I haven't been terribly impressed with the Netflix original lately and this of course is what a majority of the options are on the home page for my Netflix browser. It makes sense because of course Netflix is going to feature their own products first.
If you feel like I do and that is that the latest and greatest hasn't exactly been that great lately, here are some "classics" that Netflix recently added to their library that if you haven't already seen them, you definitely should.
Million Dollar Baby
This is one of my favorite films of all time and in my mind anyway really solidified Clint Eastwood as a truly top director. It won 5 Golden Globes and was nominated for 7 Oscars and won 4 of them. If you somehow managed to NOT see this film in the past 16 years (it was released in 2004) then I actually envy you because you are in for a real treat. Immediately skip all the newest releases and use the search function to find it because it isn't being promoted at all.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Adam Sandler isn't everyone's cuppa and Kevin James would be featured in significantly fewer films if he wasn't friends with Adam. I feel as though Adam Sandler's films are very hit and miss but this one is one of the better ones. I fear that this movie would be lambasted by the online mob for the way that Chuck, Larry, and the others in the film sort of talk down about homosexuality, so you better get on this before the Twitter mob comes and tries to pressure Netflix into not having it available. I laughed a lot because it is funny and it is also one of the few films where Nick Swardson is able to shine, which is good because I feel like he is underused in the comedy world.
Stand and Deliver
If you are around my age this film was probably shown to you in high school math class on a day when the teacher didn't feel like teaching anything. It is a tremendous true story and featured one of my personal favorite "mid-card" actors in Edwards James Almos. It's hard to believe that there was a time when Lou Diamond Phillips was considered one of the biggest stars in the world... what happened to his career i wonder?
I love a good true story and this film will have you feeling a full spectrum of emotions throughout. I guarantee it will at least make you misty-eyed.
Sucker Punch
This one will probably not appeal to everyone and it currently enjoys a less-than-wonderful rating on most of the popular review sites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes but I disagree with most of what is said about it in the negative. The film is weird for one thing and it has a very bizarre storyline based on hallucinations that aren't truly explained as the story progresses. The entire film takes place in the mind of one girl, and in that regard it is very similar to Alice in Wonderland - which i think was in the intention.
The soundtrack throughout the film is just amazing and the use of CGI and the battles that take place are just spectacular if you enjoy the kind of stuff that I do. It probably doesn't hurt that Emily Browning and her co-stars are smokin' hot as well.
Here are some honorable mentions.
- Starsky and Hutch (the remake with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson)
- Spaceballs
- A Walk to Remember
Almost none of these are going to be advertised to you in any capacity on the Netflix interface so you may have to dig for them. I highly recommend you do exactly that!
