Many film critics dub the September movie season on Netflix, other streamers, as well as movie theatres as a sort of “dumping ground." What do they mean? Well, the film industry usually comes up with what they project to be blockbusters in the summer, and that season ends in September. At the same time, neither the holiday season nor what they call Oscar-bait season are yet to begin, so what they all mostly show in September are morsels of goodness, old favourites that people might want to watch again, and quite a few films that neither they nor the audiences expect to be something worth watching.
Netflix is one of the key players that come up with at least a few new films that could raise the interest with the viewers, or might unexpectedly turn into hits, like a recent success Netflix had with George R.R. Martin fantasy film When In The Lost Lands, which originally bombed with the critics and theater audiences earlier in the spring. Along with those, Netflix and other streamers bring in quite a few old favourites that the audiences often come back to.
The bummers? Sure, there are always plenty of those that will burn your eyes if you watch them, and there are plenty of those in the September’s dumping ground. Try to avoid those at all costs, and you can always start and stop them at your convenience.
aka Charlie Sheen (documentary, 2025)
New stuff? Well, you just might wait later in the month to see something new that might be worth watching. First in line is actually an intriguing two-part documentary focusing on the career of Charlie Sheen, titled aka Charlie Sheen. The film takes a look at all the ups, with Sheen becoming the best-paid TV actor, to all the scandals that were connected to his name, spelling a downfall in his career.
Directed by Andrew Renzi, along with Sheen, the film features conversations with quite a few big names, from Shawn Penn and Chris Tucker, to, well, Heidi Fleiss. The release date is set for Wednesday, Sept. 10. At the same time, Netflix already started showing a series of more prominent Sheen films, from comedies like Good Advice (2001), to Grizzly II (1983), an old horror that, along with Sheen stars George Clooney and Laura Dern.
French Lover (2025)
You just might have to wait until Friday, Sept. 26, to see something brand new that might be worth a watch. The first film that is creating a sort of a buzz, is French Lover (2025), a romance dramedy featuring Omar Sy, best known for his role in the very popular TV series Lupin, along with Sara Giraudeau.
The film is billed as Notting Hill-style story, with Sy in the role of an actor on the downside, falling madly in love with a no-luck waitress. Their love story is not something the audience familiar with Abel, the actor character played by Sy, so the question is open - will their love survive?
This French romantic comedy is directed by Lisa-Nina Rives (who is also one of the three screenwriters, and along with Sy and Giraudeau (who plays Marion) in the other key roles are Pascalle Arbillot and Alban Ivanov. As other romantic entanglements are looming around, this film just might be the right tonic for fans of the genres.
Mantis (2025)
The same day might be something worth waiting for the fans of action thrillers. This one, titled Mantis comes from up-and-rising South Korean production. Mantis is an ace assassin, who after a brief calm, re-enters the assassin industry with other of his competitors vying for the spot of the top assassin. It turns out there is a clash of assassin generations, with Mantis finding himself in the firing line between the old and new.
This tense thriller is directed by Lee Tae-Sung, with Yim Si Wan in the role of Mantis and Park Gyuyoung as his trainee friend Jae-yi (both made their name in the Squid Game series). Jo Woo-jin plays Dok-go a retired legendary assassin who now runs the crime organization of which Mantis and Jae-yi are part of.
Mantis drops on Friday, Sept. 26.
Classics department #1 - ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
When you keep your good new stuff, or the one you are banking on of making it big, you stick to some old, audience and critics-proven films that will probably fill the void, and Netflix is no exception. There are quite a few goodies there, and here are two that you definitely shouldn't miss, even if you've seen them before.
The first unmissable classic still remains one of the best sci-fi films around—ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. Very often, the films depicting a possible first contact between humans and aliens are mostly all dressed up in doom and gloom. Here, in the guise of a child story, things are at the same time quite serious but optimistic at the same time. With some legendary scenes and quotes from other renowned fantasy films.
Both the audiences and critics loved this Steven Spielberg-directed classic, with a script written by Melissa Mathison. The large and diverse cast was led by Henry Thomas (Elliott), Peter Coyote Keys, and then very young Drew Barrymore (Gertie). One of those you can watch a few times.
Classics department #2 - Inglorious Basterds (2009)
The debates about Quentin Tarantino films are still raging on, both among critics and audiences. There are those in both groups that either love them or hate them; no middle ground there. Yet, this is one of Tarantino's films where love on both sides prevails, as he develops an alternate history scenario where two plans to assassinate the Second World War Nazi leadership coincide. Will these plans succeed?
As is usually the case with Tarantino, he wrote the script and directed an excellent cast that includes Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine), Eli Roth (Sgt. Donny Donowitz), and Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark). The standout here, though, is Christopher Waltz, who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa.
And then there are those to avoid #1- The Royal Treatment (2022)
You can run into quite a few of movie duds on any streaming service, and Netfix is no exception. As some general guides, checking IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes ratings could be a good sign of what to skip, but, of course, there are exceptions. Audience ratings work too, depending on the genre you might prefer.
The first that you just might wish to avoid is The Royal Treatment. What you can see is that old corny and worn-out take on the poor girl (in this case an anonymous NYC hair dresser) meeting a true-life prince with love at first (or maybe second) sight. As the first meeting happens at an already set-up wedding of the prince, what will happen?
Not only was the old story line used and abused here, it was poorly written too, with the acting being poor along all lines. IMDb might have been generous with its 5.3/10 rating, while Rotten Tomatoes were not so much—35% from the critics and 395% from the audiences.
And then there are those to avoid #2 - Thunder Force (2021)
A comedic take on superhero films sounds like a great idea, and when you have two actresses who both already made a name for themselves in a comedy setting, you should be in for a winner, right? Well, in the case of Thunder Force, that didn't really pan out, and the two reunited childhood friends who get superpowers to save their city don't do such a good job.
Neither Melissa McCarthy, nor Octavia Spencer (nor Jason Bateman who is in here too) were able to save a poor script, as this one got panned all over IMDb gave it 4.6/10, while it did even worse on Rotten Tomatoes—22% from the critics and 23% from the audiences.