David Farnor | On 31, Jul 2015

Summer keeps slipping on by, as July draws to a close and August approaches. As we bid farewell to another month, we also say a fond farewell – and a not so fond farewell – to another wave of Netflix titles.

The subscription service loses and adds titles on a regular basis, as rights expire and new deals are signed. So before you head over to our list of what’s coming soon to Netflix UK in August, take a moment this weekend to spend some time with these films and TV shows while you still can.

This is your last chance to stream the following…

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – Friday 31st July

This overlooked and underrated 2002 movie is worth seeing for four reasons. 1. It’s written by Charlie Kaufman. 2. It stars Sam Rockwell as possibly-deluded game show host Chuck Barris, who says he was a CIA hit man in his spare time. 3. It’s George Clooney’s directorial debut. The script was chopped and changed a bit, but Rockwell’s leading man charisma and Clooney’s striking set pieces, helped by surreal set designs and seamless editing, turn this offbeat thriller into a fascinating little gem. Reason number four? You won’t be able to stream this from tomorrow.

Finding Neverland – Friday 31st July

Marc Forster’s 2004 drama about the story of JM Barrie’s friendship with a family that inspired him to write Peter Pan makes up for any dodgy accents with an excellent clutch of child actors (Freddie Highmore, who went on to star in Bates Motel, is a stand-out) and a welcome dollop of unabashed sentiment. Charming.

The Muppet Movie – Friday 31st July

Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side? This original feature-length outing for Jim Henson’s puppets is perfect, fuzzy family fun.

Murder by Death – Friday 31st July

What do Truman Capote, Peter Falk and Alec Guinness have in common? How did they all end up in a mysterious mansion where a murder has taken place? The answer is Robert Moore’s inspired murder mystery spoof.

Seraphim Falls – Friday 31st July

Some people go into the desert looking for themselves. When Liam Neeson goes into the desert, it’s to hunt down Pierce Brosnan. Why? Revenge. Years ago Gideon (Brosnan) committed a terrible wrong and Carver (Neeson) wants him to pay. The result is essentially one long two-hour chase, from the opening gunshots in the snowy mountains to the unforgiving earth of the desert. A gripping Western that pits man against nature as much as A-lister against A-lister.

Black Mirror / Peep Show – Saturday 1st AUgust

Over two short seasons, Charlie Brooker’s Twilight Zone for the Twitter age has tackled everything from political engagement to relationships and all the pixels in between with a harsh, satirical hand. The response Black Mirror has had only emphasises how much it’s tapped into a nerve in society, combining its fevered love of new technology with its most neurotic digital fears; a topicality delivered with detached cynicism that, even in its weaker instalments, feels bleakly relevant. It’s a perfect companion to the downbeat voice-overs of Peep Show, which vocalises the most bitterly neurotic thoughts of David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s endearingly infantile flatmates.

Will they actually leave Netflix, though? That’s another matter entirely: Channel 4 and the streaming service have been renewing their deal for ages now, with series about to depart before suddenly receiving a new lease of life. Either way, this is a perfect excuse to re-watch some of Britain’s best telly of recent years. (You can also add Black Books to that list: it may or may not leave on Thursday 6th August.)

Zero Dark Thirty – Saturday 8th August

Kathryn Bigelow’s account of the black ops mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden across 10 years was controversial when first released, but the director plays her even hand cooly throughout. However you choose to read its depiction of events, this is absolutely gripping.

 

A full list of titles leaving Netflix UK at the beginning of August 2015:

Friday 31st July

13 Ghosts
3 Ninjas: High Noon at Ninja Mountain
The Almighty Johnsons
The Animal
Anita & Me
Annapolis
Bats
The Big Hit
Black Snake Moan
The Blue Lagoon
Born 2 Race
Buddy
Call of the Wild
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Center Stage
Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Cop Land
The Craft
Dance with Me
Erin Brockovich
Finding Neverland
The Fog of War
Glory
The Horsemen
Jawbreaker
Lovestruck: The Musical
Magic in the Water
The Makeover
Maximum Risk
Maya & Miguel
The Muppet Movie
Murder by Death
The Night of the Living Dead
Paintball
RL Stine’s Mostly Ghostly
Radio
Remember Sunday
Rudyard Kipling’s The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli
Seraphim Falls
Slap Shot 3: The Junior League
Slappy and the Stinkers
Son in Law
Stealing Harvard
The Swan Princess and the Secret of the Castle
The Swan Princess
Sweet Sixteen
The Talented Mr. Ripley
To Love and Die in LA
The Trumpet of the Swan

Saturday 1st August

Black Mirror
Educating Essex
Friday Night Dinner
The Kevin Bishop Show
Peep Show
PhoneShop
The Tall Man
Youngers

Tuesday 4th August

Adventures in Babysitting
Brawler
Clubbed
Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy

Thursday 6th August

Black Books
The Inbetweeners Top 10
The Inbetweeners
The Sword and the Rose

Monday 10th August

Cardinal Burns
Secret State
Southcliffe

Thursday 13th August

Space Buddies

Friday 14th August

Lost Girl

Saturday 15th August

8 out of 10 Cats

Sunday 16th August

Spy Kids

Tuesday 25th August

The Undateables

Friday 28th August

Covert Affairs

 

Thanks to for the information.

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