Netflix Nuggets: Celebrate the 4th of July With a Lot of Movies!

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films being made available by Netflix for instant streaming. Important Note: There may be some films that do not become available on the specified dates. This is merely a report of the most accurate release dates I can find, but is not directly confirmed by Netflix themselves.

AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY (2010)
Streaming Available: 06/29/2011
Synopsis: Since his tragic death from cancer at age 32, comedian Bill Hicks’s legend and stature have only grown, and this unique documentary tells his story, blending live footage, interviews and animation to fill in the details of a life cut short. A comic’s comic and unflagging critic of hypocrisy and cultural emptiness, Hicks was one of a kind, a Lenny Bruce for the late 20th century, and few are more deserving of this in-depth biographic treatment.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.9

BOB DYLAN: REVEALED (2011)
Streaming Available: 06/29/2011
Synopsis: To trumpet the ever-evolving rock icon’s 70th birthday, this career-spanning documentary assembles unseen footage and insights from key players — from Jerry Wexler to Mickey Jones to Rubin “Hurricane” Carter — in Bob Dylan’s many musical lives.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

BUFFALO ’66 (1998)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Writer-director Vincent Gallo stars as Billy Brown, who — fresh from a five-year stint in stir — heads home to Buffalo, N.Y., to visit his kin. Eager to impress his insouciant parents (Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston), Billy kidnaps buxom Layla (Christina Ricci) and makes her pose as his wife. As the day wears on, Layla falls for Billy, even as he lays plans to knock off the place-kicker whose botched field goal sent him to the slammer.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

BUSTIN’ LOOSE (1981)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011 (unconfirmed)
Synopsis: Edgy comedy maverick Richard Pryor finds his gooey center in this sweet-natured, 1981 road trip. Pryor, who cowrote the script, plays Joe Braxton, an ex-con hired to drive a busload of ornery, emotionally disturbed children from Philadelphia to Washington state. Along the way, he teaches the kids invaluable life lessons such as fishing and strip poker. Cicely Tyson plays the straight-laced educator who falls for Pryor’s goofy charms.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

THE BIG COMBO (1955)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Police Lt. Diamond (Cornel Wilde) is obsessed with nabbing the notorious Mr. Brown (Richard Conte), a man he’s suspected of wrongdoing for years yet has never been able to snare. But Brown’s beautiful blond girlfriend (Jean Wallace), a woman with shadowy desires, is an equally tempting target. Joseph H. Lewis directs this low-budget film noir that raised the eyebrows of 1950s censors with frank suggestions of sadomasochism.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

THE CRUSH (1993)
Streaming Available:07/01/2011
Synopsis: Looking for a quiet place to live, journalist Nick (Cary Elwes) moves into a wealthy family’s guesthouse. But the apartment comes with an added surprise: the family’s teenage daughter (Alicia Silverstone), who has eyes for Nick and tries every trick in the book to entice him into an illicit affair. He resists — but she’s a girl who doesn’t take no for an answer. Ever.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.2

DRAGNET (1987)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Los Angeles detective Joe Friday (Dan Aykroyd) — a straight-laced cop who can recite the penal code in his sleep — and his new hipster partner, Pep Streebek (Tom Hanks), put their heads together to solve a series of nefarious, religious-cult crimes. While on the trail of a charlatan televangelist (Christopher Plummer), the mismatched duo tussles with a 30-foot anaconda and saves a would-be sacrificial virgin in this parody of the 1950s TV show.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.2

THE OMEGA MAN (1971)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Charlton Heston plays Robert Neville, one of the last “intact” survivors of a biological war that’s ravaged Earth’s population in this Boris Sagal-helmed sci-fi thriller based on Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend. Armed with an experimental vaccine for the disease that’s turned everyone into light-averse zombies, Neville roams the empty streets of Los Angeles by day and fights off the mutated “subnormals” at night.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

THE EXORCIST (1973)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: When movie actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) begins to suspect that an evil spirit is possessing her young daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), she calls in two priests (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) to try and exorcise the demon against frightening and formidable odds. Writer William Peter Blatty scored an Academy Award for his big-screen adaptation of his own novel; the film also won an Oscar for Best Sound.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.9

