Hidden Netflix Gem Thread

[CJ2008]

I am liking Death Row Stories...(packrat, I think you'd like this show!)

(and I am loving that Netflix has no commercials!)

 

[lyra]

Has anyone watched Ascension yet?
http://www.netflix.com/browse/my-list?jbv=80029820&jbp=0&jbr=0

We just watched one episode last night and it seems promising. Just wondering if anyone else has watched it and what they think.

I loved it! Keep in mind, if you will, that it is really just a six part miniseries. There won't be anymore episodes. I wanted more episodes!

 

[gemgirl]

I watched "Life" twice. Zen detective. Funny and intelligent series.

We LOVED the show "Life" and were sorry when we viewed all the episodes. Why do they cancel such good shows?

 

[gemgirl]

I think this was a great thread and thanks so much for starting it. We've had our big Smart TV in our family room since last Sept. and a recently hooked up a Roku 3 to the flat screen in our bedroom and now we LOVE streaming Netflix on both TVs and have already enjoyed so many shows and movies. Our favorite show by far? White Collar. Good crime solving for my hubby and being able to enjoy the beauty that is Matt Bomer for me. We both watched House of Cards, though it's really gone off the deep end now. I zoomed through Grace & Frankie and I'm looking forward to season two of that. We also watch shows on Netflix that we never DVRed on TV like Blacklist, and Blue Bloods. We've also enjoyed watching some sitcoms that we never saw on TV. Started at season 1, episode 1 and saw them all.

I hope we keep this thread alive. We can always use more suggestions.

 

[missy]

Has anyone watched Ascension yet?
http://www.netflix.com/browse/my-list?jbv=80029820&jbp=0&jbr=0

We just watched one episode last night and it seems promising. Just wondering if anyone else has watched it and what they think.

We watched and thought it was entertaining. I wouldn't rave about it but if you have a lazy day you can watch them all. If I remember, there are not that many episodes.

I loved it! Keep in mind, if you will, that it is really just a six part miniseries. There won't be anymore episodes. I wanted more episodes!

Thanks NonMarie and lyra. We haven't gotten back to it yet but will start watching it again. Entertaining is good.

 

[telephone89]

I watched The Cabin in the Woods (the newer one with Chris Helmsworth) and it was..interesting. A cool twist on a typical horror.

Also watched 13 Sins, which was kind of like Saw. Again, interesting.

Working my way through that 70s show, I think im on the last or 2nd last season now.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Started to watch "The Fall" and admit to being totally creeped out. Not sure these shows are for me. Even episodes of Scott and Bailey are troubling b/c of the subject matter. Is everything that is "entertaining" freaky and ugly? Guess I am just a sap.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Tacori E-ring]

"Bloodline" was amazing. Just finished it.

 

[zoebartlett]

HI:

Started to watch "The Fall" and admit to being totally creeped out. Not sure these shows are for me. Even episodes of Scott and Bailey are troubling b/c of the subject matter. Is everything that is "entertaining" freaky and ugly? Guess I am just a sap.

cheers--Sharon

I know what you mean, Sharon. My husband and I watch many dramas and police/detective shows, but I'd love to find a nice, lighthearted show to throw in the mix.

 

[zoebartlett]

"Bloodline" was amazing. Just finished it.

We just finished watching it, too. It was really good!

Has anyone watched Ray Donovan? We're in the middle of season 1 and it's really good so far.

 

[alexah]

[quote="Zoe
I know what you mean, Sharon. My husband and I watch many dramas and police/detective shows, but I'd love to find a nice, lighthearted show to throw in the mix.[/quote]


How about a lighthearted police/detective show? PSYCH is great - I highly recommend it. It takes a few episodes to get into a groove so don't give up after the pilot. It's my favorite thing I've seen on Netflix... and I've seen a LOT of police/detective shows since they're pretty much my favorite (I blame it on growing up with Encyclopedia Brown books).

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the recommendation, Alexah! I'll have to check it out.

 

[missy]

We watched 2 enjoyable Netflix movies this weekend.

