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Ilario Grijalva
So, last night, I opened up Netflix, saw that my subscription renews on February 9, and hit cancel. Why? Well, I kept seeing how I was using every app but Netflix. And I already know I'm about to use Disney Plus more in the coming weeks. Not just because I want to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Disney Plus (which you can, as of today, February 1), but because I'm going to be rewatching some of Mandalorian season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett to get ready for Mandalorian season 3.
I often write a big, sweeping preview of what's coming on all the streaming services to help people figure out what services they don't need. This month, I found myself in the canceler's seat, as I was disappointed by Netflix's February 2023 lineup. And in the interest of fairness, I thought I'd break down all the offerings on Netflix, so you can see if you want to stay. Personally, I feel like if Netflix has at least something I'll need ASAP, I'll stay. Hopefully, though, there would be a couple of interesting and promising titles. Oh, and to cover the last big title added in January, Netflix's Pamela Anderson documentary is 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. I might watch that in my last remaining days on Netflix.
That same day, you get season 6 of The Great British Baking Show: The Professionals and a documentary about a dog with a trust fund called Gunther's Millions. Again, I'm just shrugging. Your mileage, as I often say, will vary.
Through the first week of February, there's not much that sparks interest, though I could see some wanting to watch the YA adventure movie True Spirit (Feb. 3) one of the biggest new streaming movies of the week, which co-stars Anna Paquin as the mother of Jessica Watson, the first 16-year-old to travel around the world on their own, unassisted. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Feb. 4) arrives on Saturday.
Next week's Netflix highlights include documentary Bill Russel: Legend (Feb. 8), which features an interview with the NBA legend recorded prior to his passing. The biggest release of Netflix's February 2022, You Season 4 Part 1 (Feb. 9) drops that next day, and finds Joe in London falling back into bad old habits as he tries to start anew.
That same day, Netflix drops the intergalactic animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter (Feb. 9), starring the voices of Priah Ferguson, Laz Alonso, Yvette Nicole Brown, Kari Wahlgren and Jim Rash. For a slightly older crowd, Netflix Original Film Dear David (Feb. 9) from Indonesia film is all about a straight-A student whose erotic diary entry about her crush gets leaked to the whole school.
Then, high-voltage star power hits the Netflix Original Movie scene with Your Place or Mine (Feb. 10), a rom com where old friends Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) share a romantic spark that they may finally pursue.
Kids and kidults alike may love Pokmon Ultimate Journeys: The Series: Part 2 (Feb. 24), but we can't tell if this is the part of the story where Ask Ketchum finally becomes the world's top Pokmon trainer, as has been reported. Either way, I'm not interested.
Fans of supernatural family films may love We Have a Ghost (Feb. 24), which stars David Harbour. And while I liked Stranger Things and other Harbour projects, I don't feel like I need to see that ASAP.
Then, we have to talk about Peacock ($5 per month). Yes, for the first time in a while, Peacock has become the talk of the town, thanks to Poker Face. This new modern noir mystery-of-the-week series is from two of Netflix's favorites, Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll is one of the best Netflix shows) and Rian Johnson (Glass Onion is one of the best Netflix movies). . The series draws inspiration from Columbo as it follows casino worker Charlie Cale (Lyonne), who can tell when someone's lying.
I don't know if Peacock is a service you'd stay subscribed to all year, unless you're a WWE watcher like I am, but it's definitely earned time from me lately. That includes the bonkers reality/drama series Paul T. Goldman.
Thirdly, we need to talk about Apple TV Plus' Shrinking. This new series starring Jason Segel (Freaks and Geeks, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and executive produced by Segel along with Ted Lasso's Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, surprised me by how much I liked its first two episodes.
In it, Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist who is grieving the loss of his wife, something that has hurt his abilities as a father and friend. And, then, well, he has enough of it. And by "it," I mean playing nice and by the rules. He starts giving his patients advice that's practically against the rules, and it makes for compelling TV. Oh, and his boss is played by Harrison Ford.
