Thu Jun 2, 2011
I love Netflix, but it’s hard to tell when new movies come out and whether they’re any good or not. So, here are the latest releases for June 1st and their Rotten Tomatoes / Flixster rating. I’ll also be giving my top pick for the day for a movie I think is the number one worth watching out of the batch… And my top pick today is Knight and Day. Even though other movies got higher ratings, this looks like a fun action movie for the summer.
June 01
Knight and Day
Rotten Tomato Rating: 53%
Perpetually unlucky in love, June (Cameron Diaz) becomes intrigued by a mysterious man (Tom Cruise), who unexpectedly drags her into a whirlwind adventure involving devious enemies, life-threatening confrontations and a major discovery that may alter the future of humankind. Directed by James Mangold, this exhilarating action-comedy also features Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano, Maggie Grace and Viola Davis. More details / Watch now
Direct Contact
Flixster Audience Rating: 20%
Imprisoned in Eastern Europe, former Special Forces agent Mike Riggins (Dolph Lundgren) jumps at the chance when he’s offered his freedom in exchange for tracking down American Ana Gale (Gina May), who’s been abducted by a brutal underground leader. But after rescuing Gale, he discovers he’s been used to locate her for nefarious purposes. Now he must get Gale to the U.S. Embassy while fighting off a host of bad guys in this thrilling action flick. More details / Watch now
Top Gear (U.K.)
N/A
The more you see of this hit British series, the more obvious it becomes that Jeremy Clarkson and his crew of car lovers may, in fact, have the best jobs on Earth, testing the limits of luxury vehicles – and even wrecking them, if they please. Highlights include the recurring segment “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car,” which sticks celebrities behind the wheel of an average auto to see how fast they can run it through the “Top Gear” test track. More details / Watch now
Baby on Board
Flixster Audience Rating: 25%
Power couple Angela (Heather Graham) and Curtis (Jerry O’Connell) have a seemingly flawless marriage, but a surprise pregnancy could end up turning their carefully ordered world upside down in this riotous rollercoaster of a romantic comedy. Between their know-it-all best friends (John Corbett and Katie Finneran) and Angela’s task-master boss (Lara Flynn Boyle), the perfect pair could end up imploding before the bundle of joy’s even born. More details / Watch now
Intersection
Rotten Tomato Rating: 7%
In the wake of a terrible car wreck, award-winning architect Vincent Eastman (Richard Gere) sees his life in flashbacks, recalling his separation from his beautiful but aloof wife (Sharon Stone) and his affair with a joyful and passionate journalist (Lolita Davidovich). With the help of ace cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, director Mark Rydell crafts a glossy, star-studded update to the 1970 French romantic drama Les Choses De La Vie. More details / Watch now
The Code
Flixster Audience Rating: 39%
Deeply in debt to the Russian mob, master jewel thief Ripley (Morgan Freeman) recruits a talented burglar (Antonio Banderas) to help him pull off one more daring heist: filching two gem-encrusted Fabergé eggs worth a cool $20 million each. The stakes stack up when Ripley’s criminal creditors threaten to kill his goddaughter (Radha Mitchell), while the cop (Robert Forster) who’s been trying to nail Ripley for years is hot on his trail. More details / Watch now
The Traveler
Rotten Tomato Rating: 20%
Val Kilmer stars in this creepy thriller as Mr. Nobody, a mysterious drifter who wanders into a small-town police station on Christmas Eve and confesses to a series of murders, none of which have actually occurred – yet. But while the vagabond remains under lock and key, the cops themselves start turning up dead in precisely the ways that Mr. Nobody described. Dylan Neal co-stars in this suspenseful drama directed by Michael Oblowitz. More details / Watch now
Even the Rain
Rotten Tomato Rating: 89%
In this provocative film-within-a-film, director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) heads to Cochabamba, Bolivia, to shoot a film about Christopher Columbus’s trespasses in the New World, only to find the locals protesting present-day exploitation of the poor. Sebastián is sympathetic to the cause, but realities collide when lead actor Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), cast as a rebel against the Spanish, becomes a key figure in the current demonstrations. More details / Watch now
MI-5
N/A
