Jaeden Lieberher in “Midnight Special.”Warner Bros. Pictures
Welcome to Watching, The New York Times’s TV and movie recommendation site.
At the beginning of every month, Netflix adds a new batch of movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are the titles we think are most interesting on Netflix in Australia. Everything mentioned was available to stream starting on Feb. 1, unless otherwise indicated. (Unfortunately, streaming information provided in our Watchlist listings only apply to viewers in the United States.)
Movies New to Netflix
‘Paris Is Burning’
One of the most influential documentaries of all time, this alternately joyous and melancholy 1991 portrait of the New York City drag subculture is more relevant than ever in this era of widespread gender-bending. Though best known for its connection to Madonna’s hit single “Vogue” (which was inspired by the elaborate poses the cross-dressing models strike on the runway in this film), “Paris Is Burning” is also a vital look at how poor, black, gay men and women survive in a culture that shuns them by gathering together and being whomever they want. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree’
The alternate-universe humanoid-teen-girl versions of the “My Little Pony” horses get their fourth feature-length film, this one set at a summer camp. As always, fashion and magic play a part in the young ladies’ adventures, which continue to mirror the world of their pony counterparts. Hey, kids’ shows are trippy. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
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‘Hot Shots!’ (Feb. 8)
Though it isn’t a peerless comic classic like “Airplane!” or “The Naked Gun,” this spoof still packs in a lot of laughs, thanks in part to writers Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft, both of whom worked on those earlier films (Abrahams as a writer, Proft as a contributor). Charlie Sheen proves his skills as a deadpan comedian in this “Top Gun” sendup, playing a cocky fighter pilot whose daddy issues and rivalries with other fly boys put him in danger every time he takes to the skies. Tom Cruise gets duly skewered in “Hot Shots!,” as do decades of corny war movies. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’ (Feb. 8)
It’s too bad that the 2003 movie adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring novels didn’t do well enough at the box office to earn a sequel (or two, or twelve). With a hearty Russell Crowe playing the wise Capt. Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany as his bookish friend and adviser, Dr. Stephen Maturin, “Master and Commander” is a rousing naval adventure from start to finish, and exactly the kind of classy genre piece that Hollywood should make more of. It would have been entertaining in 1940. It’s still a winner today. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ (Feb. 15)
Hugh Grant made the leap from charming British character actor to one of the go-to romantic comedy stars of the 1990s with this funny/sad story about a group of friends who are alarmed to realize that real adult life is sneaking up on them. Grant’s magnetic performance as a carefree bachelor afraid of commitment helps anchor Richard Curtis’s episodic script and established a relationship between the writer and actor that continued in the hits “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually.” (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Holes’ (Feb. 15)
A modern kid flick classic (and the movie that made Shia LaBeouf a star, whether he liked it or not), “Holes” adapts Louis Sachar’s Newbery-winning novel about a profoundly unlucky teenager who gets sent to a hard labor camp for crime he didn’t commit. Once there, the boy gradually uncovers the secrets of his jail while digging up the property as punishment. A clever plot and quirky characters are highlights this cross between young adult literature and a throwback prison picture.(Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Snatch’ (Feb. 15)
Writer-director Guy Ritchie changed the look and feel of British crime stories with this, his third film, a stylish and witty heist thriller populated by colorful weirdos. A stellar cast includes Vinnie Jones, Jason Statham, Benicio Del Toro, and a hilariously mush-mouthed Brad Pitt, all of whom bring vigor to a story so twisty you may want to keep a pen and paper handy. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Midnight Special’ (Feb. 24)
The spirit of gentle 1980s science-fiction classics like “E.T.” and “Starman” resides within this low-key road picture by writer-director Jeff Nichols (“Mud,”“Loving”), starring Michael Shannon as a fugitive from a religious cult. As the government and his former friends converge, the hero fights to protect his special little boy: an 8-year-old with powers that aren’t of this Earth. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
New Netflix Original Movies
‘I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore’ (Feb. 24)
A recent grand jury prize winner at Sundance, the directorial debut of Macon Blair, the producer and star of “Blue Ruin,” stars Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood as ordinary Americans who become so frustrated with the general awfulness of humanity that they decide to become vigilantes, punishing the rude and thoughtless. Comic high jinks ensue initially — followed by some shocking violence. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
