#1 21 Movies to Watch on Netflix Before They're Gone in April
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:47 pm
I'm kinda glad I get early warning here.popular mechanics wrote:The end of March signals the farewell of many favorite movies and TV shows on Netflix, as the streaming service goes through its monthly process of cleaning house by discarding some of its high-profile selections. While those deleted favorites are replaced by a host of premiering titles, it's always best to spend the final days of each month making sure you catch up on films and TV shows that are about to go the way of the dodo. To help you out, we've assembled a list of the vital Netflix offerings you want to see before they expire—and before April 2015 brings a host of new goodies.
Clue
This 1985 adaptation of the popular board game is perhaps the most underrated comedy of the decade, a rollicking bit of group insanity in which Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, and the rest of the gang meet at a mysterious mansion, and then find themselves suspects in an unexpected murder.
Coneheads
The Coneheads are arguably Saturday Night Live's least funny recurring characters, and yet this 1993 big-screen adaptation is a surprisingly sturdy effort, thanks in large part to a supporting cast featuring that era's SNL stars (Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Jan Hooks, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Tim Meadows, Jon Lovitz) and a host of other soon-to-be-famous faces (Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, Drew Carey).
Friday the 13th (films 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8)
We may have just made it through a Friday the 13th in both February and March, but it's never a bad time to revisit Camp Crystal Lake with six of Jason Voorhees's classic slasher outings (including 1989's hilarious Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan).
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Few films have boasted a sexual one-two punch quite like Howard Hawks's 1953 adaptation of the famous stage musical, which features the incomparable duo of Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe—the latter performing her rendition of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"—in a wild tale about two showgirls' search for husbands.
Get Shorty
Hot on the heels of Pulp Fiction, John Travolta brought both wit and menace to this all-star 1995 translation of Elmore Leonard's crime novel, about a gangster who travels to Hollywood and winds up getting involved in show business.
Good Morning, Vietnam
Robin Williams has rarely been funnier or more heartfelt than in Barry Levinson's 1987 dramedy about a radio DJ stationed in Saigon whose unconventional broadcasts—marked by Williams's rat-a-tat improvisatory style—inspire the weary troops but rankle his uptight bosses.
Jeepers Creepers (1 and 2)
Victor Salva's two Jeepers Creepers films didn't quite succeed in making their villain, the winged Creeper, a genre icon. Nonetheless, both remain solid supernatural-horror efforts about innocent kids—in the first, Justin Long and his sister; in the second, a school bus full of athletes—hunted by a mythical cornfield creature.
Mystic River
The first film to win Oscars for both Best Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins) since Ben-Hur, Clint Eastwood's 2003 mystery—based on the novel by Dennis Lehane—is about three lifelong Boston friends whose lives become horribly intertwined when one of their daughters is murdered.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
The big-screen debut of both Paul Reubens's giggling weirdo and director Tim Burton, this off-the-wall comedy about Pee-Wee's attempts to track down his stolen bike remains one of the all-time great road-trip comedies.
Reindeer Games
Legendary director John Frankenheimer's final film wasn't well-received by critics at the time of its 2000 release, yet this taut, beautifully shot thriller—about an ex-con (Ben Affleck) who, upon getting out of prison, assumes a dead cell mate's identity and becomes ensnared in a robbery plot—is far better than its reputation. Plus: a young, stunning Charlize Theron, people.
The Amityville Horror
Supernatural horrors are afoot in one Long Island house in The Amityville Horror, a classic '70s chiller—reportedly based on a true story!—about a suburban family that discovers its new home is already occupied by unholy forces.
The Cable Guy
Directed by Ben Stiller, this 1996 comedy remains a surprisingly daring trip to the dark side for Jim Carrey, who stars as a cable man intent on forming an increasingly unhealthy relationship with one of his customers (Matthew Broderick).
The Karate Kid (parts 1-3)
In case you didn't believe that the '80s were a truly inspired time for kid-oriented cinematic fare, the first three installments in the Karate Kid saga—all of them concerning the relationship between wise martial-arts master Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) and his young pupil, Daniel-san (Ralph Macchio)—will definitively put such doubts to rest.