Your Netflix Picks of the Week

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Searching for a good movie on Netflix Instant is like looking for top shelf liquor at a frat party. You search and search and ask around for way too long and when you finally find a little bit hidden somewhere, you’re ready to ditch the party.

We’ve all been there, and we agree that ain’t nobody got time for all that browsing. So to spare you some time and a lot of agony, we will do the sifting for you and, each week, provide a fresh list of cinematic masterpieces you can find right in your friend’s your Netflix account and watch at a moment’s notice.

Our Netflix Picks of the Week will be the product of eclectic minds coming together to give you the créme de la créme (or what’s made available by the powers that be over at Netflix) of comedies, dramas, independents, documentaries, thinkers and, our very own creation, the stinkers — terrible movies we love to hate. Sometimes we’ll even throw in a good television show.

You’re welcome.

Comedy

“Mean Girls” (2004)

“Mean Girls” is flawless. Since 2004, we have been worshipping and hating Regina George (Rachel McAdams) as she rules over her high school with the Plastics: the clique of perfect, wealthy and catty “friends.” When Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) comes to school all the way from Africa, she befriends an art freak and a guy “who’s too gay to function.” Together, they plot to take down Regina George, but at what cost?

Cady finds herself caught up in the Plastic lifestyle.

Written by the hilariously fabulous Tina Fey, “Mean Girls” is the comedy that we can’t stop watching. We’ve spent the past ten years quoting in regular conversation. It’s a rite of passage into modern young womanhood to see and fall in love with this masterpiece.

Drama

“The Kids Are All Right” (2010)

I’m beginning to lose count of how many films star Julianne Moore as an older, sexually liberated, lesbian angel of domestic turmoil—but this is definitely my favorite. “The Kids Are All Right” offers a smart, poignant perspective on the structure of family with a kickass ensemble cast that includes Josh Hutcherson, Mark Ruffalo and rising star Mia Wasikowska. It is powerfully gloomy at points, and surprisingly heartwarming at others. “The Kids Are All Right” is a grittily real snapshot of marriage (refreshingly, a same-sex one), loneliness, sexuality, perseverance and the bohemian lifestyle. It’s racked up tons of awards—not to mention four Academy Award nominations—so strap in for some serious acting chops and beautifully tense lesbian family love.

Action

“World War Z” (2013)

Starring a rugged and resourceful Brad Pitt, World War Z is unlike any zombie film you’ve ever seen. Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a UN employee who must fight to put an end to the disease that changes entire cities into hordes of rabid, unstoppable creatures in a matter of seconds. As the government collapses and the structure of the world begins to crumble, Gerry Lane must travel across continents to protect his family. As the world is overrun by zombies that are seemingly without weakness, Gerry must use his wit and special training to uncover a hidden solution. World War Z features comparably impressive graphics, a heart-wrenching yet thrilling plot line, and an interesting look into the conception of a future doomsday.

Independent

“Y Tu Mamá También” (2001)

“Y Tu Mamá También” is a sexual teenage melodrama, a genre I just invented, combining “City of God,” “Stand By Me” and “Fast Times At Ridgemont High”… And that’s pretty dope.

It tells the story of two Mexican teenagers named Tenoch and Julio who are both at home for the summer while their girlfriends travel to Europe. They’re good looking, somewhat wealthy and are down to do sex because, like many of us, they are assuming their women are going to be unfaithful.

They travel to a wedding and meet Luisa, the wife of a distant cousin. Conveniently Luisa is incredibly gorgeous and conveniently that distance cousin cheats on her, so the boys offer to take her to a legendary beach. Their journey is an incredible one, not incredible like “Life of Pi” and all that mystical shtuff, but more like “Good Will Hunting.”

The characters are memorable, the content is raw and the questions raised about sex and relationships are something we can all learn from and relate to. “Y Tu Mamá También” never feels like a foreign film. You’re involved and interested all throughout. It’s a gem.

Documentary

“Cutie and the Boxer” (2013)

Although the thought of a documentary based around an old Japanese couple might sound unenticing, “Cutie and the Boxer” is actually a beautiful and complex film. Nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Documentary Feature,” It follows the chaotic (and sometimes funny) 40-year marriage of a ridiculous boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko, who is also an artist. The film captures the intimate messiness of a relationship and the struggles of a partnership where only one person gets to fully realize their dreams. While the husband dips his boxing gloves in paint and beats up a canvas-covered wall, the wife paints small, delicate depictions of her past life and relieves the emotions of her marital ups and downs. If you’re looking for a simple, beautiful look into the humanity of an usual romance, “Cutie and the Boxer” has got you covered.

Thinker

“Adaptation” (2002)

What’s better than Nicholas Cage you ask? Two Nicholas Cages, of course. In “Adaptation”, he plays the twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman. One is a lovelorn and pathetic screenwriter and the other is a successful and popular ladies’ man. The film follows the former’s desperate attempt to adapt “The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orlean for the screen. During his failed crusade, he gets caught up in the life of Orleans and discovers a secret world of lust, swamp and murder. Directed by Spike Jonze, the film leaves you feeling strangely sympathetic for the psuedo-Cage twins and kind of uncomfortable at the end.

Stinker

“The Human Centipede” (2009)

“The Human Centipede” is a bizarre blend of horror and feces that will dumbfound even the most desensitized audience. With a typical student-traveler-abduction plot convention, the movie begins predictably enough but warps into something else entirely once you realize that the villain’s goal is to sew three people together, ass-to-mouth. What could possibly have happened in this guy’s life to prompt him to want to do that? Yes, this film is terrible, but it is also amazing for the simple fact that it leaves no loose ends.

Classic

“Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)

Hands down, this is Tim Burton at his very best. The story follows “The Pumpkin King” of mythical Halloween Town, literal skeleton Jack Skellington, as he attempts to converge his own horrifying holiday with the spirit of Christmas. As the last (only?) good stop motion film ever made, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a creepy, endearing, hilarious musical fantasy film that has defined Burton’s career and emo-nerdcore culture for the past two decades. Seriously, the Hot Topic franchise continues to survive on “Nightmare” merchandise alone. This film transcends the genre of mere holiday classic or animated kid’s movie. “Nightmare” is a visual masterpiece that challenges the polarity of fun and fright, and one that continues to influence cinema with its dark themes and undeniably catchy jingles.

Featured photo courtesy of: Blackbook