With the Corona virus unfortunately still a reality and no real signs of a vaccine heading our way anytime soon, most of us are still spending quite an amount of time at home. Luckily there are streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon prime that help us pass the, what otherwise might become pretty boring hours, with an enormous amount of content. However there is so much content one might become overwhelmed or even miss out on some pretty good finds. I was talking to blogger extraordinary Pete the other day, and he told me he was always having trouble to find good things on Netflix. Now for those of you who don’t know Pete, go and check out his amazing blog. He recently passed the 6000 wordpress follower mark (and that’s not even counting his many email and social media subscriptions) which is no surprise. Not only is his blog a lot of fun to read each day, it’s enormously diverse, with a multitude of topics, and let’s not forget he is an absolutely amazingly friendly guy. So I thought I would make a two part series of posts for him (And ofcourse everyone else who is interested) detailing some movies and tv series that I highly enjoyed on Netflix, and might not be very widely known. Well, you already know what part 1 is about (what the big announcement at the top of this post wasn’t enough?), so let’s get started!
1. Overlord, Horror/Action movie (2018)
Overlord is a movie that kind of fell under the radar back in the day it was released, and that’s a real shame. Produced by J.J. Abrams, this film takes place during the second world war. On the eve of D-Day a group of American soldiers fall behind enemy lines. Soon they come across a small village, where disturbing things are taking place. The nazis are working on some horrific experiments that produce inhuman soldiers, and might turn the tides of war. This is one of those guilty pleasure movies that is a fun ride from start to finish. It never loses it’s momentum and has plenty of action, horror and cool characters that make this a highly enjoyable film.
2. Lion, Drama movie (2016)
I already wrote a review for this film back in the day it was released (if you are interested you can read it right here). It has six oscar nominations, including best picture and rightfully so. It’s a very beautiful movie, telling a true story about a young Indian man who was adopted after having been lost from his home at a very young age. Twenty five years later he sets out on a path to find his real family. This movie has absolutely amazing performances, a terrific storyline, and before you think this is one of those tearjerking films: it’s not. It’s simply put a terrific and wonderful human story, and in the times we currently live one needs that right now.
3. When Marnie was there, Anime movie (2014)
Studio Ghibli is well known to fans of animated movies and has made some truly remarkable films over the years. Spirited Away, Howl’s moving castle are just a few examples of these. A film that is probably lesser known, is When Marnie was there. It tells a beautiful story of a young girl named Anna that because of her asthma is sent to live with relatives in the Japanese countryside. Once there she get’s to meet a mysterious girl named Marnie. Just who is Marnie exactly? The story of this film is quite remarkable, especially once you get to the end and all it’s puzzle pieces fall in place. Combined with amazing visuals this movie is an absolute gem.
4. Dragged Across Concrete, Drama/Thriller movie (2018)
The name Mel Gibson is of course known by most people. Sadly enough his name and reputation have become so tarnished that his career suffered because of it. A real shame as I always found him an amazing actor and this film once again proves that. Mel plays a cop who together with his partner Vince Vaughn become suspended from the police force. This causes them to dive into the criminal underworld. This movie is a slowburn thriller film that takes a while to get going. Stick with it though, because once it picks up, it truly delivers. Gibson‘s performance is once again topnotch, and the movie has some very nice twists and turns. Definitely recommend this one.
5. Extinction, Science Fiction/Action movie (2018)
While this is a science fiction film, it doesn’t really feel like one. When a man has a recurring dream of losing his family, it all of a sudden turns into a very real and nightmarish reality where the planet is invaded by an unknown force. Soon he is in the fight for his life, and must pull out out all the stops in order to save his family. There is a twist in this movie that you simply don’t see coming and once you realise what’s really going on, you have one of those moments where your jaw drops on the floor. This is a Netflix original movie, and in my opinion highly underrated. It has great tension, some terrific special effects, and all out great performances.
6. Hush, Thriller movie (2016)
A young woman who is mute and deaf, lives a solitary life in a cabin in a secluded part of the woods. One fateful day a masked sadistic killer makes an appearance at her doorstep, and she is in for the fight of her life. Now I know this is one of those stories you might have heard a thousand times, but the way this film is executed is very well done. It has some very tense and nailbiting scenes, some clever cinematography and a heroine who for a change doesn’t act too stupidly (as is usually the case in films such as these). This is just a fun thriller, which while it might certainly not tread on new ground is still highly enjoyable.
