Netflix Pix #4

Hey everybody! I took most of last week off as I moved into my new place and enjoyed a nice little vacation from life in general. Well the honeymoon is over kids and it's time for me to get back to work. What better way to do so than with a new Netflix Pix, it is Monday after all. This week has a rather interesting new release, the newest film from one time all-star director M. Night Shyamalan, The Visit hits theaters Friday and some of us are hoping it’s a return to the Unbreakable days. The film appears to be going back to his small budget roots as it is sort of found-footage film about two kids who spend a weekend with their grandparents. It is low budget and looks to focus much more on story and character development than any of his most recent flops have.

In honor of the release of this on Friday I went through and highlighted five highly intense thrillers, all streaming on Netflix, that are perfect to get you in the mood for the weekend movies. The five films range rather widely in both theme, tone, and even language but be sure that each and every one of them will keep your gripping the edge of the seat until the credits role. So grab a drink, pop some popcorn and open up your Netflix queue because at least one of these is sure to hook you.

1. Insomnia (2002) Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Let’s start this one off with the "juggernaut" of the bunch, Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring both Al Pacino and Robin Williams this movie somehow gets overlooked by the Nolan fanboys. Maybe not his strongest work but much like any of the greats, mediocre Nolan is still leagues ahead of almost anyone else and this film proves it. Al Pacino plays an L.A. homicide detective who gets asked to aid in a murder in a small Alaskan town. He reluctantly accepts the job in the town where the sun doesn't set (literally) and we watch as the case and his personal decisions unravel his life. The film is full of plot twists and edge-of-your-seat moments and watching Robin Williams play the bad guy for a change is absolutely chilling. If you are a fan of Nolan and have yet to see this crazy little movie now’s your chance to check it out while it's still streaming!

2. Horns (2014) Directed By: Alexandre Aja

This made my top twenty of 2014 and after multiple viewings I can confirm that this is a damn good horror-comedy. Loosely based on the book of the same name by Joe Hill, Horns follows Ig (Daniel Radcliff) just after the love of his life has just been raped and murdered. Even worse, Ig is the main suspect in the case and nobody seems to believe he is innocent. That is until he wakes up one morning sporting a new facial feature, a pair of horns jutting from the corners of his forehead. He has no idea why or how these have appeared just over night but before long he realizes they give him certain supernatural power that will help him try and prove his innocence.

Along the way his encounters with other people force them to face their own demons and accept that they are all much guiltier in life than he. Now he has to do whatever he can to try and find out who actually killed his girlfriend while the cops are closing in on enough evidence to put him away. Daniel Radcliff puts in a wonderful performance and proves that he can do so much more than play Harry Potter, his turn as Ig is one that everybody should see. If you’re looking for something a little more...satanic, check out Horns on Netflix this week.

3. Big Bad Wolves (2014) Directed By: Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado

It's time to start pushing the foreign films to you guys, there are just too many great ones streaming not to. One of my favorites currently on Netflix is the Israeli film Big Bad Wolves. A brutal story of revenge and desperation, this film will definitely get under your skin all while making you laugh and things you probably shouldn't. After a serial child murderer strikes again the father of his latest victim thinks he has figured him out. Now the broken father has a religious studies teacher tied up in his basement, is he guilty? According the police he isn't since they released him from their custody just a few days prior. As this man tries to get a confession from who he believes to be his daughter's killer he begins to lose his grip on his own sanity. Is this the man who savagely killed his daughter? Or is this man on his way to torturing an innocent man? I guarantee if you turn this flick on you won't turn it off until the credits role.

4. The Others (2001) Directed By: Alejandro Amenabar

One of my favorite aspects of a good thriller is that often times it is very much a horror film as well, and you know how much I like my horror. Such is the case with 2001's The Others, starring the always amazing Nicole Kidman this film is one creepy haunted house story. Grace (Nicole Kidman) lives at home with her two photosensitive children. Their disorder forces them to live a difficult life where they must avoid contact with sunlight at all costs. This alone makes for some fairly creepy themes and storylines, but when a new crew of house maids begin coming to clean the house and worlds begin to clash Grace begins to think her house is haunted. She ends up with her own internal battle to decide if this her slipping sanity or if her family home is truly haunted by something evil. The film is masterfully written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar and is a testament to the genre. Regardless of what you think of the film, you never need a good excuse to look at Nicole Kidman for a few hours.

5. 13 Sins (2014) Daniel Stamm

This little flick popped on Netflix around this time last year and was a great find. This little indie thriller packs a big punch for such a small story and is more than worth your time. The plot is simple, Elliot (Mark Webber) is a down on his luck salesman doing what he can to get by when an unimaginable opportunity arises for him. When a mysterious phone appears in his car and starts to ring, the voice on the other end is going to change his life forever. A man begins to offer him small but significant amounts of cash to do some daring things. Starting with easy tasks, like killing a fly and then eating it and escalating into something more serious, involving more cash with each phone call.

When he sees the money appear in his bank account he has no choice but to go along, but when the tasks begin to get heavier and heavier Elliot must decide how far he is willing to go to make his life, and the lives of the people around him even easier. This may sound similar to another great film released last year, Cheap Thrills, and although it shares some basic themes 13 Sins is a big departure from the occurrences of that film. This movie wastes no time before getting into the thick of the plot and in turn makes sucks you in right away. This is hardly a game changer but it does what it wants to incredibly and it all makes for an intense little thriller.

Honorable Mention: The Guest (2014) Directed By: Adam Wingard

I didn't want to include this on the list since I had just reviewed it a few weeks ago, but I had to at least give it an honorable mention. With The Visit hitting theaters this weekend this is the perfect little movie to get you in the mood. This highly intense, action-packed thriller is one of the best films of 2014. Considering I just reviewed it however, here is a link to that review where you can see my full thoughts on the film. My short answer? Just watch it, you won't regret it.

That's all for this week’s installment of Netflix Pix! I hope you found at least a few films on this list that you haven't seen and interest you. Until next time, I am Zach Who Watches Movies and thank you for reading. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!