The Netflix Stream: Week of May 22nd, 2011

It’s a rough week for Netflix fans. We’re losing ‘Dances with Wolves’, ‘Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room’ and plenty more. What we gain in exchange is a bit of a disappointment.

Leaving the Stream
  1. ‘The Fifth Element’ (6/1): Luc Besson has had a hand in creating some incredible movies, but none stand out to me like ‘The Fifth Element‘. As much as I like ‘The Professional’, it just doesn’t capture the imagination in the same way that this sci-fi action comedy does. Bruce Willis plays a brilliant straight man to Chris Tucker, and Gary Oldman shows off just how awesome one man can be.
  2. ‘Death to Smoochy’ (6/1): I will never understand all the hate this movie gets. ‘Death to Smoochy‘ isn’t the greatest film in cinematic history, but it’s a damn funny movie that features a bit of unexpectedly good comedy from Edward Norton. The movie also features Robin Williams, Danny DeVito and Jon Stewart.
  3. ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ (6/1): Boy, we’re losing a lot of great comedy. ‘A Fish Called Wanda‘ is a remarkable movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese and Michael Palin. What may come as a surprise is that Kevin Kline steals the show from all of them. If you don’t get to ‘Wanda’ before it leaves the stream, then check out the second project from the same group, ‘Fierce Creatures‘.
Entering the Stream
  1. ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (6/1): There are few movies that are universally acknowledged as being great, but you’ll find very few detractors when it comes to ‘The Silence of the Lambs‘. Though the books and another movie already existed, this is the one that really made Hannibal Lecter a household name.
  2. ‘Bad News Bears’ (6/1): This isn’t the original movie starring Walter Matthau, but the 2005 remake featuring Billy Bob Thornton in the lead role. If you’re a huge fan of the original, then this really won’t work for you. But if you’re not particular about your version, you’ll get plenty of laughs out of ‘The Bad News Bears‘.

2 comments

  1. If the list at instantwatcher.com is correct. This is one HUGE update and there are plenty of movies that should be on your list besides Silence of the Lambs (no doubt a favorite of mine, but i own it on blu-ray)

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