Netflix Update: What's New to Netflix in January 2015

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix.

Every month has its ups and downs on Netflix.  Sometimes you lose a lot and only gain a little.  Sometimes you lose a little and gain a lot in return.  This month really does seem like a pretty mixed bag: losing just as much as you get back from it.

The French Connection is something that I've wanted to see for an incredibly long time.  Directed by the notoriously difficult to work with William Friedkin (most famous for directing The Exorcist) and starring the singularly talented Gene Hackman, it follows a pair of New York cops attempting to break up a drug smuggling ring.

Its reputation of being one of the 70's best films, certainly precedes it.  And keep in mind that this is the same decade that produced the two good Godfathers, Star Wars, Apocalypse Now, The Omen, The Wicker Man and of course The Exorcist.  Given Friedkin's unfortunate career trajectory, it will be interesting to see his one other "great" film.

Like The French Connection, my interest in The Quiet Man is largely fueled by its immaculate reputation.  It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and winning for Best Director and Best Cinematography.  It's one that is often name-dropped as being a one of the best-ever films (although not quiet so often as a lot of the higher-profile competition - the 2001's and Citizen Kanes of the world).

This is an interesting counterpoint to another John Ford film that left Netflix last month: The Grapes of Wrath.  Whereas The Grapes of Wrath was a somber piece about the trials and tribulations of dust bowel workers, The Quiet Man is a light-hearted romantic comedy starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.  This might be a tough sell for Becky, who's suspicious of any centrally romantic films at even the best of times, but I'm sure I can find the opportune moment to slip this into our normally scheduled viewing.

Described at the time as "Hollywood at its worst told by Hollywood at its best," Sunset Blvd should appeal to the Netflix's film buff demographic.  It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, taking home, among others, Best Writing.  In the AFI's 1998 list, the film was named the 12th best American film of all time, slipping to 16th in their revised 2007 list.  On top of that, it has placed on the AFI's lists for best Quotes (#7 and # 24) and best Score (#16), and was nominated for best Villain.

Despite its resounding acclaim, Sunset Blvd is a film that I simply couldn't get into.  It was too "Old Hollywood" for me - too stagy and melodramatic.  It is certainly an unnerving portrayal of the price of fame, and features an incredibly intelligent screenplay, but I could never really connect with it the way that many others have.  Still, if you're looking for a spellbinding classic, and can stomach a hefty serving of melodrama, Sunset Blvd could very well be the film for you.

Chinatown is one of those love it or hate it kind of movies.  Roman Polanski's neo-noir film takes Nicholson at his absolute best and sets his hard-boiled detective against a twisting conspiracy that he just can't win against.  I have guardedly loved the film since first seeing it: between a beautifully pessimistic ending, an uncomfortable plot twist and one of Nicholson's best performances, I could hardly fault it if its central mystery was a touch duller than I had hoped for.  Becky, on the other hand, hated it.

And she isn't the only one either.  I think a lot of that has to do with the kind of noirs people are interested in these days, when they're interested in noirs at all.  It's less about a terse mystery smartly told as much as it is about an overly-stylized shoot-em-up with pulpy voice overs: Sin City when it's done well, A Dame to Kill For when it's not.  But those in the mood for a more old-fashioned mystery with greed and power at its core, this is the film for you.

Unlike most of my friends, I did not grow up enamored with - nor even watching - the Robocoop franchise.  It wasn't until earlier this year that I even saw the first film, and that was only on TV because of the pending remake.  What it lacked for in terms of satisfying action (and yes, I just said that), Robocop more than made up for with an intelligent mix of satire and humanity (the opposite is true for the remake).  It was definitely better than I had assumed it to be, and was disappointed that it took me so long to see it in the first place.

Not only is Robocop streamable now, but so is Robocop 2.  I'm excited not only to revisit that darkly satirical first film, but to see where the rest of the series goes when divorced from having a mechanized policeman solve his own murder.  While I'm sure that the series will eventually become what I always assumed the first one to be - a mindless, 90s-styled action film whose sole worth is measured in explosions - I have no problem sitting through the sequels until I get to that point.

So what are you looking forward to seeing on Netflix in January?  Do the new streaming options make up for what was thrown out at the end of December?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

January 1

101 Dalmatians (1996)
Bad Boys II (2003)
Batman & Robin (1997)
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Cast Away (2000)
Get Low (2009)
Election (1999)
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Fort Bliss (2014)
Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
Mean Girls (2004)
Shall We Dance? (2004)
To Be Takei (2014)
The French Connection (1971)
The Quiet Man (1952)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Wayne’s World 2 (1993) 

Dallas (Season 3

January 2

Big Fish
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
Chinatown (1974)
Deep Impact (1998)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Footloose (1984)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Ghost (1990)
Insomnia (2002)
Marathon Man (1976)
Marty (1955)
Moonstruck (1987)
Mr. Mom (1983)
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Mystic River (2003)
Notting Hill (1999)
Patriot Game (1992)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
The Ref (1994)
Robocop (1987)
Robocop 2 (1990)
The Running Man (1987)
Sabrina (1995)
Snatch (2000)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Swingers (1996)

January 3 

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) 

White Collar (Season 5)

January 7

Brick Mansions (2014) 

January 8

Frank (2014) 

Psych (Season 8)

January 9

Z Nation (Season 1)

January 13

Being Human (Season 4)

January 15

Wolfblood (Season 3)

January 16 

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) 

The Adventures of Puss in Boots (Season 1)

The Fall (Season 2)

January 28 

Chef (2014) 

Beauty & the Beast (Season 2)

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