The Burning Plain from 2008 with Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger and Jennifer Lawrence. Missed it the first time around and watched it Friday night. I recommend it.
http://www.netflix.com/title/70105602

The Attack from 2012. I recommend this movie too. It's foreign so if you don't like subtitles it is not for you. However it is worth watching IMO.
http://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=70257410&jbp=2&jbr=5

 

[PintoBean]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this movie, but I just watched ""you're not you". THe funny thing is that Hilary Swank is not one of my go-to actresses when I'm looking for a movie to watch, but every time I watch her, she sucks me in. I thought she was fantastic in this movie.

I tried Sense8 after it was mentioned in this thread. I loved it (except for the parts that were like 7th grade health class video on live birth ). My favorite characters were Riley and Capheus!

 

[katharath]

I watched Perfect Host literally right before I saw this thread for the first time, then I saw it mentioned several times in here. Funny coincidence - but IMO it's a perfect example of a netflix hidden gem! I'm a film and tv freak, and I'll watch just about anything in any genre as long as it's good tv.

I saw a rec for 13 Sins in here - just watched two days ago and enjoyed, thank you (I think it was telephone89?)

Seriously I love this thread, I hope everyone will keep adding to it. I can second (or third) some of the rec's on here, my favorite netflix shows/movies:

Exam (movie)

Sherlock - such a solid show, the actors playing Sherlock and Watson show immediate and great chemistry. I don't know anyone who has seen this and not loved it.

Dexter - god I love Dexter!! Really enjoyed his character although like everyone else I freaking hated the end, the last season as a whole was pretty bad in IMO. Still totally worth watching the show, the first four- five seasons are very good.

Call the Midwife

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - fun, funny, easy to get into, great characters.

Black Mirror

Portlandia

Alias - fun show

Mad Men - lots of hype, but really one of the best shows I've ever seen

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - seriously, it is a great show. Funny thing is it was on while I was a teen, but I thought it was so stupid. I didn't realize how great it was until I was in my 30s, and now it's one of my very favorite shows of all time. Be warned though, season one is pretty weak, by far the weakest of the entire series. You need to watch it anyway if you want to do the show, but give it some time and be prepared for it to really take off after that.

Angel - kind of have to give this Joss Whedon show the nod too. It's not as good as Buffy - really not even close IMO - but if you're a hardcore Buffy fan I think you'll like it.

Dollhouse - another Joss Whedon show and often overlooked as it only lasted 2 seasons. There are some admitted flaws, but it's a decent show and it does actually tie everything up, even with just two seasons. Worth the watch particularly if you're a Whedon fan. I actually think it's better than Angel (and it has nothing to do with those two series, it's stand alone material). If you prefer more sci fi and less of the fantasy/horror that makes up the content for Buffy and Angel, then try this one first.

Battlestar Galactica - it's wonderful. Takes a bit of time to build the groundwork but very worth it. Excellently done characters, and episodes that make you think and want to discuss long after watching.

Daredevil - (the netflix tv show not the movie). I didn't love this one but my husband did

Longmire - have not actually seen this one but my husband loves it

Rectify - supposedly a great show but I've only seen the first few episodes, enjoying it so far - thought I'd add it though bc it has really good reviews.

***here are a few things on amazon that I don't think are available on Netflix-

Coherence (movie) - really enjoyed this one.

Cube (movie, has two sequels which are watchable though not as good as the first)

Justified - just another great show based on Elmore Leonard material, tends to go downhill a bit but still ends pretty strongly.

***Other favorites:

La Femme Nikita (the tv show from USA network) - one of my all time favorite shows, though definitely not for everyone. The precursor to Alias, this show is far more realistic and dark; the acting is excellent. This can be difficult to find for viewing though.

Ok this is all I have time write! I'll try to come back with more material that people don't already know of - I know I mentioned a lot of well known shows. Hopefully you will find something you hadn't heard of though...

 

[PintoBean]

DOLLHOUSE!!! That was cancelled too soon!

and I <3 La Femme Nikita. I loved all that "Life in Mono" music. I just loved Peta Wilson as Nikita moreso than the reboot, Nikita. I only watched Nikita because of Shane West, who I had a crush on after watching "a walk to remember".

