You're using Netflix wrong if you haven't watched these 9 movies

4 days ago

Steve Charnock Published August 12, 2025 2:45pm Updated August 12, 2025 2:45pm Link is copied Comments There's a lot of content on Netflix. Some of it good, some of it not so good. The streaming service is the ideal solution to boredom at home. Nothing to do? Stick Netflix on and let something wash over you. We've no issue with the idea of watching an old favourite or even a new film or piece of TV that's not all that good, but sits nicely in the background. But for the money we all pay? We have to be taking in some of the better pieces of art that it hosts, too. And there's plenty on there. When it comes to films, you don't have to look that hard to find a decent number of pure cinematic classics waiting for you to discover/rediscover. Using the movie review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes' ratings to prove our point, here are nine films you really have to see on Netflix if you want to be getting the most out of your subscription... (Picture: Netflix) The Stranger is a superior slow-burning Aussie crime thriller that sneaks under your skin thanks to its quiet dread and razor-sharp performances. Joel Edgerton plays an undercover cop who strikes up a careful friendship with a man suspected of a horrific crime, played with unsettling intensity by Sean Harris. The tension builds in tiny moments - through glances, pauses, half-smiles - so that when something breaks, it hits all that much harder. It's part of a wave of modern Australian crime films like Animal Kingdom and Snowtown that ditch glamour for grit, favouring mood over action. With two powerhouse leads and a style that feels more like an experience than a story, it's a gripping reminder that silence can be just as thrilling as gunfire. Which, while true, could make this film sound boring. It is, however, anything but (Picture: Netflix) If you pay attention to true cinephiles and their picks for the finest films ever made, you'll certainly get a selection of great works of art. That's all well and good, but what do we all mainly want to watch? A surrealist Russian arthouse piece about the ravages of poverty? Or a fun chase thriller with Harrison Ford chucking himself into a giant dam? It may be 32 years old, but this big-screen adaptation of the fun sixties TV show is still a cracking watch. Tense, fast-paced and full of twists and turns, The Fugitive is a top rate thriller elevated into the sky by serious performances by both Ford and a never-better Tommy Lee Jones (Picture: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock) Nicolas Cage loses it when his swine's pignapped. Has there ever been a better set-up for a film? Pig is one of those movies that sounds bizarre on paper - Cage plays a reclusive truffle hunter whose beloved pig is stolen and he vows to get his porcine pal back - but turns out to be quietly moving and nothing at all like you might expect. Instead of a revenge rampage, it's a tender and strange meditation on loss, memory and the lives we leave behind. Cage, whose career in the past decade has swung from wild experiments to unexpected gems, gives one of his most restrained and affecting performances here in some time. It's weird, yes, but in the best way. It's also slow, thoughtful and full of moments that linger long after the credits roll. Get in the mud and enjoy this unexpected minor classic (Picture: Everett/Shutterstock) The Power of the Dog is one of the 21st century's most powerful historical westerns, thanks to Jane Campion's masterful direction that turns vast landscapes into tense, emotional expanses. It's a directorial performance that rightly won Campion her second Academy Award. Benedict Cumberbatch carries the film with a quiet, simmering intensity, but it's Kirsten Dunst's performance that really stands out. There's restraint, subtlety and deep emotion all bubbling cleverly and quietly beneath the surface. The film strips away typical western clichés to focus on complex, fragile characters and their hidden struggles. While not spurning any of the tropes and things we all love about the genre. Campion's careful storytelling and the cast's nuanced work make this a fresh, haunting take on the western that stays with you (Picture: Netflix/Everett/Shutterstock) A genuinely terrific modern western stripped of horses and dust storms, but still steeped in frontier spirit, Hell or High Water is unmissable for anyone with an affection for the wild west and rebels with a cause. Here the frontier is rural Texas banks and foreclosed farms. Sicario and Wind River scribe Taylor Sheridan's sharp, unflinching script turns a simple bank-heist plot into a story about poverty, loyalty and a disappearing way of life. The cast is pitch-perfect, from Jeff Bridges' weary lawman to Chris Pine's understated desperation. But it's Ben Foster who - ironically - steals the film. He's feral, funny, and heartbreaking all at once. Sheridan has carved out a place in modern cinema for tough, soulful thrillers. And this is one of his finest pieces of work yet (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock) The rise and fall of a once-dominant corporate-friendly smartphone brand unfolds as a surprisingly fresh and entertaining story, mixing humour with sharp insight into the tech world's fast pace. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton surprises by shedding his usual comedic skin to deliver a tense, layered portrayal of Jim Balsillie, the ambitious and often prickly Blackberry co-CEO. His performance anchors the film, turning what could've been a dry corporate tale into a gripping character study. Critics praised the movie for balancing drama and wit, making it more than just a business story. It's a personal look at ambition, innovation and the costs that come with them. Much, much better than a film about Blackberry ever had the right to be (Picture: IFC Films/Everett/Shutterstock) Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel Prince of Thieves is very, very good. Ben Affleck's 2010 film adaption The Town is even better. About as Boston as anything that's ever been made, it's a movie in which Affleck dominates both behind and in front of the camera. He plays the lead, Doug, head of gang of armed robbers and childhood friends. He's already looking for a way out when he falls in love with Rebecca Hall on a job. But dating a hostage is tricky. Especially when the investigating FBI agent (played by Jon Hamm) is hot on Doug's tail. And also has a thing for Hall's Claire. This is impressively realistic and dramatic, stocked full of wicked smart performances - not just from Affleck, Hall and Hamm. But from Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively and Pete Postlethwaite too, amongst others. It's violent in places, but it doesn't glamourise the criminal lifestyle. Quite the opposite. In fact, it shows it for the trap it really is (Picture: Shutterstock) Steven Soderbergh's debut is a cinematic great because it proves you don't need big action or loud drama to grab an audience by the lapels and keep it glued to the screen. It's a film that keeps things simple - it's all slow shots, real conversations and relatable scenarios. But every glance and pause feels loaded. James Spader plays it quiet and mysterious, Andie MacDowell slowly comes out of her shell and Laura San Giacomo brings no small amount of smouldering. It's about secrets, desire and how messy honesty can be in relationships. Back in 1989, it showed indie films could be sexy, smart and real. And that small stories could make a big noise. It'd go on to be quite the influence to indie filmmakers throughout the nineties and beyond. If you've never got round to seeing it, why not add it to your Netflix watchlist and see what all the fuss is about? (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock) Let's end with a stone cold killer of a classic. Steven Spielberg's five star classic needs no introduction. You should have seen it. You probably have seen it. You need to see it again. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the world's favourite films. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, it's legendary for a reason. The set was besieged by all sorts of technical issues, so it's a small miracle the movie was even made at all. So the fact that it's become a touchstone of cinema is a hat tip to Spielberg's vision here. Alright, so the incredibly influential Jaws did little in the way of providing positive PR for great white sharks... But it did everything for Hollywood and the very concept of the blockbuster movie (Picture: HA/THA/Shutterstock)

