Netflix has developed quite the back-catalog of high-caliber original movies available on their platform, with Academy Award winners aplenty, including Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, Scorsese’s The Irishman, and David Fincher’s Mank, and have further irons in the fire with a number of original films coming in September. Yet, before the industry recognition, and the mammoth, Netflix-backed budgets, the streaming service specialized in offering an online, Blockbuster-like DVD rental service, long before becoming a content-based, online-only subscription platform.
The one basic quip with Netflix’s current model is that, while they have ventured into content creation with such force that they blow ever other streamer out of the water with originals, they don’t do enough to freshen up the selection of the older movies, leaving them with a stale library. It must be said the service does add to its film collection monthly, with a steady flow of recent acquisitions, though these often appear to be half-hearted attempts at reinvigoration, and often lose more movies than they gain. However, with the beginning of a new month is the promise of new movies, and Netflix is actually adding a bunch of good ones. Here are just some of the good films set to be added in September 2022…
Snow White and the Huntsman, 1st September
Chris Hemsworth stars alongside Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron in Rupert Sanders' fantasy film, Snow White and the Huntsman. The film recounts the tale of Snow White (Kirsten Stewart) as she flees her wicked stepmother Queen Ravenna’s (Charlize Theron) wrath. Employed by the Queen to capture and murder an absconded Snow White, Eric the Huntsman (Hemsworth) ventures into the Dark Forest to carry out his duty in return for the Queen’s agreement to resurrect his wife once he returns. However, there is a twist in the tale, as Snow White appeals to the huntsman’s better nature, and he becomes her protective guardian.
If Beale Street Could Talk - 1st September
Based on James Baldwin’s 1974 novel of the same name, the screen adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk is an absorbing account of a couple in love, Tish and Fonny, who experience the harsh, racist hand of the law when Fonny is falsely accused of rape by a racially prejudiced police officer. With her partner incarcerated, and pregnant with his child, Tish fights arduously to rectify the gross miscarriage of justice she and Fonny have so cruelly fallen victim to. Barry Jenkins’ movie is a touching representation of the pitiless reality of the American police and judicial systems, as well as the deeply ingrained racism still present in 1970s society.
Colette - 13th September
Keira Knightley gives a great performance in the film’s titular role as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. Wash Westmoreland’s biographical drama about the French author, letter-writer, and activist recounts Colette’s struggle to be taken seriously by the male-dominated society of the late 19th century, and early 20th century. Responsible for ghostwriting her own husband’s semi-autobiographical novel, Colette is encouraged by the success of the book and seeks to launch a writing career under her own name, rather than the guise of her husband’s. The film is a brilliant portrayal of a courageous, freethinking, and avant-garde woman who challenged the status quo of the deep-rooted patriarchy.
This is the End - 16th September
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In this satirical fantasy brimming with actors playing themselves in hilariously exaggerated fashion, This is the End follows the story of a group of actors (James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Michael Cera & co.) all playing themselves. While at Franco’s house party, several of the comic actors are left in a post-apocalyptic situation, whereby due to an earthquake that has consumed almost the entirety of Los Angeles.
The gang of debauched, funny scumbags are held up in James Franco’s house and are forced into WW2-esque rationing while demons and gangs of cannibals roam outside their doors. Through a variety of hysterical, unbelievable, often stupidly self-inflicted events, and friendship-jeopardizing revelations, the group struggles to survive and maintain their friendships.
Bad Words -16th September
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Jason Bateman stars in Bad Words as an eighth-grade dropout, and all-around bullying loser, who decides that due to a particular loophole that stipulates competitors must not have finished eighth grade, he is eligible to enter the Golden Quill Spelling Bee. Competing against the kids of embittered parents angered by his participation, Guy (Bateman), strikes up a friendship with a fellow contestant, Chaitanya, though the pair plot to sabotage each other’s chances of winning. This is a fun, surprisingly dark movie that Bateman also directed, and will not only have you attempting to spell “absquatulate,” but will also tickle your stomach in the process.
The Courier - 17th September - UK
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Roadside Attractions
The Courier documents the true story of businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was employed by the British Secret Service in the 1960s to communicate and negotiate with a Russian spy, Oleg Penkovsky over the ending of the Cold War. The film was critically acclaimed as a realistic spy movie and is one that many viewers missed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Human Capital - 22nd September
DirecTV Cinema
Liev Schreiber is Drew Hagel in Marc Meyers’ film Human Capital, a dark movie written by the great Oren Moverman (Rampart, The Messenger). The film follows two families, who are initially in business together via investment funding, yet become inextricably linked when their son and daughter start dating and tragedy strikes. With a stellar cast, including Maya Hawke and Peter Sarsgaard, Human Capital is a memorable dramatic thriller, one that not only has multi-layered characters but a really solid narrative structure to build from.