This award-winning series dramatizes the professional exploits and personal lives of the “spooks” of MI-5, the British equivalent of the FBI. No-nonsense head officer Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) guides a band of dedicated spies who risk their lives every day. The team includes expert and junior members who must balance real life with the job’s requirement for complete secrecy, no matter the cost. Matthew Macfadyen and Richard Armitage co-star. More details / Watch now
For the Love of a Dog
Flixster Audience Rating: 69%
After learning that their beloved golden retriever needs an expensive operation, the valiant Harrington kids throw themselves into raising the needed funds, even managing to get their grouchy neighbor (Sherman Hemsley) involved in the effort. Based on a true story, this inspiring holiday film follows the Harrington children as they give up their prized possessions to save heroic canine Semper Fi. Rhonda Leigh, John Lowell and Jules Mayes star. More details / Watch now
The Deal
Flixster Audience Rating: 27%
William H. Macy stars in this irreverent comedy as a desperate movie producer who lands himself in hot water when the star of his big-budget biopic on British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli is kidnapped from the set. Based on Peter Lefcourt’s novel of the same name, this outrageous look at the zany world of filmmaking also stars LL Cool J, Meg Ryan and Jason Ritter. More details / Watch now
Vampires Suck
Rotten Tomato Rating: 4%
From the creators of Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans comes a spoof of pop culture and teenage vampire movies starring Jenn Proske as Becca, a high schooler who must choose between two hunky boys who both have killer smiles. While surrounded by vampires, werewolves (wereChihuahuas, anyone?) and gossipy teens with their own romantic dilemmas, the neurotic Becca also copes with her overprotective father and the school’s impending prom. More details / Watch now
Imagine That
Rotten Tomato Rating: 39%
Work problems are piling up for financial exec Evan (Eddie Murphy), and his ruthless rival (Thomas Haden Church), greedy boss (Ronny Cox) and touchy-feely best (DeRay Davis) friend aren’t helping matters. But when Evan discovers a pathway to his daughter’s imaginary world, he starts finding some solutions. Nicole Ari Parker co-stars as Evan’s estranged wife in this inventive family comedy from Over the Hedge director Karey Kirkpatrick. More details / Watch now
Catch-22
Rotten Tomato Rating: 87%
Capt. Yossarian (Alan Arkin) tries to escape the travesties of World War II by convincing his Air Force commanders that he’s crazy. Hilarity ensues – but so does reality as he watches his close friends (Martin Sheen and Art Garfunkel) die in the ridiculousness of war. Mike Nichols directs this cinematic adaptation of Joseph Heller’s scathing black comedy about a small group of flyers in the Mediterranean in 1944. More details / Watch now
[Wendy and Lucy
](http://ca.netflix.com/Movie/Wendy-and-Lucy/70108546)
Rotten Tomato Rating: 85%
With earnest hopes for a fresh start, Wendy Carroll (Michelle Williams) sets her sights on a high-paying job at an Alaska cannery. But her journey takes a heartbreaking detour when her beloved dog, Lucy, goes missing and her car decides to conk out in Oregon. There was a time when Wendy had nothing to lose, but now she could lose everything. Kelly Reichardt directs this nuanced drama that was nominated for a Best Feature Independent Spirit Award. More details / Watch now
Waking the Dead
N/A
This acclaimed UK cop drama follows Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd (Trevor Eve) and his cold-case unit as they use the latest advancements in forensic science, psychological profiling and other investigative techniques to crack unsolved murders. Joined by psychologist Dr. Grace Foley (Sue Johnston), detective Spencer Jordan (Wil Johnson) and other team members, Boyd reopens cases including serial killings, political assassinations and more. More details / Watch now
The Ramen Girl
Flixster Audience Rating: 47%
When her boyfriend leaves her high and dry in Tokyo, spoiled American tourist Abby (Brittany Murphy) finds solace in a neighborhood ramen noodle house run by a cantankerous old chef (Toshiyuki Nishida), who agrees to take her on as an apprentice cook. But will the dirty grunt work and endless criticism drive Abby away before she discovers the serene beauty in the perfect bowl of soup – and in herself? Robert Allan Ackerman directs this comedy. More details / Watch now
Ramona and Beezus
Rotten Tomato Rating: 70%
When free-spirited grade-schooler Ramona Quimby’s (Joey King) wild imagination leads her into another adventure, she plunges in with her trademark energy … and penchant for mishaps, much to the consternation of her parents and big sister Beezus (Selena Gomez). Bridget Moynahan and John Corbett co-star as Mom and Dad Quimby in director Elizabeth Allen’s adaptation of the beloved children’s books by Beverly Cleary. More details / Watch now