Gone by Tuesday: The best movies leaving Netflix this week

While there are daily drops of new material on Netflix, everything from crazy reality shows to classic rom-coms, there’s also a constant churn of content dropping off the global streaming service.

So although you might think a movie or TV show will be available to watch on there forever, the truth is that’s very much not the case, some only available for a few months at a time.

In order to assist those keen to get the most out of their subscription, and in order to help with your viewing priorities, Stuff to Watch has come up with a list of seven superb movies that won’t be around for much longer.

Much sure you catch them while you can.

Julie & Julia (2009)

Basing her screenplay on two books – Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen and Julia Child’s My Life in France – writer-director Nora Ephron’s risky combination (separate movies could have been made out of each story) of ingredients blends together with fantastic results.

Amy Adams is superb as Powell, a woman who blogged her attempts to recreate hundreds of Child’s dishes, while Stanley Tucci is terrific as Julia’s husband Paul. However, it is Meryl Streep who steals the show, with her portrayal of the larger-than-life food writer-turned-TV chef.

By the time you add in the copious amounts of mouthwatering gastro-porn on display, the result of Julie & Julia is much like one of Child’s tried and tested souffle recipes, a light confection that is sure to rise, sorry, raise a smile.

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

This was the global crowd-pleaser that brought the delights of 1970s Hong Kong action-cinema to a whole new audience.

Stephen Chow directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in this 1940s Shanghai-set comedy about a young man who has designs on joining a notorious gang. However, he more than meets his match when he attempts to terrorise a seemingly ordinary neighbourhood.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Ken Watanabe, Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh star in this lavish adaptation of Arthur Golden’s much-loved 1997 novel about a Japanese girl, torn from her penniless family, who grows up to be a legendary geisha.

Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago), it took home Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

“This is a work that the old Hollywood moguls themselves would have been proud to present,” wrote Variety magazine’s Todd McCarthy.

North Country (2005)

New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) put together a magnificent cast – Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean, Richard Jenkins, Michelle Monaghan, Jeremy Renner, Woody Harrelson and Sissy Spacek – for this drama, based on real-life events.

One of the first women to work at a Minnesota iron mine, Theron’s Josey Aimes faces constant abuse from her male co-workers. Appalled by their behaviour, she decides to file a sexual harassment lawsuit.

“If there was ever any thought that perhaps Whale Rider was a fluke, North Country should erase all doubt,” wrote Toronto Star’s Peter Howell.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly and Jared Leto team up for director and co-writer Darren Aronfosky’s adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s 1978 novel of the same name. The film depicts a group of characters all affected by drug addiction and conveys how it alters their physical and emotional states.

“A powerful fable about love and addiction that manages to be darkly humorous when it isn’t graphic or harrowing in the extreme,” wrote New York Post’s Jonathan Foreman.

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

They’ve had hits in the UK, Australia, France and Germany and collaborated with everyone from Franz Ferdinand to Giorgio Moroder in a career that has spanned more than 20 studio albums and almost 55 years. Yet few Kiwis have probably heard of Sparks’ Ron and Russell Mael and their influential and amazingly eclectic music (even New Zealand’s Troy Kingi would be impressed by their range).

Edgar Wright’s soup-to-nuts documentary aims to right that wrong, offering up a stunning array of archival clips and interviews with fellow celebrity fans – and the duo themselves.

Whiplash (2014)

Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons star in this drama about a promising young drummer who enrols at a cut-throat music conservatory. Written and directed by La La Land and Babylon’s Damien Chazelle, Simmons’ performance won him Academy, Bafta, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Supporting Actor.

“It’s rare to see a film about music that professes its love for the music and its characters equally,” wrote The Guardian’s Henry Barnes.