MICHAEL COLLINS (1996)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Neil Jordan directed this powerful biopic about the rise and fall of Michael Collins (Liam Neeson), the charismatic leader of Ireland’s fight for independence. Collins and his companions de Valera (Alan Rickman), Broy (Stephen Rea), Boland (Aidan Quinn) and Kitty Kiernan (Julia Roberts) used guerilla warfare to attack the British. The eventual treaty was seen by many as a weak compromise, and Collins was branded a traitor to the Irish cause.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.7

MOONSTRUCK (1987)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Cher, Olympia Dukakis and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley each won Oscars for their wonderful work in this slice-of-life comedy about the Italian-American denizens of a Brooklyn neighborhood. Cher’s an independent-minded widow who falls in love with a one-handed, misfit baker (Nicolas Cage), much to the chagrin of her betrothed (Danny Aiello). With great performances all around, Moonstruck is bellisima!
Average Netflix Rating: 3.6

MRS. DOUBTFIRE (1993)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), estranged from his exasperated spouse (Sally Field), is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job — disguised as an English nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children’s best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start. Not surprisingly, the film won an Oscar for Best Makeup.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.7

TRUE STORIES (1986)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Talking Heads front man David Byrne co-wrote, composed, directed and stars in this quirky musical journey into the odder side of small-town America. The residents of Virgil, Texas, are a motley crew — from the woman who’s too lazy to get out of bed (Swoosie Kurtz) to the shy man who must advertise for a wife (John Goodman). Byrne serves as our tall-hatted tour guide through the town’s sesquicentennial “Celebration of Specialness.”
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

FLAWLESS (1999)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Homophobe Walt Koontz (Robert De Niro) suffers a debilitating stroke and must take therapeutic singing lessons for his paralyzed larynx. But his teacher happens to be his neighbor, Rusty Zimmerman (Philip Seymour Hoffman) — a florid drag queen who despises bigoted straight people. Can the pair work through their prejudices and meet in the middle? Joel Schumacher directs this comedy-drama co-starring Daphne Rubin-Vega.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

SAVING GRACE (2000)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: In this Sundance Audience Award-winning comedy from director Nigel Cole, newly widowed Grace (Brenda Blethyn) finds herself in financial ruin when she discovers that her dearly departed husband has left her deep in debt. With the help of her gardener, Matt (Craig Ferguson), Grace applies her green thumb to ganja plants — and soon, everyone in her small English town is getting high on more than life.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.7

AMERICAN PIMP (2000)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Filmmakers Albert and Allen Hughes’ riveting but sometimes disquieting documentary probes the exploitative world of urban pimp culture. Interlacing interviews, surveillance footage and clips from 1970s blaxploitation films, American Pimp sketches the careers of these charismatic flesh peddlers — with colorful monikers such as C-Note and Bishop Don Magic Juan — who spin self-ennobling tales of life in the trade.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

FOXY BROWN (1974)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Smart and sexy black heroine Foxy Brown (Pam Grier) is one of the most popular icons of the 1970s, thanks to this blaxploitation flick oozing with sass and funky style. Gangsters murder Foxy’s government-agent boyfriend because her cokehead brother ratted him out. Now, on a kick-ass quest for revenge, she joins a high-class prostitution agency to get closer to the drug ring. There’s plenty of violence, plenty of nudity — but no mercy.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (1985)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Shy good girl Janey (Sarah Jessica Parker) befriends cool rock chick Lynne (Helen Hunt) on their first day of school. When Lynne convinces Janey to dismiss her overbearing father and sneak out to audition for her favorite TV dance show, Janey makes the cut. Soon, the girls find themselves on a wild adventure filled with cute boys, hot dancing, prudish nuns, mean rich kids and parents that just don’t understand. Shannen Doherty co-stars.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.7

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS (1954)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Irving Berlin provides the tunes for this engaging musical about the singing and dancing Donahue clan as they ascend to stardom on the vaudeville circuit during the genre’s last hurrah. The superb cast includes Ethel Merman, Donald O’Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and Marilyn Monroe. With splashy production numbers, Merman belting out the title song and Monroe’s sultry version of “Heat Wave,” this musical extravaganza bubbles over with sparkling style.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.6

