So here’s the good news: though Netflix seems hellbent on putting more and more of their budget into original programming and scaling back the careful curating of a vast, multifaceted film and television catalog, August 2016 isn’t going to see many big titles leaving. And as I pointed out in my article on what’s coming to Netflix in August, there’s a handful of major title -The Verdict,No Country for Old Men, etc. - that are getting added to the Netflix library, alongside promising original seriesThe Get Down, fromBaz Luhrmann, andThe Little Prince, which the streaming service picked up after the gorgeous animated feature was dumped by its previous distributor.
This is not to say that there aren’t more than a few titles that you should make a point of watching before their expiration dates. Number one with a bullet on that list would beSpike Lee’sInside Man, a masterwork of the hostage situation sub-genre and arguably Lee’s most accessible and stylistically lithe film ever. It’s a sensationally witty and tense screenplay and features one of my favoriteDenzel Washingtonperformances, as well as expert supporting work fromClive OwenandChiwetel Ejiofor. That’s the only out-and-out great movie out of the lot, but there are a couple that would nearly qualify, such asThe Sandlot,Frank Oz’sBowfinger, the animatedDeath Noteadaptation, and the deliriously entertainingAddams Family Values. Beyond that, most of these are negligible at best, though my love forRowan Atkinsonmakes me incapable of deridingJohnny English. Check out the rest of the list right below.
August 1st
Addams Family Values
The Best Man
The Gabby Douglas Story
Jennifer 8
Johnny English
The Nutty Professor
The Replacements
Roseanne Collection: Collection 2
Rugrats Go Wild
The Sandlot
Suspect Zero
Teen Witch
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Vampire in Brooklyn
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
August 11th
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
August 14th
Clifford the Big Red Dog: Seasons 1 & 2
Clifford’s Puppy Days:Seasons 1 & 2
August 15th
Charlie’s Angels
Wish Upon a Star
August 16th
Inside Man
August 20th
Harry the Bunny
August 23rd
August 27th
The Pursuit of Happyness
August 30th
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
August 31st
Death Note
Naruto Shippûden the Movie: Bonds
Naruto Shippuden: The Movie
