Call us hard to please, but we’re a little disappointed by the new titles available for what should be the hottest month of the year, romantically speaking. Valentine’s Day will have its share of extracurricular pleasures and Fifty Shades of Grey (coming to theaters February 13) may be the biggest draw of them all. Still, we’ve got five recommendations for you—and consult our list of romantic movies for more options. Our top five new movies on Netflix:
White Bird in a Blizzard (2014) Viewers who came of age in 1988 will thrill to the sheen of Gregg Araki’s latest, a pitch-perfect evocation of Gen X unease (featuring activities like making out to Depeche Mode songs). And younger audiences will see The Fault in Our Stars’ Shailene Woodley once again excelling in an emotionally tricky role: Kat, a 17-year-old blooming into her wild years while reckoning with an increasingly unhinged mother, Eve (Eva Green, crazy-eyed and just this side of Faye Dunaway).
The Overnighters (2014) The oil-fracking industry in North Dakota attracts swarms of job seekers from all over the country, not all of whom find gainful employment when they arrive. In Jesse Moss’s compelling documentary, small-town Lutheran pastor Jay Reinke sees an opportunity to enact the Christian teachings of charity, opening up his church and even his own home to these unloved visitors, as the film patiently records the ominous escalation of hostilities.
The Two Faces of January (2014) An adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1964 novel—and not entirely different in tone and spirit to the author’s The Talented Mr. Ripley—this mystery whips us back to a sunny, simpler southern Europe of Yanks abroad and near-nostalgic plots that turn on passports, newsprint and unwelcome private detectives. The whole thing, shot in sandy creams and beiges, looks like it’s been carved from the same weathered stone as the ancient Greek ruins in the backdrop.
In Secret (2013) After seeing Elizabeth Olsen so miserable in Martha Marcy May Marlene—and Oscar Isaac barely surviving the winter in Inside Llewyn Davis—it’s nice to see the pair enjoy a bit of onscreen boots-knocking. Their characters are stuck in a dank version of 1860s Paris, a place of musty shops and asthmatic, annoying husbands. But whenever the two draw close, sunshine magically appears and everything heats up. Their illicit chemistry is completely believable, a hungry fire.
Joe (2013) A subdued Nicolas Cage (what?!!) is terrific as the title character, an ex-con who runs a semi-illegal business poisoning trees for corner-cutting corporations. That said, he’s a good boss, always paying on time and employing anyone in need. So when troubled 15-year-old Gary (Tye Sheridan) crosses his path, there’s an instant fatherly connection—something the boy could use, considering his own dad (Gary Poulter, exceptionally scary) is a roaring-mean drunk.
And here’s the full list of what’s coming to Netflix streaming in February, by date:
Available February 1
Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse
Dark Ride
Departures: Season 12
Gimme Shelter
Gucci: The Director
Hot Pursuit
Houseboat
Into the Blue 2: The Reef
Joe
King Arthur
Magic City: Season 12
MASH: Season 1–5
Naruto Shippuden: The Movie
Now: In the Wings on a World Stage
Proof
Spartacus: Complete Series
The Brothers Bloom
We Could Be King
We’re No Angels
Zapped
Available February 5
The Little Rascals Save the Day
Available February 6
Ever After High: Spring Unsprung
Danger 5
Available February 7
Dead Snow: Read vs. Dead
Elsa & Fred
Available February 8
Blood Ties
Catch Hell
Available February 10
Dwight Howard: In the Moment
Available February 11
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Available February 12
Young Ones
The Two Faces of January
Scary Movie 5
Available February 13
Mako Mermaids: Season 2
Available February 16
Save the Date
Available February 17
The Overnighters
Available February 18
Earth to Echo
In Secret
The Fluffy Movie
Available February 19
White Bird in a Blizzard
Available February 20
Richie Rich: Season 1
Available February 21
RoboCop
Available February 24
Hawaii Five-0: Season 1–4
1,000 Times Good Night
Available February 26
Open Windows
Russell Brand: Messiah Complex
Available February 27
Ralphie May: Unruly
House of Cards: Season 3
Boys