I left off one show in Netflix's February 2023 lineup for a reason. Racing docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 5 (Feb. 24) could be fantastic. The season's over-arching story of Max Verstappen's unstoppability could be great, with other stars venting about the domination.
The big questions surrounding DTS season 5 regard Verstappen's drama within his Red Bull team. At the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix this past November, Max refused to let his teammate Sergio Perez pass, which would have been best for the team with regard to points.
Max's on-mic remarks, though, showed a selfishness and hinted at a grudge that's let fans draw conspiracy theories of their own. But since DTS has a weird history of not exactly giving fans everything they ask for, I'm ready to wait and see. Best case scenario, I'll learn I can wait until March 9 or later (so I'll have waited a month since my renewal would have happened).
I might not wind up saving money, only delaying the inevitable. I'm willing to find out once I hear people talk about DTS' latest season. Because, for now, HBO Max, Peacock and Apple TV Plus have my streaming time already allotted and secured. Why would I pay for Netflix with all these other shows that are filling up my time?
For instance, film fans can find a whole host of Oscar nominees and winners on the platform, including this year's nominees such as Past Lives, and those from the past including Titanic, The Martian, 1917 and many more.
Other recent acquisitions to have been added to the Netflix library include last year's critically-acclaimed Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, Stephen Merchant's Fighting with My Family, Jordan Peele's Nope and quirky British comedy Brian and Charles.
The blame game soon erupts, and the situation continues to escalate until a corker of a final reveal. The zeitgeist-chasing dialogue could easily have become irksome, but the charismatic cast is so convincing as a group of bickering friends that their verbal sparring and back-stabbing begins to seem not only believable but inevitable.
Maria Bakalova (whose hysterical turn in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned her an Oscar nomination) acquits herself well in one of the more reserved roles, but the bulk of the laughs come from elsewhere, with Shiva Baby and Bottoms star Rachel Sennott particularly impressive.
Simultaneously one of the highest-grossing films of all time and one of the most awarded, Titanic really was a behemoth when it was released, and its popularity has barely dwindled. James Cameron's film is about as big as historical blockbusters get, with terrific effects and truly tense sequences. However, it really soars because of its heart, which it has in absolute spades.
Following two fictional characters, Jack and Rose, as they board the ill-fated voyaged, the film plays out as a love story for the ages, brought to the screen perfectly by magnetic performances from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
It may not have the most original story arc or be the most nuanced in examining class structures, but it doesn't matter - when the emotion hits this hard and the visuals are this breathtaking, all you can do is sit back and let Cameron take you on a journey.
A film which is wholly representative of an era of American comedy, Superbad still manages to stand out from the crowd as a terrifically well-structured, warm-hearted film with some sequences which have gone down in history and become utterly iconic.
The sci-fi movie based on the novel of the same name features an all-star cast, led by Matt Damon as Mark Watney, an astronaut stationed on a base on Mars who is presumed dead by the rest of his crew, who depart on their ship and leave him behind. Once they become aware of his survival, they attempt to rescue him, but he must learn to survive by himself on the red planet until that time.
The film's success lies in not only its expansive scope but also in its attention to detail, its devotion to science and its emotional resonance. Damon is fantastic in the central role, while Scott proves once again why he is known as such a master of the craft.
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and writer-director Martin McDonagh's most recent team-up in 2022's The Banshees of Inisherin received a huge number of critical plaudits and awards, but one of the only reasons it was so highly anticipated in the first place was because of the strength of their first collaboration, In Bruges.
It's a laugh-out-loud funny film which also has some serious heart and emotional heft behind it, as well as some perfectly staged action sequences and stunning visuals. McDonagh is known for his dialogue, and its rarely stronger than it is here, with some iconic lines which have gone down in cinema history.
A biographical movie about professional wrestler Paige, produced by Dwayne Johnson and WWE Studios? This could have gone so wrong. However, in actuality it turned out to be one of 2019's best, a heartwarming and constantly funny tale of aspiration, family and not only following your dreams, but also knowing when they just aren't going to become a reality for you.
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