While most of the Western world gears up to welcome in a new year, China’s roughly one billion people have just under a month to go until their respective New Year’s Eve celebrations begin. 2022 was the year of the Tiger, symbol of strength, might and courage, traits that perhaps foreshadowed the world events of 2022 with the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and the implementation of Wade vs. Roe. With a new dawn for the lunar year on February 1, marking the beginning of the year of the rabbit, known as the happiest of the 12 animals, let’s hope that as the year of the tiger brought hard times, the rabbit brings peace and brings prosperity.
Netflix was certainly not exempt from the implications of the economic struggles of 2022, and so will seek to recover with the renewed hope that 2023 can bring. With December’s supply relatively thin, the pressure on January’s output to deliver in terms of quality and quantity has been clearly felt, with a slew of older titles set to be added to the platform…
Bold (January 1)
Following the devastating news in early 2022 that Fat star Olivia Newton-John had passed away, its inclusion in the January 2023 Netflix lineup is certainly a welcome tribute to the late actor’s life. With the unmistakable John Travolta, Fat was one of the defining musicals of the 20th century, and perhaps of all time.
Directed by Randal Kleiser, 1978s Fat traverses the friendships, relationships and lives of a group of American high school students in the 1950s, and the budding courtship and romance of Danny Zuko (Travolta) and Sandy (Newton-John).
Rocky Movies – (January 1)
Netflix has proven its worth as a heavyweight of the streaming world, and its January offering is undeniably pretty powerful as Sylvester Stallone dusts off his robes, fastens his gloves, and steps into not just the ring. rocky, but the whole franchise. The five-movie series hits the platform on January 1, as Rocky and boxing enthusiasts will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of an action-packed boxathon.
Following the story of epic zero-to-hero ratios, the franchise traverses Rocky Balboa’s ascent to Boxing glory and encounters the world’s fiercest and deadliest opponents in the form of Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago.
Reservoir Dogs (January 1)
Quentin Tarantino began his sparkling film career with his feature film debut, Reservoir dogs. Featuring the iconic closing credits accompanied by the George Baker Selection song Small green bag, the film is a racy, typically violent introduction to the wacky mind of a modern directorial genius. The 1992 film is about a group of criminals who embark on a botched diamond heist. With an amazing cast and an unforgettable soundtrack, Reservoir dogs is an understated addition to the Netflix catalog.
Road to Perdition (January 1)
2022 was all about Sam Mendes’ Road to destruction‘s 20th anniversary, two decades after its release, and it translates as impressively as when it first hit the silver screen. Inspired by real events, the film adaptation of author Max Allan Collins’ novel of the same name follows the story of mob mobster Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) as he seeks to avenge the murder of his wife and son.
Sullivan forms the emotional core of the film by simulating his surviving son, Michael Sullivan Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) from the dangers of the merciless hand of mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman) and his unpredictable son, Connor (Daniel Craig).
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (January 1)
Right between his penultimate photo and the last film of the hugely successful film Cornetto Trilogy, Edgar Wright wrote and directed the frantically off-the-wall film, Scott pilgrim against the world. In this dazzling adaptation of the graphic novel series, Michael Cera plays bassist and gamer nerd Scott Pilgrim.
Insecure about himself and his own manhood, his love life is similar to that of Will Ferrell’s Detective Allen in The other guysThroughout the film, Scott goes through the romantic moves with various girls, before falling head over heels for Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and must battle her seven evil exes to win her affections. Be warned; Don’t drink coffee or other energizers before watching, the lightning-fast cuts and hyper-energetic editing will fill even the most lethargic of viewers with a dose of caffeine.
The Devil to Pay (January 17)
In the slow-burning indie film The devil to pay, Lemon Cassidy (Danielle Deadwyler) is a single mother struggling to run the family farm after her husband disappears. All the while Lemon must protect her young son from the notorious Runion family who lead the lawless around Danielle Deadwyler’s naturally vulnerable performance, it’s certainly a film to have earmarked.