Netflix is losing a lot of movies before 2020, including some really great ones. As the sun now stands, we have just over one month left to 2019. I'm sure you have a lot to do, but you should try to make time to stream some movies on Netflix before they disappear. Every Monday I post streaming recommendations and today I'm hoping you get some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday to chip away at this list before Netflix says time's up...
Coco (Leaving Netflix November 29)
Coco and the next two movies on this list are in interesting positions. They are three of the many Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm movies slowly migrating from Netflix to Disney+. Netflix is losing the Disney/Pixar movie this Friday, November 29, which is the same day it will become available on Disney+. Not a coincidence. Coco won two Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, so if you don't have Disney+ yet (you can still sign up for a free 7-day trial) sing along on Netflix before it's too late.
Stream Coco here on Netflix.
Thor: Ragnarok (Leaving Netflix December 4)
Yes, watch Thor meet his friend from work in an unlikely place in the third (and best?) Thor movie. Taika Waititi's MCU movie brought the spark back to Chris Hemsworth's character. The Marvel movie is leaving Netflix on December 4 and arriving on Disney+ the next day.
Stream Thor: Ragnarok here on Netflix.
Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Leaving Netflix December 25)
The final Star Wars movie in the Skywalker Saga, The Rise of Skywalker, opens in theaters on December 20. The place to stream the previous movie, The Last Jedi, is Netflix -- at least until December 25. On Christmas day, the gift of Episode VIII vanishes ... and appears the very next day on Disney+. I know not every Star Wars fan loved The Last Jedi, to put it mildly, but it's worth re-watching as a primer for the final movie in this wonderful nine-film saga.
Stream Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi here on Netflix.
Black Hawk Down (Leaving Netflix December 31)
Ridley Scott's 2001 war movie, based on the book by Mark Bowden on the U.S. military's 1993 raid in Mogadishu, is a heart-pounder with a huge ensemble cast. Fun fact, this movie gave Tom Hardy his first-ever film role. I wouldn't call Black Hawk Down a holiday movie, but Christmas day will see the release of the highly acclaimed new war movie 1917, so maybe you can give yourself a war movie marathon -- starting on the big screen and continuing up through modern times. Or not. Your call.
Stream Black Hawk Down here on Netflix.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Leaving Netflix December 31)
Hunter S. Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was one of my favorite books as a teen. There's no way to really do it justice in a movie, but this gonzo 1998 Terry Gilliam film came damn close. Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro star alongside a full cast of supporting crazies. The holidays can get weird, so why not lean into it and force your family to watch this with you?
Stream Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas here on Netflix.
Pulp Fiction & Jackie Brown (Leaving Netflix December 31)
I'm cheating to put both Quentin Tarantino films together, but since they are both leaving on New Year's Eve, I'm thinking you should do a marathon. Start with Pulp Fiction, which came out in 1994, and follow with Pam Grier's Jackie Brown from 1997. Tarantino also has a few Netflix movies that are not scheduled to leave by 2020 -- including The Hateful Eight and Inglourious Basterds -- so you can add them to a QT Netflix marathon. Is there a better way to welcome the new year?
Stream Pulp Fiction & Jackie Brown on Netflix.
The Crow (Leaving Netflix December 31)
This is still a tough one to watch. The Crow was Brandon Lee's final film, after he was wounded on set and later died in the hospital. It was shocking, to say the least, and the film inspired a cult following. Watch Brandon Lee, son of legend Bruce Lee, as Eric Draven in this 1994 adaptation of James O'Barr's comic book before it leaves Netflix.
Stream The Crow here on Netflix.
The Dark Crystal (Leaving Netflix December 31)
I was surprised to see The Dark Crystal on the list of movies leaving Netflix at the end of December 2019. Netflix just premiered The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series at the end of August. The series is a prequel to the 1982 movie The Dark Crystal. Wouldn't the series just be bringing more viewers to the movie? No idea what licensing deals or whatnot may be at work there. At any rate, the movie is leaving before 2020 so now is the time to watch the first season of the series and then the film.
Stream The Dark Crystal here on Netflix.
Rain Man (Leaving Netflix December 31)
There are some true classics leaving Netflix before 2020, including this 1998 Barry Levinson film. Rain Man won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman. Tom Cruise is the real unsung hero in the less sympathetic role of brother Charlie. Go ahead and stream this heartwarming and supremely quotable movie.
