You don’t have a lot of time left to catch all the good movies leaving Netflix next month, and that doesn’t even count the very funny single season of Judd Aptow’s Undeclared. Netflix no longer includes expiring dates on their site, and they just released the list of titles leaving the site in September this morning. The delay in information appears to be tied to Netflix’s announcement last night that it wouldn’t be renewing its contract with Epix. Many of the films listed below will be moving to Hulu instead. So unless you have a Hulu subscription, you might want to make tonight a movie marathon night. Here are our picks to catch while you still can:
1. Apocalypse Now
Year: 1979
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola’s best film without the word “Godfather” in it was the result of two years in the jungle, which led to performances that captured mental breakdown in a way that felt all too real. The update to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness was a different kind of war movie, one which captured the horror of war and the madness of Vietnam like no other before or since.—Josh Jackson
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Year: 2000
Director: Ang Lee
Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning epic is not only the highest-grossing foreign film ever, but also happens to be yet another foreign film that changed the cinematic landscape: a kung fu flick with heart and soul. Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi play 19th-century warriors whose loyalty and vitality are tested by a series events that lead each to contemplate their life’s decisions. Beyond the entracing and lyrical storytelling, Crouching Tiger stands as a rare, beautiful beacon of hope: a foreign film that was actually universally embraced by Western audiences. Here’s to hoping that happens more often. —Jeremy Medina
3. Jackie Brown
Year: 1997
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino’s underappreciated gem Jackie Brown sees Pam Grier as the title character who shakes up the world of bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster). One of the most brilliant notes in both the main actors’ performances is the stillness that each brings to his character. But if the actors are part of the orchestra, so is the music.—Michael Dunaway
4. High Fidelity
Year: 2000
Director: Stephen Frears
Nick Hornby really is tapped into the psyche of the turn-of-the-century male. John Cusack plays the every-man type who retraces his past girlfriend history only to find he let the perfect woman slip through his fingers. Funny, insightful and insanely quotable, High Fidelity plays like an ultra-hip Woody Allen movie, which is a very good thing indeed.—Jeremy Medina
5. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Year: 1998
Director: Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie’s debut film, a super-stylistic take on the gangster formula, pays homage to the work of Quentin Tarantino—from the sardonic humor, to slapstick violence, to the twisty plot, you could call it the British Reservoir Dogs on crack. Vinnie Jones plays Big Chris as tough as he looked on the football field but also as a loving new dad. P.H. Moriarty is the out-of-control crime boss ‘Hatchet’ Harry Lonsdale. And its obtrusive soundtrack—a mix of classic rock, reggae and pop—brings it all together.
6. Nebraska
Year: 2013
Director: Alexander Payne
The first question at the Cannes press conference for Nebraska, the new film from Alexander Payne, was about why the director decided to shoot his comedy-drama in black and white. It’s an understandable query. Studios don’t like black-and-white movies from a commercial perspective and, because Payne’s films emphasize character and dialogue, they’re not necessarily thought of as being grandly cinematic, which might require such a striking look. But after seeing the film, the choice makes more than a little sense. Payne doesn’t use black and white to make his movie grand. Quite the contrary, he uses the lack of color to illustrate his characters’ tiny, quiet existence. To paraphrase a line from Paul Simon, their lives are so common they practically disappear.—Tim Grierson
7. Total Recall
Year: 1990
Director: Paul Verhoeven
The best “bad” movie ever or a sly, subversive treatise on cinematic escapism? You decide. Considering that Total Recall was directed by none other than Robocop and Starship Troopers director Paul Verhoeven, a man who thrives on irony and hidden satire, my money is definitely on the latter. Here, Arnold plays Quaid, a construction worker dissatisfied with his mundane life and wishing for more excitement in his structured existence (how any man could look like Arnold, be married to Sharon Stone and still be unhappy is probably the most baffling part of the movie). Seeking a break from routine, he impulsively decides to visit a company that offers memory implants designed to provide clients with an exciting, dream-fufilling experience. No sooner has the procedure begun, then Quaid begins remembering that he’s actually a sleeper agent. Or is he? People debate the true nature of the movie to this day. Yet, one thing’s for sure, between some striking practical effects, a high body count and the infamous three-breasted bar patron, this is one Arnold venture that deserves to be called essential. And let’s not mention that dull, unnecessary remake, okay?—Mark Rozeman
8. Star Trek Into Darkness
Year: 2013
Director: J.J. Abrams
