Top 26 new releases coming soon to Netflix UK in March 2015
David Farnor | On 26, Feb 2015
Incoming message from the Big Giant Head! March’s new releases on Netflix UK have beamed down to us and they’re an impressively diverse bunch. On the one hand, there’s an old NBC sitcom and Tina Fey’s new show. On the other, there’s Bradley Cooper on drugs, Gabriel Byrne in a hat and Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill going to college. There’s even room for a duff Vin Diesel sci-fi.
Equally impressive is the range of titles that Netflix has under its own wing, including the premiere of the funny-looking Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the serious-looking drama Bloodline with its star-studded cast, and an intimate documentary about fatherhood.
Whatever mood you’re in, from Limitless to Lilting, here are the biggest titles coming soon to Netflix UK in March 2015.
Note: Dates are subject to change. Some titles may be released up to 24 hours earlier than stated.
Limitless – Sunday 1st March
Bradley Cooper is perfectly cast in this smart thriller about a writer who discovers a drug that allows him to use all of his brain. Cooper brings an irresistible charm to the perfect pill-popper and a sympathetic desperation to the sober loser, while director Neil Burger and DoP Jo Willems (The Hunger Games) have a whale of a time with the visuals.
Lilting – Sunday 1st March
Ben Whishaw gives his most subtle performance to date as a young man struggling to come to terms with the death of Kai, his boyfriend. He ends up befriending Kai’s Chinese-speaking mother, Junn, who lives a mundane existence in a nearby nursing home. This debut feature from director Hong Khaou is a magnificent sigh of a movie. (Read our review.)
Bates Motel: Season 2 – Sunday 1st March
Everyone knows what happened in Psycho, but this chilling series takes viewers inside Norman Bates’ world before Marion Crane checked in. Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga both received award nominations for their turns in the second season, which follows on from the incident involving his teacher…
One Rogue Reporter – Sunday 1st March
After snapping over the ethics of the tabloid press, former hack turned stand-up Rich Peppiatt joins forces with interviewees ranging from Steve Coogan to Hugh Grant to turn the spotlight on the newspapers in this satirical documentary.
Life Itself – TBC
This documentary about the late and legendary film critic Roger Ebert is a moving and inspiring watch. (While Netflix says this title is already released, it is not currently available to stream. This shall be updated as soon as we know more.)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Friday 6th March
From creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, this half-hour single-camera comedy stars Ellie Kemper as Kimmy, who escapes a doomsday cult and decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City.
My Own Man – Friday 6th March
David Sampliner’s documentary, which premiered at Tribeca last year before being picked up by Netflix, follows the director as he’s about to become a father. He fears he must man up, but as he immerses himself in a strange new world of masculine ideals, including vocal lessons, warrior weekends and hunting, he realises all roads lead back to his own fraught relationship with his father.
The Santa Clause – Friday 6th March
Tim Allen’s genuinely fun take on the Santa legend arrives just in time for Christmas. 2016.
The Three Caballeros – Friday 6th March
This Disney film dates all the way back to 1944 and was only the seventh animated feature in its Disney Animated Classics series. The movie is a compendium of stories, which are held together by the framing story of Donald Duck opening birthday gifts from Latin American friends, combining animation and live-action.
Miller’s Crossing – Wednesday 11th March
You can tell a lot about a film from its hats. The Coen brothers’ struck masterpiece status early with their 1993 gangster drama, which sees Albert Finney and Gabriel Byrne caught up in women, money and revenge. Everything about it is classy, from Carter Burwell’s rousing score to a shootout to the tune of Danny Boy. The hats, needless to say, are terrific.
Friday Night Lights – Wednesday 11th March
Peter Berg’s sports drama follows the coach (Billy Bob Thornton) and players of a high school football team in Odessa, Texas, as they struggle through the 1988 season.
Identity Thief – Friday 13th March
Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy star in this comedy about a mild-mannered family man, whose identity is stolen by a serial fraudster.
