Netflix rang in the new year by trimming traditional blockbusters like Roman Holiday to cult classics like Brick and Requiem for a Dream from its offerings. Now, scant days later, a whole new slew of movies and TV have made their way to the streaming service. We've sifted through the list and picked 11 must-watch movie standouts, from genre-defining classics to personal favorites. Above: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Forget the lackluster 2008 remake: Robert Wise's original 1951 film, based on the Harry Bates story "Farewell to the Master," helped define American science fiction as it transformed a short story about an alien encounter into a powerful Cold War-anxiety-driven narrative, positing the impact of unchecked nuclear proliferation beyond the petty conflicts of a single planet. More than half a century later, it remains a striking and still very relevant indictment of paranoia and militarism, as well as a damn fine film. Klaatu barada nikto, indeed.—Rachel Edidin

Big Trouble in Little China (1986) Imagine director John Carpenter in his gonzo 1980s prime taking on a movie that's part-martial arts parody and part-budget Indiana Jones, and you have Big Trouble In Little China. If that's not enough to get your attention, perhaps a screenplay co-written by Buckaroo Banzai's W.D. Richter will change your mind. Yes, this really is the ultimate 1980s cult movie, and one entirely deserving of the crown, not least of all because of fearless performances by Kurt Russell as a macho, and somewhat useless, hero, a pre-Sex and the City Kim Cattrall as a love interest more capable than the movie's lead and James Hong as Lo Pan, the movie's villain who positively cackles with over-the-top delight in the role. Funny, exciting and far smarter than it originally appears, it'll have you wanting to watch it again and again -- in other words, a perfect Netflix movie. —Graeme McMillan

Good Burger (1997) Time has been everything but kind to the sole film spin-off of much-spin-off'd Nickelodeon sketch comedy All That, but that's exactly why Good Burger is worth revisiting, now that you can do so (essentially) for free. As a story about a high schooler (Kenan Thompson) who must get a summer job at an at-risk burger joint after he smashes up his teacher's (SINBAD, PEOPLE. SINBAD) car in an accident, helping save the restaurant from an evil burger mega-chain that moved in across the street in the process, Good Burger is a historical, pure artifact, one that epitomizes everything that was naïve and spectacularly neon about kids comedy of the mid- to late-1990s. The acting is atrocious and the directing is even worse (Brian Robbins went on to helm such smashes as The Shaggy Dog and Norbit), but the fact that it's a mediocre fiasco only amplifies its greatness. It owned Dude, Where's My Car? three years before Dude, Where's My Car? existed. Do yourself a favor, and allow yourself to revisit this classic, if only to remind yourself of Sinbad's pristine wardrobe and to continue reveling in the fact that Abe Vigoda is still not dead. —Devon Maloney

Spaceballs (1987) Mel Brooks' sci-fi send-up Spaceballs is a nerd classic from beginning to end, and nothing has parodied Star Wars so brilliantly. From the Force-esque power known as the Schwartz to the Darth Vader knock-off known as Dark Helmet (played perfectly by Rick Moranis in his prime), everything is pitch perfect. It's also insanely quotable – "They've gone to plaid!" – and now that it's on Netflix it's time we all gave it a fresh viewing, just so we can bring those phrases back into our conversations and internet barbs. May the Schwartz be with you. —Angela Watercutter

Jacob's Ladder (1990) There's psychological horror. And then, there's Jacob's Ladder. Surreal, beautiful, and deeply disturbing, it stars a very young Tim Robbins in his first leading role as Jacob Singer, a disturbed Vietnam veteran who finds himself trapped in a labyrinth of nested memories, fantasies, and dreams, all leading him to a single, inevitable destination. Jacob's Ladder's official classification is "psychological thriller," but it moves between the viscerally horrific and the exquisitely sensual with a jagged elegance that defies genre, and Robbins plays Singer with an almost childlike vulnerability male protagonists almost never get to explore, particularly in horror. Despite lackluster box-office performance, Jacob's Ladder managed to break ground in other media as well: it's been acknowledged as one of the primary inspirations for the Silent Hill series, which helped define the survival horror genre of video games.—Rachel Edidin

Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) If the idea of famed schlockmeister Roger Corman shamelessly ripping off Star Wars doesn't raise even a glimmer of excitement in your heart, then it might be time for you to reconsider some major life choices. Amazingly, Battle Beyond The Stars lives up (down?) to those expectations effortlessly, remaking The Magnificent Seven in space with wonderfully shoddy special effects, laughable dialogue -- the words "You've never lived until you've seen a valkyrie go down!" are actually spoken in this movie -- and a cast of actors who clearly needed a paycheck more than their self-respect at the time. Where else could you see Hannibal from The A Team and Jon-Boy from The Waltons team up to save the universe? It's not necessarily a good film, per se, but that doesn't mean it's not an extremely fun one. —Graeme McMillan

Saved! (2004) Long before she was cussing out the Capitol as Johanna in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Jena Malone was playing a knocked-up teen in this twisted comedy about life at a hip-Christian high school. (Think Juno with more Jesus.) It starts out all super earnest, then gets weirdly funny-dark, and winds up being awfully sweet (if you don't get a little choked up at the end, you have no soul). It also has some of the best use of Mandy Moore's pipes on film (yes, she leads a choir group), Macaulay Culkin, and more great one-liners than you can count. Every parochial school graduate/reject/survivor should love it. Or, at least, I do. —Angela Watercutter

American Psycho (2000) Welcome to an even darker side of the Dark Knight. Director Mary Harron's film, adapted from Bret Easton Ellis' novel, is a deep delve into the shallow and, yes, psychotic mind of Patrick Bateman (The Dark Knight's Christian Bale) as he frets over the inadequacies of his business cards and goes on terribly bloody killing sprees. It's horrifying, but if you can stomach it American Psycho is also a fascinating look at the American psyche. —Angela Watercutter

Amélie (2001) No one has ever done (or will ever do) the manic pixie dream fantasy quite like Jean-Pierre Jeunet. But there's a reason the French director's dreamy Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulin is rarely included in that roundly mocked canon of movies about flighty, adorable women who exist in their own wonderland for the benefit of a male story arc. The tale of Amélie (played effervescently by Audrey Tautou), an impossibly idealistic Parisian waitress who concocts and performs elaborate good deeds for those around her, is entirely her own, with love interest Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz) almost a secondary plotline. In its wake, none of the film's challengers have come close to the finesse of combining a photobooth, a globetrotting garden gnome, and fifteen orgasms to make a perfect, magical little romance – not just a girl with a boy, but also with herself and her city. Plus, Yann Tiersen's inimitable soundtrack is, well, inimitable. —Devon Maloney

Thelma & Louise (1991) My editor tells me that there is a good chance that kids these days aren't familiar with Thelma & Louise, which blows my mind a little: It's a movie that was thoroughly enmeshed in the cultural consciousness of my generation, parodied and referenced across film and TV. It garnered six Academy Award nominations, seven BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, and so on. Superficially, Thelma & Louise is a buddy road flick about two women whose go from fishing buddies to fugitives after a violent encounter at a bar. More than that, it's a frank, funny, heartbreaking, and almost mesmerizingly engaging, and — look, just go watch it, okay? —Rachel Edidin