It’s impossible to count the total number of movies on Netflix (and I’ve tried), but most estimates put it at nearly 7,000 at any given time. Some are obviously more worth watching than others. In this new weekly feature, I’ll play both Siskel and Ebert and recommend a few for the week, using a variety of metrics like popularity, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and personal preference.
The Perfect Neighbor
If you want to keep up with the office conversation next week, you need to watch The Perfect Neighbor. This Sundance award-winning documentary currently sits at #2 on the streamer’s popularity charts and 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and social chatter is massive. Without any spoilers, the movie tells the story of the shooting death of Ajike Owens by her neighbor, but it’s told through police bodycam footage, making it gripping and unsettling in equal measure.
Cam
Halloween is nearly here, so my picks are going to go heavy on horror. Cam makes an interesting counterpoint to The Perfect Neighbor, because it uses a mediated perspective—in this case, a camgirl’s screen—to paint a portrait of identity loss and sheer terror. Alice is a popular performer on FreeGirlsLive under the name “Lola,” but when her account gets hijacked by someone who looks and acts just like her, it sends her into a paranoid tailspin with devastating ramifications. It’s a solid psychological thriller with some dynamite scenes.
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Director: Daniel Goldhaber
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Cast: Madeline Brewer, Melora Walters, Devin Druid
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Genre: Horror
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Rating: R
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IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
Deadstream
From another angle, the horror comedy Deadstream takes constant video surveillance in a goofier, gorier direction. Co-director Joseph Winter plays Shawn Ruddy, a YouTube prank personality who has been demonetized and deplatformed after a stunt gone wrong. To recapture the world’s attention, he decides to livestream a night in a haunted house. Needless to say, malevolent spirits combined with a constantly escalating chat make for a very unpleasant evening. Great practical effects and some very funny gags make this worth a watch.
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Directors: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter
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Cast: Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone, Jason Wixom
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Genre: Horror
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Rating: R
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IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Starship Troopers
Paul Verhoeven’s classic satire takes the Robert Heinlein novel and twists it into knots to show you a fascist future where citizenship is dependent on military service and generations of teenagers are shipped off into space to serve as cannon fodder for alien insects. I find something new in Starship Troopers every time I watch it, and it remains hilarious and unsettling almost 30 years after it first underperformed in theaters. It’s leaving Netflix on Nov. 1, so watch it one more time while you can.
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About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.
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