Netflix Update: What's New in May and June 2015

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix's streaming services.

Yeah, I know that I've been a bit negligent around here this last month or so (I personally blame all the great summer movies that are coming out), but I'm here to make up for it in spades.  So today we have a special double instalment of Netflix Update: in which I go over what I was excited for last month and what there is to look forward to this month!

Magical Girl Madoka (aka Puella Magi Madoka Magica, aka PMMM) has probably been my single favorite thing on Netflix since a friend of mine showed it to me last summer.  It's a 12 episode anime series that takes everything that you know about series like Sailor Moon and turns it completely on its head.  It starts off as some happy-go-lucky series about Magical Girls fighting witches, but then becomes a dark, soul-crushing series about friendship, betrayal and self-destruction.  Seriously, it's amazing.

As of last month, however, three Madoka movies have entered Netflix's streaming roster: Rebellion, Beginnings and Eternal.  While it's safe to say that non-fans of the show will probably not find much to enjoy out of them, it's a massive boon to those who have already seen the series.  Additionally, I've been assured by those who have seen it before that the movies - especially Eternal - are as exceptionally good as the series.

I've been looking for these movies for months to no avail (even through Netflix's DVD mailing services), so this is huge for me.  Expect to find a Revisited article sometime in the near future over the series and Date Nights for the three films.

Other than that, however, there was not much else that May brought to the table.  Sure, old favorites like The Blues Brothers, Legally Blonde, National Treasure, Big Trouble in Little China and Wes Craven's New Nightmare are always fun to have around.  And yes, Fruitvale Station classes the place up with a timely political piece while Zombeavers looks like a riotously good time, but it's nothing that most people haven't already seen, nor anything that we couldn't have done without.

June kicked off by bringing a few exceptional films into the fold as well.  The Aviator should have won DiCaprio an Oscar more than a decade ago for his portrayal of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes.  Nightcrawler should have done the same for Jake Gyllenhaal earlier this year for his thoroughly unsettling portrayal of media sociopath Lou Bloom.

Rosewater was easily one of the better films that I saw last year and I've heard nothing but ovations for Cake, starring the purportedly underrated Jennifer Anniston.  And say what you will about the quality of the franchise that it belongs to, but Transformers: Age of Extinction was a genuinely good movie: which injected personality back into the Transformers and had a plot that was more involved than "get Shia Labeouf laid."  Throwing the Dinobots into the mix - however briefly - also didn't hurt things.

Other than those, however, the real draw for June is the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is honestly just this side of being the best series on TV right now.  Seriously, I can't speak its praises highly enough.  If not for Orphan Black and Game of Thrones, I'd be hard-pressed to find a series to contest its spot on top of the hill.

Check out the full selection of June releases below:

June 1:

• The Aviator (2004)
• Employee of the Month (2006)
• Hidden Kingdoms (2014)
• The High and the Mighty (1954)
• La Dictadura Perfecta (2014)
• The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
• R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It (2007)
• R.L. Stine’s Mostly Ghostly (2008)
• Sex Ed (2014)
• Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam: Live from Atlanta (2013)
• Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam: Live from Las Vegas (2014)
• Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam: Live from Orlando (2012)

June 3:

• The Best of Me (2014)
• Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)

June 5:

• Sense8: Season One

June 6:

• On the Road (2012)
• Scandal: Season Four

June 7: 

• Words and Pictures (2013)

June 8:

• Grace of Monaco (2014)

June 9:

• Free the Nipple (2014)
• It’s Tough Being Loved by Jerks (2008)

June 10:

• Nightcrawler (2014)
• Pretty Little Liars: Season Five
• Rosewater (2014)

June 11:

• The Legend (1993)
• The Legend 2 (1993)
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season Two

June 12:

• Champs (2015)
• The Cobbler (2014)
• Life of Crime (2013)
• Orange Is the New Black: Season Three

June 13:

• Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2013)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

June 15:

• Bindi’s Bootcamp: Season One
• Danger Mouse: Season One-Ten
• Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013)
• Really Me: Season One-Two
• Rodney Carrington: Laughter’s Good
• Team Toon: Season One
• Wizards vs. Aliens: Season One-Three