Stream Rain Man here on Netflix.
Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V (Leaving Netflix December 31)
Someone do a safety check on Sylvester Stallone 'cause most of Sly's Rocky movies are getting KO-ed before 2020. The first Rocky movie came out in 1976 and the franchise continued past Rocky V to Rocky Balboa in 2006. That movie is not on Netflix, and neither Creed nor Creed II can be found on the streamer either. But you have until New Year's Eve to watch the first five Rocky movies.
Stream the Rocky movies here on Netflix.
Schindler’s List (Leaving Netflix December 31)
"Cool" is not a word I'd really use to describe Schindler's List. Powerful, important, heartbreaking, impressive. It's a tough watch, but if it's been a long time since you've seen the movie -- maybe even the first time since it came out in 1993 -- why not use this opportunity to re-appreciate Steven Spielberg's masterpiece?
Stream Schindler’s List here on Netflix.
Wet Hot American Summer (Leaving Netflix December 31)
Surprised to see this movie leaving too, considering it spawned two Netflix original series. The star-studded comedy came out in 2001 and became a cult classic. Netflix revived the franchise with the prequel series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and then the sequel series Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. But now the original movie is on the list to leave Netflix on the last day of 2019. Bummer, man.
Stream Wet Hot American Summer here on Netflix.
White Christmas (Leaving Netflix December 31)
I love Netflix, but one complaint I have is the dearth of older classics. So I'm sad to see the 1954 Bing Crosby musical White Christmas is leaving the streamer on New Year's Eve. At least that gives families a chance to stream the movie over Christmas, and hopefully that's exactly what happens.
Stream White Christmas here on Netflix.
Winter’s Bone (Leaving Netflix December 31)
This is the movie that put Jennifer Lawrence on the cinematic map. Weird to think that was not even 10 years ago. She became a superstar after this, thanks in part to the Hunger Games franchise but also her other Oscar-friendly roles. She got her first Best Actress Oscar nomination in Winter's Bone, directed and co-written by Debra Granik. John Hawkes was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and the film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Granik went on to co-write and direct Leave No Trace, one of the best-reviewed movies on Rotten Tomatoes, and I'm waiting for her turn to break out on the cinematic map.
Stream Winter's Bone here on Netflix.
So those are a lot of the movies that are leaving Netflix before 2020. Here are nine great movies that are arriving on Netflix in December 2019.
If you're looking for more streaming recommendations, check out these past features:
• 5 Excellent Keanu Reeves Roles Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon
• 5 Sci-Fi TV Shows To Watch On Netflix: Our Streaming Recommendations
• 5 Documentary Series To Watch On Netflix: Our Streaming Recommendations
• 5 British TV Comedies On Netflix You Should Bloody Well Watch: Our Streaming Recommendations
• 3%, Occupied, Harlots, and Other Streaming Recommendations
• 5 Robert Downey Jr. Movies To Love 3000 On Netflix
• 5 Chris Evans Movies Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon
• 5 Ryan Reynolds Roles Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon
• 5 Will Smith Movies Worth Streaming Right Now On Netflix And Beyond
• 5 Refreshingly Non-Toxic Reality TV Shows Worth Streaming On Netflix
• 5 Joaquin Phoenix Movies Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon Ahead Of Joker
• 5 Stripper Movies Worth Streaming In Honor Of Jennifer Lopez's Hustlers
• The 5 Best Space Movies To Stream In Honor Of Brad Pitt's Ad Astra
• 11 Unbelievable True Crime Series Worth Streaming On Netflix
• 8 Movies With 100 Percent Ratings Worth Streaming Before Netflix's The Irishman
• 7 Paul Rudd Movies Worth Streaming On Netflix Before Living With Yourself
• 8 Movies With Twist Endings Worth Streaming On Netflix After Fractured
• Where To Stream Firefly And 10 Other Great Shows Cancelled After One Season
• Whodunit? 7 Murder Mysteries Worth Streaming On Netflix
• 12 Royal TV Shows Like Netflix's The Crown: Our Jolly Good Streaming Recommendations
• 11 Best Gangster Movies Worth Streaming Along With Netflix's The Irishman
Since it's still late November as of this writing, don't forget that we have Martin Scorsese's The Irishman coming to Netflix on November 27, just in time for Thanksgiving. What movies are you looking forward to streaming before 2020 arrives?
