There are a lot of great kids' movies but it can get a bit maddening watching Paw Patrol over and over again. Just because the schools are out this spring, doesn't mean you don't deserve to watch something up your alley instead.
These movies aren't necessarily scary (or spicy) but they have themes and subject matter that aren't for children or just wouldn't keep them interested. So put the kids to bed and enjoy some great movies on Netflix you might not have seen before.
P.S. Check out these adults-only picks for Disney+ too.
1. The Platform
Ok, this one might be a little bit spooky but The Platform is a fascinating sci-fi/horror that's brilliantly unique. It's set almost entirely in a horrifying vertical prison with each floor a separate cell.
Each floor is doughnut-shaped, with a hole in the middle where a platform descends each day, laden with incredible food prepared from the gourmet kitchen above. But because of the greed of those at the top, only a small fraction of prisoners get anything to eat.
We follow Goreng, a man who foolishly volunteered to be there for six months in exchange for a college diploma. Everyone is allowed to bring one item into 'The Hole', some choose weapons or tools but Goreng selects his copy of Don Quixote. This can't end well.
2. White Noise
This is a movie that would probably bore children to sleep but that I absolutely love. Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig and Don Cheadle star in this adaptation of Don Delilo's truly surreal book. It's not for everyone but I couldn't stop laughing.
Driver plays Jack, a leading professor of 'Hitler studies' who despite being the originator of the subject is ashamed that he cannot speak a word of German. Aside from that shame he has a seemingly perfect life with a loving wife (Gerwig) and several children from previous marriages all blended together in harmony. There's one scene in particular in the kitchen with the family altogether that just blew me away, writer/director Noah Baumbach does dialogue better than anyone else I've seen.
Anyway, their family life is distrupted by a pretty significant occurance, an "airbone toxic event" basically a nuclear cloud, that gives the family a fresh perspective on mortality. Darkly funny and truly off the wall.
3. The Killer
David Finchers The Killer is a less of a slow burn and more of a glacier, but it's oh so good. Michael Fassbender is a professional assassin who's has a very particular process. Soundtracked almost entirely by The Smiths this is a unique movie that resembles a stream of consciousness or podcast of the Killer's innermost inner monologue.
At times funny, at others brutal, there's something about The Killer that is just magnetic to the right person.
4. Fair Play
The story of a secret workplace relationship pushed to the edge, Fair Play is an intense team-up of Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich. The two play a couple working at a high-stakes hedge fund where workplace romance is banned.
When one is promoted over the other, the dynamic starts to change and things escalate beyond the unhealthy. A steamy thriller that does not let up.
5. Blue Jay
Finally, a film that children couldn't possibly relate to. Only those who've grown up and pondered missed opportunities and lost loves can understand Blue Jay. Be warned, you will cry.
Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson play sweethearts who never quite made it work when they hit adulthood. When a chance encounter in a car park sees them reunite, the old spark is clearly still there. Sweet, salient and oh-so sad, Blue Jay is superb and the soundtrack alone is enough to get my eyes watering.
