Yesterday, Indiewire film critic David Ehrlich ran an illuminating essay on Netflix’s testy relationship with the original films it releases, explaining how their model of bypassing theatrical release and going straight to streaming ultimately degrades the viewing experience and makes the movies harder to find and appreciate. (This comes hot on the heels of an official denunciation from the Federation of French Cinemas against the Cannes Film Festival for allowing TV into their lineup for the first time ever.) Clearly, his words went straight to the top of Netflix’s corporate office, as the online video giant has issued a letter to their shareholders assuring them that everything’s going to be fine and movies aren’t dead, probably.
Bestflix — ScreenCrush’s monthly video series dedicated to finding the best new stuff to watch on Netflix — is back with more recommendations for December 2015. (If you missed October, November, or December’s episodes [we missed January], it’s not too late to add more great films and TV shows to your MyList.)