We all have those nights where we just want to watch a great movie on Netflix. But, a common Netflix deterrent (unless you have a recommendation) is that it takes forever to find a good movie you haven’t already seen. However, I myself have seen quite a few of those nights and have found a few great go-tos I would have never found if not for hours scouring their enormous video library.

1. Woman in Gold: This movie is not one I would have picked by reading the description. Although it casts Ryan Reynolds, which definitely caught my attention, it was about… artwork. And don’t get me wrong, I love art as much as the next person, but how could you make a movie about that? Well, it stars Reynolds as a lawyer helping to get the protagonist’s (Helen Mirren) beloved piece (Woman in Gold by Klimt) restored to her about a half century following its abduction by Nazis during the Holocaust. The movie switches back and forth, paralleling Mirren’s emotional battle to get the painting back to her times back in her home country of Austria, fleeing the Nazi regime. I wasn’t expecting this movie to keep me from scrolling through Twitter but it truly captivated me- and, it’s based on a true story!
2. Hush: I love horror/thriller movies, and this one was one of the best I’ve seen in a while. Although it wasn’t a thriller movie in the traditional sense I guess- in the way that there really is only one protagonist the whole movie and I just couldn’t stop watching. The premise of this movie is that the main character, Maddie, is deaf, and lives alone in the woods. She has a few neighbors, but let’s just say they aren’t very helpful. The movie features a game of cat-and-mouse between Maddie and an intruder, and kept me glued to the excitement throughout the film.
3. Knowing: Alright, this one is a little goofy. It stars Nicolas Cage in a sci-fi thriller about the end-of-times, as predicted by something of his child’s. This movie is perfect if you have some math homework you have to work on and would like something on in the background, because it’s not too difficult to understand and but also contains some brief high points to keep the audience watching. Although Nicolas Cage’s typecast role is a little cliche at times, it’s something good that has an ending that will leave you speechless.