This is a VERY LATE guest post by my friend Blair of Lovers of Weird! She wrote this wonderful guide to hidden Netflix gems months ago, but I am a forgetful person and am only just now getting around to posting it. Eeeeeek, sorry Blair! Enjoy, all!
– AmyK
Okay, so here goes. My name is Blair Casey, and I‘m a Netflix addict. 😉 Ok, that’s probably a bit of an exaggeration. But I’m openly obsessed with storytelling and spend a lot of time writing, reading and watching things. I especially like weird things. The strange, the foreign, the alien, the uncomfortable, the mind-bending, the galactic. Typically I find these types of stories the most beautiful. So in my quest to seek the best weird titles on Netflix, these were the gems I uncovered.
THE BEST OFFER *** (Solid)
At the center of this film is Virgil Oldman, a master auctioneer who floats among the wealthy, a private man who guards his pride and his company closely, always looking down his nose, assessing the value of things, selling them to the highest bidder.
Carried to fortune by his professionalism, reputation and taste, Virgil runs like clockwork until a fragile young heiress appears in his life. What begins as a glimpse through a keyhole becomes a whirlwind of romance and gears.
Perfect for: A date with your couch and a bottle of vino.
THE LAST UNICORN ***** (Epic)
An all-time favorite from my childhood, this 1980’s animated film unravels a bittersweet tale of innocence, obsession, courage and regret. Brought to life with Japanese animation and timeless beasts and characters, “The Last Unicorn” is an obscure but worthy gem.
The film follows a unicorn who leaves her enchanted forest to answer a single question, “Am I the last?”
And so the unicorn carries out her quest, moving through a landscape that rolls like a medieval tapestry. Naïve to the dangers to which even she, an immortal, can fall prey.
Perfect for: A rainy day
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT **** (Provocative)
Raw with longing, indiscretion and turmoil, “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is a dark romance of blended genres.
At night, a girl stalks the streets, searching for dinner. Alone in her room, she shakes away the darkness with a sway of her hips.
Across town, a boy works hard to fit in, to build his own life, yet he seems frozen in the fringes of other people’s lives. He is a hard worker, a quiet gentleman – albeit a bit rash – an Iranian James Dean.
Vivid with 21st century grit and gore, this film’s cruel backdrop tempers the quirkiness of its mix-tape love story.
Perfect for: Any night. But it has to be at night.
*hisssss*
KNIGHTS OF SIDONIA **** (Provocative)
Based on the manga series of the same name, this Netflix original series is a visual masterpiece of enchanting beauty and grim darkness. Wildly futuristic in design and story, this is not a hard sci-fi exploration, but a full-fledged fantasy stitched together with wicked battle scenes. So heighten your suspension of disbelief and buckle up for the ride.
Earth is a distant memory and humanity is facing what could be its final days as a fleet of pilots with futuristic weapons wage war against a brutal alien foe. Visceral and mind-bending, “Knights of Sidonia” captures the roller coaster rapture of human survival.
But “Knights of Sidonia” isn’t all about aliens and space battles. The main character, Nagate Tanikaze, who has led an extremely sheltered life, is suddenly thrust into his destiny. Surrounded by his friends and enemies, he navigates the strange, wonderful world of Sidonia with optimism and courage.
Perfect for: Lazy day binge watching
THE TWILIGHT ZONE ***** (Classic)
From 1959 to 1964, “The Twilight Zone” introduced viewers to alternate dimensions, alien invasions, and the dark corners of the human mind. Today “The Twilight Zone” is considered a nebulous of pop science fiction and horror.
At the center of “The Twilight Zone is Rod Serling, the show’s host and creator. Written in a period of American tumult, Serling had a wellspring of strangeness and fear from which to draw. Dreams of traveling to the moon. Nightmares of wars past and wars to come.
Your next stop, THE TWILIGHT ZONE!
Perfect for: Late night
Thanks so much to Amy and Sam for this super fun chance to be a part of the VOP blog. You guys rock.
