It was almost a year ago that I addressed “streamageddon,” an odd bit of panic that appeared when Netflix seemed to be pulling a large number of titles from its streaming roster. This past week, the phenomenon appeared again, with the likes of Gizmodo reporting on flicks that, as of January 1, you’d no longer have instantly available on one particular streaming service. It reached peak boil with a front-page article on CNN in one of the most ridiculous pieces of journalism I’ve read in a while.
Even beyond the absent-minded genre-shaming (“Ha ha, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE is going away! Isn’t that a silly title! Who’d want to watch that? Anyway, FLASHDANCE is a classic that warrants your attention.”) and the fact that the source cited is a friggin’ REDDIT POST (because actually checking out which titles are leaving is sooooo haaaaard), the whole thing just felt like infantile scaremongering. It was as though instead of simply not being available on a service, every available copy of TITANIC would instantly vanish, and the actors would all be rounded up and murdered, and any memories you had of the film would be replaced by Shia LaBeouf recreating every role BE KIND REWIND-style.
Yes, Netflix’s rights to some movies expired yesterday. But this happens every month, as movies come and go. And plenty of films did the former, as evidenced by the list below, of noteworthy movies that have shown up on streaming in the past month. The movies themselves still very much exist, and can be rented from your local video store or library.
The fact that a movie is no longer available on streaming should be about as much news as a new episode of “60 Minutes,” and no self-respecting film fan should be relying on Netflix as their sole source of movies. Netflix should be treated like a restaurant – you can always find stuff you’d like, but you can’t rely on it to have every type of food you’ve ever craved.
If you want to bitch about Netflix, you can bitch about the bizarre interface, the reluctance to utilize social media well or the inability to be any good at promoting the stuff it has. But don’t complain about that a particular movie you love isn’t available. Netflix isn’t a Las Vegas buffet, and it also costs a hell of a lot less.
In any case, let’s get to the good stuff! Here, organized for your inconvenience, are over a hundred titles that have shown up on the service in the past month. Hopefully you’ll be able to find something to suit your palette.
New Releases (Mainstream)
The Iron Lady (2011, Dir. Phyllida Lloyd) Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent
Never Back Down (2008, Dir. Jeff Wadlow) Sean Ferris
Stand Up Guys (2012, Dir. Fisher Stevens) Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Julian Margulies
New Releases (Indie)
The Angels’ Share (2012, Dir. Ken Loach) Paul Brannigan
As I Lay Dying (2013, Dir. James Franco) James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson
C.O.G. (2013, Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez) Jonathan Grodd, Denis O’Hare, Dean Stockwell
A Lonely Place to Die (2011, Dir. Julian Gilbey)
Lovelace (2013, Dir. Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman) Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris Noth, Hank Azaria, Sharon Stone, Bobby Cannavale
The History of Future Folk (2012, Dir. Jeremy Kipp Walker, J. Anderson Mitchell)
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013, Dir. Isaac Florentine) Scott Adkins
Prince Avalanche (2013, Dir. David Gordon Green) Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch, Lance LeGault
Sightseers (2012, Dir. Ben Wheatley)
New SciFi
Alien Uprising (2012, Dir. Dominic Burns) Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sean Pertwee
Bounty Killer (2013, Dir. Henry Saine) Matthew Marsden, Kristanna Loken, Gary Busey, Beverly d’Angelo
Stranded (2013, Dir. Roger Christian) Christian Slater, Brendan Fehr
New Horror
Berberian Sound Studio (2012, Dir. Peter Strickland) Toby Jones
The Bell Witch Haunting (2013, Dir. Glenn Miller)
Cheerleader Massacre 2 (2009, Dir. Brad Rushing)
Devil’s Pass (2013, Dir. Renny Harlin)
Duress (2009, Dir. Jordan Baker) Martin Donovan, Sakis Rouvas, Billy Wirth
Gallowwalkers (2013, Dir. Andrew Goth) Wesley Snipes
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009, Dir. Peter Cornwell) Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Martin Donovan
Texas Chainsaw (2013, Dir. John Luessenhop) Alexandra Daddario, Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Bill Moseley
The Undying (2009, Dir. Steven Peros) Robin Weigert, Jay O. Sanders, Wes Studi
Zombie Hunter (2013, Dir. K. King) Danny Trejo, Martin Copping
Old Horror
April Fool’s Day (1986, Dir. Fred Walton)
Carrie (2002, Dir. David Carson) Angela Bettis, Patricia Clarkson
The Keep (1983, Dir. Michael Mann) Scott Glenn, Jurgen Prochnow, Alberta Watson, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen, Robert Prosky
Madhouse (2004, Dir. William Butler) Joshua Leonard, Jordan Ladd, Natasha Lyonne, Lance Henriksen, Leslie Jordan
The Ninth Gate (1999, Dir. Roman Polanski) Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin
Japan
Chanbara Beauty: The Movie – Vortex (2009, Dir. Tsuyoshi Shoji)
Drug War (2012, Dir. Johnnie To)
Female Convict Scorpion (Sasori) (2008, Dir. Joe Ma) Miki Mizuno
Karate Girl (2011) (Dir. Yoshikatsu Kimura)
Yakuza Hunters: Duel in Hell (2010, Dir. Kazushi Nakadaira, Shin’ichi Okuda)
Yakuza Hunters: Final Death Ride Battle (2010, Dir. Kazushi Nakadaira)
Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead (2011, Dir.Noboru Iguchi)
Thailand
Chocolate (2008, Dir. Prachya Pinkaew) JeeJa Yanin
China
The Chinese Connection (1972, Dir. Wei Lo) Bruce Lee
Gallants (Da Lui Toi) (2010, Dir. Clement Sze-Kit Cheng, Chi-kin Kwok)
Korea
The Tower (2012, Dir. Ji-hoon Kim)
A Werewolf Boy (2012, Dir. Jo Sung-hee)
Russia
The Horde (2012, Dir. Andrei Porshkin)
Nostalghia (1983, Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
France
Amelie (2001, Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) Audrey Tautou, Dominique Pinon
Mexico
Post Tenebras Lux (2012, Dir. Carolis Reygadas)
Crap
The Fog (2005, Dir. Rupert Wainwright) Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair
Paranormal Whacktivity (2013, Dir. Roger Roth)
This Wasn’t in the Public Domain BEFORE?