The Three Musketeers (1993) – Friday 13th March
Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris O’Donnell join forces to be, if not the definitive cinematic Three Musketeers, then certainly the sexiest. Tim Curry as Cardinal Richelieu is a bonus.
The Umbilical Brothers: The Rehearsal – Sunday 15th March
A show about a rehearsal, or a rehearsal for a show about a rehearsal? The titular Australian siblings film the preparations for their new show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, ending up with a 90-minute piece of meta-silliness.
3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1 to 6 – Sunday 15th March
It’s almost 20 years since this NBC sitcom about aliens pretending to be a human family first premiered, but the cast can still make you giggle, from John Lithgow as Dick, the High Commander and dad, to – best of all – a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the son of the family.
A Different World: Season 1 to 6 – Sunday 15th March
Speaking of old NBC sitcoms, journey back to 1987 and you’ll come across A Different World, a spin-off from The Cosby Show that follows students on the campus of a black college in Virginia.
22 Jump Street – Tuesday 17th March
It’s not often that a sequel is funnier than the first film. 22 Jump Street manages it, as Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum return as incompetent cop buddies Schmidt and Jenko. Effectively rehashing the first film – while joking about doing so – the result is an smartly layered piece of post-modern stupidity that packs a dangerously high laugh-to-minute ratio.
Once Upon a Time Season 4 Episode 15 – Wednesday 18th March
Once Upon a Time is now on Netflix UK, following a new deal with Disney ABC. All four seasons of the show are now available to stream, with new episodes arriving every Wednesday, following their broadcast in the US. (Find out more here.)
Richard Pryor: Here and Now – Wednesday 18th March
Recorded at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana, Here and Now is the last concert movie of legendary stand-up Richard Pryor.
Bloodline – Friday 20th March
Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard star in Netflix’s family drama. From the makers of Damages, it follows the return home of the Rayburn family’s eldest brother and black sheep, who drags all their emotional demons out into the daylight.
Invincible – Friday 20th March
Mark Wahlberg stars in this 2006 sports film based on a true story. Wahlberg plays Vince Papale, who played for the Philadelphia Eagers in the 1970s, while Greg Kinnear plays his coach, Dick Vermeil.
The King’s Speech – Monday 23rd March
Tom Hooper’s Oscar-winning drama sees Colin Firth’s learn to overcome his stammer with the help of Geoffrey Rush’s therapist. Their chemistry makes this a hugely watchable drama.
Iron Man 3 – Wednesday 25th March
Christmas. Robert Downey Jr. Odd couple banter. Iron Man 3 is more a Shane Black film than a superhero film – and that, coupled with superb action and character-driven jokes, makes this arguably the best Marvel film to date.
Layer Cake – Wednesday 25th March
If you were ever in doubt about Daniel Craig playing James Bond, this Brit gangster flick was proof that he was a perfect fit. Matthew Vaughn directs with enough style to set it apart from the usual Guy Ritchie-esque fare – style that would see him go on to make Kick-Ass and Kingsman.
We Are The Giant – Friday 27th March
This documentary follows the Arab Spring through events in three different countries, a ground-level account of an uprising mostly seen overseas as a clip on the news or a tweet. Conflict is often summed up in sound bites or statistics. While they can convey some of the scale of history, though, they miss a crucial element: humanity. We Are the Giant brings it back with a towering sense of perspective. (Read our full review.)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – Friday 27th March
This Winnie the Pooh animation was first released in 1977. From its old-school drawings and 74-minute runtime to the stitched-together-from-shorts plot, this collection of gems is charming stuff.
Trailer Park Boys: Season 9 – Friday 27th March
The Canadian mockumentary series follows Ricky, Julian and Bubbles on their misadventures around Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Other releases
Friday 27th February
Ralphie May: Unruly
Sunday 1st March
Parallels
The Culture High
The Chronicles of Riddick
Sunday 15th March
Mars Needs Moms
Wednesday 18th March
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 2
Dead Cert
Wednesday 25th March
Breach
In Hell
Tip of the hat to The Independent and Metro for some of the additions later in the month