With Netflix's massive quantity of content, it’s always good to highlight instances when real quality shines through. Here are two recent drops that are genuinely worth seeking out. 

Hit Man (USA Netflix) - This is directed by Richard Linklater, known for Dazed and Confused, the Before Sunrise trilogy, and the high-concept Boyhood. Co-writing with leading man Glen Powell, this is Linklater out to prove he can still do fun, sexy, and in a New Orleans noir setting. Based on the real-life story of Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), we’re asked to believe this nerd who would teach in college and help the local police force from a tech angle could also be called upon and do undercover work as a ‘hit man.’ He’d entrap the ones who would try and engage his services. Gary would get into this role of a hitman with real commitment, and this is the fun part, watching nerd Gary assume these different personas as he would meet the ones trying to book the services of a murderer.

It’s when Ron, the hit man, meets an abused wife (Adria Arjona) that Gary suddenly turns a new leaf and discourages her from pushing through with the hit. He advises her to leave the husband and reminds her she has his number if she ever needs him for other matters. Powell and Arjona are the ones doing sexy in this film, and there’s potent chemistry here, carrying the middle portion of the narrative. When complications arise, a different level of fun is activated, and kudos to Linklater and Powell for taking the screenplay to some darker areas. While some developments would have us questioning how faithful this is to Gary Johnson’s real story, we can’t fault the dramatic license taken to bring this film to its conclusion. Powell is good here. 

Godzilla Minus One (Japan Netflix) - Winner of the Oscar earlier this year for Special Effects, this Japanese film is a truly wonderful example of what can be done with the big monster/Kaiju genre so that it can still surprise and capture new global audiences. For me, the most telling fact is how this was released before the Hollywood Kong x Godzilla big-budget film - and this smaller film resonates on so many better levels than the Hollywood version. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, I know my middle son, Matteo, was so eager to watch this that when visiting Tokyo last year, he went to a screening with no English subtitles. That shows us how committed he was to seeing what the fuss was about with this Minus One iteration of Godzilla. 

And it's a well-deserved fuss, so kudos to Netflix for acquiring the film and offering us this sub-titled gem. Set in post-World War II Japan, there’s a fresh honesty to how defeat is portrayed and how the sense of Japanese honor is upheld. But what marks this as a special film is how, despite having Godzilla in the title, very human dimensions were brought into the film. Of strong emotional impact, we also follow the story of the human protagonists here - a kamikaze pilot who has survived the war, the nerd professor with the Godzilla solution, and a plucky young girl trying to survive in a Tokyo that’s in disrepair and slowly getting back on its feet. As someone commented on social media, this is a different monster film if he surprised himself by being moved to tears while watching the movie.