If you have a Netflix account, you know the pain all too well: endless searching and yet finding nothing worthwhile to watch.
After a lot of searches ending in such frustration, I eventually decided to search for the work of some great directors, and through that I was able to find multiple interesting films that I had not seen.
Most of these films are sitting in my instant watch queue, but hopefully this list will interest you in some of these masterful directors.
Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” – “Annie Hall” is Woody Allen’s career-defining film. The romantic comedy film won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1977.
Ingmar Bergman’s “The Passion of Anna” – This is the only film on Netflix from Swedish auteur Bergman. While the film is lesser known than some of Bergman’s highly influential works such as “The Seventh Seal,” “Wild Strawberries” or “Persona,” the film still holds a 100-percent rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an 85-percent rating with audiences.
David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” – David Lynch’s surrealist crime drama “Twin Peaks” is a cult television classic that has left viewers pondering its mysteries for over three decades since the show ended. Lynch is regarded as a master of the surreal and films like his breakthrough horror movie “Eraserhead” and the mind-bending mystery “Mulholland Drive” are prime examples of the power of his reality-shattering work that shines in “Twin Peaks.”
The Coen brothers’ “Fargo” – An Academy Award-winning blend of dark comedy and crime-driven thrills, “Fargo” holds a 98-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One of only five films to be added to the National Film Registry on its first ballot, “Fargo” is certainly worth a watch. The film also serves as the breakout film for Joel and Ethan Coen’s lengthy and acclaimed career.
Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” – Coppola’s interpretation of “Heart of Darkness” applied to the Vietnam War is one of the most highly acclaimed war films of all time. Coppola is most well known for his “The Godfather” trilogy, but “Apocalypse Now” is certainly worth a watch.
Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” – Austrian director Haneke has become one of the most revered foreign filmmakers in recent history. He is in the very exclusive club of two-time Palme d’Or winners at the Cannes Film festival. This 1997 thriller film about a home invasion is an early work, but it was nominated for the Palme d’Or and received an American remake, directed by Haneke, in 2007.
Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” – Easily the most controversial film on this list, “Antichrist,” like most of Von Trier’s films, is experimental, evocative and explicit. Von Trier has become synonymous with modern avant-garde and raw filmmaking, and “Antichrist” is a prime example of this.
