Netflix Must-Sees

Mike Fidago, staff writer

There are approximately 33.4 million Netflix users in the United States: more than quadruple any other live streaming video service. Netflix cannot be compared to any other service in terms of variety and quality of films and TV shows. Here are the five documentaries and movies you must view if you are a film fanatic.

 Blackfish- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%

An eye-opening documentary on the mistreatment and inhumane conditions of orca whales at SeaWorld. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite also focuses on numerous testimonies by former SeaWorld trainers about incidents in which trainers have been injured or killed. SeaWorld has taken a drastic hit in popularity since Blackfish was released in Summer 2013.

 Pulp Fiction- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%

Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino that stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis. Pulp Fiction is considered a major success and is widely reviewed as one of the best movies ever made. Unfortunately, this isn’t a movie to watch with your little sister Suzy; there is widely used profanity, extreme violence, and drug use throughout the movie.

There Will Be Blood- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91%

Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a fabulous performance in this critically acclaimed film, echoing the talent he displays in blockbusters such as Lincoln and Last of the Mohicans. Lewis plays a rags to riches oil miner that battles schizophrenia, unquenchable greed, and a deaf son. Day-Lewis won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance.

 Zodiac- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%

One of the few movies based entirely on facts. Director David Fincher tells the story of the massive manhunt for the infamous Zodiac Killer of San Francisco.  Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr., all deliver strong performances as a cartoonist- turned-detective, a homicide investigator, and a San Francisco Chronicle writer, respectively.

End of Watch– Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%

This is the most underappreciated film on Netflix. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are two street cops who are fighting an ever-growing cartel presence in Compton.  End of Watch is, with out a doubt, the best independent film on Netflix.