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Dame Helen Mirren: I am such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy

The Herald Scotland

5 minutes ago

The Herald Scotland

Dame Helen Mirren: I am such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy

The Oscar-winning actress told Saga Magazine: 'I'm such a feminist, but James Bond has to be a guy. You can't have a woman. It just doesn't work. 'James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else.' Dame Helen Mirren stars in the new Thursday Murder Club film (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Dame Helen, 80, stars alongside former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan in the new Thursday Murder Club film, a cosy crime drama adapted from the best-selling book by game show host Richard Osman. Brosnan, 72, agreed with the actress about the next portrayal of Bond and told the magazine: 'Oh, I think it has to be a man.' He added: 'I wish (Amazon) them well. I'm so excited to see the next man come on the stage and to see a whole new exuberance and life for this character. 'I adore the world of James Bond. It's been very good to me. It's the gift that keeps giving. 'And I'm just a member of the audience now, sitting back, saying: 'Show us what you're going to do'.' Dame Helen previously told the Standard that 'the whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism' and added: 'Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been.' In the forthcoming Thursday Murder Club film, the veteran actress plays a retired spy, who is also the founder and leader of the club. Speaking about her character Elizabeth, she told Saga: 'So many women have worked in that world. She's a manifestation of a reality, that's for sure.' Pierce Brosnan and Dame Helen Mirren on the cover of Saga Magazine (Saga Magazine/Giles Keyte/Netflix/PA) Asked if she is a better portrayal of a spy than Bond, Dame Helen said: 'More realistic. But not so much fun as Bond!' She added: 'The great thing about a movie like this is that it reminds everyone, as an older person I have a brain, I have agency, energy, commitment, passion and intellect. It doesn't all stop when you're 40.' Brosnan said the movie, directed by Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, would also appeal to anyone who likes the film series about wizardry and added: 'This is like a Harry Potter retirement home.' The film, which lands on Netflix on August 28, follows a crime-busting group of retirees, played by Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen, Mamma Mia! star Brosnan, Calendar Girls actress Celia Imrie and Gandhi star Sir Ben Kingsley. You can read the full interview in Saga Magazine's September issue.

Margaret Pomeranz remembers David Stratton: ‘I feel as though one half of me has gone'

The Guardian

6 minutes ago

The Guardian

Margaret Pomeranz remembers David Stratton: ‘I feel as though one half of me has gone'