J.J. Abrams’ second foray into the alternate timeline caused when Eric Bana stepped on James T. Kirk’s dad (and then, the planet Vulcan), starts at an in medias res sprinall is t typical of James Bond films (and Homer). Yet, for all its speeding from one action piece to the next, Star Trek Into Darkness itself manages to not feel all that rushed—it just moves quickly, which is appropriate for a world with transporter tech, warp drive and planet-bridging communications. For Trekkies, Abrams’ film is part two of an extended, mostly pleasurable exercise in alternate reality resonance—it’s like film fan fiction, minus the slash-fic component. For the casual acquaintance of the Star Trek universe, the rippling differences between the original time line and the new one don’t really matter as long as the stories are compelling and the action gripping. But Gene Roddenberry’s For all the photon torpedos, warp drives and matter transmitters, that optimism regarding human nature may be the most fantastical element of all.—Michael Burgin
9. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Year: 2013
Director: Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire picks up six months after the original, on the morning of the Victory Tour, on which Katniss and Peeta will travel to the 12 districts to honor the fallen Tributes and celebrate their survival, ending up once again in the opulent capital. Working from a smartly adapted script by Simon Beaufoy and Michael DeBruyn, Francis Lawrence emphasizes the story’s cynical critique of celebrity culture, of living one’s lives and loves for the camera, and condemnation of a one percent who drink potions to puke during parties so they can eat more while the rest of the country is starving. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a stellar sequel and a crackerjack middle chapter (the third book in the trilogy, Mockingjay, will be released as two separate films): revisiting what’s to love about the original, upping the ante and promising even more to come.—Annlee Ellingson
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10. The Wolf of Wall Street
Year: 2013
Director: Martin Scorsese
It’s tempting to compare The Wolf of Wall Street with that other famous ode to financial district excess, Wall Street. But though the two films share one layer of message—behold the high-flying lifestyle loose morals and shaky ethics can bring you in the land of stocks!—Scorsese’s film is a meaner, more cynical and, worst of all, probably truer vision of the lifestyles of the rich, dissolute and famous. (Oliver Stone’s 1987 film seems quaintly naive by comparison.) The Wolf of Wall Street lacks even the pretense of a moral center—with the exception of some half-hearted, mopey warnings from his dad (Rob Reiner), Belfort has no real conscience. Even Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler), who pursues and catches him—an ideal opportunity to give a face to the people Belfort has scammed—seems little more than an inconvenient party pooper. Not content with the implicit message contained in the lightness of Belfort’s punishment, Scorsese even rubs it in a bit with a final look at Denham riding home on the subway.—Michael Burgin
And here are all the movies and TV shows leaving Netflix in September:
Leaving 9/1/15
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004)
Better Than Chocolate (1999)
Bratz: Rock Angelz (2005)
Care Bears: Big Wish Movie (2005)
Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-Lot (2004)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! (2009)
Doomsday Preppers: Season 1-3
Electrick Children (2012)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Ink Master: Season 2
Jackie Brown (1997)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Mortal Kombat: The Movie (1995)
Patch Adams (1998)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Rumpelstiltskin (1987)
Sarah’s Choice (2009)
School of Rock (2003)
She’s the One (1996)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
The IT Crowd: Series 1-4
The Lost Boys (1987)
Total Recall (1990)
W. (2008)
Leaving 9/2/15
Cheech & Chong’s Hey Watch This (2010)
Leaving 9/3/15
Dinosaurs: Season 1-4
Leaving 9/4/15
Delta Farce (2007)
Leaving 9/5/15
Marilyn in Manhattan (2012)
Leaving 9/7/15
Ramsay’s Best Restaurant: Season 1
Leaving 9/9/15
Bratz: Friendship Is Always in Style (2014)
Kicking It (2008)
Leaving 9/10/15
100 Below Zero (2013)
Becoming Chaz (2010)
Crash & Bernstein: Season 1-2
War Witch (2012)
Leaving 9/13/15
High Fidelity (2000)
Leaving 9/14/15
Corky Romano (2001)
Leaving 9/15/15
Best of Teletubbies
Bratz: The Video: Starrin’ & Stylin’ (2004)
Coach: Season 1-9
Spiral: Season 4
Valhalla (2013)
Leaving 9/16/15
Hank: Five Years from the Brink (2013)
The Slap: Season 1
Leaving 9/20/15
Reporter (2009)
Leaving 9/22/15
National Geographic: Inside Guantanamo (2009)
National Geographic: The Battle for Midway (1999)
Leaving 9/26/15
Indy 500: The Inside Line (2011)
Lethal Force (2011)
Ron White: A Little Unprofessional (2012)
Leaving 9/27/15
LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: Season 1-2
My Boys: Season 1-4
Leaving 9/28/15
Undeclared: The Complete Series
Leaving 9/29/15
Bratz: Desert Jewelz (2011)
Comic Book Men: Season 2
Coriolanus (2011)
Leaving 9/30/15
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
If I Stay (2014)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
Nebraska (2013)
Saved! (2004)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
The Expendables 3 (2014)
The Good Guy (2010)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The Prince (2014)
The Skeleton Twins (2014)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
World War Z (2013)