horror and PTSD-inducing sights of rockets cracking roofs should be terrifying enough, but then an evil spirit takes interest in the little girl and things go from bad to worse. Directed by Iranian-born Babak Anvari, Under the Shadow deals with the social issues of a woman’s place in a fundamentalist Muslim society as much as it does demonic forces. –J.M.B.
67) The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Noah Baumbach has successfully usurped Woody Allen’s title as the greatest living director of New York comedies. His latest love letter to the Big Apple comes in the form of The Merowitz Stories (New and Selected), a thoughtful meditation on the challenge of letting the pain caused by a parent go. Dustin Hoffman’s Harold Meyerowitz is an aging sculptor, largely overlooked in his time. His children, played respectively by Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and Elizabeth Marvel, are all semi-dysfunctional, thanks to Harold’s over or under-involved parenting. As a comedy, it certainly isn’t a laugh riot, but it absolutely leaves an impression. —C.O.
68) The Shawshank Redemption
Seen today as a modern classic, The Shawshank Redemption bombed at the box office but thankfully still received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, unassuming banker Andy Dufresne just wants to do his time and stay out of the way. Despite his best efforts, trouble and friendship find him behind bars, changing the lives of his fellow cellmates both within and outside the prison walls. Based on a Stephen King novella, The Shawshank Redemption is a feel-good film from the mind of a horror master. — JMB
69) Neruda
Director Pablo Larraín has described Neruda as an “anti-bio” of the poet Pablo Neruda. Indeed, the film, which stars Luis Gnecco as Neruda and Gael García Bernal as a cop on his trail, plays with biography and fiction, celebrity and politics. Neruda lived in interesting times and Larraín plays up the parties and speeches in stunning detail, balanced out by a noirish game of cat-and-mouse. —A.S.
70) See You Yesterday
See You Yesterday stars Eden Duncan-Smith as CJ, a science prodigy who invents a pair of time-traveling backpacks with her friend Sebastian (Dante Crichlow). When a police officer kills someone close to them, they must use time travel to save him without screwing up the timeline. The film’s zany humor and colorful aesthetic take cues from Back to the Future and Bill & Ted, and Duncan-Smith gives a charismatic breakout performance, smoothly shifting between youthful banter and the sudden shock of grief. Significantly more thoughtful than your average Netflix original movie, See You Yesterday marks Bristol and Duncan-Smith as ones to watch. —G.B.W.
71) Ex Machina
Writer-director Alex Garland is one of the best sci-fi minds in the movie business right now. He favors heady stories that stick with you, and his debut behind the camera is no different. Ex Machina is a tense, claustrophobic film about the ethics and limitations of artificial intelligence, and the catastrophic consequences if certain lines are crossed. Aside from launching the most popular film gif of 2014 (Oscar Isaac’s red-light dance number), the film established Garland as a directorial force. —E.S.
72) The Matrix Trilogy
Seriously? Do you seriously need me to tell you how good The Matrix is? How it’s the Wachowskis’ most sublimely cerebral, gloriously weird, well-executed work ever? How it changed the face of Hollywood, setting the gold standard for sci-fi and action movies for years to come? How Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss created some of the most iconic movie characters of all time? How it’s the movie that makes you go, “Whoa”? Seriously, do I need to tell you all that? If the answer is yes, I just, I can’t with you. Get out of here, go watch this movie already. —C.O.
73) Paddleton
Paddleton follows Andy and Michael, two best friends who must grapple with Michael’s diagnosis of terminal cancer. The two men stick to their routine, which includes watching kung fu movies and playing their made up game called Paddleton. Mark Duplass and Ray Romano give terrific performances in the leading roles, capturing what it means to be a friend, even if their characters have a hard time expressing themselves. Paddleton is a small, intimate movie that’s both funny and sad without ever becoming overly sentimental. —E.S.
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74) The Stranger
Though he will always be best-known for Citizen Kane, serious cinephiles should also make an effort to check out Orson Welles’ less famous works. This film, from 1946, stars Edward G. Robinson as a war crimes investigator hunting down a former Nazi (Welles) living under an assumed identity in Connecticut. It’s fascinating to see Robinson, famous for portraying onscreen gangsters, ostensibly playing the good guy here. The Oscar-nominated script, which includes contributions from an uncredited John Huston, is also full of great dialog. —C.O.