June 16:

• Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of (2015)
• Curious George (2006)
• Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
• Two Days, One Night (2014)

June 17:

• Heartland: Season Six
• Point and Shoot (2014)

June 19:

• A Most Wanted Man (2014)
• Some Assembly Required (2012)

June 20:

• Cake (2014)

June 23:

• Advantageous (2015)

June 24:

• Beyond the Lights (2014)

June 25:

• Ballet 422 (2014)

June 26:

• Dragons: Race to the Edge: Season One
• Katy Perry: The Prismatic World Tour (2015)
• What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
• Young & Hungry: Season Two

June 27: 

• The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)

So what are you planning on watching this month on Netflix from these new selections?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Netflix Update: What's New in April 2015

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix's streaming services.

April's a really sad month to be a Netflix subscriber.  We lost a lot of good movies this month, and what's coming in to replace them isn't all up to snuff.  Sure, there are some gems amidst the newcomers, but they're really few and far between.

Although small, Netflix's TV selection will get a noticeable bump this month.  Although I've never gotten into it, Wilfred is a wildly unique show with an excellent cast that certainly has a loyal following.  Sons of Anarchy's additional season will also go a long way to appeasing that series' fans.

The really exciting one, though, is Marvel's new Daredevil series that's produced directly through Netflix.  This is the first that anybody will have seen the character since its unfortunate 2003 movie.  This time, however, it's apparently styled more like a Marvel-branded Arrow than as a bloated, star-driven action movie.  This should have an extremely broad appeal, not only because Marvel Studios is involved in the project, but because it is the latest entry into the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the only new addition that we'll get to that until Age of Ultron comes out in May.

Horror fans in particular lost out in April.  Netflix pulled all of its Friday the 13th installments, as well as a fair selection of its horror movies.  And, take it from me, Leprechaun 3, 4 and 6 don't save that programming decision.  Underworld, despite its vampiric and lupine trappings, is an action movie, not a horror one.  And while an off-beat thriller like Suicide Kings does come closer than the aforementioned movies, it still doesn't scratch that particular itch.

The Babadook, however, does.  This psychological Australian horror film personifies depression as a literal boogieman attacking a widowed mother and her presumably abused child.  It's the second best horror movie to come out in 2014, behind Oculus, and should appeal to just about every horror fan subscribing to the streaming service.  If you haven't seen The Babadook yet, this is your opportunity.

It's sad to call Hot Fuzz, one of this century's funniest comedies, the worst of anything, but it is the worst of the "Cornetto Trilogy" (Shaun of the Dead, this and The World's End).  That being said, however, it's one of the most intelligent and side-splitting good times Netflix has to offer, and another movie that you'd be remiss to pass up on.  If you have a single funny bone in your body, Hot Fuzz should be a priority.

Other than that, National Treasure is a fun Da Vinci Code riff that's a perfectly fine way to pass an afternoon and Noah has been on my radar as something to see for some time now.  Underworld is better than is really should be, even if it's not all that exceptional and Suicide Kings is an underrated film with a fun Christopher Walken performance.  And you had better believe that the three new Leprechaun movies are as awesomely bad as they sound (especially In Space).  The full list of new titles is listed below.

April 1st

And Now ... Ladies and Gentlemen...(2002)
Bandolero (2000)
Barnyard (2006)
The Beautician and the Beast (1997)
Bound (1996)
Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)
Down to Earth (2001)
Leprechaun 3 (1995)
Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997)
Leprechaun 6: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)
Suicide Kings (1997)
Sunset Strip (2000)
Underworld (2003)
Whiteboyz (1999)
Wrong Turn at Tahoe (2009)

April 2nd

Life Partners (2014)
Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage (2014)

April 3rd

All Hail King Julien: Season 1

Starry Eyes (2014)
The Quiet Ones (2014)

April 4th

Delta Farce (2007)

April 7th

Preservation (2014)
Wilfred: Season 4

April 8th

Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1 (2014)

