Post Halloween and pre Christmas – Netflix has you covered for non holiday themed movies. Cosy down with a blanket and feast your eyes on some of these.
1. Children of Men – 1st November
Before his new Netflix produced film Roma hits streams next month, experience Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 dystopia where a catastrophic decline in human fertility shapes the actions of our heroes, Vikings’ Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. A police state dedicated to battling a militant immigrant rights group in the midst of a refugee crisis provides remarkably relevant social commentary.
2. Lord of the Rings – 1st November
What’s better than a cosy night in with one of the best doses of fantasy nostalgia ever?! The Harry Potter films are rumoured to be coming to Netflix soon too – I guess we won’t be leaving our sofas/beds at all this winter! Travel along with Frodo and the gang … it’s probably been too long since you had a marathon.
3. Selma – 1st November
David Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King in Ava DuVernay’s multi award winning 2014 historical drama. Focussed around the historic Selma to Montgomery march, the film also gives weight to King’s personal life, presenting a complex three-dimensional person rather than a larger than life symbol of the movement.
4. Outlaw / King – 9th November
Chris Pine dons his best Scottish accent for this historical epic following Robert the Bruce, the king that united Scotland against the English. Sort of a post-Braveheart film, Pine and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are particularly good at making this film stand on its own two feet. Keep any eye out in the Film section for our review and exclusive red carpet interviews with the stars!
5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 11th November
Who knows what happened to Disney’s plans for its own streaming platform, but that’s not stopping them from letting at least a Star Wars standalone onto Netflix. Felicity Jones leads an ensemble cast much stronger than her in this pre- A New Hope adventure that takes a much darker tone than the rest of the franchise.
6. Arrival – 11th November
Amy Adams has claimed the title of queen of the small screen after Sharp Objects, but let’s not forget she dominates the big screen too. First contact sci-fi meets linguistic theory in this unusual and sensitive alien film that’ll leave you questioning everything about your existence. Though it was nominated for 8 and won 1 Academy Award, Adams was robbed of her Best Actress nomination.
7. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – 11th November
The Coen Brothers are back, this time in collaboration with Netflix, to create a uniquely structured anthology piece. Not quite TV, but an episodic collection of shorts presented all in one go, this is the Wild West as you’ve never seen it before. From singing cowboys, panning for gold, the Oregon trail, and saloons galore to overwrought metaphor and nihilistic philosphy – but don’t worry, the film still sticks to the tradition of dehumanising Native Americans!
TV hits of the month include the much anticipated final season of House of Cards, as well as some fantastic stand-up including Son of Patricia from Trevor Noah and Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.