There’s a little something for everyone in this month’s pick of titles leaving Netflix in the US, including independent dramatic comedies, family movies, and crime films, plus the best of recent. James Bond films. Check Out These 12 Titles Before They Die. (The dates reflect the last day a title is available.)
‘Nightcrawler’ (August 9)
Writer Dan Gilroy made his directorial debut with this disturbing 2014 thriller. Inspired by the work of Weegee, the influential photographer of New York City street scenes in the 1940s, Gilroy wrote the story of a Contemporary newspaper videographer (played to chilling perfection by Jake Gyllenhaal) whose pursuit of gruesome crime scene footage takes him into morally questionable situations. territory. Rene Russo is in great shape as a CIO who doesn’t quite realize how dangerous his employee is, while Gyllenhaal does some of his best actors, unsettlingly personifying the slippery slope from ambitious go-getter to an outstanding sociopath.
Stream it here.
“Security not guaranteed” (August 12)
Before being asked to reboot the “Jurassic Park” franchise, director Colin Trevorrow and screenwriter Derek Connolly crafted a smaller-scale fusion of science fiction and human drama. Aubrey Plaza stars as a young journalism intern responding to an ad for a time-traveling partner, thinking the delusional man behind the ad (Mark Duplass) might make an entertaining profile. But his cynicism slowly dissolves in the face of his seriousness – and his observations of the weird activities that fuel his paranoia. The filmmakers find just the right tonal blend of character comedy, low-cost sci-fi, and genuine warmth, while Plaza and Duplass create surprisingly compelling chemistry.
Stream it here.
‘The Founder’ (August 20)
Michael Keaton is phenomenal in this biographical portrayal of McDonald’s mastermind Ray Kroc, using his quick wit and endless charisma in the service of a character who slowly and counterintuitively reveals himself to be a bit of a snake. Son Kroc is a rather desperate con artist, seeing himself as a protagonist of Horatio Alger just steps from his big break, which he finally finds in the efficient hamburger stand on the assembly line of brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald (John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman, both excellent). But its dreams for the channel are bigger than those of its creators, a bump in the typical rise to success narrative, which creates a fascinating and fruitful thematic tension.
Stream it here.
‘Casino Royale’ (August 30)
The James Bond franchise had had a rough time in the mid-2000s, as audiences turned away from increasingly silly adventure shenanigans like “Die Another Day” to the more gritty, superspy styles of the “Bourne” films. So, the producers of Bond brought back director Martin Campbell – who previously saved the series from obsolescence with the 1995 ‘Goldeneye’ start – to reboot Bond with an origin story. Daniel Craig made his first appearance in the role, complementing the character’s good-natured charisma and casual wit with genuine danger and darkness, while Eva Green impresses as the woman who made Bond do what he did. would rarely do: fall in love.
Stream it here.
“Stranger Than Fiction” (August 30)
Will Ferrell has revealed he’s capable of more than a silly slapstick with his lead role in this clever comedy-drama from director Marc Forster (“Monster’s Ball”). Emma Thompson stars as a superstar novelist struggling to finish her latest book; it seems that its protagonist (played with naive and melancholy charm by Ferrell) has somehow become aware of his fictional status and the death his creator has planned for him. It is an ingenious premise, but it is not a mere intellectual exercise. Writer Zach Helm explores the rich emotional implications of the storyline, forging an unlikely but touching relationship between Ferrell and a wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Stream it here.
“Chinatown” (August 31)
The neo-noir films of the 1970s, and in particular the plethora of private investigator films of the time, took advantage of the temperature of the time; in a decade when mistrust of authority and institutions was at an all-time high, it’s no surprise that the steadfast moral ethos of the devoted sleuth is back in fashion. Few films have resuscitated the Golden Age of the Dark as skillfully as 1974’s Best Picture nominee Roman Polanski, who also took full advantage of changes in tolerance in adult subjects to include the kinds of twists and turns that previous films have. could only evoke. This tension, coupled with the beauty of John A. Alonzo’s cinematography and the stellar performances of Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston, resulted in one of the best films of the decade.