75) Kung Fu Hustle
Steven Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle isn’t based on an anime, but it’s the closest we’ll ever come to experiencing a Dragon Ball Z or One Punch Man fight on screen. This tale of hubris and unexpected power focuses on a war between the residents of a slum and the brutal Ax Gang. At the center is Sing, a loser con man who dreams of joining the gang one day. Explaining more would give away the best gags in this hysterical comedy-action hit, but don’t let that fool you. The fights here are just as furious as anything you’ve ever seen. – JMB
76) Always Be My Maybe
In Always Be My Maybe, childhood best friends Sasha and Marcus reconnect in their hometown of San Francisco after going 15 years without uttering a word to one another. Everyone—including Sasha and Marcus—always thought maybe they might end up together, but 15 years later, the two live conflicting lifestyles. The embrace of the “two best friends fall in love” plot makes it feel like an instant classic—but also formulaic. The most innovative part of Always Be My Maybe is its normalization of two Asian-Americans playing the leads in a romantic comedy, making it a love letter to modern Asian-American culture without turning all of its characters into stereotypes. As predicted, Wong and Park bring plenty of chemistry to the film, making it impossible to root for any ending that doesn’t bring Sasha and Marcus together. —T.C.
77) Candyman
The ’90s were an odd decade for horror. While classics like Scream have held a place in our hearts for their delicious revivalism, for much of the decade horror lived in an odd limbo. The genre was unloved and underfunded by studios, leaving a plenty of unrealized good ideas on the table. Candyman is an exception to that idea—a smart, brutal tale of terror that tickles all your horror needs whether you’re a gore fan or simply need a ghost to spook you. Following a grad student, as she tries to uncover the true story behind an urban legend, Candyman lays down the same connective tissue to today’s creepypasta myths as The Ring does. The difference is the way Candyman draws attention to urban blight along the path to its blood-spattered conclusion. Add in a brilliant score by avant-garde composer Philip Glass, and you have one of the underrated artistic gore fests in horror history. —J.M.B.
78) Sunday’s Illness
In Sunday’s Illness, the raw emotions between a mother and the daughter she abandoned 35 years ago are on full display as they spend 10 days together, showing what could have been and what will never be with painstaking beauty. Mother Anabel (Susi Sánchez) and daughter Chiara (Bárbara Lennie) constantly push and pull at one another even when they aren’t in each other’s orbit. Sunday’s Illness could have taken its concept into a number of directions with the backdrop—and impeccable cinematography—of an isolated house located on a wooded mountain that helps set the tone. Instead, the film goes down a more emotional and sometimes uncomfortable path, climaxing in a profoundly life-changing experience. Like the snapshots we see, we’re left wondering what it might all say. —M.J.
79) The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment takes the infamous 1971 study on perceived power by Stanford professor Philip Zimbardo and turns it into something like a psychological thriller. Starring a who’s who of young Hollywood actors, led by Billy Crudup playing Zimbardo, the film recounts the disturbing events of the experiment by stretching them out in a slow, painful burn. Based on footage from the actual study, it feels like director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s fictionalized version took painstaking detail. —C.O.
80) Room
Not The Room, just Room. Drop the “The” and trade Tommy Wiseau for the infinitely more charming Brie Larson. Room is based on the bestselling Emma Donahue novel of the same name and it’s about a woman who was kidnapped and has spent five years living in a room with her son. It’s unquestionably harrowing, but the film opens up in the second half when mom and son (Jacob Tremblay, doing some strong kid acting) regain their freedom. It’s an emotional gauntlet, but one that is worth going through for Larson’s Oscar-winning work. —EE.S.
81) Amy
Amy Winehouse stands as one of the most tragic figures in the history of modern pop music. Blessed with the voice of an angel, and cursed with the demons to match, Winehouse came back from a marginally successful debut called Frank to set the pop charts on fire with Back to Black. Her songs were tinged with black humor that belied a substance abuse problem, which eventually led to her death in July of 2011. Amy is a heartbreaking portrait of an artist wrestling with success and the consequences of having too much, too fast. —J.M.B.
82) Molly’s Game
From 2004 to 20013 Molly Bloom ran illegal poker games for high rollers in Los Angeles and New York that drew in everyone from celebs like Tobey Maguire to Russian gangsters. Her reign on the top came crashing down when she was arrested as part of a racketeering investigation. At the age of 35, Bloom was facing 10 years in jail and an empty bank account. Aaron Sorkin and Jessica Chastain team up for this of hilarious, occasionally terrifying, exploration of the world of underground gambling. – JMB
83) Our Souls at Night
Louis Waters (Robert Redford) has lived a quiet life since his wife’s death years before. Then one night his neighbor, Addie (Jane Fonda), herself a widow of many years, knocks on his door with a simple proposal: “Would you like to sleep with me?” Our Souls at Night would be worth watching even if it was just to see Redford and Fonda working together again, but thankfully, it also serves as a gentle reminder that it’s never too late to find love. Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone and knock on some doors. —D.W.
