Are they great, terrible, or both? You figure it out.
Links go to Amazon, though there’s now a Netflix link at the end of each entry.
Dance of the Dead (2008). Filled with geekdom and gore, this tongue-in-cheek, teen creature feature centers on a high school prom at which the living dead await a crowd of unsuspecting students. Unfortunately for the promgoers, the only ones who can save them from zombiehood are the losers who couldn’t even get a prom date in the first place. Can the vastly different cliques band together long enough to defeat the living dead? @Netflix.
Stuck (2007). Driving home after a night of partying, Brandi (Mena Suvari) accidentally crashes into pedestrian Tom (Stephen Rea), who gets stuck in her car’s windshield. Brandi struggles with whether to help save this man’s life or simply let him die and thereby protect her career. In extreme pain and with little time left to live, Tom pleads for Brandi’s help and tries to find a way to escape from his glass prison in this horrific thriller. @Netflix.
Carole & Paula in the Magic Garden (1972). Now parents can introduce their kids to this critically acclaimed children’s series from the 1970 and ’80s, with this fun-filled, 10-episode collection of the show’s most memorable sketches, songs and lessons. Join hosts Carol Demas and Paula Janis as they sing and play guitar, act out exciting stories and pal around with friends Sherlock the squirrel, Flapper the bird and a joke-telling bed of flowers known as the Chuckle Patch. @Netflix.
Night of the White Pants (2006). Thrown out of his mansion by his soon-to-be ex-trophy wife, Barbara (Janine Turner), Dallas businessman Max Hagan (Tom Wilkinson) forges an unlikely connection with punk rocker Raff (Nick Stahl), the boyfriend of his workaholic daughter, Beth (Selma Blair). Joining Raff for a wild night on the town, Max abandons his thoroughly dysfunctional life and gets in touch with his inner punk in this rollicking comedy from writer-director Amy Talkington. @Netflix.
War, Inc. (2008). John Cusack heads the cast as professional ice man Brand Hauser, who’s paid by a private corporation’s brass to take out the competition — a Middle East oil minister — while masquerading as a trade-show director. But not all goes according to plan when fetching field reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei) sidetracks the young assassin. Hilary Duff, Ben Kingsley and Joan Cusack also star in this outrageous satire. @Netflix.
Standard Operating Procedure (2008). Through captivating interviews and dramatic reenactments, filmmaker Errol Morris documents the scandal that erupted in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, where mistreatment of detainees at the hands of members of the U.S. military was captured on film. What was the psychological state of the soldiers? Why were the pictures taken? These questions and more are explored in detail in this engaging look at one of the Iraq War’s most notorious episodes. @Netflix.
The Edge of Heaven (2007). When his father (Tuncel Kurtiz) accidentally kills a prostitute (Nursel Koese), Nejat (Baki Davrak) seeks out the woman’s 27-year-old daughter, Ayten (Nurgul Yesilcay), to make amends. Nejat focuses his search in Turkey, but Ayten, part of a closely scrutinized activist group, has already fled to Germany. Lives intersect in unexpected ways in writer-director Fatih Akin’s multilayered drama, which won Best Screenplay at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. @Netflix.
The Unit: Season 3 (3-Disc Series) (2007). The third season of this action drama finds the covert Special Forces team known as the Unit facing annihilation from a mysterious source. Leader Jonas (Dennis Haysbert) tries to keep his team together while working to uncover the identity of the deadly assassin. Meanwhile, as the brave team members confront their toughest challenge, their dedicated wives face many of their own daunting problems back home. @Netflix.
The Long Way Down: Season 1 (3-Disc Series) (2008). Together again, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman make another outrageous excursion in this Fox Reality Channel follow-up to the actors’ first trip, which was documented in the series “Long Way Round.” Kicking off their travels in the Scottish village of John o’ Groats, the pair eventually make their way to Cape Town, South Africa, journeying through Europe and Africa to reach their final destination. @Netflix.
The Substitute (2007) Vikaren. Something about the new sixth-grade substitute just isn’t quite right. Even though she’s managed to charm all the parents, the students are convinced that Ulla’s (Paprika Steen) cold, eccentric, mind-reading behavior is anything but normal. When they discover that their new sub is actually a menacing alien, Carl (Jonas Wandschneider) and the rest of the students band together to thwart her evil plans. @Netflix.
Negima: Spring and Summer (2008) Mahô sensei negima! Child prodigy Negi Springfield is back in this episode duo from the anime series about a 9-year-old boy teacher at a girls’ school who is well loved by his class of students with supernatural abilities. First, Akaya tries to arrange a romantic getaway with Negi, but her plan turns into an all-out class party. Then, Negi falls victim to a magic spell that finds him harnessed to the bookish Nodoka, who has chosen to spend the day at a spa. @Netflix.