NELL (1994)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: When Dr. Jerome Lovell (Liam Neeson) and Dr. Paula Olsen (Natasha Richardson) discover Nell (Jodie Foster), who lives alone in a remote backwoods area of North Carolina, they’re astonished to find a woman who has formed her own language after being cut off from civilization. Michael Apted directs this intense version of François Truffaut’s earlier The Wild Child. Foster was nominated for a 1995 Best Actress Oscar for her gripping performance.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.6

THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS (1957)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Air travel became limitless when Charles A. Lindbergh (James Stewart) flew the pioneer route from New York to Paris on May 21, 1927. From his dubious airborne mail runs to the conception and creation of a trans-Atlantic aircraft, the ambitions of Lucky Lindy paved the sky for aviation advancement. Academy Award-winning director Billy Wilder pilots this soaring adventure through the trials and tribulations of an iconic American hero.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)
Streaming Available: 07/10/2011
Synopsis: Based on an Agatha Christie play, this Oscar-nominated mystery directed and co-written by Billy Wilder concerns an esteemed and aging lawyer (Charles Laughton). On the eve of retiring, he takes on the defense of an alleged murderer (Tyrone Power, in his final film performance) accused of killing a wealthy widow. Things get complicated when the accused’s only alibi, his wife (Marlene Dietrich), decides to testify for the prosecution.
Average Netflix Rating: 4

SPY KIDS (2001)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: The tables are turned when pint-sized kids Carmen and Juni must rescue their secret-agent parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) from the diabolical clutches of Alexander Minion (Tony Shalhoub), who’s after a powerful artificial brain that will automate his army of kid robots to do his bidding. Can world domination be far behind? Director Robert Rodriguez reteams with Desperado star Banderas for his first foray into children’s films.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

BULLY (2001)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Bobby (Nick Stahl) takes great joy in bossing around and beating up his best friend, slovenly ex-surfer Marty (Brad Renfro). But when Marty’s girlfriend (Rachel Miner) witnesses one too many of these incidents, she vows to kill Bobby, enlisting her friends — and a hit man — to help. From controversial director Larry Clark (Kids), this unsettling drama is based on a true crime. Parental advisory: Contains sexually explicit material.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

FOLLOW THAT BIRD (1985)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: After the Feathered Friends Society decides that Big Bird should be living with “his own kind,” he’s shipped to a new home with the Dodo family. But homesick and lonely, Big Bird flies the coop on a cross-country journey back to his friends. Getting back to Sesame Street won’t be easy though, as he runs afoul of a sleazy duo who wants to clip his wings. A flock of celebrity cameos includes John Candy and Chevy Chase.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

TIME OF FAVOR (2000)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Both a politcal-psychological drama and a love story between a passionate woman and two best friends, this profound film which won six Israeli Oscars, including Best Picture, raises important questions about faith, duty and love for oneself. Writer-director Joseph Cedar’s debut feature is a taut thriller that addresses the tense relationship between the orthodox nationalists and the military on Israel’s West Bank.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.2

THE WORLD OF DRUNKEN MASTER (1979)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: The great Simon Yuen Siu Tin, who played Jackie Chan’s master in the groundbreaking film Drunken Master, leads a talented cast in this comedy about the legend of drunken kung fu masters. Fan Ta Pei and Su Hua Tzu are winery workers who’ve been taught martial arts by their employer so they can confront a local bully. Filled with marvelous fights that showcase the famous Drunken Fist!
Average Netflix Rating: 3

CB4 (1993)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: A rap version of This Is Spinal Tap, CB4 stars Chris Rock as Albert, a wanna-be rap star who, along with two friends, is trying in vain to break into the business. When Albert is mistaken for an undercover cop by a thug named Murphy, he adopts the newly incarcerated Murphy’s persona and christens his rap group CB4, after Murphy’s cell-block address. Soon, the band is selling out concerts, attracting a nerdy documentary filmmaker (Chris Elliott).
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (1951)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: John Huston’s classic film adaptation of the 1895 Stephen Crane novel, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, ponders the feelings of anxiety and finally outright fear in a boy preparing for battle. Henry (Audie Murphy) begins losing his illusions of heroism during his first skirmish, and after witnessing his friend’s death and receiving an accidental wound from a retreating soldier, he comes to terms with the realities of warfare.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

