[imagesource: Steffan Hill]

Open Netflix, add five things to my watchlist, scroll aimlessly for 10 minutes, and settle for whatever was recommended at the top.

Sometimes less is more and the scope of what’s available on Netflix can be a little intimidating.

Factor in that the algorithms make recommendations based on your prior viewing habits and a few gems can end up slipping through the net.

Thankfully, Collider has come to the party with an extensive list of the streaming giant’s hidden gems. We’ll hitch a ride on that train and pick out three of our favourites, as well as two others that you won’t find on Netflix in South Africa.

I’m a sucker for a good British comedy so let’s start there.

Mindhorn

If you enjoy a British comedy that mixes the best of Steve Coogan and Monty Python, Mindhorn is a super fun mix of action and Hollywood satire. Julian Barratt delivers a rousing performance as the titular character, the former star of a cult action television series who is now washed up.

Mindhorn has to become an actual hero when he becomes intertwined in a real murder mystery involving some of the biggest fans of his show.

Barratt was also one of the stars of The Mighty Boosh so you know it’s going to be a quirky affair:

Mindhorn is available on Netflix.

Do you know what you need more of in your life? Do you know what we all need more of in our lives?

Willem Dafoe.

I recently watched Spider-Man: No Way Home which gave me a taste but let’s rewind to 2017’s The Florida Project:

[It’s] a magnificent work that observes the gorgeous color and life in the struggles of the hidden homeless making their way in the world. It is a film that is seen through the eyes of a child, Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), who spends her days finding joy in the small world surrounding the motel she lives in with her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite).

The establishment is run by Bobby (Willem Dafoe) who tries to keep things under control while also showing care where he can to those struggling to get by. Dafoe is magnificent in the role, shifting from being more snarky to being quietly kind when trying to show small kindnesses to those who have been abandoned by society and found themselves in his character’s motel.

The final scene of the trailer shows a fleeting Dafoe ‘crazy eyes’ moment:

Don’t worry, he doesn’t go full Green Goblin.

Our third hidden gem is 2016’s Nocturnal Animals:

[It’s] a twisty thriller that follows an art gallery owner (Amy Adams) as she reads the new novel written by her first husband (Jake Gyllenhaal).

As she reads the novel, the events of the book play out on the screen and you begin to connect the dots between this supposedly fictional story and the gallery owner’s real-life – and the reason her marriage fractured in the first place.

It’s haunting and surprising in equal measure, leading to an incredibly ambitious ending that should spark some lively discussion.

The film scores 7,5 on IMDb which is usually a very good sign. Then again, The Blind Side scored 7,6 and it’s a total piece of shite.

I’ll leave that battle for another day.

I’ll finish with two films that you can find on Netflix at present.

First, for those who like horror movies, there’s The Ritual:

If you’re into cult movies — that is, movies about cults — you should absolutely check out The Ritual. The story revolves around four friends who go on a hiking trip in Sweden to honor their friend Rob, who was killed six months earlier during a convenience store robbery.

But when they take a shortcut through some woods, they find themselves haunted by a malevolent creature.

It’s not groundbreaking but how many films these days are?

Finally, your man Paul Rudd breaks his usual comedic mould with Mute:

Mute is a weird-as-hell movie, but if you’ve ever wanted to see Paul Rudd play a despicable character and knock it out of the park, this is for you. The second in an unofficial trilogy of loosely connected films, Mute follows in the footsteps of Duncan Jones’ Moon and takes place in the year 2035.

Alexander Skarsgard plays a mute bartender named Leo searching for the woman he loves who has mysteriously disappeared. Rudd and Justin Theroux, meanwhile, play pretty deranged surgeons who play a major role in the film.

The future isn’t painted in flattering terms but it is “darkly fun”:

Five films, three available on South African Netflix, and our work here is done.

[source:collider]