Every month Netflix adds new films and series and eliminates some of their library as well. Each month we have the Netflix originals to look forward to as well and sadly, most of those have been pretty terrible lately. Since it is impossible to know anything about the upcoming Netflix originals, let's just focus on the winners that will be hitting the Netflix library on April 1st.
The Pianist
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I avoided this film when it was released and then for many years after it was already out and had won the awards for two reasons: I don't like Adrien Brody and the title was misleading. It has very little to do with pianos and everything to do with the suffering of the Polish during World War 2. It is, just like the above imagine suggests, "riveting." This is one of the best WW2 movies ever made IMO and you should definitely check it out. I've already seen it twice and will most likely watch it again.
Cop Out
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Unlikely partner buddy cop films used to be all the rage before the United States became all weird and made it taboo to glorify police work in any capacity. This one was much better than I thought it would be and I was actually surprised at how well Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan work together. Prior to this, I kind of felt that Morgan was always going to be relegated to minor roles and thought he was an odd choice for the role of the comical police officer. I laughed a lot and enjoyed it. I think most other people would as well.
Friends with Benefits
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Romantic comedies are not normally my thing but I will admit that I dabble from time to time. I also feel as though Justin Timberlake is a very real talent and feel as though most of his films are pretty damn good. If I were to look at his filmography and the percentage of said films that I consider are good, I would rank him higher than most of the people we see in everything. I would say that as a whole, his films are better in an overall sense than even some Oscar winners like Leonardo DiCaprio.
This one might not be for everyone and I will admit that part of the reason why I dig it so much is because I have a thing for Mila Kunis.
Leprechaun
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In the late 80's and early 90's low-budget horror flicks were all the rage. You come up with a completely absurd villain, throw a (relatively) tiny amount of money into it, and you were basically guaranteed a modest return at the box office and on VHS/DVD sales. Leprechaun is one of the more absurd ones in this category and while it is more silly than it is scary, it is very entertaining especially if you have an appreciation for the silly gore flicks of the 90's.
I think that for most people this will be something they scan through rather than watch intently but I am happy to see that Netflix is diversifying their catalogue to include stuff like this.
White Boy Rick
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I'm a big fan of crime stories and like them even more when they are based on things that actually happened. This is a story about a poor family in 80's Detroit and how Rick kind of accidentally ended up being a cocaine kingpin. We have incredible performances from both Richie Merrit and of course Matthew McConaughey. It must have been intimidating for Merritt to be cast alongside Matthew but he totally nailed it. It is rather amazing to me that this film failed to make the money back on its near $30 million budget. Of course you can never really trust Hollywood on these figures because they are continually engaged in creative accounting for tax purposes. By their records, Forrest Gump lost money and we all know how impossible that is.
This movie probably passed most people by, perhaps because of the name of the film. It is a real winner though and I highly suggest you give 'er a whirl.
Others of note but undeserving of their own writeup (IMO)
The Time Traveler's Wife - An unusual combination of sci-fi and romance makes this box office success worth watching even if you are not into the romantic or the sci-fi stuff
Yes Man - Jim Carrey has seen a fall from grace in recent years but he was in his comedy type-casting prime when this film about a man who suddenly loses the ability to lie was released
Insidious - a horror / thriller about a boy who goes into a coma and when he emerges he has powers that he, and his family do not want. It was popular enough to become a trilogy but the followup films weren't really good if you ask me.
That'll do it for now. Netflix releases stuff on multiple days in every month but they hit us with a bunch of them on the first and you kind of need to pay attention to the lists because they won't necessarily make you aware that a lot of these films are even in the library because they promote their own stuff first. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!