Dressed to Kill (1941, Dir. Eugene Forde) Lloyd Nolan
Sherlock Holmes (2009, Dir. Rachel Goldenberg)
2000s
Bulletproof Monk (2003, Dir. Paul Hunter) Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott
Changing Lanes (2002, Dir. Roger Michell) Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins
Holes (2003, Dir. Andrew Davis) Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson, Patricia Arquette, Siobahn Fallon
Hotel (2003, Dir. Mike Figgis) Saffron Burrows, Salma Hayek, Lucy Liu, Burt Reynolds, Julian Sands, David Schwimmer
Narc (2002, Dir. Joe Carnahan) Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Chi McBride
Novocaine (2001, Dir. David Atkins) Steve Martin, Helena Bonham Carter, Elias Koteas, Laura Dern, Kevin Bacon
Pathology (2008, Dir. Marc Scholermann) Milo Ventimiglia
Corman
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980, Dir. Jimmy T. Murakami) George Peppard, Robert Vaughn, Richard Thomas, Sybil Danning, John Saxon
The Big Bird Cage (1972, Dir. Jack Hill) Pam Grier, Anitra Ford, Sid Haig, Carol Speed
Bloodfist (1989, Dir. Terence H. Winkless) Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Billy Blanks
Death Race 2000 (1975, Dir. Paul Bartel) David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov, Roberta Collins, Don Steele
Grand Theft Auto (1977, Dir. Ron Howard) Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan, Rance Howard
Humanoids from the Deep (1980, Dir. Barbara Peeters) Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, Vic Morrow
Rock’n’Roll High School (1980, Dir. Allan Arkush) The Ramones, P.J. Soles, Dey Young, Mary Woronov, Clint Howard
Sorority House Massacre II (1990, Dir. Jim Wynorski)
The Student Nurses (1970, Dir. Stephanie Rothman)
Women in Cages (1971, Dir. Gerardo de Leon) Pam Grier, Roberta Collins
Eddie Murphy
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994, Dir. John Landis) Eddie Murphy, John Saxon, Judge Reinhold, Hector Elizondo, Theresa Randle, Bronson Pinchot
Boomerang (1992, Dir. Reginald Hudlin) Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Berry, David Allen Grier, Eartha Kitt, Grace Jones, Geoffrey Holder, Martin Lawrence, John Witherspoon, Chris Rock, Tisha Campbell
Harlem Nights (1989, Dir. Eddie Murphy) Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Michael Lerner, Jasmine Guy, Della Reese, Danny Aiello, Arsenio Hall
1990s
American Psycho (2000, Dir. Mary Harron) Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Bill Sage, Chloe Sevigny, Willem Dafoe
The Brady Bunch Movie (1996, Dir. Betty Thomas) Shelley Long, Gary Cole, Christine Taylor, Megan Ward, Michael McKean, RuPaul, Alanna Ubach, Ann B. Davis
Bulletproof Heart (1994, Dir. Mark Malone) Anthony LaPaglia, Mimi Rogers, Peter Boyle, Matt Craven
Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (2000, Dir. Jim Jarmusch) Forrest Whitaker, Henry Silva, Victor Argo
Juice (1992, Dir. Ernest Dickerson) Omar Epps, Samuel L. Jackson, Tupac Shakur
Oxygen (1998, Dir. Richard Shepard) Adrian Brody, Maura Tierney
Reindeer Games (2000, Dir. John Frankenheimer) Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999, Dir. Anthony Minghella) Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Gwynneth Paltrow, Jude Law
Thelma and Louise (1991, Dir. Ridley Scott) Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis
The Virgin Suicides (1999, Dir. Sofia Coppola) James Woods, Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner
Classics
The Apartment (1960, Dir. Billy Wilder) Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
The Grapes of Wrath (1940, Dir. John Ford) Henry Fonda, John Carradine
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1960, Dir. Henry Levin) James Mason, Pat Boone
Some Like it Hot (1959, Dir. Billy Wilder) Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe
Robert Wise
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1952, Dir. Robert Wise) Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, Dir. Robert Wise) William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy
West Side Story (1961, Dir. Robert Wise) Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris
1960s
The 300 Spartans (1962, Dir. Rudolph Mate) Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson
Blue Hawaii (1961, Dir. Norman Taurog) Elvis Presley, Angela Lansbury
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, Dir. Blake Edwards) Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebson, Martin Balsam, Mickey Rooney