TV Series New to Netflix
‘Riverdale: Season One’ (Jan. 27)
Though it’s based on the old Archie comics characters, forget everything you know about Betty and Veronica and the rest of the Riverdale High gang before watching this wickedly fun young adult melodrama, which owes more to “Twin Peaks” than it does to “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Josie and the Pussycats.” A murder mystery and several sexy secrets refashion a 76-year-old American pop-culture staple into something exciting and new. But don’t worry: Archie’s pal Jughead does still wear his ridiculous hat. New episodes will be made available weekly. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘American Horror Story: Hotel’
Pop star Lady Gaga joins the “A.H.S.” family for Season 5, playing the vampiric owner of a freaky Los Angeles hotel. Once again, the show bounces between eras to explore a legacy of evil that passes from generation to generation. From the garish sets to a complicated plot that tangentially connects to earlier “American Horror Story” seasons, “Hotel” is aimed at the show’s die-hard fans, serving up all the twisted mythology and gory perversity that they can stand. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Downton Abbey: Season 6’ (Feb. 15)
The final season of this popular British historical drama is the best since the first one, bringing all the characters’ stories to a satisfying end while also punctuating creator Julian Fellowes’s thoughts about how Britain changed for better and worse during the first three decades of the 20th century. For those who want to see weddings and reconciliations and bright new opportunities, the last round of “Downton Abbey” episodes has plenty of that. But it’s also a bittersweet elegy for a bygone age. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Vikings: Season 4, Episodes 1-10’ (Feb. 24)
This Norse medieval adventure reaches broadens its sweep in its epic 20-episode fourth season — the first half of which is now available. Expect shaggier beards, grubbier faces and bigger battles, as King Ragnar and his hordes attempt daring raids across Europe. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
New Netflix Original TV Series
‘Santa Clarita Diet: Season One’ (Feb. 3)
From Victor Fresco (creator of the cult TV favorites “Better Off Ted” and “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”) comes this wry social satire, starring Drew Barrymore as a go-getter real estate broker whose whole outlook on life changes when she transforms into a cannibalistic zombie. Timothy Olyphant co-stars as her husband, who tries to be a supportive spouse so that they can maintain their upscale suburban lifestyle. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Abstract: The Art of Design’ (Feb. 10)
Here’s a docu-series for anyone who nerds out over a particularly elegant piece of architecture, or a striking print graphic, or a well-constructed shoe. Some of the top designers in various commercial industries walk the viewer through how they tackle their assignments, by way of in-depth interviews that make our everyday surroundings seem more alive with purpose.
‘Chef’s Table: Season 3’ (Feb. 17)
The latest six episodes of this food-porn favorite journey to one-of-a-kind restaurants around the world, from the likes of Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles to Jeong Kwan’s Chunjinam Hermitage in a South Korean Buddhist temple. Gorgeous footage of freshly prepared dishes work in concert with intense conversations with the men and women who prepared them to foster a new appreciation for the culinary arts. (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘The Sound of Your Heart: Season 1’ (Feb. 24)
Based on Jo Seok’s autobiographical web comic, this live-action South Korean sitcom stars Lee Kwang-soo as a lightly fictionalized version of the cartoonist, who’s trying to juggle his career and his personal life. The series is already wildly popular in its homeland, and Netflix is counting on its appeal being universal enough to play it around the world.
New Netflix Original Comedy Specials
‘Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special’ (Feb. 7)
Comedians Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph join the throaty crooner Michael Bolton in this sendup of holiday specials, which combines songs and skits with a story about Bolton’s needing to inspire the populace to make more babies. If his passionate grunts can’t send couples running to their bedrooms, what can? (Add it to your Watchlist.)
‘Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark’ (Feb. 21)
“The Daily Show” host gets to stretch out beyond the confines of the day’s headlines with a special that balances political commentary with observational comedy about everyday life. Noah has been maturing and improving in his day job during the past year, so it will be interesting to see how that affects the way he goes about doing stand-up.
‘Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes’ (Feb. 28)
Though he’s become better known lately as a “This American Life” storyteller and as the writer-director of the hit indie films “Don’t Think Twice” and “Sleepwalk With Me,” Mike Birbiglia actually got his start in comedy clubs. Here, he returns to his roots for a meta-set that’s about what it’s like to try to be funny on stage.