84) Someone Great
When Rolling Stone calls, aspiring music journalist Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) knows she has to answer—even if it means moving across the country to San Francisco and jeopardizing her relationship with Nate (Lakeith Stanfield), her boyfriend of nine years. Someone Great is a coming-of-age story about transitioning out of your twenties and saying goodbye to people and places that no longer belong in your life. The heart-wrenching and relatable film challenges its viewers with the idea that sometimes, the best decision for yourself is the hardest one to make. —T.C.
85) Five Elements Ninja
Park Kung Fu classic, part splatter masterpiece, Five Elements Ninja is an ultra-violent Martial Arts classic. After his martial arts school is massacred by a rival dojo, a young warrior sets out for revenge against ninjas who harness the power of the elements. Essentially a rapidly escalating series of complex fights, Five Elements Ninja is full of wonders like ninja trees, underwater ninjas, golden solar ninjas, underground ninjas, and every other ninja you’ve ever wanted to see. Just be prepared to see the blood fly. -JMB
86) The Edge of Seventeen
Writer-director Kelly Fremoon Craig’s The Edge of Seventeen is one of the strongest filmmaker debuts of the last few years. It’s a coming-of-age story that centers on Hailey Steinfeld’s Nadine, an awkward teen who can’t stop making things more awkward. (Is there any other kind of teen?) Despite Nadine’s fumbling, the movie is really about a family struggling in the aftermath of a tragedy. It doesn’t shy away from showing the uglier sides of the characters, and it never condemns or condones them. The Edge of Seventeen is ultimately about being comfortable enough with yourself to realize that you aren’t the only one with problems. —E.S.
87) Despicable Me
Planning to steal the moon is no small task, even for an experienced supervillain like Gru. Right as he’s about to pull off the heist of a lifetime, Gru finds himself the unwilling host to three young orphan girls looking for a father. There aren’t enough children’s films with lovable villains, and Despicable Me’s depiction of the nuances of a bad guy make it something special. Also, if you only know Minions from annoying memes, you deserve a chance to fall in love with the little yellow devils for real. – JMB
88) Casa de mi Padre
The Western-comedy is a rich subgenre within the Western genre as a whole. Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, for instance, is one of the best American comedies of all time. There haven’t been a lot of offerings in this tradition lately, and the ones we have gotten (The Ridiculous 6, A Million Ways to Die in the West) have been less than stellar. That’s what makes Will Ferrell’s Casa de mi Padre, from 2012, such a memorable outlier. As much a send-up of/tribute to telenovela cliches as Western ones, this story of a rancher (Ferrell) who goes up against a drug lord is told entirely in Spanish, with English subtitles. In a brilliant bit of casting, the film co-stars Y Tu Mamá También’s Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, and was co-written and directed by Andrew Steele and Matt Piedmont, who’ve made a career of dissecting genre tropes on the IFC shows The Spoils of Babylon, The Spoils Before Dying, and the Lifetime original movie A Deadly Adoption. —C.O.
89) Purple Rain
Prince cemented himself as one of the 80s biggest stars with Purple Rain, a 1984 rock musical/cultural event that’s still melting hearts today. Prince stars as The Kid, the young frontman of Minneapolis’ The Revolution. His home life is hell, but on the stage he’s a god, but can The Kid find salvation in his music before the world destroys his dream. Sexual, campy to an incredible degree, and overflowing with classic music, Purple Rain is the standard all rock musicals should be judged by. – JMB
90) The Invitation
If you missed 2016’s twisty The Invitation, you’re not alone. But you’re also in for a treat. Karyn Kusama’s thriller about a group of friends at a dinner party is simplistic in premise but precise in execution. It’s a movie so intimate, so perfectly claustrophobic, you’ll feel, almost like the characters in the movie, trapped by a kind of relentless dread while watching it. As the plot unfurls and the party stretches on, secrets and ulterior motives are revealed, all the way up to a breathtaking climax. Intense as the experience is, you may immediately want to watch it again, if not because it’s great then at least to make sure you got everything. —C.O.