 

[packrat]

I need to go back thru and write things down.

Aaaand now I need to watch Perfect Host for the third..fourth..whatever, time.

13 Sins...I think I watched this..does it have to do w/a phone call? (so I don't give anything away if that's what it is) That was a random one I chose after much heavy sighing and not being able to figure out what I wanted to watch. I enjoyed it tho. I like when last minute picks turn out well. Has Side Effects been mentioned? I liked it and that was another "ehhh maybe I'll try this" find.

KATHARATH! Finally someone else who dug LFN! I watched it back when it was on USA (and only b/c the guy I was dating at the time thought I looked like Peta and remarked on it often)-I bought them all on dvd for myself many years ago and have seen them numerous times. I tried to watch the Nikita remake on tv and made it thru the first maybe 15 minutes-thought it was awful. Definitely one of my all time favorite shows.

 

[katharath]

Pintobean and packrat - yay!!! Finally some people who get LFN!! I swear I don't know anyone IRL who loves this show like I do. I also own all of the seasons on DVD and rewatch them all occasionally - and this is super rare for me, to rewatch an entire series. I reread books all of the time, but hardly ever re watch anything.

Packrat, yes that's 13 Sins, with the phone calls. Kind of a fun movie to watch when you have nothing else to do, lol. I liked it though.

There's a movie that I really want to watch called Triangle, but it's not on netflix, it's available on amazon for rental. Might do that now.

Also just read about a movie that's free with amazon prime called Ink -supposed to be good, has good reviews.

 

[katharath]

Oh just saw you mention Side Effects - hadn't seen that mentioned and have not seen it but I'm going to look into it, I think we have similar taste

Eta - keep editing my posts bc I'm typing too fast lol - too many typos, sorry!!

 

[telephone89]

Yup - 13 sins with the phone call. And the creepy ass circus music!

Side Effects - with Jude Law/Channing Tatum? If that's the one you're talking about, I actually loved it. So interesting, and not what I was expecting.

I'm on the last season of That 70s Show, almost time to start another series. I've also finished all the Suits on netflix, but the new season is on tv now. Might have to download that once it finishes...

 

[missy]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this movie, but I just watched ""you're not you". THe funny thing is that Hilary Swank is not one of my go-to actresses when I'm looking for a movie to watch, but every time I watch her, she sucks me in. I thought she was fantastic in this movie.

I tried Sense8 after it was mentioned in this thread. I loved it (except for the parts that were like 7th grade health class video on live birth ). My favorite characters were Riley and Capheus!

I loved You're Not You. Heartbreaking story.

 

[packrat]

Yay PintoBean on the LFN bandwagon! I have ONE friend who liked the show too-she was more into Zena, but she still watched it at least! Nobody else seems to know about the show and I spent a looong time fawning over Michael and Nikita and their love ahhhhhh yes. The music was so funky too, and I really liked that.

Ok yep, that's the right show then, 13 Sins. It really wasn't what I expected and that made it enjoyable also...the whole what would you do/consequences thing.

Yep, those were the guys in Side Effects. I like movies that are twisty and unexpected. I had to look it up to make sure b/c I'm not real familiar w/them, I could just remember Catherine Zeta Jones was in it. Jude Law was also in Talented Mr. Ripley, which I just finally watched on Netflix a while back after wanting to see if forever. I liked that too.

 

[chemgirl]

90's Nikita? Like the seriously Canadian, but trying not to be version? I love that show, but DH let a friend borrow the DVD's and we never got then back.

I can't seem to find it on Netflix. Just seeing the movie on here.

Eta: DH and I sort of bonded over this show when we were dating. He's a software developer and was all about Birkof. "The true hero of the show.". I wouldn't go that far, but what a quirky show with great character development.

 

[katharath]

Oh sorry, I didn't mean to imply that LFN is on netflix, although that might be hard to tell from my post! I divided my post into "available on netflix shows/movies"; "available on amazon shows/movies" and then the "other" category which only has LFN in it (so far) and was intended to mean that it is not available on either of those. I didn't actually check amazon prime but I know it wasn't available for free as of the last time I looked; but I know it isn't on netflix (hence my "this can be hard to find" comment). I've only ever viewed it on my DVDs. And they were expensive when I bought them! Like, $75 a season expensive. I know I've seen way cheaper pricing since I bought my copies though - this was like 7-8 years ago maybe??

