March 1
127 Hours 82 Add to Netflix Queue
Soap opera star, college student, and Oscar host James Franco earned raves for his performance as real-life outdoorsman Aron Ralston -- who spent the titular time period trapped by a fallen boulder in a canyon after a hiking accident -- as did Danny Boyle's film as a whole. Nobody bothered to see it when it was in theaters, so consider this home video release a second chance to catch one of 2010's best reviewed films.
Burlesque 48 Add to Netflix Queue
Last year's best musical -- given that it was pretty much the only one -- stars pop star Christina Aguilera as a small-town girl who moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams (to the extent that her dreams involve performing in a burlesque show). Cher and Alan Cumming also star.
Faster 44 Add to Netflix Queue
This by-the-numbers, low-budget action film stars Dwayne Johnson as a muscle car-driving ex-con seeking to avenge the murder of his brother.
Love and Other Drugs 55 Add to Netflix Queue
Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal star in a period (well, the 1990s) dramedy about a Viagra salesman who falls for a free-spirited woman with Parkinson's disease.
| Title | Netflix | Metascore |
|---|---|---|
| The Cable Guy [Blu-ray] | n/a | |
| Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Documentary | Add to Queue | 73 |
| Out of Sight [Blu-ray] | 85 | |
| Pioneers of Television Season 2 | Add to Queue | 65 |
March 8
Inside Job 88 Add to Netflix Queue
Documentarian Charles Ferguson followed his Iraq War film No End In Sight with this equally topical, Oscar-nominated examination of the origins of the current financial crisis.
Jackass 3 56 Add to Netflix Queue
Will this latest batch of inane stunts by Johnny Knoxville and company work as well without the 3D gimmick that bolstered this sequel's theatrical release? Probably; airborne port-a-potties and beehive tetherball work in any dimension.
Morning Glory 57 Add to Netflix Queue
Billed as a sort of Broadcast News for a new decade, this romantic comedy about the staff of a morning TV news program failed to achieve anywhere close to the same level of acclaim despite a cast that included Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, and Diane Keaton.
The Next Three Days 52 Add to Netflix Queue
Paul Haggis (Crash) wrote and directed this poorly-performing adaptation of the French thriller Pour Elle. Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks star.
The Walking Dead: Season 1 82 Add to Netflix Queue
AMC's latest original series was one of the best-reviewed new shows last fall. Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, The Walking Dead follows a small group of human survivors in a post-apocalyptic America occupied by zombies. If you haven't seen it yet, you'll want to catch up before a second season arrives later this year.
| Title | Netflix | Metascore |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Joel: Live at Shea Stadium | n/a | |
| The Chaperone Paul "Triple H" Levesque | Add to Queue | 33 |
| Every Day Carla Gugino, Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt | Add to Queue | 48 |
| A Film Unfinished Documentary | Add to Queue | 88 |
| Four Lions British comedy | Add to Queue | 68 |
| Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. XX | n/a | |
| Tales from Earthsea Japanese animation | Add to Queue | 47 |
| Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman Season 1 | Add to Queue | n/a |
March 15
The Fighter 79 Add to Netflix Queue
More conventional than director David O. Russell's previous films, this Oscar-nominated sports drama is based on the true story of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, played here by Mark Wahlberg. Supporting stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo were all nominated for Academy Awards.
Hereafter 56 Add to Netflix Queue
Certainly not one of director Clint Eastwood's best films (though it does boast a visually impressive tsunami sequence), this late 2010 release tells three thematically-linked stories about people dealing with death in different ways. Matt Damon stars.
The Switch 52 Add to Netflix Queue
Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston starred in this middling romantic comedy about a man who secretly impregnates his best friend (it's not quite as bad as that sounds), for whom he has unrequited romantic feelings.
| Title | Netflix | Metascore |
|---|---|---|
| Hemingway's Garden of Eden Mena Suvari | Add to Queue | 28 |
| No One Knows About Persian Cats Iranian drama | Add to Queue | 71 |
| Sharktopus TV movie | Add to Queue | n/a |
| Waste Land Oscar-nominated documentary | Add to Queue | 78 |
March 22
How Do You Know 46 Add to Netflix Queue
How do you know James L. Brooks' latest romantic comedy isn't very good? For one thing, take a look at that Metascore. For another, it's one of 2010's biggest box-office bombs. Still, the film, which stars Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson and centers on a love triangle between a softball player and two very different men, is the best DVD release this week. (Again, that's not saying much.)
Skyline 26 Add to Netflix Queue
Could this low-budget alien-invasion movie really be as terrible as critics and moviegoers said it was? Rather than rent it and find out, you may want to wait to see the very similar (and presumably superior) Battle: Los Angeles, arriving soon in theaters.
The Tourist 37 Add to Netflix Queue
Combine Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, a scenic European location, and director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others) and you get this sub-par romance/thriller hybrid ... which somehow managed to earn a Golden Globe nomination for best comedy. Now that's funny stuff.
Yogi Bear 35 Add to Netflix Queue
This semi-live-action adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series turned out to be dumber than the average movie. Tom Cavanagh and Anna Faris star along with the voices of Justin Timberlake and Dan Aykroyd.
| Title | Netflix | Metascore |
|---|---|---|
| Looking for Palladin Ben Gazzara | Add to Queue | 34 |
| Meskada Nick Stahl | Add to Queue | n/a |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King Season 2 | Add to Queue | n/a |
| Stand By Me [Blu-ray] | n/a | |
| The Venture Bros. Season 4 | Add to Queue | n/a |
March 29
Fair Game 69 Add to Netflix Queue
Doug Liman's well-reviewed but little-seen political thriller is based on the memoir of outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. Sean Penn and Naomi Watts star.
Mad Men: Season 4 92 Add to Netflix Queue
Consistently one of the best (and best-reviewed) shows on television, this AMC drama about 1960s-era advertising executives somehow got even better in its fourth season, according to many critics. Take your time watching these episodes; as of now, there's still no deal in place to bring the show back for a fifth year.
Tangled 71 Add to Netflix Queue
A major worldwide hit last year, Disney's 50th animated feature is a PG-rated musical take on the story of Rapunzel. Mandy Moore heads the vocal cast.
Treme: Season 1 87 Add to Netflix Queue
If you prefer action to atmosphere, then David Simon's follow-up to The Wire may not be for you; for everyone else, enjoy the stellar cast (including Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Khandi Alexander, Steve Zahn, and Wire vets Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters), great music, and Simon's usual eye for detail in this depiction of post-Katrina New Orleans. A second season begins on HBO on April 24.
| Title | Netflix | Metascore |
|---|---|---|
| All Good Things Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Gosling | Add to Queue | 57 |
| In Plain Sight Season 3 | Add to Queue | n/a |
| Made in Dagenham Bob Hoskins, Sally Hawkins | Add to Queue | 65 |
| Mao's Last Dancer Bruce Greenwood, Chi Cao, Kyle MacLachlan | Add to Queue | 55 |
| Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 Vincent Cassel | Add to Queue | 72 |
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