Candles burn into the eleventh hour. The lights flicker dimly as high hopes of an entertaining evening fade into a night of endless “death scroll”. A game of remote-hero turned deadly.

This isn’t the synopsis for a new film. It’s Netflix paralysis. The state of mindlessly scrolling through Netflix’ delicious menu of titles. Stop the madness. You didn’t purchase a subscription to window shop – you want thrilling films that will excite and inspire you.

Had enough? Here are my 5 film recommendations on Netflix to re-energize your movie night.

What it’s about: A timid nursing assistant gets a new lease on life when she and a neighborhood loner track down the degenerates who broke into her house:

Why you’re watching it: It’s a film that refuses to be pigeon-holed into one single theme. You’ll laugh but it’s not a comedy. You’ll be thrilled by its dramatic sequences which are covering up for the love story that never happens. It could be considered a situational rom-com but the situation is dire and no one in the film is actually in love. This film welcomes you through the front door with warm cookies and then hits you across the back of the head with a blunt object as you bite in.

So go ahead and make your best attempt at telling everyone at work tomorrow about a film you can’t quite sum-up in a few words and then blame it on me.

What it’s about: When an otherworldly force wreaks havoc on a war-torn European city, an engineer teams up with an elite Special Ops unit to stop it.

Why you’re watching it:  Think high-tech elite Special-Ops military raid with a supernatural twist. Who would’ve known that “Poltergeist vs the characters of Gears of War” would make for such entertaining cinema. You’ll learn about about how hyperspectral imaging goggles work while things blow up. The euro sure can buy some pretty dope weapons.

What it’s about: A failed-global warming experiment freezes the earth into an apocalyptic ice age forcing the last survivors of humanity aboard a global-spanning supertrain.

Why you’re watching it: When was the last time you watched a South Korean sci-fi post-apocalyptic thriller where people have traded their humanity for economic inequality and social mobility on an endless world tour. All aboard the Snowpiercer, the massive supertrain powered by a perpetual motion-engine on an icy global-spanning track. It’s standing room only folks…until the revolution starts.

It hooks you in with it’s clever class system which places the elites at the front of the train and the poor and disenfranchised in the back. Guess what happens next?

This graphic political fable details the struggle of a revolt in which the suppressed lower class fight their way to the truth which lies at the front of the train. Some time this week you will jokingly call a friend a ‘train baby’.

Update: Netflix has recently removed this title from streaming and is currently available only through their DVD service.

What it’s about: Keeping up with the Joneses is next to impossible, considering they’re a family with fancy cars, a sprawling estate and…a shocking secret.

Why you’re watching it: Where else can you find a film with David Duchovny and Demi Moore that doesn’t involve crop circles, flying discs or supernatural apparitions? Thought so.

The Joneses is an adventure in hyper-consumerism that reveals the psychology ‘Big Brands’ use to keep us consumers spending our hard-earned cash on things we don’t need. You’ll love this depiction of a seemingly golden picture-perfect family until the frame cracks, the glass shatters and the facade comes down. Then you’ll probably put some of your possessions on eBay.

I know. The movie title and cover art don’t jump out at you. That’s where you went wrong. Scroll back up, press play and enjoy.

What it’s about: Set in urban Atlanta, this hyperreal gangster drama centers on kinetic dope dealer Curtis Snow, who records his daily exploits.

Why you’re watching it:

1) The story is intense from the minute the film starts.

2) Its fascinating method of storytelling.

I’m such a fan of the film technique, that Blair Witch Project-esque ‘shaky camera‘ effect which is known in the film world as ‘found footage‘. Its urban Atlanta settings and gritty character portrayals deepen the level of authenticity. Together this makes for a film that sucks you in and doesn’t let go.