CNN has a rundown of what movies are new to Netflix this month.

My recommendations:

Gladiator – Lots of manly action and intense fight scenes, filmed in a style that was innovative at the time and really got you into the middle of things.  (Shaky-cam has been imitated many times since, usually with less effect.  But Gladiator is one of the few films to use it well.)

Hook – A fun adventure that a lot of people have forgotten about, but manages to be quite entertaining.  Now that adult adaptations of fairy tales has become its own genre, it’s worth looking back at a film that was made because someone had a good idea for a story to tell, rather than because the genre is hot and there’s money to be made.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 – If you like hyper-stylized violence, these are two of the best examples of that.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – I think a lot of classics are overrated, but this is one that really holds up.  But I should warn you that it might depress you.  Not due to any flaw in the film, but because you’ll inevitably end up comparing the fictional state of politics in the 30s to the real state of politics today, and realize how messed up things have become.

Goldfinger – Probably the best of the Bond movies.  If you’re somehow not aware of what Bond is about and are curious, this is the film to check out.  The same is true if you only know Bond from recent movies, either the gritty/dreary Daniel Craig movies or the completely ridiculous Pierce Brosnan invisible car ones. The old school Sean Connery era Bond films had a much better mix of fun and action, with interesting/colorful/menacing villains and wacky gadgets that didn’t fall off the cliff into absurd magic.

(I’m thinking I’ll try to make new to Netflix recommendations every month.  Let me know your thoughts on this.)