Catch-22 (1970, Dir. Mike Nichols) Alan Arkin, Martin Sheen, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel, Buck Henry, Jack Guilford, Bob Newhart, Orson Welles, Bob Balaban, Anthony Perkins, Jon Voight, Martin Balsam, Paula Prentiss, Norman Fell, Charles Grodin
Zulu (1964, Dir. Cy Endfield) Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Patrick Magee
1970s
3 Women (1977, Dir. Robert Altman) Sissy Spacek, Shelley Duvall, Janice Rule
Escape from Alcatraz (1979, Dir. Don Siegel) Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Fred Ward
High Anxiety (1977, Dir. Mel Brooks) Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Dick Van Patten, Jack Riley
The Longest Yard (1974, Dir. Robert Aldrich) Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter
Play it Again Sam (1972, Dir. Herbert Ross) Woody Allen, Tony Roberts, Diane Keaton
Raging Bull (1980, Dir. Martin Scorcese) Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (1977, Dir. Lewis John Carlino) Kris Kristofferson
John Milius
Dillinger (1973, Dir. John Milius) Warren Oates, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Geoffrey Lewis, John P. Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss
Flight of the Intruder (1991, Dir. John Milius) Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Sizemore
Red Dawn (1986, Dir. John Milius) Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Vladek Sheybal
1980s
Big Trouble in Little China (1986, Dir. John Carpenter) Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Victor Wong, James Hong, Dennis Dun
Days of Thunder (1990, Dir. Tony Scott) Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Michael Rooker, Randy Quaid, Robert Duvall, Cary Elwes
Jacob’s Ladder (1990, Dir. Adrian Lyne) Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena
Mommie Dearest (1981, Dir. Frank Perry) Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987, Dir. John Hughes) Steve Martin, John Candy
Scrooged (1988, Dir. Richard Donner) Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Carol Kane, Buster Poindeter, Alfre Woodard
Spaceballs (1987, Dir. Mel Brooks) Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks
Amityville
The Amityville Horror (1979, Dir. Stuart Rosenberg) James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud
Amityville II: The Possession (1982, Dir. Damiano Damiani) Burt Young, Rutanya Alda, Diane Franklin, Andrew Prine, James Olson
Amityville 3 (1983, Dir. Richard Fleischer) Tony Roberts, Tess Harper, Meg Ryan
Documentaries
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012, Dir. Drew DeNicola, Olivia Mori)
Blackfish (2013, Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite)
Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony (2013, Dir. Laurent Malaquais) Lauren Faust, John DeLancie
Control Room (2004, Dir. Jehane Noujaim)
Cutie and the Boxer (2013, Dir. Zachary Heinzerling)
Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012, Dir. Molly Bernstein)
Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013, Dir. Erik Sharkey)
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (2012, Dir. Brett Whitcomb)
Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation (2012, Dir. Laura Archibald) Pete Seeger, Carly Simon, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Peter Yarrow, Kris Kristofferson
Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (2009, Dir. Andrew Monument) Lance Henriksen, John Carpenter, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, George A. Romero, Darren Lyn Bousman, Larry Cohen, Mick Garris
Punk in Africa (2012, Dir. Keith Jones, Deon Maas)
Sunset Strip (2012, Dir. Hans Fjellestad) Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Ozzy Osborne, Pamela Des Barres, Alice Cooper, Hugh Hefner
Upside Down: The Creation Records Story (2010, Dir. Danny O’Connor)
Teevee
American Horror Story: Season 2 (2012)
The Aquabats! Super Show (2012)
MST3K: The Atomic Brain (1993)
MST3K: Future War (1999)
MST3K: Gamera vs. Barugon (1991)
MST3K: The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1997)
MST3K: Laserblast (1996)
MST3K: Night of the Blood Beast (1996)
MST3K: The Unearthly (1991)
MST3K: Warrior of the Lost World (1993)
Murder, She Wrote (1984-1995) Angela Lansbury
Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011)
For more picks, “LIKE”
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