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Netflix Nuggets: Winter, Westerns, Weapons, Monkeys and a Mummy – We Are Movie Geeks

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Netflix Nuggets: Winter, Westerns, Weapons, Monkeys and a Mummy

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Netflix has revolutionized the home viewing market for movies with their instant streaming service. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about films of all genres worth holding a spot on your Netflix instant viewing queue. Release dates are subject to change.

WINTER’S BONE (2010)

Streaming Available: 07/30/2011
Synopsis: In director Debra Granik’s unflinching noir drama set deep in the Ozarks, resilient teen Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) goes on the trail of her missing, drug-dealing father when his absence jeopardizes the family’s safety. Her deadbeat dad has a key court date pending, and Ree is determined that he show up — despite the objections of the insular Dolly clan. The film earned Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nods for Best Picture and for Lawrence.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.6

PITCH BLACK (2000)

Streaming Available: 07/31/2011
Synopsis: In director Debra Granik’s unflinching noir drama set deep in the Ozarks, resilient teen Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) goes on the trail of her missing, drug-dealing father when his absence jeopardizes the family’s safety. Her deadbeat dad has a key court date pending, and Ree is determined that he show up — despite the objections of the insular Dolly clan. The film earned Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nods for Best Picture and for Lawrence.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8

BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Legendary outlaws Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) display their gifts for perfect comedic timing and charisma as they pull off heist after heist in this Academy Award-winning film from director George Roy Hill. To evade a relentless posse, the boys flee to Bolivia, thinking they’ll find easier pickings there. But trouble finds the charming desperadoes wherever they go, prompting yet another run.
Average Netflix Rating: 4.1

DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane, an off-duty cop gripped with a feeling of déjà vu when on a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation’s capital, terrorists seize a major international airport, holding thousands of holiday travelers hostage. Renegade military commandos led by a murderous rogue officer (William Sadler) plot to rescue a drug lord from justice and are prepared for every contingency except one: McClane’s smart-mouthed heroics.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.7

EYEWITNESS (1981)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Smitten with TV reporter Tony Sokolow (Sigourney Weaver), unassuming janitor Daryll Deever (William Hurt) intimates that he knows more than he’s telling when the journalist shows up at his workplace to cover a murder. Her interest piqued, Tony pursues him to get the scoop, and they join forces (in more ways than one) to investigate the killing. Meanwhile, they’re in the culprits’ crosshairs in this atmospheric thriller from director Peter Yates.
Average Netflix Rating: 3

HEARTBURN (1986)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: New York writer Rachel Samstat (Meryl Streep) falls in love with political columnist Mark Forman (Jack Nicholson), and the two marry despite her reservations. The wedded bliss comes to an end when, among other things, Mark’s infidelity becomes a problem they cannot overcome. With no other recourse, the marriage comes to a screeching halt, culminating in a nasty divorce. Loosely based on the real-life woes of screenwriter Nora Ephron.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.2

HENRY V (1989)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Kenneth Branagh received Oscar nods for both directing and starring in Shakespeare’s homage to the English king who united France and England, featuring Emma Thompson in a funny and sweet-natured turn as the French princess. Bold, realistic battle scenes and impassioned speeches that uncover the treachery of the king’s advisors and unite a heavily outnumbered army keep even the iambic-pentameter-phobic engrossed.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.9

LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: The action starts when the lights go down in this rip-roaring sequel that reunites Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. In the opening chase, Martin Riggs (Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Glover) stumble across a trunk full of Krugerrands. They follow the trail to a South African diplomat who’s using his immunity to conceal a smuggling operation. When he plants a bomb under Murtaugh’s toilet, the action explodes!
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8

LOVE COME DOWN (2000)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Matthew and Neville are two half-brothers whose family was torn apart by tragedy over 10 years ago. Neville is a stand-up comedian who falls for Nico, a young club singer who is coping with the death of her adopted mother. Matthew is a professional boxer who is trapped by his feelings, and the color of his skin. Together, the two brothers help each other cope with their feelings and the world around them.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.2

MONKEY BUSINESS (1952)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers make a delicious screwball comedy team in this caper directed by Howard Hawks. Grant’s a middle-aged fuddy-duddy who may have invented a fountain of youth serum in his laboratory. But when a rampaging chimp mixes it into the water cooler, Grant and wife Rogers regress to their childhood. Marilyn Monroe is also a scream as the dim-bulb secretary to Charles Coburn.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

MOZART AND THE WHALE (2005)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: This romantic drama follows the love affair of two people with Asperger’s Syndrome — a subtle form of autism — as Donald (Josh Hartnett), an emotionally dysfunctional mathematical genius, falls for a musically gifted woman (Radha Mitchell) who also copes with the disorder. Their unique natures, however, make for a challenging relationship. Norwegian director Petter Næss directs this poignant romance inspired by a true story.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

THE MUMMY (1932)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: When British archaeologists uncover the ancient sarcophagus of a mummified Egyptian priest (Boris Karloff), they foolishly ignore its warning not to open the box, and the mummy is brought back to life. Taking the form of a modern Egyptian, he quickly begins his quest to resurrect the soul of his love, which he believes has been reincarnated in a modern woman (Zita Johann). Noted German cinematographer Karl Freund makes his directing debut.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

STREETS OF FIRE (1984)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: Tough ex-soldier Tom Cody (Michael Paré) springs into action when a depraved motorcycle gang kidnaps his former girlfriend, Ellen (Diane Lane), who’s now a famous singer. Besides being pitted against the gang’s leader (a memorable Willem Dafoe), Cody must contend with Ellen’s manager (Rick Moranis). The film’s pulsating soundtrack features rockin’ tunes by Stevie Nicks, Ry Cooder and the Blasters.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO (2007)

Streaming Available: 08/01/2011
Synopsis: In a strange land where East meets West, two rival gangs — the Heike Reds and the Genji Whites — are locked in a deadly feud over a fortune in gold until a lone hero (Hideaki Ito) comes to town, meets the gangs’ various victims and tries to restore order. Director Quentin Tarantino guest stars as a gunslinger in this visually stunning spaghetti Western from Japanese cult film director Takashi Miike.
Average Netflix Rating: 2.9