The 5 Best Movies That Are Back On Netflix in January
“Movies come and go so quickly here,” Dorothy Gale might have said if she’d stayed at home watching Netflix instead of flying to Oz. The streaming-video service is a terrific source for classic films, but they’re liable to disappear at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, they often come back. Here are five great films that have recently returned to Netflix, and why you should watch them this weekend.
Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia
Fantasia (1940) It’s hard to believe that Disney ever made a film as experimental as this one, an anthology of short animated films set to pieces of classical music. The hand-drawn stories are still mesmerizing, and that demon from “Night on Bald Mountain?” Still terrifying.
Ernest Borgnine in Marty
Marty (1955) This small, charming Best Picture winner feels surprisingly modern, in spite of its premise: a homely, socially awkward butcher (Ernest Borgnine) has resigned himself to never finding love at the ripe old age of 34.
Sir Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man
Marathon Man (1976) Is it safe? Is it safe? You’re never going to know if you don’t watch this John Schlesinger thriller, with its legendary star pairing of Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier.
Paul Reubens in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) This spin-off Paul Reubens’ children’s television series Pee-Wee’s Playhouse is the most unlikely of comedy classics, but in the hands of first-time director Tim Burton, it’s a smorgasbord of weird delights.
Cher and Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck
Moonstruck (1987) If you’ve ever questioned the world’s devotion to Cher — or Nicolas Cage, for that matter — then you need to watch Norman Jewison’s very funny, very romantic comedy about an Italian-American Brooklynite (Cher) who falls in love with her fiancé’s brother (Cage).
Watch a scene from Moonstruck:
Image credit: Mary Evans/WALT DISNEY PICTURES/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection, Everett Collection, MGM/Kobal