91) I Am Mother
Set in a post-apocalyptic bunker, I Am Mother is a smart thriller about a girl named Daughter (Clara Rugaard) who was raised from birth by a robot named Mother (Rose Byrne) after a mysterious plague wiped out the Earth’s population. Daughter’s peaceful life gets upended when a human survivor (Hilary Swank) arrives from outside the bunker, leading Daughter to question what other lies Mother has been telling. I Am Mother is a twisty, self-contained sci-fi drama that explores wider themes with a small cast, sparing the complicated world-building and simply giving Rugaard and Swank plenty of interesting material. —G.B.W.
92) Oasis: Supersonic
Oasis: Supersonic documents how brilliance, arrogance, substance abuse, and a little luck propelled a small rock band from Manchester, England to the stadiums they still play today. If you miss VH1’s Behind the Music, Supersonic has all the juicy backstage chaos you could ever want. —JMB
93) Moon
Moon is one of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century. Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an astronaut working a solo mission on the moon. With his assignment nearing its end, Sam finds out that his replacement is… himself. The more Sam tries to figure out the true nature of his work, and himself, the more his world upends. This is the best work of Rockwell’s career, and he has a blast playing multiple versions of his character. Director and co-writer Duncan Jones delivered a top-tier debut with Moon, and the resourceful filmmaking marked him as a bright new voice. But this is Rockwell’s show, and he crushes it. —E.S.
94) Okja
Bong Joon-ho’s Okja is an odd and oddly touching story about a girl, Mija, and her genetically enhanced superpig, Okja. Set in Korea and the U.S., Okja features a diverse cast, thrilling set pieces, and enough emotional moments to keep you engaged even when the film indulges its weirder aspects. Despite the film’s tonal shifts, Joon-ho’s agility and prowess as a filmmaker ties everything together and makes it feel if a piece. Okja is easily the best Netflix original movie to date. —E.S.
95) To the Bone
It may be hard to convince yourself to sit down for a harrowing story about a young woman’s struggle with anorexia. Despite To the Bone’s dour subject matter, Marti Noxon’s script has enough humor to act as a release valve, and it’s one of the best movies on Netflix. The performances from lead actress Lily Collins to supporting players Alex Sharp, Keanu Reeves, Retta, and Lily Tomlin are great. The story is based on Noxon’s past experiences and that comes through in the intimate and empathetic approach she takes. —E.S.
96) I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Ennui, violation, ham-fisted vengeance: It all comes together in Macon Blair’s directorial debut, starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood as two amateur detectives looking for justice in a world gone mad. It’s one of the best movies on Netflix and exclusive to the service. —A.S.
97) The Night Comes for Us
This Indonesian action extravaganza follows Ito (Joe Taslim), a mercenary for the Southeast Asian Triad who decides to leave his brutal lifestyle. But he quickly finds out that there are no clean getaways and everything has a cost. With the whole Triad out to get him, Ito must fight for his freedom and life. Writer-director Timo Tjahjanto delivers a raucous two hours full of intricate action scenes both huge and intimate in scale. This film is a must-see for anyone who likes action movies and doesn’t mind a little (or a lot) of bloodshed. —E.S.
98) Obvious Child
A young comedian’s life gets thrown for a loop when she becomes pregnant. No longer able to get away with living life casually, Donna (Jenny Slate) must confront her new reality and make difficult choices, including whether to go through with getting an abortion. The way writer-director Gillian Robespierre navigates difficult material sets the film apart. There is a romantic subplot to Donna’s story, which the film also deals with in a thoughtful and satisfying way, but this is more of dramedy with a romance than a stereotypical rom-com. No matter, because Obvious Child is just a good film no matter how you classify it. —E.S.
99) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Falling in love with Austin Powers again didn’t take much, just a ten-year break from everyone asking “do I make you horny baby?” Now with its catchphrases blissfully in the past, it’s time to revisit the gloriously weird world of Austin Powers. The Spy Who Shagged Me is one of the rare instances where a comedy’s sequel is better than the original. With a sharper script, bigger set pieces, and the introduction of Verne Troyer’s incredible Mini Me, The Spy Who Shagged Me is the series’ high point. – JMB
100) The Spectacular Now
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is the king of his high school, and he’s committed to partying his way through the rest of senior year. That is until his girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) dumps him for their class president. Sutter goes on a bender and wakes up in the front yard of his classmate Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), whose name he doesn’t even know. The two come from opposite worlds, but that doesn’t stop them from falling hard for each other. True to its title, The Spectacular Now is a candid, heartfelt movie about abandoning your reservations and choosing to love your life in the moment, because that’s all you’ve got. —B.R.
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Editor’s note: This story is regularly updated for relevance.
