What’s New to Stream on Netflix for September 2022

Crossing the Streams is a series of columns spotlighting all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Netflix arrivals for September 2022. They include festival season titles like Athena and Blonde, a Stanley Kubrick classic, and more!

Netflix Pick of the Month for September 2022

Netflix

There’s a lot going on at the Venice International Film Festival this year, much of it being drama off the screen, but one of the films to gain traction based on the film itself is Romain Gavras’ Athena (premieres September 23rd). The movie explores escalating racial tensions in France that lead to a full-on revolution of sorts with combat in the city streets surrounding a particular tower block. Minorities rebel against oppressive law enforcement, resulting in some reportedly impressive action set-pieces and filmmaking. The narrative riffs on Greek classics while updating the themes to today’s universal tensions regarding race, class, and authority. It’s always risky picking a Netflix Original Film as the monthly highlight — I’m looking at you, Carter — but this one seems like a safe bet.

More Netflix Original Films for September 2022

There’s something special about road trip thrillers, particularly the ones that see the action unfold on long stretches of desert highways with no help in sight. Think The Hitcher (1986) or Breakdown (1997) for two of the best. End of the Road (premieres September 9th) looks to be aiming for that similar sweet spot with its tale of a family targeted by a killer while driving through New Mexico. It clocks in at under ninety minutes, stars Queen Latifah, Ludacris, and Beau Bridges, and is written by a guy who’s been writing 90s thrillers since the 90s, including Passenger 57 (1992), Money Train (1995), Lakeview Terrace (2008), and The Intruder (2019). Expect some fun, low-calorie fun.

If you thought Danny DeVito’s Throw Momma from the Train (1987) was the last word on comedic riffs on Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), well, you’d be wrong. Do Revenge (premieres September 16th) moves the action off the rails and into high school, where teens agree to target each other’s bullies. They’re probably not looking for murder, but the premise remains, and with Sophie Turner and Maya Hawke in the lead roles, this promises to be an engaging, well-written, and lively black comedy (hopefully despite that nearly two-hour running time…)

Sometimes a basic-sounding plot can be elevated by talents you’re just not expecting. Such is the case with Lou (premieres September 23rd), a thriller about a young mother whose child is kidnapped, sending her on a storm-fueled race to find her. Jurnee Smollett is the mother, and she’s aided by Allison Janney as a neighbor with a history of her own. Add in Logan Marshall-Green and Matt Craven with Anna Foerster behind the camera, and you have an action/thriller that piques the interest in all the right ways.

Finally, Netflix’s biggest and loudest film for September is Andrew Dominik’s Blonde (premieres September 28th). The epic (166-minute!) feature is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novel offering up an imagined look at the life and death of Norma Jeane/Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas plays the lead alongside a cast that also includes Garret Dillahunt, Sara Paxton (Last House on the Left remake reunion!), Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Julianne Nicholson, Scoot McNairy, Toby Huss, and more. It’s been in the press for its NC-17 rating, but here’s hoping it’s actually good and worth all the fuss.

The Oldest New Arrival on Netflix for September 2022

One of the complaints against Netflix’s streaming service is its dearth 0f “older” films, with that distinction meaning movies released prior to the 90s. Go look. There aren’t very many on there. So we highlight the oldest new arrival each month, and for September, that film is Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971). The film remains a potent look at near-future technology, and authoritarian overreach as an unruly young man (Malcolm McDowell) is “reconditioned” by the state. It’s an abrasive, absurd, and compelling journey into madness and social commentary.

A Classic Comedic Trilogy!

New Line Cinema

A fourth Austin Powers film has been rumored for some time now — there’s even an IMDB page, so you know it’s true! — and while it won’t be dropping anytime soon, it’s never the wrong time to revisit the earlier films. Sure, there’s been something of a backlash against the trilogy despite the love they received on release, but don’t let a handful of party poopers convince you to turn your back on a good time. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) sees a super agent from the 60s flash frozen and reawakened in the late 90s in the hopes of stopping Dr. Evil. Mike Myers plays both roles, and the film’s brilliantly stupid take on the James Bond films still holds up.

The fun continues in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) as both the villain and the spy head back to the 60s for more adventures. Other returning characters with fantastic names include Basil Exposition, Scott Evil, Robin Swallows, and more. Myers and director Jay Roach once again have a blast blending cheeky humor, Bond parodies, and fun set-pieces into an entertaining ride. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) heads to the 70s and introduces Michael Caine as Austin’s father alongside a new villain once more played by Myers. Comedy is subjective, obviously, but these movies do such a smart job of playing dumb that the laughs come easily for those open to puns, gags, innuendo, and utter silliness. They’re worth a revisit.

The Complete Netflix List for September 2022

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