The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving Netflix In November 2023
Streaming has forever changed the way we consume and experience movies and TV. One of the small joys (and anxieties) that has all but disappeared in the streaming era is channel surfing — the joy of discovering something new by chance, and also the pressure of not knowing when you might watch a certain title again.
Except, the essence of channel surfing is still there, in the way streaming platforms remove and add titles every month. The pressure of only having a certain amount of time before a title disappears forever (well, probably not forever) is still there, only you have a month's notice. With October almost over, it is time for another round of movies and shows Netflix is taking off the platform and replacing with new ones. Like with everything streaming-related, there are a lot of soon-to-be-gone shows and movies. So I'm here to help break down the titles you do not want to miss before they leave Netflix in November.
Arrival
Before Denis Villeneuve took the monumental tasks of bringing "Blade Runner" back, and of adapting "Dune" for the big screen once again, he made "Arrival." This was his first proper foray into science fiction and the last time he made a mid-budget film. The result remains one of the best sci-fi movies of the past decade. An adaptation of Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life," Villeneuve's "Arrival" mixes grand sci-fi concepts and ideas with an artful focus on drama and character that he brought to his earlier work. Likewise, cinematographer Bradford Young brings a naturalistic visual style that makes "Arrival" feel grounded even in its most fantastical moments.
The film stars Amy Adams as a linguist tasked with learning how to communicate with extraterrestrials that just landed on Earth. In the process, her work breaks our understanding of time itself, as tensions between humans and the extraterrestrials threaten with war. The film also features an all-timer score by Jóhann Jóhannsson, which is reason enough to watch the film. Too bad the movie is leaving Netflix just after it topped its charts, but you still have time to experience Villanueve's best film — yes, I said it.
Surf's Up
Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Imageworks have changed the animation game with the "Spider-Verse" movies and even "The Mitchells vs. the Machines." A decade before all that, however, when the studio had just started making movies, they were already experimenting with titles that were slightly different, weirder, quirkier than the norm. Like "Surf's Up," by Ashton Brannon (co-director of "Toy Story 2") and Chris Buck (co-director of "Tarzan"). The story follows Cody, a young penguin who journeys from his home in Antarctica to take part in a big surf-off in honor of a deceased surfing legend he idolized as a kid. Of course, the competition is harder than imagined, and Cody will have to learn valuable lessons about life and surf on the way to the top.
What makes "Surf's Up" special is that it is a rare animated mockumentary, and the film knows how to mine the format for comedy. The talking heads provide plenty of laughs, as do the characters' reactions to the film crew, who become part of the film itself. Even if "Surf's Up" isn't on the level of "Into the Spider-Verse," it still paved the way with visual innovations of its own. For instance, the animation team created a camera system that used motion-capture in order to recreate the feel of a hand-held documentary camera crew.
Superbad
"Superbad" remains the definitive teen sex comedy of the 2000s. There have been other movies like "Booksmart" or "Bottoms" that have updated the genre for modern times, but "Superbad" is a perfect time capsule for humor and culture in the mid-2000s. The film was not only hugely successful and paved the way for a new wave of R-rated comedies, but it heralded the arrival of many of today's biggest comedic actors and creators. "Superbad" marks Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's screenwriting debut, the beginning of the career of a Hollywood powerhouse duo in comedy and superhero TV.
It also meant the arrival of a new generation of actors, like Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera, making the latter instantly successful to the point he almost quit acting. Even 16 years later, "Superbad" remains hilarious and sharply written. The film gave us one of the best fictional comedic characters of the past 15 years in Christopher Mintz-Plasse's McLovin — no matter how much it displeased Jonah Hill. All while still presenting a sweet coming-of-age story within the raunchy comedy shenanigans.
Hook
There are two kinds of movie fans, those who despise "Hook" and consider it one of Steven Spielberg's worst movies, and those who (most likely due to nostalgia) think it is a fun movie with a great cast. Sure, there's plenty to criticize about Spielberg's take on J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan," with Robin Williams as an aged Peter and Dustin Hoffman as his archenemy, Hook. For one, Spielberg himself laments the film and recognizes his lack of faith in the script — which was a product of its Reagan era and tried way too hard to make the audience think that hard-working parents were the scorn of the earth for missing their children's little league games. Still, despite its issues, "Hook" retains a lot of the Spielberg magic.
For one, the cast is spectacular. Williams' approach to an older Peter is great, and Hoffman is absolutely delightful as Hook, recognizing the whimsical nature of the film's world. But it is Dante Basco's Ruffio who steals the film and makes this an adventure worth the Spielberg credit. From the moment he steps onto the scene, Ruffio exudes punk rock style. His interactions with Williams' Peter are fantastic, and their food fight is one of the coolest and most magical scenes Spielberg has ever made. Bangarang!
Accepted
As I mentioned earlier, the joys of channel surfing (or even these lists of titles leaving streaming) involve discovering something you otherwise might not have watched because there's a time limit. "Accepted" is the epitome of this. When it first came out in 2006, the film wasn't really well received by critics or audiences. In streaming, however, this film can thrive. "Accepted" follows a high school slacker who got rejected by every single school he applied to. In order to placate his disappointed parents, he ends up creating a fake college at an abandoned psychiatric hospital and calling it the South Harmon Institute of Technology. Of course, what starts out as a very dumb gimmick ends up helping out a lot of kids, and despite many shenanigans, lessons are learned.
"Accepted" is very much a film of its time. The idea that you could fake an entire university with nothing but a persuasive website could only remotely work in an era without social media — even if it was already hard to believe in 2006. And still, that is part of its charm. This movie also has an impressive cast of actors, many of whom just before they broke big. Justin Long, a pre-"Superbad" Jonah Hill, and a pre-"Gossip Girl" Blake Lively lead the ensemble cast that also includes Ann Cusack, "Gotham" star Robin Lord Taylor, Lewis Black, and Jim O'Heir.
Movies and TV Shows Leaving Netflix in November 2023
Leaving 11/3/23
The Amazing Race: Season 5
The Amazing Race: Season 7
Leaving 11/6/23
Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian
Leaving 11/10/23
Laguna Beach: Seasons 1-2
Leaving 11/15/23
Accepted
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map
Loving
Leaving 11/22/23
Hard Kill
Love Island USA: Season 1
Leaving 11/29/23
Disappearance at Clifton Hill
Leaving 11/30/23
About Last Night
Arrival
Basketball Wives: Seasons 1-2
Dear John
Fences
Hook
LEGO: Friends: Seasons 1-4
New in Town
Peppermint
Stuart Little
Stuart Little 2
Superbad
Surf's Up
The Punisher
Up in the Air