October isn’t a very good month is it?
The clocks go back, the temperature plummets and you've missed out on Glastonbury tickets once again, which probably means you’ll spend most of it on the sofa in your pants eating Toffee Crisps.
While you’re doing this you’re going to need something to watch and luckily for you we’ve trawled through Netflix’s new releases to bring you the very best of what’s on offer.
We’ve got fighting mascots, interstellar travel, and the dirtiest of dirty cops.
It might be a good month after all.
13th
After Amanda Knox, this is Netflix’s next must-see documentary. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay puts the lens on the US prison system and institutionalised racism, looking at how America has the world’s highest rate of incarceration – and why so many prisoners are African American. The title refers to the US constitution’s 13th amendment, which states slavery shall only be permitted as a criminal punishment. Powerful stuff.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
Black Mirror
If you didn’t know the brand new season of Black Mirror had come to Netflix, then you must have been living under a rock in a futuristic parallel world, making some kind of comment on the state of modern society no doubt. Not only that, but the first two seasons of Charlie Brooker’s brain twisting, scarily astute show are also now available.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
The Last Kingdom
Fill the Game of Thrones-shaped gap in your brainbox with this ace series about Vikings, King Alfred and the formation of England. It’s rooted in historical fact – following the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon), born a Saxon but raised a Viking – with a little creative license and some whopping great battle scenes. Based on the books by Sharpe author Bernard Cromwell.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park – Europe
The stars of Canada’s funniest TV export travel across Europe for a special eight-episode series. If you’re not up to date with the adventures of Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles it’s high time – and we do mean high – that you caught up. This new series sees them explore to a different European city each episode. As fans will know, bad things happen whenever they leave Sunnyvale Trailer Park – expect heavy drinking, petty crime, and lots of colourful language.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
From Dusk Til Dawn
The third season of the series based on Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s crime/vampire mash-up. It contimues to build on the story of the original film, taking place six months after the destruction of the Titty Twister club, and following the Gecko brothers battle about a species of snake/vampire hybrids. It's OTT and buckets of fun. Think The Walking Dead with fangs.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%
Amanda Knox
Such was the level of tabloid frenzy aimed towards Amanda 'Foxy' Knoxy following the murder of Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007, a crime for which she was found guilty jailed and eventually acquitted, it’s hard not to have an opinion on the case. And now thanks to this powerful documentary, complete with interviews with Knox you may get another viewpoint completely. Judge for yourself.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Felony
Slick Australian crime thriller about three cops embroiled in a battle of wits following an accident that leaves a child in a coma. It’s driven by three cracking performances as Joel Edgerton, Jai Courtney, and Tom Wilkinson duke it out as the cops – each with his own (occasionally dubious) agenda. Further proof that the Aussies have a keen eye for gripping crime drama.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
Filth
A different cop drama this. The psychedelic, super-sweary, and positively disgusting adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s tale of a bent copper gone bonkers. James McAvoy plays an absolute blinder as booze and drugs-addled Bruce, while director Jon S. Baird succeeds in the near-impossible task of getting under the skin of Welsh’s “un-filmable” novel. Though a different film to Trainspotting in almost every way, in terms of an ingenious adaptation it’s every bit as good.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 64%
Mascots
The brand new comedy from Christopher Guest (you know, This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, and all round bloomin’ comedy genius). It takes a sideways look at the world of team mascots, as the guys beneath big furry suits – including Chris O’Dowd, Zack Woods and Parker Posey – compete in the World’s Best Mascot contest. Confirms what we already knew: team mascots are only ever one chant away from a hilarious punch up.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 51%
Stargate
Like stepping through a space-time portal straight back into the 1990s, complete with James Spader and Kurt Russell’s incredible flattop hairdo. It’s actually one of the decade’s great science fiction concepts – a military team use an interstellar teleportation device to travel to a planet that resembles Ancient Egypt, ruled by dastardly god Ra (Jaye Davidson). Cue much SF chicanery and more spin-off series than you can count.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 48% (are they kidding?!)
