September is… not typically a great time for movies. (Unless you’re really into whatever shenanigans Annabelle is cooking up in the Conjuringverse, in which case it’s a great month for movies.) So why not catch up on a blindspot? These days, Netflix is brimming with more licensed films from across the studios, making it a hub of under-seen gems and blockbusters you easily missed in crowded summer seasons.
Whether you’re looking for sci-fi action, heightened horror, cop-and-robber shenanigans, or an animated classic, the streaming service’s latest lineup has something for everyone. For your viewing pleasure this week, Polygon’s team of movie nerds has picked four films we think you’ll enjoy. Check them out below:
1
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a titillating watch for a variety of reasons, including its elaborate sets and gorgeous costuming but its casting is the real treat. Gary Oldman is the star of the show as Dracula, and he plays the role like he was born for it. He’s magnetic and charming in the scenes he shares with his unfortunate love interest, Mina Murray (Winona Ryder), but he’s repulsive and downright terrifying in his scenes with Mina’s fiancé, Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves). Anthony Hopkins’ performance as Dr. Van Helsing is the cherry atop this blood-soaked sundae.
The film’s plot does differ slightly from the book it’s based upon, but it’s arguably the most faithful — and most entertaining — adaptation of Stoker’s 1897 novel to ever hit the big screen. —Claire Lewis
2
Shark Tale (2004)
Shark Tale dares to ask the question: What if Will Smith played a working-class fish named Oscar who pretends to be a slayer of sharks in order to achieve fame? Would anyone want to watch that? Well, duh.
Starring huge names like Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and none other than Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese as a pufferfish, Shark Tale is arguably one of Dreamworks Animation’s best films. A cult classic about being true to who you really are, it’s the epitome of feel-good movie that’s perfect for you and the family to watch. —Aimee Hart
3
Inside Man (2006)
Spike Lee is back with his latest joint, Highest 2 Lowest, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film starring Denzel Washington. It’s a team-up that Lee’s fans are familiar with. The duo have been working together since 1990’s Mo’ Better Blues and arguably reached their peak two years later with Malcolm X, a masterful biopic that veers between genres and tones over the course of its three-hour-plus runtime. But if you’re looking for a fun hang with Spike and Denzel, you could do a lot worse than Inside Man.
Inside Man stars Washington as a hostage negotiator who faces his greatest challenge yet when a criminal mastermind played by Clive Owen takes over a bank. Lee deploys all his directorial tricks to craft a brilliant cat-and-mouse thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last scene. —Jake Kleinman
4
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Want to watch Tom Cruise get killed over and over again? Check out Edge of Tomorrow, an underappreciated sci-fi film from Go and The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman. Cruise plays Major William Cage, a military public relations officer during an alien invasion who gets stuck in a time loop after being exposed to extraterrestrial blood. The insights he can glean between resets could give humans a fighting chance.
But learning to use his new power requires a lot of training, and Emily Blunt seems to really enjoy drilling home lessons by killing Cage as soon as he slips up. The movie’s tagline — “Live. Die. Repeat.” — is accurate, to say the least. Edge of Tomorrow is a particularly fun science fiction spin on both the alien invasion and time loop tropes. — Samantha Nelson
