While it's an exceptionally useful tool, it's also a damn intimidating one too. How many hours have you spent idly perusing Netflix for something to watch without any real sense of purpose and without the requisite help?
Well to prevent you from watching Grown Ups yet again, we've trawled through the 3000-odd options and put together 10 films which you might not have seen.
If you've got any recommendations then let us know in the comments.
(Images: All Star)
Transsiberian
A Hitchcockian thriller that truly deserves comparison to the master of suspense, this ingenious film was cruelly underseen on release in 2008. This despite a whopping 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. It stars Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson as a couple taking the titular train journey from Beijing to Moscow. They find themselves boarding with a wild child couple and to be honest, if we tell you anything else, it'll be a spoiler. Let's just say that Ben Kingsley crops up as a Russian cop and so do a bunch of seat-clenchingly tense set-pieces.
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Robot & Frank
A retired cat burglar is forced to take in a robot helper. It's a premise that sounds a tad too quirky for its own good yet this excellent 2012 comedy drama is so charming, you'd have to be coal-hearted to resist its charms. Set in the distant future, it uses sci-fi sparingly and is really about the story of an independent man struggling with the concept of dependency. Wonderfully played by Frank Langella and supported by Susan Sarandon, Liv Tyler and James Marsden, this is a uniquely satisfying film which delivers a surprisingly powerful ending.
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The Bay
Thanks to the Paranormal Activity-isation of horror, the found footage subgenre has become a tiresome joke. But thanks to a rather unlikely source (acclaimed Rain Man director Barry Levinson), it looks like there might be some fuel left. His rather terrifying offering centres on a small town ripped apart by a gruesome infection. Using a documentary format rather than the far-fetched "lead character still films when he would clearly be running for the hills" angle, it's a horribly believable watch. And yes, it will make your skin crawl for days.
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Celeste and Jesse Forever
Despite revolving around situations that many of us might have been in, it's incredible how wrong so many "relationship" movies get it. Which is why this 2012 gem was such a pleasant surprise. Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg star as a divorced couple, trying to maintain a friendship which is put to the test when they start dating other people. It's a warm and funny film that also presents some hard truths about knowing when to move on and when to grow up. Oh and a great soundtrack.
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The Hunt
Thanks to a belated stateside release, this devastating Danish drama has only just picked up a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars. A much deserved one, we should add. Mads Mikkelsen stars as a man who works at a nursery school who finds himself falsely accused of molesting a young girl. As the town turns against him, he struggles to maintain what's left of his life. It's utterly gut-wrenching viewing but undeniably gripping and features a powerhouse turn from Mikkelsen.
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A Perfect Getaway
Unfairly ignored by cinema audiences yet warmly received by critics, this nifty 2009 thriller works infinitely better on the small screen. An Agatha Christie-esque setup has a honeymooning couple caught in a murder mystery when another couple is murdered on a tropical island. Yes it sounds hokey but writer/director David Twohy knows this so stuffs his script with plenty of smart nods and shocking twists. Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant and a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth star.
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Like Crazy
Another film about a relationship that's actually identifiable, this 2011 drama might start off with a sweet, almost cloying, meet-cute but it then slowly starts to put us all through the wringer. Felicity Jones, living in London, and Anton Yelchin, living in Los Angeles, give believable performances as a young couple scrambling to keep a long distance relationship together. It's messy and awkward and always keeps things firmly pitched in reality. Oh and as a bonus, a pre-fame Jennifer Lawrence crops up in a supporting role.
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Europa Report
A bit of a gem here which will appeal to anyone who enjoys sci-fi with a bit more substance, it's a crime that more people haven't seen this. Filled with a fantastic international cast (including District 9's Sharlto Copley and Dragon Tattoo's Michael Nyqvist), it's a found footage tale of the first crewed mission to one of Jupiter's moons. What lifts the film above other genre fare is an admirably serious tone, with a focus on the science rather than the fiction, as well as moments of sheer wonder. We'd take it over the similarly-themed, larger budget Prometheus, for example...
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Starbuck
Recently remade as the commercially underwhelming Vince Vaughn comedy Delivery Man, this charming original is well worth a watch. It's a French Canadian comedy about a man who finds out, thanks to a hefty amount of sperm donation, that he's the father of 533 children. It's a sitcom setup but it's played out with surprising sincerity and a winning lead performance from Patrick Huard. An ideal candidate for Sunday afternoon viewing.
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You Can Count On Me
Arguably one of the finest indies of the 00s, this story of the complicated relationship between a brother and sister is full of many pleasures. An Oscar-nominated script and lead performance from Laura Linney are among those, along with an early performance from Mark Ruffalo, a non-cloying kid turn from Rory Culkin and a funny supporting role from Matthew Broderick. Relatable characters and smart dialogue turn what could have been a dry simplistic tale into something really quite special.
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