7. 22 July, Drama/Thriller movie (2018)
In Norway, on the 22nd of July 2011, a horrific terrorist attack was made by one deranged individual. It left over 70 people dead, and countless more injured. This movie looks at the events of that day, the survivors, and the people that worked on bringing justice for the victims. The film is directed by Paul Greengrass who was also responsible for the powerful movie United 93, that detailed the events of the doomed airplane that crashed in the events of 9/11. Just like in that movie, it doesn’t sensationalise the events of this horrific act. It’s a very emotional film, and one that shows how there are unfortunately some truly evil beings that walk amongst us on this planet.
8. The Last Castle, Action/Drama movie (2001)
Robert Redford stars in this fun action film. You know those movies that eventually will have you cheering at the end of it? This is one of those. Redford plays a courtmartialed general that gets sent to a prison that is run by a cruel and sadistic warden. Once there he rallies the inmates to rise up against him. The movie has a lot of incredibly fun scenes and memorable moments, and will live you grinning from ear to ear during it’s entire runtime. Redford is superb in his role, but James Gandolfini also has a terrific part as the prison’s warden.
9. Leave no Trace, Drama movie (2018)
Some actors are very underrated. Ben Foster is one of them. In this movie he plays a father who has left behind civilisation, and traded it in for a life in the woods, living there with his thirteen year old daughter. Foster’s powerful performance is at the centre of this film, and one of the main reasons to go and check this one out. It’s not a movie that will be for everyone, as it’s a rather slow film. That said it’s story, combined with some beautiful visuals, and a very emotional father/daughter relationship is what makes this movie well worth seeing.
10. Into the Storm, Action/Disaster movie (2014)
Sometimes you just need a fun and mindless movie to get you through the day, and this is one of those. Into the storm is a film that will remind you a lot of twister, but it’s very well made and combined with some terrific special effects and great action. As for it’s story, such as it is, it tells the tale of a group of storm chasers and thrill seekers that face storms that have never been seen before. Of course a film such as this one you watch purely for the action and the effects, not for the story, and luckily on that front it never disappoints. This is one of those perfect summer blockbusters, and another movie that didn’t have much exposure at the time of it’s release.
Well, as it says here in the picture above we have pretty much come to the end of this first part. Join me again on Thursday where I will be covering some tv series that are on Netflix right now, and which you may or may not have seen yet. Either way I hope this was helpful Pete (and of course for everyone else who is reading this). Enjoy the rest of your day! See you all soon!
The Last Castle is the only one I have seen, so many thanks for the film tips, Michel.
Thanks also for the kind words about my blog.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Phew…that was the one thing I was worried about Pete, choosing movies that you might have seen already😅😅 One out of ten picks isn’t too bad😊
You are very welcome, and I hope you will enjoy the films! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them once you get around to watching them 😊
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Good selection of movies, not like the horrid offerings I’ve been ruining your day with!
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Thanks, I’ve been busy with it for quite a while. Some really fun films in this list, and tried to choose from a pretty wide range of genres as well 😊 Lol…and you have been offering quite a number of good films as well….so no worries with one bad selection haha😂
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I’ve seeen Overlored and The LAst Castle, but will be checking some of these out, Extinction sounds cool and Into the Storm.
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Nice! I hope you will enjoy them. Extinction was truly a pleasant surprise indeed…and Into the Storm is just one of those fun filled summer blockbuster movies. On thursday I hope to feature a couple of fun and hopefully relatively unknown tv series 😊
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Don’t know about unknown, but Ozark absolutely brilliant, as is Godless which is just top notch.
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Ozark is still on my watch list. My folks watched it, and were very enthusiastic about it as well. Godless I haven’t heard of, so I guess I am adding that one to my list 😊
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They are REALLY!! REALLY!! well good. You can tell how good they are because of the capital letters and exclamation marks 😀
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Ihm yeah, and I did enjoy Overlord, and Dragged Across Concrete, both very violent, but worth a stream if you know what’s involved.
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Absolutely. I didn’t expect much from either film. But both were honestly highly enjoyable 😊
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That’s a great list of films, I’m going to have to check out a few, especially Overlord and Dragged Across Concrete. I recently watched The Invitation, and loved it, it might interest you too 🙂 Looking forward to your TV show list!
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That’s honestly quite the coincidence. When I was checking out movies this morning, I came across that one, and added it to my list. So interesting you mentioned this one 😊
As for Overlord, I think you will highly enjoy that one. It was really good especially if you like horror. As for Mel’s film, it’s a slowburner, but one that pays off very well in the end 😊
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I haven’t heard of most of these. Looking forward to part 2 and discovering more titles I haven’t heard of!
