Best of Netflix Watch Instantly: Best of Today's Most Popular Streams

I started following Instantwatcher on Twitter. They keep on top of newly added stuff and also maintain a list of the most popular streams over the past 24 hours. I thought I'd do a little 'value added' blurb on the ones I like.

Today's #1, Black Death, is in my queue.
Living with a squeamish wife who'd rather chew glass than watch a horror movie and a two year old has put a serious crimp in my genre viewing, but I don't see how this one can suck- Sean Bean as an inquisitor, Pagans battling the Plague with witchcraft, and a grimy, authentic mis en scene that had me thinking 'hot bath!' after checking out the trailer. I'll rec this one on spec.

#6 X Men My current favorite comic-to-film translation, pending a screening of X Men: First Class. Flawless casting and a script focusing on the human elements of the story without stinting on the superheroics. Good stuff.

#10 Pulp Fiction
Covered in my Quentin Tarantino omnibus post a while back. A cinematic landmark, well worth your time.

#13 The Grifters
A terrific, mosly overlooked neo-noir classic. I'll be covering it in depth in part 2 of my look at streaming noir. A great movie with a flawless cast.

#14 Swingers Hilarious and true with razor sharp dialog. Old enough now to be a period piece on 90's LA, timeless in its depiction of young cats on the make.

#15 Reservoir Dogs
See Pulp Fiction above.

#18 Silence of the Lambs
Best in Show of the 'serial killer' genre. Career defining performance by Anthony Hopkins (which I doubt he's happy about) although I'd flag his career peak as Titus, a terrifically dark Shakespeare adaptation that is unfortunately not available to watch instantly.

#19 Cop Land
I'm no fan of Sly Stallone, but as a well meaning but mentally challenged cop who gets in over his head he's a perfect fit. A movie made by its casting- mostly guys doing stuff you've seen them do a hundred times before, but they do it well so who's to complain. Not a classic, but well worth your time.

#20 Clerks
The (very funny) no-budget indie that put Kevin Smith on the cinematic map, and still his best film. The stuff that works makes up for the stuff that doesn't, and its creative budgetary workarounds end up being more strength than weakness.

#21 The Crow
Another good comic adaptation centered on a fine star turn by Brandon Lee in his last film. Just the thing for an angst-filled teen to get obsessed with!