Coming to Netflix in December...

As Netflix commits a culling of the queue, it does give back with a slew of new offerings during the next month. Here is a list of ten movies coming over the next few weeks that may be worth spending some time with. While I am always sad to lose good stuff from my queue, they always do a pretty good job of bringing some more stuff in that I can waste some hours with. I figured since I am going to do it, perhaps I should share some of these titles with you so that others can do the same. With that said, there are some pretty good movies on the service to check out.



Almost Famous. It is hard to believe this movie came out fourteen years ago. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous tells of a high school boy given the opportunity to write for Rolling Stone magazine and follow a rock band on tour. It is a wonderful coming of age tale with a solid cast that includes Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, and Kate Hudson. I do not have this movie, so it will be nice to check it out again, relive the experience if you will.

Wolf of Wall Street. This one raised a few hackles when it was in theaters last year. I found it to be pretty entertaining. Dicaprio turns in another solid performance as a shady stock broker. Based on a true story, I am sure it was embellished somewhat for dramatic and entertainment purposes, but I would not say it glorifies the lifestyle. The gets his comeuppance and is not treated particularly like a hero. With that said, it is pretty funny and moves quick for such a long movie.

Oculus. This one split audiences when it hit theaters this past April. I really liked it. It is not your typical possession or haunting horror that we get a lot of these days. It takes a different perspective on the source of the horror and how the heroes try to deal with it. No, it is not perfect, but it is quite entertaining and stands out from the mainstream horror crowd. It is certainly worth giving a go.

Knights of Badassdom. I remember when I first heard about this, I was sold on it immediately. I am kind of sad that it did not go to theaters, but I kind of understand why. The movie stars Ryan Kwanten, Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, and Steve Zahn and tells of LARPers who cast a spell and find that their fictional battle is very real. It is a lot of fun and should be seen by more people.

A Knight's Tale. This is a movie that I saw at a weird time, I was not all that into the mashing of genres or modernizing of elements, or something. I do not quite remember. In retrospect, this is a fun movie that employs some modern elements and music in its tale of Geoffrey Chaucer fighting as a knight. It has a solid cast that features Heath Ledger, Shannon Sossaman, Rufus Sewell, Alan Tudyk, and Paul Bettany.

Sharknado 2: The Second One. I know, you probably rolled your eyes as you saw this title. I just saw it recently and while it is not a good movie (NOT a good movie), it is kind of fun in a very stupid sort of way. They took the ridiculous hype the first got and made this one that more ridiculous. It pays off in a party movie sort of way.

The Village. No, I am not a fan of this movie, but it is still worth seeing. While it is predictable early on, it still has some things going for it. Bryce Dallas Howard gives a really good performance. James Newton Howard's score is great. The cinematography is gorgeous. Too bad the rest doesn't live up to it.

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. No lie, I like this movie. It is silly, stupid, and goofy. Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino work really well together. This comedy is something that reall shouldn't work and maybe there is something wrong with me, but this is funny.

The Out of Towners. This 1999 film is a remake of the 1970 Neil Simon comedy that stared Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis, taking the roles here are Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. It is a fun little comedy about a couple who arrive in New York City and are beset with all manner of problems.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – Super Sized Version. The original Anchorman is fantastic and one of Will Ferrell's best, but the sequel arrives too late, too bloated, and too not-funny. It is only listed here with the hope that this longer version is somehow funnier than the theatrical cut. I am not really holding out hope.

Drive Hard. This direct to video title seems to not be too well thought of, garnering very low scores everywhere. Still, it looks like it might be fun. I like John Cusack and Thomas Jane, so maybe it isn't as bad as it seems. The plot reminds me of another movie I saw recently, Henry's Crime with Keanu Reeves. A bank robber uses driver's ed class as transportation, implicating the teacher and kicking off a big chase. Simple, hopefully entertaining.

So, what will you be watching?