April 9th

Crank (2006)
Pioneer (2013)

April 10th

The Awakening (2013)
Broken (2013)
Burning Bridges (2014)
Confusion Na Wa (2013)
Finding Mercy (2012)
Finding Mercy 2 (2014)
Flower Girl (2013)
Forgetting June (2013)
Knocking on Heaven's Door (2014)
Lagos Cougars (2013)
Lies Men Tell (2013)
Mad Couple (2014)
Mad Couple 2 (2014)

Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1

Matters Arising (2014)
October 1* (2014)
Onye Ozi (2013)
Ties That Bind (2011)

April 12th

The Identical (2014)

April 13th

Video Game High School: Season 3

April 14th

The Babadook (2014)

Goodbye to Language (2014)

Kink (2013)

April 16th

Hot Fuzz (2007)

April 17th

Baby Daddy: Season 4 Chris D'Elia: Incorrigible They Came Together (2014)

April 18th

Noah (2014)

April 21st

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

April 25th

Sons of Anarchy: Season 7

April 26th

The Nutty Professor 2: Facing the Fear (2008)

April 27th

National Treasure (2004)

So what new title coming to Netflix are you most excited for?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Netflix Update: What's New in March 2015

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix.

So are Netflix's newest additions to their streaming services enough to counterbalance what's leaving?  Well, yes and no (but mostly no).  There are a few choice shows and films coming on, but not in the numbers needed to stem the shift in quality from March's outgoing fare.

Netflix's biggest addition this month is the complete fifth season of the exceptionally hilarious spy spoof Archer.  It's the kind of show that relies heavily on references to previous jokes and episodes to generate humor - a lot like How I Met Your Mother - so the most recently completed season is a strong addition to its television lineup.

Although I haven't gotten into it yet, Mad Men's seventh season joins Netflix as well, adding to the popular show's already impressive roster of episodes.  And say what you will about the quality of Glee, but it's certainly popular enough to have gotten through as many seasons as Archer has.  Its fifth season will also be added at the beginning of the month.  The band Garfunkel and Oats will also see the first season of their show joining Netflix's tv series lineup, where it will hopefully find a wider audience.  Special mention must also be made for the first season of Turn and the complete series of Third Rock from the Sun.

Newly added movies are a bit sketchier in quality, however.  One of the only real gems among the new crop is Finding Neverland: a historical drama in which Johnny Depp plays the author who penned Peter Pan.  How to Train Your Dragon 2 will also be joining Netflix, although I think that the target audience for that film already has a well-worn copy of that film already.  Still, good movies are good movies, and I'm not one to complain about an expanding repertoire of must-see viewing.

Other than those two, horror fans will certainly enjoy The ABCs of Death 2 and fans of the late Robin Williams won't complain as yet another one of his vehicles is made available for repeated viewings.  Documentarians will appreciate the inclusion of Life Itself - which details the life and career of the late Roger Ebert.  Religiously-inclined subscribers will also find God's Not Dead a pleasing addition, even as the rest of us quietly scroll past it for something that's actually good.

Available March 1
Evelyn (2002)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Mercy Rule (2014)
Monster High 13 Wishes (2013)
Monster High: Ghouls Rule (2012)
30 for 30: Of Miracles and Men
Patch Adams (1998)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Teen Witch (1989)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Available March 5
Food Chains (2014)
The ABCs of Death 2 (2014)

Available March 6
Aziz Ansari Live at Madison Square Garden (2015)
My Own Man (2014)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Available March 7
Archer: Season 5
Glee: Season 5

Available March 9
After the Fall (2014)
Cesar Chavez (2014)
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)
Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club (2014)

Available March 10
Monster High: Haunted (2015)

Available March 11
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Available March 15
3rd Rock From the Sun: Complete Series
A Different World: Complete Series
Marvel & ESPN Films Present: 1 of 1: Genesis (2014)

Available March 17
You’re Not You (2014)
Dummy (2002)

Available March 19
Life Itself (2014)

Available March 20
Bloodline: Season 1
God’s Not Dead (2014)

Available March 22
Mad Men: Season 7

Available March 23
November Man (2014)

Available March 25
Garfunkel and Oates: Season 1
Turn: Season 1

Available March 27
Trailer Park Boys: Season 9
Frankie & Alice (2010)

Available March 31
Ask Me Anything (2014)
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)

So what newly added movie or series are you most looking forward to seeing in March?

