For a lot of us, Sunderland Til I Die Season 2 will be the Netflix addition of choice for April 1st, but if that's not your bag, there's a huge amount of new Netflix films which have been dropped this morning. Some great, some not so great, and some we freely admit we've never heard of.
Here are some of the highlights:
The Good:
American Beauty:
If you can get past the Kevin Spaceyness of it all, this film is wonderful. Creepy, depressing, hopeful, funny and with outstanding performances from Spacey, Annette Benning and Chris Cooper in particular, the film picked up five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Spacey and Best Director for Sam Mendes.
Year: 1999
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper
Plot: A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend. (IMDB)
Rating: 87% (Rotten Tomatoes)
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Blades Of Glory:
Will Ferrell's ludicrous sports movie phase probably reached its peak with Blades of Glory.
Year: 2007
Cast: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett
Plot: In 2002, two rival Olympic ice skaters were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men's single competition. Presently, however, they've found a loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team. (IMDB)
Rating: 70% (Rotten Tomatoes)
The Town:
The quintessential Boston movie and a top class heist movie. It was a return to form for director Ben Affleck just a couple of years before his Oscar winning Argo.
Year: 2010
Cast: Ben Affleck. Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm
Plot: A longtime thief, planning his next job, tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to an earlier heist, and a hell-bent F.B.I Agent looking to bring him and his crew down. (IMDB)
Rating: 93% (Rotten Tomatoes)
The Fine:
Ghost Town:
Usual Ricky Gervais fare, playing an asshole character, who kind of sees the light. There's good chemistry between Gervais and Greg Kinnear to carry the plot along.
Year: 2008
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni
Plot: Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. (IMDB)
Rating: 85% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Troy:
An attempt at another Gladiator that fails but standing alone, is worth a watch. Way, way too long.
Year: 2004
Cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom
Plot: An adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved. (IMDB)
Rating: 54% (Rotten Tomatoes)
The Adventures of Tintin
Steven Spielberg directed and Peter Jackson produced, this animated film has its moments without ever reaching the greatest heights.
Year: 2011
Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig
Plot: Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor. (IMDB)
Rating: 74% (Rotten Tomatoes)
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Look, maybe it's for you:
TMNT:
An animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot that was... meh.
Year: 2007
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Plot: When the world is threatened by an ancient evil, the four adolescent turtles must reunite and overcome their faults in order to stand against it. (IMDB)
Rating: 35% (Rotten Tomatoes)
The Firewall:
Year: 2006
Cast: Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen, Paul Bettany
Plot: A security specialist is forced into robbing the bank that he's protecting, as a bid to pay off his family's ransom. (IMDB)
Rating: 18% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Fool's Gold:
Year: 2008
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson
Plot: A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple's sense of adventure -- and their estranged romance. (IMDB)
Rating: 11% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Winter's Tale:
Year: 2014
Cast: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe
Plot: A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her. (IMDB)
Rating: 13% (Rotten Tomatoes)
When The Game Stands Tall:
Year: 2014
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Alexander Ludwig, Michael Chiklis
Plot: The journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport. (IMDB)
Rating: 19% (Rotten Tomatoes)
A Man Apart:
Year: 2003
Cast: Vin Diesel, Timothy Olyphant
Plot: A man known as Diablo emerges to head a drug cartel after the previous leader is imprisoned. (IMDB)
Rating: 11% (Rotten Tomatoes)
Beerfest:
Year: 2006
Cast: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme
Plot: Two brothers travel to Germany for Oktoberfest, only to stumble upon a secret, centuries-old competition described as a "Fight Club" with beer games. (IMDB)
Rating: 40% (Rotten Tomatoes)
