Cool Underrated Movies You Can Stream Right Now! [Netflix Edition]

After talking to the GF about all the great stuff I was watching on Netflix, I knew I had to follow it up with a blog post to tell the world! I figured everyone needs movie suggestions from the insane amount on streaming services nowadays (there's almost 5000 on Netflix alone!), so hopefully I found some you haven't seen yet.

Need a break from TV binging? Here's:

Cool Movies You Can Stream Right Now!

1. Quiz Show (1994) [historical/drama]

Quiz Show is not Robert Redford's first directorial feature, but it is certainly one of his best (the only exception might be his Oscar-winning debut Ordinary People). This film focuses on the story of the 1950s show Twenty-One, a quiz show that sparked scandal once Congressional investigator Richard N. Goodwin (played in the film by Northern Exposure and Numb3rs actor Rob Morrow) revealed the show to be rigged. Sourced from Goodwin's novel Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties, the movie follows his interactions with the conspirators and contestants involved but mostly focuses on contestant Charles Van Doren, chronicling his rise and fall upon joining the show. These Van Doren-focused scenes are the richest of the film, as we get wonderful performances from Ralph Fiennes and Paul Scofield as Van Doren's father, as well as John Turturro as Herb Stempel, the long-running contestant who was fixed to lose against Van Doren's first appearance.

This movie's legacy was tarnished by poor box office performance, despite numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations and generally favorable critical reception. This makes the film a great candidate as an underrated classic, and a must-watch for some well-acted, almost-profound-but-mostly-just-entertaining drama.

2. Fresh (1994) [crime/drama]

Another case of criminally overlooked cinema from 1994, Boaz Yakin's debut directorial indie feature is also his best. Later drawn into Disney's spree of live-action films through the formulaic sports drama Remember the Titans (2000), Yakin's debut film follows the daily life of its eponymous character, a young boy in a particularly dismal framing of NYC who runs drugs for the local dealers. However, despite his youth and occupation, he is highly intelligent, driven, and wise beyond his years. Clearly, his absent chess-playing alcoholic father (Samuel L. Jackson) instilled some of this knowledge into him, but mostly it is due to his staunch independence and drive to support himself and his beloved drug-addict sister. 

While the subject of urban crime was hot in the 90's, it had never before been portrayed with this level of realism and bluntness. Seeing this young boy (played impressively by never-before-seen Sean Nelson) go through such heartbreaking difficulties, one can only fully submit to his onscreen troubles or disconnect from the topic, pretending these events are not based in reality. Either way, the starkness with which Fresh is portrayed was perfect for the Filmmakers' Award at Sundance, though the honor was shared with Clerks, which perhaps has led to its disappearance from modern viewership.

3. Heat (1995) [action/drama] 

Finally bringing the intense presences of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro together, the film was a critical and commercial success when it was released, just not enough to boost it to the upper echelon of Michael Mann's filmography. I would guess this is because of its historical placement between the widespread acclaim of The Last of the Mohicans and the award-winning The Insider which also featured Al Pacino.

In any case, Heat is a deeply engaging film less for intense action scenes and more for its expertly directed balance of action and drama, as well as excellent acting performances from everyone involved. Particularly famous is a shootout scene on the Los Angeles streets that relies on realistic tension instead of overused movie tropes. The scene unfolds thoughtfully without any traditional quick cuts and radical action displays, and therefore captures the real danger and terror one might experience in the face of death. This element of Mann's immediate atmosphere, as well a great score and cinematography, makes for a truly wonderful action film.

4. Chasing Amy (1997) [romantic comedy/drama]

Speaking of Kevin Smith films, his directorial follow-up to Clerks (sort of) was this hidden gem Chasing Amy. This third film contained characters and references to his previous two New Jersey films (including Jay and Silent Bob, of course), though the plot material was vastly different. Chasing Amy twists the classic romantic comedy genre through the unlikely pairing of heterosexual Holden (Ben Affleck) and lesbian Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams). Though typically mired in some usual 90s gay-bashing, the film becomes something more with a few seeds of contemporary wisdom and sexual advancement, becoming less about Holden's crush on a lesbian and more about the shifting views of sexuality in modern times. 

This indie film success never feels lacking despite a low budget, and contains all the same comedic magic as Clerks did. Plus, the performances from the two leads (and comedic relief from Jason Lee as their third wheel) garnered further success for the film, giving it everything it needed to be a Sundance breakout like Clerks. Despite the similarities and comparisons it draws being a Kevin Smith film, there are many transcendent elements that ring true to this day. For a combination of adult humor and offbeat morals, this film makes for a surprisingly enjoyable watch in 2019.