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Ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Netflix Update: What's Leaving in March 2015

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix.

With another month come and gone comes another turnover of Netflix programming.  By this point in time, the change seems to be pretty par for the course: a sizable (although not deal-breaking) chunk of quality programming is leaving while a mixed bag of quality is brought in to replace it (although more on this last part later).  For right now, these are some of the movies and tv shows that you can no longer expect to find through Netflix's streaming services:

March on Netflix is facing up to be a punch right in the childhood.  Their cache of Golden-Age Cartoon Network shows are all expiring this month: including Cow and Chicken, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Johnny Bravo.  Ben 10 - a show which always had far better creature design than writing - is also on the chopping block, as is Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and Robot Chicken.

The biggest show leaving this month, however, is unquestionably Adventure Time.  Like My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Adventure Time has an oddly adult appeal to it.  The occasionally awesome, occasionally terrible, invariably weird animated series' departure is bound to upset its many die-hard fans who will have to take solace in its omnipresent syndication on cable television and recently announced film adaptation.

Neither this nor the previously mentioned shows, however, are scheduled to be removed until the end of the month, which gives fans plenty of time to revisit their favorite episodes and story arcs.  And who knows, maybe the same eleventh hour wheeling and dealing that saved Doctor Who can extend these shows' shelf lives as well.

Horror fans also have a lot to bemoan about with March, as a lot of classic and schlocky favorites are set to leave the streaming service throughout the month.  Se7en - a terse thriller starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey about a murderer who dispatches his victims according to the deadly sin that they most strongly identify with - is considered by many to be the best film that renowned director David Fincher ever produced.  Light-hearted creature features like Anaconda and Arachnophobia are perfect gateways into the genre for younger viewers, and their absence makes the horror increasingly off-putting and inaccessible to the general public.  Cultural landmark The Blair Witch Project - whose verisimilitude caused many viewers to believe that it was actually found footage snuff film about of a group of teenagers who got lost in the woods - is also set to depart at the beginning of the month.

Comedy doesn't seem to be faring any better.  Dumb and Dumber, which was brought on not too long ago, is set to leave by the end of the day, making it increasingly obvious that its inclusion to Netflix wasn't meant for genre fans, but as a marketing tool to promote its misfired sequel.  Cool Runnings - an inaccurate-if-fun recreation of the trials and tribulations of the first Jamaican bobsled team - is set to leave alongside, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Flubber and a host of Muppet movies.

Fans of esteemed classics will likewise lose out on opportunities to see The Graduate - rightly seen as emblematic of the sexual revolution of the sixties.  The well-aged shocker House on Haunted Hill will likewise exit in March, as will the well-regarded original Fright Night.  The full list of exiting titles (alongside their date of departure) are listed below.

Leaving March 1
3 Ninjas: Kick Back (1994)
Air Bud (1997)
Anaconda (1997)
Arachnophobia (1990)
Brokedown Palace (1999)
Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams (1981)
Cool Runnings (1993)
Desperado (1995)
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Emma (1996)
Evita (1996)
Fireproof (2008)
Freaky Friday (2003)
Fright Night (1985)
Girlfight (2000)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Jackass: Number Two (2006)
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Old Yeller (1957)
Ordinary People (1980)
Out of Time (2003)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
RoboCop 2 (1990)
RoboCop 3 (1993)
Saving Silverman (2001)
Se7en (1995)
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
The Baby Sitters Club (1995)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Graduate (1967)
The Possession (2012)
The Sweetest Thing (2002)
Troop Beverly Hills (1989)

Leaving March 2
Uptown Girls (2003)

Leaving March 3
The Preacher’s Wife (1996)