1984 (1984)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: This movie adaptation of George Orwell’s eerie, dystopian tale — filmed during the year for which it’s named — follows the “reeducation” of two people who break the law in a totalitarian state by falling in love while Big Brother is watching. The film turned out to be Richard Burton’s last, but it’s also notable for its intriguing technique of shooting specific scenes from the novel on the exact dates they were specified in print.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

MAN’S BEST FRIEND (1993)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: A television reporter (Ally Sheedy) and her crew accidentally awaken a sedated canine while checking out reports of abusive experiments at a local lab. When the drugs wear off, the dog can either truly be “man’s best friend” or explode in fury … and no one can predict how it will react. Co-stars Lance Henriksen.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.1

IT (1927)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: This 1927 silent film features Clara Bow as Betty Lou, a sweet and sassy clerk at a department store who decides she has found Mr. Right when she meets the store’s owner (Antonio Moreno). One thing: She must convince him that she’s Ms. Right, too. As Betty Lou strives to catch his attention, she also tries to help her roommate, who has recently become a mother.This classic silver-screen tale is inspired by a short story written by Elinor Glyn.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.6

PARTY MONSTER (2003)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Macaulay Culkin stars as Michael Alig, who leaves the Midwest for the Big Apple and instantly becomes a fixture of the New York City club scene, until he is convicted of murdering his drug dealer and dumping the body into the Hudson River. Based on the memoir Disco Bloodbath, written by Alig’s close friend James St. James (Seth Green), this true story traces Alig’s rise as a successful party promoter and his descent into drug addiction.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.1

GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK (2001)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Leave it to the Japanese army to think that they killed Godzilla 50 years ago. All bets are off when the giant scaly lizard surfaces and melts (with his flamethrower breath) a United States submarine. Enter an old Japanese mystic who summons the sacred beasts of Yamato — King Ghidorah, Mothra and Baragon — monsters that protected Japan in ancient times. The stage is now set for the ultimate smackdown.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.1

SUPERFLY (1972)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Backed by Curtis Mayfield’s enticing score, this groovy 1970s action drama stars Ron O’Neal as big, bad Youngblood Priest, a cocaine dealer who realizes the thug life isn’t for him and puts together one last deal that will net him enough money so he can start over. But he knows his “colleagues” won’t quite agree with his escape plan, so he must find a way to save his soul and come out of the whole mayhem alive.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

GOING IN STYLE (1979)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Out of sheer boredom, septuagenarian roommates Joe (George Burns), Al (Art Carney) and Willie (Lee Strasberg) plan a daring bank heist. But after they pull off the caper, problems begin to crop up — beginning with the death of one of the three old codgers. Hard choices and some even tougher introspection follow as the remaining two head to Las Vegas for a wild fling in this classic comedy directed by Martin Brest.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

THE FLY (1958)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Scientist André Delambre (David Hedison) has invented a matter transporter. To perfect his machine, he decides to test the device on a human subject — himself. He steps into the chamber unaware that an ordinary housefly has accompanied him. His head and arm become horrifically switched with those of the fly. Now Delambre and his wife (Patricia Owens) are faced with a gruesome dilemma in this classic sci-fi horror co-starring Vincent Price.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

THE BROKEN (2008)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: From the very first moment Gina (Lena Headey) spots a woman who looks exactly like her driving down a busy London street, reality ceases to exist as she knows it. Tailing her doppelganger, Gina finds herself immersed in a surreal landscape of mind-bending nightmares and inexplicable events. Written and directed by Sean Ellis, this disturbing tale also stars Richard Jenkins and Asier Newman.
Average Netflix Rating: 2.7

NIGHTMARE MAN (2006)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Soon after receiving an African fertility mask, Ellen (Blythe Metz) tells her husband, William (Luciano Szafir), that she’s been attacked by the Nightmare Man. As Ellen’s paranoia increases, William must determine whether the attacks are real or Ellen needs professional help. Horror fans will enjoy this hair-raising film from writer-director Rolfe Kanefsky, creator of the comedic chiller The Hazing.
Average Netflix Rating: 2.5

