Netflix Nuggets: Picasso Versus Darwin in a Muay Thai Death Match for Fast Ca$h

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films being made available by Netflix for instant streaming. Important Note: There may be some films that do not become available on the specified dates. This is merely a report of the most accurate release dates I can find, but is not directly confirmed by Netflix themselves.

PICASSO & BRAQUE GOES TO THE MOVIES (2008) Streaming Available: 05/24/2011 Synopsis: Director Arne Glimcher (The Mambo Kings) and narrator-producer Martin Scorsese present this art-filled documentary that explores the connection between cinema and the Cubist paintings of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Extraordinary film clips from Georges Méliès and others offer a cinephile’s delight, as interviews with filmmakers, artists and historians, including Scorsese, Chuck Close, and Julian Schnabel, give insightful commentary. Average Netflix rating: 3

THE DARWIN AWARDS (2005) Streaming Available: 05/25/2011 Synopsis: When his tendency to faint at the sight of blood becomes a liability, detective Michael Burrows (Joseph Fiennes) finds himself out of a job. Fortunately, the perceptive profiler has no trouble peddling his skills to an insurance company. Teaming up with field agent Siri Taylor (Winona Ryder), Michael attempts to identify people who might accidentally kill themselves out of sheer stupidity. Wilmer Valderrama co-stars in this black comedy. Average Netflix rating: 2 (well, it was kinda funny)

THE FAR SIDE OF JERICHO (2006) Streaming Available: 05/25/2011 Synopsis: After their husbands are hanged, the widows of three outlaw brothers band together to protect themselves from villains seeking their spouses’ hidden loot in this Wild West adventure. Soon, they’re on the run as they fight off Indians, treasure seekers, Pinkerton agents, vigilantes and ghosts. The cast of this action-packed drama includes James Gammon, Patrick Bergin, Suzanne Andrews, Judith Burnett, Lissa Negrin and C. Thomas Howell. Average Netflix rating: 2.4

RED SHOE DIARIES: THE MOVIE – Special Edition (1992) Streaming Available: 05/25/2011 Synopsis: In the film that launched the erotic Showtime series, a woman engaged to an architect has an affair with a construction worker and then kills herself because she can’t handle the clash in lifestyles. When the architect, Jake (David Duchovny), goes through his fiancée’s belongings after her suicide, he discovers a shoebox containing her diary. Stunned to learn of the affair, Jake seeks out the man he now holds responsible for her death. Average Netflix rating: 2.6

200 MPH (2011) Streaming Available: 05/26/2011 Synopsis: When the older brother (Tommy Nash) he idolizes is run off the road by a ruthless drug dealer (Darren Thomas) during a nighttime street race known as Sepulveda Suicide, Rick Merchant (Jaz Martin) channels his grief into getting revenge behind the wheel. But to win, he’ll need to modify his trusty 1978 Datsun 280Z — with help from a pretty mechanic (Hennely Jimenez) — to get the maximum speed out of its machinery. Average Netflix rating: 3.5

CHAWZ (2009) Streaming Available: 05/26/2011 Synopsis: In this Korean creature feature, the inhabitants of a sleepy mountainside village have a big problem on their hands when eco-tourists harvesting vegetables begin to fall prey to a giant, man-eating boar roaming the hills. With a hungry hog terrorizing visitors and villagers alike, an army of hunters and researchers move in to confront and bring down the menace. Lots of gory fun ensues as the entire town gets in on the chase. Average Netflix rating: 3.1

MUAY THAI GIANT (2008) Streaming Available: 05/26/2011 Synopsis: Nearly 7-foot-tall Australian Nathan Jones stars as gentle giant Barney Emerald, who’s mugged and robbed on a vacation trip to Thailand and ends up being rescued and taken in by two Thai sisters in this comic martial arts saga. One of the sisters, Dokya (Sasisa Jindamanee), is a champion in the art of muay thai kickboxing, which Barney eventually learns and uses — with the girls’ help — to take revenge on the thugs who robbed him. Average Netflix rating: 3.2

CA$H (2010) Streaming Available: 05/27/2011 Synopsis: Sam and Leslie Phelan (Chris Hemsworth and Victoria Profeta) are feeling the crunch of the economic crisis. So when fast-talking Pyke Kubic (Sean Bean) enters their lives offering a big payout in exchange for their help retrieving his own stolen money, the answer’s easy. But soon, Sam finds himself drawn so deeply into Chicago’s underworld that he may never get out. Mike Starr, Michael Mantell and Glenn Plummer also star. Average Netflix rating: 2.7