Leaving March 5
The Muppet Movie (1979)

Leaving March 11
Flubber (1997)

Leaving March 12
The Grey (2012)

Leaving March 15
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Leaving March 16
The Tale of Despereaux (2008)

Leaving March 22
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)

Leaving March 30
Adventure Time: Season 1-*4
Ben 10: Season 1-*3
Childrens Hospital: Season 1*-2
Codename: Kids Next Door: Season 4-*6
Cow and Chicken: Season 2
Dexter’s Laboratory: Season 3-*4
Dude, What Would Happen?: Season 2
Ed, Edd ‘n’ Eddy: Season 3-*4
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Season 2
Johnny Bravo: Season 2
Regular Show: Season 1-*4
Robot Chicken: Season 1*-2
Samurai Jack: Season 2
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: Season 3*-4

Leaving March 31
Legends of the Fall (1994)

So which exiting shows and movies are you going to miss most?  What, if anything, should replace them?

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Ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix.

Well, Netflix, you win this round.  I can whole-heartedly say that there is absolutely nothing new coming to Netflix this month that I'm actually interested in seeing.  Oh, there are a few holdouts here and there that aren't bad by any means - or at least ones that will find an audience - but absolutely nothing that I personally will sit down for (at least willingly) in the month to come.

I know that a lot of people will rejoice in the fact that the first five seasons of M*A*S*H - based on the acclaimed film- will now be streamable through the service.  That unfortunately accounts for only half of the eleven season series, but I wouldn't be surprised if the remaining six become available by the time that most viewers reach the end of what is currently on Netflix.  Similarly, the third season of the acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards will become available, as well as the first season of another Netflix orginal series: Richie Rich.

Anime fans also have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, with movies based on both the series Bleach and Naruto become available throughout the month.  That being said, no actual series appear to be in the works, meaning that fans of the genre will need to make due with what they already have.  But seeing as how that already includes Madoka and Full Metal Alchemis: Brotherhood, there might not be an immediate programming gap in need of filling.

As far as movies go, the most interesting is the sequel to Dead Snow: a horror film about Nazi Zombies that is somehow less awesome than that synopsis would suggest.  While I'm not especially looking forward to dredging up that one-joke premise a second time, Becky inevitably will want to see it.

King Arthur and Robocop are both well enough, I suppose, but neither is really a suitable replacement for Apocalypse Now, Wishmaster, Goldfinger or From Russia with Love.  None of the aforementioned series are really up to the task of replacing Black Adder and Red Dwarf (and for the children / children at heart among you: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic).  There's really just nothing all that exciting being added on to watch this month.

"Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse" (2010)

"The Brothers Bloom" (2008)

"Dark Ride" (2006)

"Departures" Seasons 1 and 2 Gimme Shelter (2013)

"Gucci: The Director"

"Hot Pursuit"

"Houseboat"

"Into the Blue 2: The Reef"

"Joe"

"King Arthur"

"Magic City" Seasons 1 and 2

"M*A*S*H" Seasons 1 through 5

"Naruto Shippuden: The Movie"

"Now: In the Wings on a World Stage"

"Proof"

"Spartacus: Complete Series"

"We Could Be King"

"We're No Angels"

"Zapped"

"The Little Rascals Save the Day" (2014)

"Ever After High: Spring Unsprung"

"Danger 5"

"Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead"

"Elsa & Fred"

"Blood Ties"

"Catch Hell"

"Dwight Howard: In the Moment"

"Mr. Peabody & Sherman"

"Young Ones"

"The Two Faces of January"

"Scary Movie 5"

"Mako Mermaids" Season 2

"Save the Date"

"The Overnighters"

"Earth to Echo"

"In Secret"

"The Fluffy Movie"

"White Bird in a Blizzard"

"Richie Rich" Season 1 (2015 Netflix original)

"RoboCop" (2014)

"Hawaii Five-0" Seasons 1 to 4

"1,000 Times Good Night"

"Open Windows"

"Russell Brand: Messiah Complex"

"Ralphie May: Unruly"

"House of Cards" Season 3

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