CRAZY EIGHTS (2006)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: When six childhood friends gather for an old pal’s funeral, they find a map leading to a time capsule they buried two decades ago. But the former playmates discover a shocking secret when they dig it up: the corpse of a young child. Now, they’re literally haunted by their past as they try to uncover the truth … before it kills them. Traci Lords, Frank Whaley and Gabrielle Anwar star in this creepy spine chiller.
Average Netflix Rating: 2.7

THE DREAM TEAM (1989)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: While escorting four of his patients to a Yankees game, a shrink (Dennis Boutsikaris) gets waylaid by crooked cops, and his quartet of crazies is unleashed on the streets of New York City in this comic gem from director Howard Zieff. Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle and Stephen Furst deliver first-rate performances as the foursome of lovable loonies who are forced to fend for themselves while banding together to save the doctor.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

TRUE CONFESSIONS (1981)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: In this film noir adaptation of John Gregory Dunne’s explosive best-seller loosely based on the unsolved “Black Dahlia” murder mystery, detective Tom Spellacy (Robert Duvall) investigates the killing of a prostitute in 1948 Los Angeles. He follows the trail to a dodgy businessman (Charles Durning) with unsavory connections to the Catholic Church and, in particular, young Monsignor Des (Robert De Niro), who happens to be Tom’s estranged brother.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.2

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS (1964)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: The Martians are irked that their children spend so much time watching TV shows from Earth that sing the praises of Santa Claus, so they decide to make a trek to the planet to capture Mr. Claus. During their mission, they also abduct two children who lead the aliens to the North Pole and Santa. The Martians take all three earthlings back to Mars, where, with the help of a native, they manage to spread Christmas cheer throughout the red planet.
Average Netflix Rating: 2.6

SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (1964)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Natalie Wood stars as Helen Gurley Brown in this farce loosely based on Brown’s book of the same name. Trying to land an interview with the noted psychologist, unscrupulous journalist Bob Weston (Tony Curtis) poses as a man seeking therapy for marital troubles. The two fall in love, but when Weston’s charade is nearly exposed, he must resort to ever-more-desperate trickery to avoid revealing his true identity. Lauren Bacall co-stars.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

200 MOTELS (1971)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: The Mothers of Invention arrive in Centerville, another stopover in an endlessly long tour where every stage is the same as the next: the hotels, the concerts, the search for groupies and the inevitable arguments within the band. Absurd and witty, 200 Motels is a mixture of musical, rock opera and sitcom portraying the catatonic state of any rock band on the road. An animated segment by Chuck Swenson called The Dental Hygiene Dilemma is included.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.1

NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS (1958)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Drafted into the Air Force, country bumpkin Will Stockdale (Andy Griffith) drives Sgt. Orville King (Myron McCormick) crazy with his overly friendly, dim-witted style. But Will bonds with fellow private Ben (Nick Adams), and the two try for a transfer to the infantry in this classic comedy. Meanwhile, King attempts to keep Will out of his hair by appointing him Permanent Latrine Orderly. Don Knotts appears as a nervous dexterity tester.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8

LET ME IN (2010)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: When 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) befriends his mysterious next-door neighbor, Abby (Chloe Moretz), the two outcasts form a tight-knit bond that gives Owen the courage to stand up to school bullies. But he slowly begins to suspect his new friend has a secret. Matt Reeves directs this uncommon coming-of-age thriller based on the award-winning Swedish film Let the Right One In. Richard Jenkins co-stars.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.5

THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: A forerunner of the Cannonball Run movies (and all based on the same real-life annual event), The Gumball Rally sees a group of disparate, lead-footed road racers vying for the top prize in a no-rules, cross-country race where the action never takes a backseat. The ensemble cast — not counting all the great cars — includes Michael Sarrazin, Gary Busey, Raul Julia, Tim McIntire, Steven Keats and J. Pat O’Malley. Chuck Bail directs.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.3

DRACULA A.D. 1972 (1972)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Devil-worshipping hippies revive Dracula (Christopher Lee) in this groovy 1970s Hammer Studios horror flick set in London. Thinking Dracula’s one cool cat, Johnny (Christopher Neame) and his psychedelic gang resurrect the count. The powerful creature of the night awakens with a mission: to destroy his archnemesis Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing). It’s good vs. evil as Van Helsing faces Dracula in a thrilling final showdown.
Average Netflix Rating: 3

