James R | On 18, May 2016

As another month draws to a close, we prepare once more to open the Hellmouth and drive a stake into the heart of the titles rising up from the depths of Netflix’s catalogue to vanish into the ether. Unfortunately, there’s little we can do to stop them, as Netflix’s streaming rights expire.

The good news? In May 2016, there are no Disney movies left for Netflix to purge after last month’s cull. The bad news? We’re about to bid farewell to none other than Buffy, everyone’s favourite vampire slayer. So grab your wooden sticks, put your homework to one side and get ready to hang out with Scooby gang for one final time.

This is your last chance to stream the following:

The Fighter – 19th May

Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a boxer – not a great one, but a good one. He’s the younger brother of Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale). Dicky’s a boxer too. He once knocked down Sugar Ray. Now he spends his days smoking crack and talking to a documentary crew. The pair’s family drama, mixed with underdog sports thrills, makes for a conventional movie, but the performances (including an excellent Amy Adams) give it a massive wallop of compassion.

The Painted Veil – 19th May

Edward Norton is excellent in this drama about a doctor, who forces his unfaithful wife (Naomi Watts) to go with him to a tiny Chinese village to fight a cholera epidemic.

Exhibition – 22nd May

An artist husband and wife come to terms with their relationship while trying to sell their house in Joanna Hogg’s tale of middle class ennui. It isn’t likely to get the crowds in but top performances from Liam Gillick and Viv Albertine certainly add a beating heart under its icy exterior.

Reality – 26th May

Matteo Garrone cut through society like a caustic cheese wire back in 2008 with Gomorrah, a drama that revealed organised crime at every level of the country. His follow-up, Reality, is far gentler but does much the same thing, tackling Italy’s obsession with celebrity, which has saturated everything in soggy aspiration and delusions of grandeur. (Read our full review.)

Run for Your Wife – 26th May

You’d think a film with Danny Dyer getting hit in the face by a rake would be fun to watch. You’d be wrong. This romantic comedy starring the actor as a two-timing cab driver is so bad it demands to be seen. On the other hand, nobody should be subjected to it ever. (Read our full review.)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – 31st May

“Sorry to barge in. I’m afraid we have a slight apocalypse.” Yes, the world basically ends at the end of the month for Buffy fans on Netflix, with the whole of Joss Whedon’s classic series departing the streaming site. If you haven’t ever seen it, get watching now.

The Expendables – 1st June

How bad can bad get before it stops being good? If Sylvester Stallone doesn’t know the answer, no-one does. But he has a damn good shot at it with The Expendables, an action movie with a cast of manly men that most men dream of in their manly man dreams. The screenplay, co-written by Stallone, is drivel, but with limbs flying every which way the camera can point, it’s harsh to knock a dumb movie down just for being dumb. Is there an ironic tongue-in-cheek? If so, it’s old, bumpy and sort of fossilised.

The Lunchbox – 6th June

When was the last time someone made lunch for you? A wife does it every day for Saajan (Irrfan Khan) in Ritesh Batra’s romantic dainty – a film that will leave your tummy rumbling, if not your heart racing. The only problem for the insurance worker? It’s not his wife. This short drama may be a dainty morsel, but it’s a delectable treat.

Oldboy (2013) – 6th June

The high-profile remake in which Josh Brolin takes on the role of a man released after being help captive for years.

Thor – 9th June

Only a certain type of man can pull off a red cape and metal breastplates. Luckily, Chris Hemsworth is one of them, revelling in the silliness of Marvel’s version of Nordic mythology to create a fun, laugh-out-loud adventure. Together with malcontent sibling Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who begins an almost Shakespearean struggle for power, Kenneth Branagh’s Dutch-titled superhero flick works so well because it’s an origins story for two characters not one. Well, that and breastplates.

Happy-Go-Lucky – 16th June

Sally Hawkins stars in Mike Leigh’s film as Poppy, an Eastender with a sunny outlook on life. And that’s about it. Where convention dictates that a single female must be in want of a bloke, Leigh bucks the trend and lets Poppy stroll through life at an assured, leisurely pace. Does she have anyone on the horizon? “Not a sausage”, she grins, perfectly content with the way things are going. At first, she’s so jolly it’s borderline irritating: her bike gets nicked and all she does is lament the missed chance to say goodbye. As time passes, though, it’s hard not to warm to her disarmingly cheerful charm.

Battlestar Galactica – 20th June

If you’re still to find who’s a Cylon and who isn’t, this reboot of the classic sci-fi series is well worth catching up with – particularly the first three seasons.

 

Other titles leaving Netflix UK in May and June 2016

19th May
The Backwoods
Breaking the Girls
Chasing Beauty
The Conquest
Grace
Greedy Lying Bastards
Haven
The Last Flight
Mis Peores Amigos: Promedio Rojo el Regreso
Screamers
Skinwalkers
Vitality

20th May
The Flat
Skyline
Svengali

21st May
Jab Tak Hai Jaan

26th May
The Happy House
I Do
Winter of Discontent

28th May
Barfi!

29th May
A Belfast Story
The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled

30th May
Stellaluna

31st May
The Beautiful Game
Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop II
Beverly Hills Cop III
Days of Glory
Elias: Rescue Team Adventures
Get Low
The Hit List
The Hive
Iesodo: Believe
It’s a Disaster
Kicking It
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
Little Princess
Living Downstream
Nanking
On the Way to School
Partners
Redemption of a Dog
Romeo + Juliet
SWAT: Fire Fight
Scary Movie 3
Sniper: Reloaded
Street Football
Twenty8K
Vlast (Power)
What She Wants for Christmas
Who Did I Marry?
Wild Style

1st June
Angel
Free Fall
Late Bloomers
Odd Thomas
Trespass

3rd June
Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher

5th June
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet

7th June
Quirke

8th June
Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

9th June
Best Laid Plans
Celebrity
Deconstructing Harry
Everyone Says I Love You
The Final Cut
Free Ride
Kissing Jessica Stein
Mighty Aphrodite
Revenge of the Nerds
Tell

10th June
The Secret Disco Revolution

12th June
This Is Not a Ball

13th June
Quarantine 2: Terminal
Moshi Monsters: The Movie

14th June
1 Chance 2 Dance
A 2nd Chance
50 Dead Men Walking
Hawaizaada
His Girl Friday
Reggie Watts: Why $#!+ So Crazy?
The Stag

16th June
Chapter 27
Cops & Robbersons
Flatliners
Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story
Spring Break (1983)
We Cause Scenes

 

With thanks to uk.newonnetflix.info for some of the information.

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