Don't Miss This Stuff on Netflix Before February

The end of every month brings inevitable panic when the "What's leaving Netflix?" lists surface, and suddenly there's a race to watch all the films and TV shows that you didn't even know you wanted to see. Even though it's always bittersweet to see quality streaming content go, there's the hope that it could return as Netflix's content comes and goes in waves. There are, fortunately, tons of treasures are arriving on Netflix come February to your new releases, including a new Russell Brand comedy special that will be… interesting, at the very least.

There are a number of great James Bond films that are jumping the Netflix ship come February, so now’s the time to catch up on 007. Though Netflix signed a deal with BBC, meaning that they wouldn’t get rid of their ferociously popular shows like Dr. Who, a couple older BBC goodies will no longer be available. January is one of the most depressing months of the year (in fact, Monday was technically “Blue Monday,” which pseudoscience that I totally believe in determines is the saddest day of the entire year). What better way to combat the winter doldrums than with a good old-fashioned Netflix binge?

Here are eight Netflix gems expiring February 1 that you should catch while you still have the chance.

Zodiac

I'm not ashamed to say that Zodiac is one of my favorite movies. If you just saw Gone Girl and need more Fincher, Zodiac is perfect. The book is based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction account of hunting for the Zodiac Killer. Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle when they begin to receive coded messages from the Zodiac Killer. It also features Robert Downey, Jr. as Paul Avery, a crime reporter at the Chronicle, Mark Ruffalo as a police chief, and a cornucopia of great facial hair and wide ties.

Blackadder (Season 1 - 4)

If you've only seen Hugh Laurie in House, I feel bad for you, son. The British actor, of course, is most famous not for his nihilistic medical Sherlock Holmes, but for being one of the best British comedians OF ALL TIME — usually partnering with his best bud and fellow comedic genius Stephen Fry. Blackadder is a BBC series that spans several generations of the Blackadder family, and though all of the seasons are good, the best are the third and forth, which star Hugh Laurie. Get on board with that wry, often esoteric British humor!

Goldfinger

A lot of James Bond movies are being retired from Netflix on February 1, so now is a good time to brush up on your Bond canon. Goldfinger, 1964, stars THE only James Bond (besides Daniel Craig) that we need to acknowledge: Sean Connery. The plot doesn't really matter, as it never does with Bond films, but this one has some of the most recognizable icons in the Bond universe: Bond Girl Pussy Galore, henchman Oddjob, the villain Goldfinger, of course, and poor Jill Masterson, who died from the Midas Touch.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Michael Caine as a suave British conman! Steve Martin as his american nemesis! The French Riviera! Jazz! It's a classic.

Batman Returns

Christian Bale as the gruff Dark Knight is great and all, but the 1992 Batman Returns directed by Tim Burton has some of the best Batman characters of all time: Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny Devito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Who better to create a deliciously dark, surreal Gotham than Burton?

Apocalypse Now

Marlon Brandon is at his goddamn best in Apocalypse Now, the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film. Loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now is set in Vietnam and accounts the thrilling and horrific pursuit of the insane U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Brando) by US Special Opps officer Benjamin L. Willard, played by Martin Sheen. Rogert Ebert called it "the best Vietnam film [of all time]."

Mad Max

Dystopian films are having a Moment, even though most of them are of the young adult variety. Mad Max is one of the OG dystopian movies, and it's so good that we can almost forget that its star Mel Gibson is a grade A nutjob. Perfect for you if you like an excellent car crash scene.

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is one of the best Victorian novels, and the 2011 adaptation featuring Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender as the hard-hearted Mr. Rochester is fairly solid and true to the novel, although Jane is supposed to be homely and Rochester very severe looking. I guess Hollywood needed a beautiful Jane.

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