The new year is a time for new beginnings, which means going through that dusty Netflix queue and sweeping out all the junk you’ve already watched multiple times to make way for a new crop of digital goodies. Although we lost a few good soldiers in our streaming battalion, there are new recruits on the horizon to help fill the void.
Jon Favreau’s well received Chef is coming to cook something up if you love food porn, and a zombie show that’s not named The Walking Dead will be available to stream in case you can’t wait until February for Rick and the crew to come back. Check out all the titles that will be added to the streaming service throughout the month of January.
Election (1999) – Avail 1/1
Alexander Payne’s Election is a hilarious romp through the politics of high school popularity. Matthew Broderick plays a teacher who becomes too emotionally invested in the school election, and foregoes his ethical duties to hinder the popular frontrunner (Reese Witherspoon) in lieu of a clueless jock.
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) – Avail 1/1
Johnny Depp is marvelously maniacal as Hunter S. Thompson, the father of Gonzo Journalism, in this film that’s based on Thompson’s memoirs of his drug-fueled adventures in Las Vegas, with Benicio Del Toro tagging along as his lawyer and companion in craziness. Director Terry Gilliam’s knack for acid soaked visuals makes he and Thompson’s writing a perfect pairing.
Frank (2014) – Avail 1/8
If you didn’t see Frank during its run on the festival circuit this year (I was lucky enough to catch it at the Philadelphia Film Festival), and didn’t notice it breezing through your overly complicated VOD menus, chances are you haven’t seen this bizarrely satisfying film starring Michael Fassbender as the titular musician who walks around wearing a giant paper-mâché head.
The character is partly based on the real-life Frank Sidebottom, and while the movie is a quirky adventure, at its heart is a serious dialogue about dreams, delusions and the price of devoting oneself to artistic endeavors. Add this one to your queue right away.
Some other titles you might want to check out this January are Get Low (I’ll watch Robert Duvall in anything), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, William’s Friedkin’s timeless The French Connection, and — if you long for a little Ross and Rachel — every single episode of Friends. Here’s the full list…
Avail 1/1
- 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Bad Boys II (2003)
- Batman & Robin (1997)
- Bruce Almighty (2003)
- Cast Away (2000)
- Dallas: Season 3 (2012)
- Get Low (2009)
- Fort Bliss (2014)
- Friends: Complete Series (1994 - 2004)
- Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
- Mean Girls (2004)
- Shall We Dance? (2004)
- To Be Takei (2014)
- The French Connection (1971)
- The Quiet Man (1952)
- The War of the Worlds (1953)
- Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
Avail 1/3
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
- White Collar: Season 5
Avail 1/7
- Brick Mansions (2014)
Avail 1/8
- Psych: Season 8
Avail 1/9
- Z Nation: Season 1
Avail 1/13
- Being Human: Season 4 (U.S.)
Avail 1/15
- Wolfblood: Season 3 (2014)
Avail 1/16
- The Adventures of Puss in Boots: Season 1
- The Fall: Season 2
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)
Avail 1/23
- Iliza Shlesinger: Freezing Hot (2014)
Avail 1/28
- Chef (2014)
- Beauty & the Beast: Season 2