I know I have been reticent about commenting on David Stratton's death (he didn't want to 'pass', he wanted to die – no euphemisms for him!). But apart from wanting to hug my grief to myself, I felt that it was his family who should be considered, not me. And if anyone should have a tribute it is Strats' wife, Susie, who was the most wonderful support to him over these difficult years. I told him he was lucky to have married a younger woman! David was a stoic, he never wallowed in his deteriorating health. He continued to watch a new movie every day and revisit old favourites. He would enthuse about a new Australian film he'd just seen – he never lost that absolute passion for cinema. So much has been written about David's and my partnership over the years that there's not much more to be said, but I have a few recollections that aren't so well known. When we met I was a cinema enthusiast, not a walking encyclopedia of film like David. When he first came into SBS and I tried to talk to him, he brushed me off unceremoniously. I imagine a few people have had that experience with him but over the years he became much more welcoming of people approaching him – especially young film enthusiasts, many of whom he mentored and promoted. He was unstintingly generous in that way. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning When Peter Barrett, the head of programming at SBS, told me I was to become David's producer, I said I didn't think it was a good idea; he didn't think that much of me. But David seemed to welcome someone, anyone, helping him. So I became the producer of his movie introductions, to Movie of the Week and his beloved Cinema Classics. I had to create new lead-ins to these, and David and I decided to use Nino Rota's music. I had such fun with the introduction to the Classics, with images of Polanski's Knife in the Water, Bergman's The Seventh Seal and from Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. Of course David had to approve everything, and we formed a good working relationship. Our first film discussion, or vague disagreement, was about the Australian film The Empty Beach, directed by Chris Thomson, based on a novel by Peter Corris. I was dismissive but, as I listened to David's support for the film, I realised that my reaction had been too facile. It was the beginning of Strats' education of my film appreciation. David was renowned for giving people nicknames. He got the order of my maiden name, Jones-Owen, deliberately wrong and I became Moj to him and everyone who worked on the shows from then on. And I remained Moj to the end. I'm glad I'm still Moj to his family – and all our film show family. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion I think it's extraordinary that, over all the time that David and I worked together, we never had a falling out. Minor disagreements maybe, and maybe more spirited ones on air, but it was a relationship of deep respect – certainly of me for him, maybe a little bit less of him for me – and of deep friendship. Once David took you into the fold you had someone whose loyalty was unquestioned. And it was reciprocal. During all those years we've had family traumas and setbacks, and we always had each other's backs. I knew that if I was in trouble David would be one of the first people I'd turn to. We went to the ABC because I had his back. And when my husband was in hospital with a life-threatening illness he had mine. So maybe you can understand the loss I feel, of this man with whom I had a conversation at least once every week, whom I loved, who was so fine, such a gentle man, who decided to give me credibility in insisting that I sit beside him in those chairs, week after week, discussing films. I woke up in the middle of the night in the immediate aftermath of his death and, in trying to work out how I felt, I decided that I felt amputated – as though one half of me has gone. There's no more Margaret and David. Just as there is no more David and Susie.

'Tradwife', 'delulu' and 'skibidi' among new words added to Cambridge Dictionary

Sky News

36 minutes ago

Sky News

'Tradwife', 'delulu' and 'skibidi' among new words added to Cambridge Dictionary

The Cambridge Dictionary has officially welcomed 6,000 new words this year - including a wave of new slang inspired by social media. Delulu, tradwife, broligarcy, and lewk, have all been added because experts believe the words will not be just a fad, but will have linguistic staying power. The words have grown in use across social and mainstream media and beyond, linked to celebrities and influencers such as Kim Kardashian (skibidi), Hannah Neeleman of @ballerinafarm (tradwife) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (delulu with no solulu). Other words linked to working from home, such as "mouse jiggler" - a device or app that simulates mouse movement and stops your computer going into sleep mode - and climate change-related phrases like "forever chemical", have also been added. The dictionary, published by Cambridge University Press, draws its entries not just from the written word but from a huge database of real-world English usage. Some of this year's new words include: Delulu - from the word delusional. The Australian prime minister once used the phrase "delulu with no solulu" (delusional with no solution) in a speech to parliament. Lewk - a play on the word look; meaning a particular style, fashion, or outfit, especially one that is unusual and impressive. Made popular by reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race. Tradwife - short for traditional wife; especially a woman who stays at home cooking, cleaning and taking care of her children. It reflects a contentious Instagram and TikTok trend of such influencers embracing traditional gender roles. One of the most famous examples is American Hannah Needleman, who has more than 10 million followers and has been called "the queen of tradwifery". Broligarchy - a blend of bro and oligarchy. It refers to a small group of men, especially those in tech, who are rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence. It's been used to describe the likes of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who all attended Donald Trump 's inauguration. Work wife/work spouse - workplace relationships where two people help and trust each other. Inspo - short for inspiration; something that inspires something new, especially when posted on the internet. Fitness influencer Alaya F was responsible for an inspo trend after she recommended doing a headstand on a paddleboard in the middle of a river. Colin McIntosh, lexical programme manager at the Cambridge Dictionary, believes the words added to the latest edition won't just be a flash in the pan. "We only add words where we think they'll have staying power," he said. "Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary." So what does 'skibidi' mean? Skibidi can have a number of different meanings, including good, bad, cool or even weird. It can even have no meaning and can just be a gibberish sound. It was popularised by the creator of a viral animated YouTube series called Skibidi Toilet - about toilets with human heads sticking out of the bowl. The phrase featured on a necklace given as a present to Kim Kardashian by her 12-year-old daughter, North West. The show is popular among Gen Alpha - referring to people born roughly between 2010 and 2024. Phrases such as "What the skibidi are you doing?" and "That wasn't very skibidi rizz of you" have entered mainstream usage.