

Berenger represents the moral vacuum that gave way to the wartime abuses, and Dafoe embodies the ill-fated better nature of the opposing, more morally upright view. While the unpopular war is infamous for atrocities committed by troops, especially against civilians, Platoon chooses to hone in more closely on the particular sadism of an individual - and also heighten it a little bit. That's about as indie and underdog as it gets.ĭirector Oliver Stone had served in the infantry in the Vietnam War, and Platoon is his Oscar-winning, fictionalized account of the harsh realities he discovered there. For example, the last scene in Disney World was filmed on an iPhone without Disney's knowledge. Both the film itself and its protagonist are evidence of the power of imagination to make the best of the world. The film, which earned a score of 92 on Metacritic, reflects a wider perspective on America from a new and utterly absorbing vantage point, buoyed by some phenomenal performances, especially Willem Dafoe's. Though there's a pronounced difference between the weekenders spending their leisure time at an expensive theme park and Moonee and her mom struggling to make ends meet, it's all portrayed through the innocent and endearing point of view of a six-year-old. Because of its proximity to Disney World, the young girl meets all sorts of amusing characters as a result of the area's tourism (one couple accidentally books the Magic Castle motel for their honeymoon instead of the Magic Kingdom). The socioeconomic divide in America is glimpsed through the eyes of a little girl named Moonee, who lives in the Magic Castle motel. Sandler's acting prowess lures the viewer into rooting both for and against him, meaning there's never a moment we're not engaged. This double-sided coin is the rarest artifact of all. Howard's delusional bravado has made him a mildly successful smooth-talker, but it's also his constant means of self-destruction throughout this film. Even when you know he doesn't, he'll never let go of the illusion of having a plan - or not needing one. The central element that keeps this wild escapade from playing as implausibly out of control is Adam Sandler's performance as jeweler Howard Ratner.

The plot gets so convoluted and thick that it would be harder to cut than a diamond, frantically propelling the action forward even as its characters fall desperately behind. Instead, Sandler's character finds himself trapped in a world of gambling, mobsters, and priceless stones. Here, Sandler once again plays the underdog, but the stakes are much higher than a getting a high school flame or winning a football game. So read on and find the perfect flick according to Metacritic.īut while many were initially skeptical of Sandler's apparent break from form, he proved his chops as an actor in 2019's crime thriller from Josh and Benny Safdie. There's no better place to start than the best Netflix has to offer. The wide variety of subject matter and style also means that of these films, there are bound to be a few you haven't seen, perhaps in a genre you haven't yet ventured too far into. Of the films that have landed in this extremely difficult-to-reach range, Netflix subscribers can enjoy documentaries, war epics, period pieces, biopics, romances, and more. There's something "near-perfect" for lovers of just about every genre too. Anything with a score of 90 and above can be counted as just about perfect, and many of those cinematic triumphs are available to stream on Netflix. With its weighted average (or "Metascore") of critic reactions, Metacritic is among the most widely revered internet authorities on what's worth watching.

If you're worried you've run out of good content to stream on Netflix - or simply find the idea of looking for something new too exhausting compared with the ready availability of that show in your "Watch It Again" list - Metacritic has made it pretty simple.