5. Boondock Saints (1999) [action/thriller]

I suppose I have to mention this film since its now a cult classic, but I genuinely don't get the appeal. The action, the main thing you'd look for in an action film, isn't even that good, and everything else in the film is either at best questionable and at worst extremely boring. I went through everything I hate about it in another post, so feel free to check things out there, but if some twins on a divine mission to kill criminals in Boston sounds appealing, Netflix can hook you up!

6. Children of Men (2006) [science fiction/thriller]

I am also stealing this from a previous post, but this movie's just so good and more people need to see it. My favorite quote from my own post is "every scene balancing tension and desolation" which I think makes sense after revisiting it. Bleak but universal and important, this post-apocalyptic craziness continually forces the viewer to reconcile with the darkness surrounding them - once you are placed in these desperate situations as in Children of Men, you cannot avoid or pretend that the crumbling world around you doesn't exist.

This film centers on a depressed bureaucrat trying to avoid his apocalyptic surroundings in a world where women can no longer give birth. Once someone appears as the last remaining hope to this nearly dead world, this character played by Clive Owen must face the brutality of the decayed country, giving Children of Men a surprisingly real-world message despite its sci-fi trappings. Like the TV show Black Mirror and other important sci-fi tales frequently try to do, this film never extends beyond a reasonable future - instead, it seems like its just over the horizon, just futuristic enough to be the future but not a distant one. Despite low earnings and limited initial release, this is one of the best sci-fi movies of my lifetime, and should not be missed.

7. In Bruges (2008) [crime/black comedy]

Martin McDonagh has since upped the ante with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but his feature-length Sundance debut should not be so quickly forgotten. This limited release, relatively low-budget feature sets two Irish hitmen in Bruges, awaiting their next assignment after a failed hit. After quite of few years of repeated material in gangster movies, In Bruges was one to help breathe life into the genre, as well as Colin Farrell's career.

The odd couple pairing of wisecracking Farrell and the more serious Brendan Gleeson is only one of many successful comedic elements to the film. The impressive weaving of dark and silly buoys the films otherwise typical buddy comedy structure, with a few complexities thrown in to keep the audience on their toes. Really, for all the joy of watching Gleeson and Farrell go out it (especially when their boss Ralph Fiennes gets thrown in the mix), it all boils down to writer and director McDonagh, who adds a sympathetic touch to the characters and arcs the film (ultimately Oscar-nominated) to never leave a boring moment.

8. Clouds of Sils Maria (2015) [drama]

This film's still fresh in my mind since it is the most recent one I watched, so I still haven't totally solidified my opinion yet. Still, I think it was very well put together and quite a success for an art-house film (it won Kristen Stewart a few foreign awards). The three main roles in the film are very complex, though the overarching story seems a bit overused. I will say the ending was not nearly what I expected, but I wouldn't say I was shocked as much as just engrossed in the film. 

Either way, if you are looking for action and melodrama, this is definitely not the film for you - Clouds of Sils Maria seems to be a continuous meditation on the complex relationships between actors and characters, and how actors are differently treated depending on their choices and media presentations (though that's probably not the most profound statement). I'll get back to you all when I have had more time to settle on this one!

9. The Gift (2015) [psychological thriller]

This directorial debut by actor Joel Edgerton shows the true promise of raw talent. Written and directed by Edgerton, this film takes highly familiar themes to their most subversive ends, ending in a truly unusual and unexpected place. The dread slowly builds in this tale of unwanted neighborly affection, but the results (and the people involved) do not quite end up as expected. 

Edgerton's writing is impeccable and creates most of the tension that is further supplemented by quality direction. The classic tale of "mysterious person from the past terrorizing people" would certainly fall flat without this, and the addition of Edgerton as this mysterious individual makes the results even more stunning. This wonderful instance of executed vision can only be done by someone so heavily involved in the movie-making process, and we can all appreciate Edgerton's work as a promising new director to look out for.

10. Krisha (2016) [family drama]

The ridiculously low budget Krisha may not have made any real money, but it certainly added something truly unique to a played out genre and rocketed Trey Edward Shults to directorial stardom. This highly personal take on a woman who joins her families Thanksgiving after ten years of absence due to addiction, the film has an almost avant-garde experimental touch given by Shults, and in all honesty, should not be nearly as good as it is.

Pretty much every element of the film is unique to the genre despite its simple premise: the eponymous character (played by Schults actual aunt named Krisha) throws the viewer directly into the action with no backstory, simply letting the events unfold with occasion non-chronological cuts to various times in the story. The film is both emotionally and physically claustrophobic, with so much intense emotion packed into its 80 minutes and many close-up shots of Krisha's age-worn face. Schults effectively captures his aunt's slow descent towards the disruptive climax through unsettling tension and a brilliant score, which says a lot considering his lack of age, experience, and budget. It's not the best movie of its time by a wide margin, but like I said, Krisha accomplishes what literally no other director could have done in Schults' position.

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Hope I found something new for you all to watch! Enjoy!