April is going to be a pretty glorious month for Netflix subscribers. Don’t get us wrong… We’re losing Starship Troopers, Hotel Rwanda, Around the World in 80 Days (the original!), and Half Baked (On 4/20? Really, you sons of bitches?!). But like a phoenix rising from the ashes of 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Whole Ten Yards, April is coming through in the clutch. Here are the 10 best new Netflix releases this month.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Available Now
Arguably Stanley Kubrick’s greatest film, the original 2001: A Space Odyssey is new to Netflix on April 1. Mind-bending scientific realism and special effects comes together to portray the sheer beauty of man’s ingenuity, and the possible terror of our universal folly. This piece of film history truly is an absolute joy to watch—even if you’re not a hardcore cinema buff.
A Clockwork Orange
Available Now
Another counterculture classic, A Clockwork Orange tells the tale of Alex and his three “droogs,” Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and follows them around as they do drugs, rape things, kill things, and commit other “ultra-violent” crimes, and depravedly explores concepts of morality and the effectiveness of “psychological rehabilitation.” It sounds terrifying—and it totally is—but it really is an incredible and fun film. We promise.
Boogie Nights
Available Now
Do you have two hours and 36 minutes to spare and want to watch one of the most ridiculous films of all time? Then Boogie Nights is your huckleberry. Set in the 1970s (a time period thought by many to be The Golden Age of Porn), Boogie Nights chronicles the fictional story of Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), who starts his career as a nightclub dishwasher, and manages to become one of the biggest porn stars of the decade. Considered one of the greatest films of the 1990s (and with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92 percent!) Boogie Nights co-stars greats like Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Don fucking Cheadle, and Heather Graham, and also highlights an early and non-comedic John C. Reilly, which we love to see.
Dennis Rodman’s Big Bang in Pyongyang
Available Now
Listen… We think it’s pretty safe to say that, at this point, Dennis Rodman doesn’t really give a shit what you think about him or his friend Kim Jong-un. Dennis Rodman’s Big Bang in Pyongyang is a documentary film that aims to tell the story of Rodman’s friendship with Jong-un, as well as his efforts to improve relations between North Korea and the U.S.—through basketball, apparently. No, we’re not kidding. Put this one on your “must-watch” list.
The Mask You Live In
Available Now
So much of what we do here at Cool Material revolves around telling good men our advice on how to be better men, and we certainly don’t shy away from or regret our position. We’re proud of it. That said, there’s more to being a good man than how tough you are or what kind of knife you carry in your pocket. The Mask You Live In is a groundbreaking and provocative documentary that defines, outlines, and then deconstructs America’s “masculinity problem.” Every single man needs to watch this documentary. Period.
The Perfect Storm
Available Now
Another critically acclaimed classic, The Perfect Storm tells the true story of Billy Tyne and his ill-fated crew on the “Andrea Gail,” a big-money fishing boat that, in October 1991, perished in the wake of one of the gnarliest sea squalls in modern history. Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg (…again), John C. Reilly (again, and in one of his most well-acted and heart-wrenchingly serious roles), Diane Lane, William Fichtner, and a slew of excellent supporting actors and actresses, this movie is WAAAAAAY more awesome than it was originally given credit for.
Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer
Available Now
Love him or hate him, Jeremy Scott has leveraged himself as one of the most influential designers in the world of street wear and high fashion. From his humble beginnings in Kansas City, Missouri, to his appointment to Creative Director of Italian luxury fashion powerhouse Moschino, Scott has accomplished a hell of a lot, and this movie highlights and delves into all of it. At the very least, it should serve as inspiration for you to get up and go do good work.
The Right Stuff
Available Now
This award-winning drama/action adventure film is perhaps the most fascinating look into the lives of American astronauts ever produced. Based on the best selling book by Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff was such a groundbreaking film that it was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Regristry by the Library of Congress. Watch all three hours of this damn movie.
The Shawshank Redemption
Available Now
The Shawshank redemption is the best Goddamn film of all time, and to describe it here in a paragraph would be an insult to its greatness. If you don’t already know this film, you first need to smack yourself, then see it immediately.
V For Vendetta
Available Now
Remember, Remember, the 5th of November. Based on the terrifying graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, V For Vendetta is a political thriller set in an alternate dystopian totalitarian United Kingdom, whereby the government is run by a neo-fascist regime who aims to control the population through fierce political oppression and media influence. The more the film moves onward, the more terrifyingly plausible its plot becomes. That is, until our heroes V and Evey show up to save the day and blow up parliament in a grandiose and artistic display of destruction. And boy, do we love artistic displays of destruction.
