Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Netflix Hidden Gems (US)

V

vrDrew

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 31, 2010
1,376
13,412
Midlife, Midwest
I've had a Netflix streaming subscription for about four years now, and I've never regretted signing up.

But I think most Netflix subscribers would probably agree that it is sometimes a struggle to find the perfect thing to watch. I'd like to start a discussion of some of the lesser-known movies, tv shows, documentaries, etc. - that might be worth a look.

Most recently I watched, and greatly enjoyed, Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story.

Its probably difficult to describe Bob Guccione to Millenials. But suffice it to say, before there was an internet, there were adult magazines. And while Guccione's Penthouse was a little more explicit than the other well-known periodical, by today's standards it seems quaintly demure.

Turns out there is a tremendous amount I didn't know about Bob Guccione. Like the fact that he put women in charge of just about every important executive job at the magazine. And that he provided a real forum for the best writers and thinkers of his day. And that Bob Guccione jr. (so ragged on by Axl Rose of GNR) is actually quite a decent and intelligent guy.

Please share your recent Netflix hidden gems. Give us all a half dozen sentences as to why you think we might enjoy what you found.
 
adk said:
you have to watch Caligula next, right?
Click to expand...

I remember, probably more than twenty years ago, trying to watch Caligula.

Lets put it this way: That wasn't anyone's best work. And it didn't work on any level: Not historical. Not dramatic. Not cinematographic. And not even pornographic.

But, a hundred years after the event, you've got to hand it to Bob Guccione for even trying to make something like that work.
 
Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
91 min - Documentary | Sport

Not a skater or even a surfer, but really enjoyed this documentary about the beginnings of skateboarding culture. Crazy to think how some kids from broken homes in a broken city were able to pursue their passion and change the world without ever intending to have done it. It's a true story told by one of the legends of the sport and narrated by Sean Penn. definitely worth a look. Great historical footage, too.
 
I really enjoyed The Short Game, a documentary about some of the children competing in the 2012 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship.
 
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Adventure/History

Story of an explorer who set out on a raft with 5 friends to prove that Polynesia could have been discovered by South Americans.

Based on a true story. I thought it was pretty interesting and enjoyed the film. Nothing earth shattering but got the imagination going.
 
Tilpots said:
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Adventure/History

Story of an explorer who set out on a raft with 5 friends to prove that Polynesia could have been discovered by South Americans.

Based on a true story. I thought it was pretty interesting and enjoyed the film. Nothing earth shattering but got the imagination going.
Click to expand...

I've clicked past this title several times but have never leaped. I do think Netlix streamings most valuable asset are the wide array of television titles.
 
Huntn said:
I've clicked past this title several times but have never leaped. I do think Netlix streamings most valuable asset are the wide array of television titles.
Click to expand...

I'd clicked past it so may times I finally decided I just had to watch. Glad I did. Again, it's no epic, but it will stir you're sense of adventure.

As for TV series, I've watched a few like Breaking Bad. Mostly it's been the recent stuff. I haven't gone back to an older series. I gave The League a few eps, funny, but it didn't hold my interest.
 
Tilpots said:
I'd clicked past it so may times I finally decided I just had to watch. Glad I did. Again, it's no epic, but it will stir you're sense of adventure.

As for TV series, I've watched a few like Breaking Bad. Mostly it's been the recent stuff. I haven't gone back to an older series. I gave The League a few eps, funny, but it didn't hold my interest.
Click to expand...

My wife has watched scores of English historical and crime dramas. We watched all of Upstairs, Downstairs, Battlestar Gallactica, and many more.
 
Huntn said:
My wife has watched scores of English historical and crime dramas. We watched all of Upstairs, Downstairs, Battlestar Gallactica, and many more.
Click to expand...

Battlestar is my favorite! I watched that live back in the day. Such a great job the way the show paralleled the events of the day. Best show to capture the human condition. Only thing close right now, IMO, is the Walking Dead.
 
Found a multi season British Mini Series called Black Mirror. It's really strange and truly thought provoking. It's like a technological Twilight Zone of the modern day. I've watched the first three and will be watching the next three soon.
 
IP MAN 1 & 2. The other IP MAN movies are ok too, but made by a different film maker.

http://www.netflix.com/search/ip man

If you are a fan of Bruce Lee and/or king fu movies... You'll love these. In a nutshell, these are modern Bruce Lee style movies shot in the last 5 years and are in HD. The story is loosely based on the life of IP MAN. He is one of of the founding fathers of Wing Chun style kung fu and Bruce Lee was one of his students. The movie takes liberties to make the story more exciting, but it is very entertaining. Note: The spoken dialogue is in Chinese. You have to read English subtitles, but it is well worth it!
 
1080p said:
IP MAN 1 & 2. The other IP MAN movies are ok too, but made by a different film maker.

http://www.netflix.com/search/ip man

If you are a fan of Bruce Lee and/or king fu movies... You'll love these. In a nutshell, these are modern Bruce Lee style movies shot in the last 5 years and are in HD. The story is loosely based on the life of IP MAN. He is one of of the founding fathers of Wing Chun style kung fu and Bruce Lee was one of his students. The movie takes liberties to make the story more exciting, but it is very entertaining. Note: The spoken dialogue is in Chinese. You have to read English subtitles, but it is well worth it!
Click to expand...


Yep, +very+ highly recommended if you’re a fan of the genre. Beautifully shot, amazing action pieces and stunt work, and an interesting (if somewhat fantastic) perspective on the history of Wing Chun, the Japanese invasion/occupation of China. :cool:
 
A Town Called Panic

https://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70119207?trkid=200250783

French claymation about a toy horse, cowboy, and indian, who live together in a small French village. Based on a series of short films for children.

Rubber

https://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70142800?trkid=200250783

If you're the sort of person who likes movies that make other people say "wtf was that?" you'll like this.

Trollhunter

https://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70170065?trkid=200250783

Troll!!!!

Rare Exports

https://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70153296?trkid=200250783

My new favorite christmas movie. A kid in Finland discovers that Santa is buried in a local mountain. Apparently not now available for streaming.
 
The other night I watched "I Know That Voice". It's a rather light, but entertaining documentary about voice actors. I liked it. Brought back a lot of memories of shows I watched growing up.

If you like that, you may like "In a World". But I think I got that off iTunes, not Netflix.
 
Documentary of John Milius, the movie writer and director who came up with Spielberg and Lucas. Milius was involved in a surprising number of projects and many never heard of him. Milius wrote lines such as, "Go ahead. Make my day."
 
aaronvan said:
Milius is an unapologetic conservative, so mainstream Hollywood does it's best to ignore him.
Click to expand...

Oy vey.

The biography is sufficiently balanced to include Oliver Stone and other Hollywood greats who take one through Milius' rise and fall. Both Speilberg and Lucas are on camera saying that if anyone in film school along with them at the time was going to be the first one to make it, it was Milius.
 
Generation war german mini series
My way korean movie

both based around world war 2

Just not sure which netflix countries theyre acailable on
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back