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September arrivals on Netflix are diverse, with the debuts of titles both well-known and obscure.
‘About Time’ (2013)
A handful of plot holes aside, this science fiction romantic drama still manages to hit most of its marks while acting as an homage to “Groundhog Day.” Told by his father that the men in their family can time travel, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) decides to go back for just a day to try to correct some unforced romantic errors. It doesn’t work.
Later in the year, something similar happens between Tim and Mary (Rachel McAdams), and this time, the time-assisted repairs work, at least that is how it would initially appear.
‘Jarhead’ (2005)
After debuting with back-to-back masterpieces (“American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition”), filmmaker Sam Mendes slips just a bit while stepping outside of his comfort zone.
Set during the Persian Gulf War, the lead character Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), has trouble acclimating but settles into a groove when a superior officer recommends he try to become a sniper.
Containing elements of “Catch-22,” “Full Metal Jacket,” and “American Sniper,” the iffy plot (based on a book by the real Swofford) is saved by Gyllenhaal’s committed performance and some no-frills direction from Mendes.
‘Phantom Thread’ (2017)
While not his greatest effort, this British-set period piece from director Paul Thomas Anderson is still light-years ahead of his multiple Oscar-winning “One Battle After Another” from 2025.
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Reynolds Woodcock, an exacting fashion designer based in 1950s London whose blunt eccentricities match and sometimes exceed those of his character in Anderson’s 2007 masterpiece “There Will Be Blood.”
Although probably not intended, this movie is a superb bookend-counterpoint to Martin Scorsese’s 1993 “The Age of Innocence.”
‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ (2019)
The critics (at 44 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) hated it, but audiences (at 96 percent) hands down loved it—and I’m with them. One of the most daring “shaggy dog” movies, it takes a lot of chances, and most of them work.
Milo Ventimiglia stars as Denny, a fledgling Formula One driver who meets and falls for Eve (Amanda Seyfried). This doesn’t immediately sit well with Enzo (as in Ferrari), a golden retriever whose inner monologue is voiced with easy-going assurance by Kevin Costner. Enzo is jealous of both Eve and the couple’s infant child but gets over it soon enough.
The title has a double meaning. The first is how tricky driving fast in the rain is, and the second is one’s ability to navigate life’s unexpected twists and turns.
‘The A.I. Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’ (2026)
Released theatrically last spring, this documentary from Oscar-winner Daniel Roher (“Navalny”) and Charlie Tyrell takes a relatively light approach to a very serious subject.
The multimedia production deserves high marks for mixing clever animation with its reams of data, while making it palatable for general audiences, not just the techies among us.
‘Disconnect’ (2012)
An excellent companion to “The A.I. Doc,” this mystery thriller features three seemingly unrelated stories regarding bad behavior on the internet. Topics addressed are identity theft, the exploitation of runaway teens, and middle school cyberbullying.
Directed by Henry Alex Rubin, the dream ensemble cast is led by Jason Bateman, Alexander Skarsgard, Paula Patton, Hope Davis, Andrea Riseborough, and Max Thieriot.
Resembling the more conventional works of Robert Altman (“Nashville,” “The Player,” “Short Cuts”), the narrative has a slow-burn buildup leading to multiple final-act payoffs. Credit to Rubin and screenwriter Andrew Stern for not rushing things along.
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
Quite simply, producer and leading man Tom Cruise single-handedly saved the brick-and-mortar film industry with this movie.
In terms of quality, it dwarfs the 1986 original, as reflected by its six Academy Award nominations and $1.5 billion take at the global box office.
Cruise reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the still-headstrong fighter pilot whose disdain for authority has not abated. After a particularly dangerous and impressive stunt, Maverick is demoted and assigned teaching duties at his former flight school.
It is here that he enters into a testy relationship with trainee Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Pete’s late friend Goose (Anthony Edwards) from the first installment. Pete also starts flirting with Penny (Jennifer Connelly), a local bartender who makes him jump through many hoops before they become an item.
A huge crowd-pleaser, the movie unabashedly and proudly flaunts its American patriotism without getting political, while leaving room for a second sequel.
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