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I’ve definitely tried to find some things that aren’t well known, and I have tried the same with part 2 (although probably two series on that one are definitely not unfamiliair). You are in luck as part 2 will be out tomorrow 😊
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I really liked Hush! I only knew about it because of a meme that depicted A Quiet Place as “Speak no evil”, Bird Box as “See no evil”, and Hush as “Hear no evil”. I luckily watched Hush without seeing the trailer (which gives away too much). The tension was great like you said and the heroines actions were refreshing.
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I could not agree with you more. Hush was a definite surprise. It’s a movie that when you read the synopsis makes you think “ Oh I’ve seen that dozen of times” but it all works out well, and it’s also nice to finally see a heroine that does more than scream and do silly things lol😂 Glad you enjoyed it as well, and thank you for your comment!😊
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You’re welcome! I also reviewed the movie in March in case you wanted to hear my full thoughts: https://mastermixmovies.wordpress.com/2020/03/16/hear-no-evil/
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Nice! I will go and check that one out, right now😊
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I’ve not seen July 22 but I have seen “Utøya: July 22”, a Norwegian film (in Norwegian!) based on the same story but told from a very different perspective. It’s a single take film but still chilling and suspenseful. You know where to find my review! 😉
Hope you get to check this film out an will be interested in your comparisons and contrasts between the two.. 🙂
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When I finished the film, I researched some things about the event on the internet, as well as looking up some reviews of the film itself. And yeah, came across the fact that there was another film made. As for July 22, that movie is also in Norwegian, with a few English lines as well.
I will do my best to find that film as well, and see how the two films compare to each other. As for the review, after I’m finished with answering some comments I will check it out 😊
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I couldn’t leave a comment on the post for some reason, so I will just leave it here: Brilliant review, and you have most certainly made me curious for it. Having it made in a single take is an even more impressive feat if I’m being honest. Will now try even more to find this one somewhere😊
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Thanks! Found out I had a setting where comments are closed on a post after 60 days . I guess it is a spam prevention thing.
Hope you get to see the film! 🙂
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Well…I guess we learn something new every day. Never knew that setting existed to be honest 😊 Thanks, will do my best to find it!
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If you go into your WP Admin dashboard, then scroll down to “Settings”, hover you cursor on that then choose “Discussion” from the pop-up menu and you’ll find a lots of things you can control regarding comments. 🙂
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Thank for the advice, will check that one out 😊
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This is quite the variety Michel! I loved Hush, and Lion. I’d love to watch Overlord and Into the Storm, but they’re not available on our Netflix.😕
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Ugh…it’s so annoying that there are so many difference between Netflix in different zones. That’s really too bad. Maybe they are on Amazon Prime? (It’s where I first saw Overlord). Hope you will get a chance to see them at some point they are well worth the watch😊
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Overload is on my list! It’s also on Hulu too. I need to start watching horror movies to get in the theme of Halloween!
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Yes…Halloween is thankfully coming again…definitely something to look forward to each year. Hope you will like this one, I definitely enjoyed it a lot 😊
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Pretty cool of you to do this for Pete! I saw Overlord and had fun with it, especially with gore in it! 😀 Hush was conceptually nice too, the ending was smart, considering the premise and all! 😛 Lion was also fantastic and highly-emotional. What a rollercoaster that was. Really scary at times too. Awesome list of movies for everyone to enjoy depending on what they’re looking for, Michel! Thanks for sharing!
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Overlord is just one of those guilty pleasure things that was an enjoyable ride from start to finish. I had a lot of fun with it. Hush was surprisingly good too…especially since, for a change, the girl wasn’t acting stupidly. I saw Lion in the movie theatre with a very good friend of mine, and it was absolutely spellbinding. I just remember after it was done that we didn’t even want to leave the theatre as we were still in awe of the film 😊 Always a pleasure! 😃
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Last castle was a good one. Mel gibson also stared in a movie about how the dictionary started back in the day. Very good one. He is pretty good. Extintion was an oddball for wife and I but a good one. Great post mate
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Thanks, always nice to see you here😊 Not that Last Castle is on Netflix, I might rewatch it, as it’s definitely been a while since I’ve seen it, and really enjoyed it😊
Yeah…Mel is always good, it’s just too bad his career took a dive. Real shame😢
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Took a dive on the word of some unknown person slamming him with the #metoo thing? Or was it something else?
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No something else, he was really drunk and made some really nasty racist comments. Since then his career has been down the drain. Real shame, as he was always one of my favorite actors.
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People have become such shitty things last couple of decades…
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