Gone by Monday: Seven truly entertaining movies leaving Netflix this weekend

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While there are daily drops of new material on Netflix, everything from crazy reality shows to classic rom-coms, there’s also a constant churn of content dropping off the global streaming service.

So although you might think a movie or TV show will be available to watch on there forever, the truth is that’s very much not the case, some only available for a few months at a time.

In order to assist those keen to get the most out of their subscription, and in order to help with your viewing priorities, Stuff to Watch has come up with a list of seven super movies that won’t be around come Monday morning – so catch them while you can.

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The Big Short (2015)

Adam McKay does a magnificent job of turning Michael Lewis’ 2010 book on how the financial crisis of 2007-08 was triggered by the US housing bubble into a hilarious, compelling, entertaining and rage-inducing black comedy.

A star-studded cast, including Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Succession’s Jeremy Strong, sell the story of how a group of investors discovered how flawed and corrupt America’s mortgage market is, while researching how best to bet against it.

However, the real scene-stealers are the likes of Selena Gomez, Anthony Bourdain and Margot Robbie, who break the fourth wall to explain tricky financial concepts such as sub-prime mortgages and synthetic collateralised debt obligations.

Dumb and Dumber (1994)

The seemingly unlikely pairing of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels turned out to be comedic gold, with this sometimes anarchic comedy raking in around 14-times its US$17m budget at box-offices worldwide.

The duo play limo driver Lloyd Christmas and his best mate Harry Dunne, two dunderheads who set on a cross-country road trip to reunite a briefcase with its owner.

“What makes this fantasy of anti-social behaviour so painfully funny, is the gulf between etiquette and vulgarity, the desire to be a child whooping it up in the adult world,” wrote The Independent on Sunday’s Ryan Gilbey.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Creating a physical set at Rome’s Cinecitta Studio helped give this 1860s-set movie added depth.

Director Martin Scorsese uses his camera and lighting magnificently to recreate an environment where life was nasty, brutish and short. Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonergan and Steven Zaillian’s script also has a grand feel, mixing in notions of xenophobia and electoral tampering, which are still extremely relevant in 21st-century America, into what is essentially a story of revenge.

While Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly and Jim Broadbent are all solid, if unspectacular, in their key roles, it is Daniel Day Day-Lewis who steals the show. Returning from a five-year hiatus, Day-Lewis, sporting outrageous facial fungus, a Dr Seuss hat, a glass eye and a proto-New York accent, demonstrates what the world had been missing out on during his cobbling sabbatical, as well as now that he has “retired”.

The Postman (1997)

Kevin Costner’s other post-apocalyptic movie of the ’90s had an even worse reception than the much-maligned Waterworld.

Three-hours long, this 2013-set tale of a nomadic drifter who inspires hope in a neo-Western dystopia after he comes across an old US Post Service mail carrier’s uniform, only managed to make back one-quarter of its US$80m budget.

An adaptation of David Brin’s 1985 book of the same name, The Postman also made a clean sweep of the five Golden Raspberry Awards it was nominated for. A movie so bad, it just has to be seen to be believed.

The Prestige (2006)

Although overshadowed by his more celebrated projects, this dark, dense and devilishly clever drama from Christopher Nolan is a reminder of the potent power of a little showmanship and superior storytelling.

The superb cast includes Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie. A film that deserves and rewards close and repeat inspection.

The Replacements (2000)

Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Rhys Ifans and Jon Favreau team up for this sport comedy loosely based on the 1987 NFL Strike. That’s when the then Washington Redskins won three games without the regular players and went on to take out Super Bowl XXII.

“It’s just plain good fun, good solid dialogue peppered with plenty of grins, and a lot of football action,” wrote Hollywood Report Card’s Ross Anthony, while Detroit Free Press’ Terry Lawson issued a challenge: “I dare you not to enjoy it.”

U.S. Marshals (1998)

Five years after chasing Harrison Ford’s Dr Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, Tommy Lee Jones’ Chief Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard was back on the hunt – this time trailing Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes), a federal prisoner accused of double murder.

However, as he’s joined in the pursuit by State Department agent John Royce (Robert Downey Jr.), Gerard begins to wonder if Sheridan really is the killer authorities claim.

“His ability to effortlessly convey masculine strength, humour, complexity, and a just-palpable dark side makes his mere presence in a movie sufficient reason to watch it,” Austin Chronicle’s Russell Smith wrote of Jones’ performance.