Stream it here.
“Election” (August 31)
Reese Witherspoon transformed what might have been a one-dimensional caricature into one of the most iconic performances of its time in this clever satire of small town life, political ambition and middle-aged malaise. co-writer and director Alexander Payne (“From Side”). Witherspoon stars as Tracy Flick, a zealous high school student whose election for class president seems to be a foregone conclusion until student government supervisor (Matthew Broderick) decides the frontrunner could use a bit of competition. . Broderick’s casting is a masterstroke, allowing the viewer to reimagine Ferris Bueller as a reckless school administrator, while Payne and his co-writer Jim Taylor (adapting Tom Perrotta’s novel) skillfully weave a tale that plays both as a small scale drama and large allegory.
Stream it here.
“The Girl Next Door” (August 31)
The brief comeback of teen sex comedy sparked by “American Pie” was drawing to a close by the time this Luke Greenfield entry hit theaters, at the poor box office, and critically missed, in 2004. But it did. found an enthusiastic audience at home video and streaming services, less drawn to its ridiculous plot – in which a high school student falls in love with his sexy new neighbor only to find out she is hiding from a past in adult films – than by the real softness at its center. Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch convey a link that goes beyond simple physical chemistry; their characters seem to genuinely love and care for each other, and the strength of that bond gives the film an unexpected emotional backbone.
Stream it here.
‘Hot Rod’ (August 31)
The Lonely Island comedy trio – made up of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone – made the leap from viral videos to the big screen with this 2007 comedy. Samberg stars as Second Coming Rod Kimble. Evel Knievel but is closer to the victims on “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; the film chronicles his attempts to become a daredevil, mainly to make fun of his toxic stepfather (a play Ian McShane). The Lonely Islanders’ semi-surreal approach puts this one above typical 2000s comedy, as does the supporting cast, which also includes Sissy Spacek, Isla Fisher, Danny McBride, and Bill Hader.
Stream it here.
“A Series of Unfortunate Events of Lemony Snicket” (August 31)
Over the course of three seasons, Netflix turned Daniel Handler’s children’s novel series into one of their most entertaining series, a dark, comedic tale of wickedness and perseverance. But Snicket’s novels had been adapted once before, in that 2004 film from director Brad Silberling (“Casper”), starring Jim Carrey as the vile Earl Olaf. Neither version removes the other; the film and the series work together, creating a similarly stylized world with an equally delicious dark sense of humor.
Stream it here.
“The Muppets” (August 31)
The Muppet film franchise was in pretty deplorable shape when it was brought back to joyful life in this 2011 feature film from director James Bobin and screenwriters Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (who got the job when their previous film, decidedly adult-oriented romantic comedy “Forget Sarah Marshall”, included a tumultuous puppet musical sequence). Segel also plays the role of a likeable small town guy whose visit to Hollywood with his fiancé (Amy Adams) and his decidedly Muppet-like little brother results in an emergency reunion of the long-disbanded “Muppet Show” gang. . Bobin, Segel and Stoller put together all the right pieces – winking humor, catchy tunes, a parade of cheerful guest stars – to create Muppet’s best film in decades.
Stream it here.
“The road to perdition” (August 31)
Tom Hanks found a rare opportunity to explore his darker side in this 2002 adaptation of Max Allan Collins’ graphic novel (itself based on the classic manga “Lone Wolf and Cub”). Hanks plays Michael Sullivan Sr., a Depression-era enforcer for the Irish mob who must flee his Illinois home with his 12-year-old son when he crosses paths with his boss’s erratic son (Daniel Craig). longtime and father figure (an Oscar nominated Paul Newman in one of his last roles). Director Sam Mendes teams up with his “American Beauty” cinematographer Conrad L. Hall to create an image that is both gorgeous and melancholy, surpassing the superficial pleasures of its period genre setting with timeless family themes, morality and mortality.
Stream it here.
Also leaving: “The great Lebowski, “The dead, “Nacho Libre, “The Manchurian Candidate (2004), “Social network, “Super bad,“”The wife of the time traveler”(Every August 31).
