Angela Watercutter
Culture

The 10 Can't-Miss Movies Leaving Netflix Next Month

You weren't actually going outside this weekend, were you?
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Behold: The weekend is (almost) here! Yet, considering it’s January, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to pack a picnic or take leisurely strolls around town. No, at this time of year it’s best to just stay inside. But what to do? Well, there are quite a few quality films leaving Netflix next month that you should watch now while you still can. Sound fun? Good. Fire up the Roku—these are the flicks you should spend the next two days taking in.

  • Ten years ago, Vice President Al Gore came out with this Oscar-winning documentary about the looming threats of global warming. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, it painted a pretty grim picture of the world’s environmental future. Today, Gore has a sequel that just played at the Sundance Film Festival and climate-change deniers are still out in full force. Watch this as a reminder of how worrisome things looked in 2006 and ask yourself, “Do they look any better now?”
  • This Ridley Scott adaptation of Mark Bowden’s book is still as harrowing today as it was back in 2001. Centered around a real-life 1993 military operation in Somalia that goes sideways fast, it features an all-star cast and some very intense battle footage.
  • Kevin Smith’s first, self-financed movie hasn't really lost any of its charm. (Also, remember when cigarettes were $2 a pack?!) Come for the deep Death Star discussion, stay for the killer soundtrack and roof hockey. Just don’t ask why it smells like shoe polish.
  • Don’t be confused by the trailer. While director Julie Taymor’s biopic of legendary artist Frida Kahlo does spend a bit of time investigating the more prurient aspects of Kahlo’s life, it also goes deep on all the reasons she became a feminist icon.
  • Straight up, this movie is cheesy as hell. But if dance movies are your thing, and you want to see Julia Stiles rock some killer braids, this wannabe *Romeo and Juliet* flick is for you. (Also, be sure to pay special attention to *Scandal’*s Kerry Washington in her first big movie role.)
  • Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not Daniel Plainview, and I’m not an oil man, but I am here to tell you Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece about a prospector and the massive fortune he amassed in the oil business is worth your time. Watching Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano act circles around each other has never been so riveting.
  • This recommendation comes with a disclaimer: Only watch if you’re in a good place, you know, emotionally. Because while it starts out as just another fun romp about a bunch of heroin junkies, no romps about heroin junkies ever stay fun. That aside, there’s a sequel coming out this year—complete with director Danny Boyle and most of the original cast—so now is a good time to revisit the original.
  • More than anything, *What’s Eating Gilbert Grape* was the movie that established Leonardo DiCaprio as a Serious Actor. But it also has a lot of charming moments and a very sweet Juliette Lewis.
  • Before she was a regular on *Saturday Night Live*, Leslie Jones was a take-no-prisoners stand-up comedian. So if you like her segments on “Weekend Update” and just wish they were longer (and more profane), this comedy special is just what you need.
  • This comedy might be the most quotable of the 1990s teen flicks. “As *if*,” “What*ever*,” “Way harsh, Tai”—they’re all here. Sit back and, like, enjoy.

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Angela Watercutter is WIRED's senior editor for special projects. Prior to joining WIRED she was a reporter for the Associated Press. Watercutter was also a senior editor of Longshot magazine and a contributor to Pop-Up Magazine. She received a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Ohio University. ... Read More
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