I’m going to assume that about 95% of the people who read film articles online have some sort of streaming service in their homes. I’d say the most common service would be Netflix. How could it not? I think standard streaming service is what, eight bucks a month? That’s still one of the best things you can buy. I plan to cut my cable bill in half in two weeks by getting rid of cable TV. Why? It’s not needed anymore. If I want to watch a certain show I can always just stream it on my own but most services like Hulu or Amazon have day after television streaming. There’s just no need for cable anymore. With that luxury however comes one burning question.

What the fuck am I going to watch?

With thousands of titles at your fingertips, the frustrating dilemma of having too many options comes up. It happens to me all the time. I have like 400 titles in my queue and some nights I can’t pick one out of the bunch. I’ve also run into the problem where some streaming services don’t give you access to every single title. They give you genres and about 50 titles to choose from and that’s it. This list is designed to help make you aware of some of the hidden films and television shows that you otherwise can’t find browsing your Netflix app.

Sound of Noise

Fun little film from Sweden about anarchists who terrorize their city with music. Unique film that while being a bit surreal, manages to keep the gimmick fresh with new “movements”.

It’s Such a Beautiful Day

Remember that cartoon that you showed your friends ten years ago? It was a Don Hertzfeld cartoon where stick figures did bizarre things? “My spoon is too big!” Yeah, he’s back with a new film and it’s much of the same. Strangely funny and completely Hertzfeld.

The Fall (TV Series)

This one may not be so hidden now that Jamie Dornan became everybody’s favorite woman abuser. I hated the last ten minutes of the second season but the whole series intrigued me because we know from day one who the killer of these women are. The POV switch from our killer to our detective was well done and features some nice direction.Plus, Scully is in it. YAY SCULLY!

Whitewash

Cool little film about a man who kills a guy driving his snow plow drunk and just decides “Whelp, I guess I’m living in the woods now”. Quiet and funny. Also boasts one of the best final lines ever.

We Are What We Are

I’ve been championing this film since I saw it two years ago. It’s about a strict religious father raising his two daughters in a town that has had multiple missing people over the years. It’s one of my favorite horror films and it doesn’t utilize barely any jump scares. That’s how you know it’s good. The performances are amazing. The ending is amazing. The direction is amazing. I love it.

Top of the Lake (TV Series)

Excellent police drama with Elizabeth Moss from Mad Men and Peter Mullan from British stuff that is awesome. Lots of small town secrets and lots of beautiful shots constructed by Jane Campion. I usually never here anybody talking about this.

Gimmie The Loot

I love this film. Nothing really happens. It’s just the day in the life of two friends in New York City. The two actors are fantastic although they are pretty much unknown. Great for a day in bed while it’s raining. I love hangout movies.

Gasland

Yeah, that’s a guy lighting his water on fire. This documentary attacks fracking companies who drill for natural gas, poisoning the ground and water supply of nearly a quart of the country in the process. A bit bias, but still eye opening.

Let The Fire Burn

One of the most compelling documentaries I’ve ever seen. Tells the story of the standoff between the Philadelphia police department and the MOVE movement, a group of African American people who basically live off the grid, but in the middle of Philly. It’s something that I’ve never even heard about until I saw the film. I don’t think the authorities wanted this story to be told.

Code Unknown

Little know Michael Haneke film that weaves three stories together. Like all Haneke films, it is bleak, slow, and completely unapologetic. The scene with Julliete Binoche on the subway is tense.

The Hunter

Great thriller involving the always amazing Willem Dafoe. The film boasts some serious landscape photography and some brutally realistic scenes. Hell, I’ll watch just about anything with Willem Dafoe and this one features him in nearly every scene.

Poetry

Honestly one of the most heartbreaking films I’ve ever seen. Jeong-hie Yun gives a once in a decade performance as an elderly woman on the verge of Alzheimer’s who unwillingly gets involved in a situation with her grandson, a situation that involves a crime. I was speechless after seeing it.

Exam

I love films set in one location. This one is tense and mysterious and is set all in one room. The subjects are there for a job interview and must take a test in order to show what skills they have. Here is the premise…

“There is one question before you, and one answer is required. If you try to communicate with myself or the guard, you will be disqualified. If you spoil your paper, intentionally or accidentally, you will be disqualified. If you choose to leave this room for any reason, you will be disqualified. Any questions?”

It’s neat.

Kill List

Easily one of my favorite thriller/horror films of the last ten years. It’s a brutal, brutal film. The violence only gets crazier and crazier and it culminates with one of the scariest and jaw dropping endings I’ve ever seen. Come here little bunny, it’s going to get cold. I’m taking your coat off your back..

Swimming With Sharks

Classic Kevin Spacey being a dick. I think the guys who made Horrible Bosses saw this movie and wanted the exact same character. Great film that doesn’t get enough recognition about a guy who has had enough of his douche boss.

Better Off Ted (TV Series)

Vastly overlooked series that got cancelled after two seasons. Fans of Arrested Development and Scrubs should like this one. Portia DeRossie basically plays Lindsey Bluth in this so you really can’t go wrong.

Super

Remember that little superhero movie last summer called Guardians of the Galaxy? The guy that directed it, James Gunn, also directed this little movie that came out the same year as Kick-Ass and is a thousand times better. It takes the makeshift superhero motif and really fucks with it.

Get Low

You can’t go wrong with Robert Duvall and Bill Murray. I love this movie. Tells the story of a backwoods loner who plans his own funeral and also plans to attend it, alive.

Below

I like submarine movies. I like ghost movies. This is a submarine ghost movie. Darren Aronofsky actually helped write this thing and it shows. Some of the story is actually very unsettling and we get to see Bruce Greenwood be awesome. Definitely not going to be liked by everybody but I think it’s fun.

Trollhunter

Easily the best found footage film I’ve seen. Don’t read anything about this. Just watch it. It sounds stupid, I know. Trust me, it’s not. TRRROOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!!