Netflix is making some drastic changes in its catalog this week, and there are a few things you are going to want to watch while you still have the chance.
Netflix is bring all kinds of great content to its streaming service in October, including classic films, stand-up specials and TV series. However, to make room for all that goodness, the streaming platform is getting rid of many titles this month.
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Netflix’s cyclical catalog changes have become a source of anxiety for some viewers. As the streaming service explains in its Help Center, there are many reasons why movies come and go. Just because something was available on Netflix for a while doesn’t mean the company has full rights to the content, and sometimes when its license on a TV show or movie expires, one or both parties do not want to renew.
In addition, Netflix keeps meticulous data on viewership, and the company knows when a title is not getting much love. At that point, it may no longer be worth it for them to host the content — either for server space, licensing fees or simply to drive new memberships.
Still, something that makes no sense from a business standpoint can easily be a cult classic, or a personal favorite, so make sure to watch it while you have the chance. Here is a look at some of the 10 movies you should definitely watch before they leave Netflix on Monday.
Trading Places
Trading Places is a classic ’80s comedy with a fascinating mixture of dated, cringe-worthy jokes and eerily relevant, even prescient observations.
It follows a pair of manipulative rich brothers on Wall Street (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) who trick one of their promising young employees (Dan Aykroyd) into switching lives with an eccentric homeless man (Eddie Murphy) as a social experiment. The result is a comedic roller coaster ride, a stern commentary on our materialistic culture and a confusing, not altogether accurate lesson in Wall Street trading.
Curse of Chucky
If you’re looking for a horrifying trip through a mental asylum undercut by a smart-mouthed demonic doll, look no further. The Chucky franchise inexplicably continues to delight, and without giving away any spoilers, Curse of Chucky represents an important generational passing of the baton.
The Rugrats Movie
The 1998 Rugrats Movie is a millennial classic for a reason, and it definitely holds up. If you do not watch it for nostalgic reasons, at least watch it for research. Rumors began to circulate this summer that Nickelodeon is planning to reboot the classic cartoon, and it would be a good time to re-orient yourself with the franchise while you can.
Life Is Beautiful
If you have not seen the 1997 comedy-drama Life Is Beautiful, do yourself a favor and watch it while you can. If you have seen it before, you know it is worth a re-watch. Life Is Beautiful follows Jewish-Italian Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni) through the holocaust, along with his wife and kid. He finds peaceful yet powerful ways to resist the regime and keep the light alive for his family.
The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence
Against all odds, The Human Centipede 2 finds ways to raise the stakes after its predecessor. No one would mistake this movie for a classic, a ground-breaker or even a particularly solid sequel.
However, there is one obvious reason to watch all three Human Centipede movies: to be able to say that you have watched them. For that reason and that reason alone, you should try and watch The Human Centiped 2: Full Sequence this weekend.
The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys is one of the ’80s most underrated teen movies. It has everything one would hope for from a drama of its time — teen angst, motorcycles and outlandish 80s fashion — all with the added benefit of vampires. This movie arguably laid the groundwork for the Twilight franchise that followed, and carried on the grand tradition set in motion by Interview With the Vampire.
Scream 2
The Scream franchise has taken the horror genre forward by a quantum leap. The movies all have a meta-narrative quality that seems to ruin the effects of all the movie’s scary elements, yet it somehow does not detract from the terror inspired by the simple masked villain. Scream 2 raises questions about why certain things are scary, and what it would take to render them powerless.
Sin City
In a world now saturated with comic book movies, Sin City has the rare distinction of being directed by the man who made the graphic novel it is based on.
Frank Miller wrote and illustrated the comic for Dark Horse, and when the film adaptation came around he secured a job as director as well. He shared the position with Robert Rodriguez, and they were joined by Quentin Tarantino as a special guest director, but it is still a remarkable look at how one creator’s vision can span several mediums — from script to page to screen.
The Adventures of Tintin
Steven Spielberg brought Tintin to the big screen more than 70 years after he first appeared on the comic book page. The movie recast the legacy characters in 3-D animation, and represented a much-needed overhaul for the franchise’s controversial history.
Red Dragon
Red Dragon has been met with luke warm reviews from fans of the Silence of The Lambs franchise, and horror in general. However, 16 years after its release, it is worth re-examining. Red Dragon follows a retired FBI agent (Edward Norton) as he tries to track down a serial killer, with the help of imprisoned psychiatrist and serial killer in his own right, Hannibal Lecter. The movie is refreshingly different from many other horror prequels, reboot and revivals, which often try too hard to explain the mythos of the universe. This, instead, simply represents another adventure in the same vein as its predecessor.