I watched Side Effects today, not bad. Worth the watch.

 

[packrat]

Yeah they were about $25/season when I got them on ebay years ago. I loved it from the first time I watched it. It's pretty sleek and I liked the technology they had-never using paper, always those tiny little discs, and the table at the briefings, the images that would come up. I like the premise of it, the whole top secret govt agency thing. JD isn't a huge fan-I've gotten him to watch a couple episodes, and that was basically b/c one of the guys (Davenport) looked like him, so we could laugh that we were both on the show. I'd just get "eh, it's oh*kay* I guess..." so I just have LFN be my guilty pleasure.

 

[katharath]

Yeah they were about $25/season when I got them on ebay years ago. I loved it from the first time I watched it. It's pretty sleek and I liked the technology they had-never using paper, always those tiny little discs, and the table at the briefings, the images that would come up. I like the premise of it, the whole top secret govt agency thing. JD isn't a huge fan-I've gotten him to watch a couple episodes, and that was basically b/c one of the guys (Davenport) looked like him, so we could laugh that we were both on the show. I'd just get "eh, it's oh*kay* I guess..." so I just have LFN be my guilty pleasure.

My DH doesn't like the show at all, lol. I thought he might at least enjoy Peta Wilson, but not really. He gave it a brief try but it was a definite no. Funny thing is that he liked Alias. I like Alias as well, but I think Nikita is a far superior show. Of course I was obsessed with her and Michael too, like probably every fan . But the supporting cast were all great.

Oh funny thing, I just saw Birkoff (well the real guy, can't remember his name off the top of my head but I think it's Matthew something) in one of the movies I mentioned above. He was in the second Cube movie. I just watched it a few days ago.

 

[chemgirl]

Yeah they were about $25/season when I got them on ebay years ago. I loved it from the first time I watched it. It's pretty sleek and I liked the technology they had-never using paper, always those tiny little discs, and the table at the briefings, the images that would come up. I like the premise of it, the whole top secret govt agency thing. JD isn't a huge fan-I've gotten him to watch a couple episodes, and that was basically b/c one of the guys (Davenport) looked like him, so we could laugh that we were both on the show. I'd just get "eh, it's oh*kay* I guess..." so I just have LFN be my guilty pleasure.

My DH doesn't like the show at all, lol. I thought he might at least enjoy Peta Wilson, but not really. He gave it a brief try but it was a definite no. Funny thing is that he liked Alias. I like Alias as well, but I think Nikita is a far superior show. Of course I was obsessed with her and Michael too, like probably every fan . But the supporting cast were all great.

Oh funny thing, I just saw Birkoff (well the real guy, can't remember his name off the top of my head but I think it's Matthew something) in one of the movies I mentioned above. He was in the second Cube movie. I just watched it a few days ago.

I've noticed her British neighbor guy in a lot of movie.

Then there was creepy young Micheal Cera as the telekenetic kid.

I need to get my DVD's back.

 

[packrat]

Matthew Ferguson I think is who played Birkoff. I loved the whole cast..even the ones that weren't on but one or a few episodes, like Grey, and Jurgen..and that guy who beat his wife in the first season and Nikita posed as her trainer-they both were in a later episode. The only thing I didn't like about the show was the last season. It was too hurried and thrown together I thought, and I hated the ending.

Ooo yeah that creepy kid episode was a good one. I better bust out my dvd's again before school starts and I don't have time to watch them. The outtakes are fun on there too-I like to watch the "aw shit" moments when they mess up on something so serious.

 

[missy]

Wonderful movie we watched last night. Tracks.
http://www.netflix.com/search/TRACKS?jbv=70292997&jbp=0&jbr=0

 

[PintoBean]

Nostalgia led me to google La Femme Nikita, and, Alberta Watson - aka Madeline passed away!!!