HOUSE BY THE RIVER (1950)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Snubbed by the family maid, writer Stephen Byrne (Louis Hayward) kills her and dumps her body in the river. The unhinged Byrne later tries to profit from his crime, penning a book about the servant’s disappearance and attempting to frame his brother (Lee Bowman) for the murder. But time has a way of revealing the darkest secrets, as the arrogant scribe soon discovers in director Fritz Lang’s gothic melodrama.
Average Netflix Rating: 3

RUBBER (2010)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Quentin Dupieux directs this inventive twist on low-rent revenge flicks, which follows a car tire named Robert that rolls through the desert Southwest using its strange psychic powers to blow up birds, bunnies, human beings and more. But when Robert spies a gorgeous woman motoring down the highway, he decides to follow her and take a chance on love. This gleefully over-the-top black comedy stars Stephen Spinella and Roxanne Mesquida.
Average Netflix Rating: 2.8

BAD BATCH (2010)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: First-time filmmaker Abe Schwartz’s black-and-white comedy follows three students — hipster Jessica (Jessica Watkins) and cousins Jenkins (J.R. Lemon) and Lavar (Lionel Sam) — who meet on Facebook and get together to eat a batch of ridiculously strong pot brownies. Shot in cinéma vérité style in near real-time, the film observes the trio as their initially comical trip turns bad, leading them to wonder what exactly they’ve ingested.
Average Netflix Rating: 4.3

UNDER THE SAME MOON (2007)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: In this tale illuminating the plight of illegal aliens, Kate del Castillo plays Rosario, a woman working illegally in the United States to provide a better life for her son Carlitos (Adrian Alonso), who remains at home in Mexico. Longing for his mother, Carlitos stows away on a van that’s headed for the border. But an already treacherous journey becomes even more so when Carlitos is separated from his smugglers (Jesse Garcia and America Ferrera).
Average Netflix Rating: 3.9

PELT (2010)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: In 1991, seven hikers (Justin Welborn, Ashley Watkins, Travis Goodman, Matthew Robinson, Amber Bollinger, Sarah Zurell and Ryan Boone) embarked on a thrill-seeking adventure through the woods of Caveland, Ky., despite locals’ warnings that only fools would dare to trespass there. Maybe they should have listened. Because shortly thereafter they left civilization and were never seen or heard from again.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.6

FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD (2010)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles the rigorous healing path — including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables — that both attempt in a bid to rescue their health.
Average Netflix Rating: 4.4

STROKER ACE (1983)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Champion NASCAR driver Stroker Ace (Burt Reynolds) races and romances in high-speed, good-old-boy style. But when he signs unread a contract with a sly chicken magnate (Ned Beatty), Stroker ends up feeling like a dumb cluck. Now, he must cut ribbons at fast-food outlets, hawk chicken on TV and wear a chicken suit even when he’s racing. Loni Anderson, Jim Nabors, Bubba Smith and Parker Stevenson co-star in this action comedy.
Average Netflix Rating: 3

ROSEWOOD (1997)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Ving Rhames and Don Cheadle headline this fictionalized retelling of the Rosewood massacres, a 1923 incident in which a white mob used a white woman’s false rape allegations as the motivation to destroy a peaceful, predominately black town. Jon Voight, Bruce McGill and Michael Rooker also star in this poignant historical drama from Academy Award nominee John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood).
Average Netflix Rating: 3.8

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE (1997)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Bill Murray stars as video store clerk Wallace Ritchie in this satire of the spy thriller genre. Wallace wants to celebrate his birthday with younger brother James (Peter Gallagher), but James, an aggressive businessman, has an important dinner meeting planned. He gets rid of Wallace by giving him a ticket to an audience-participation show where an unfortunate case of mistaken identity leads Wallace into — among other things — a web of espionage.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.4

ILLEGAL (2010)
Streaming Available: 07/01/2011
Synopsis: Olivier Masset-Depasse directs this drama that follows the story of Tania (Anne Coesens) and her teenage son, Ivan (Alexandre Gontcharov), Russian immigrants who are in Belgium illegally. Tania lives in fear of being found out — and one day, her worst nightmare becomes a reality. During a routine police check, Tania is apprehended — but she refuses to accept the fact that she’ll be deported and separated from her son.
Average Netflix Rating: 3.7