Two much-beloved series are tiptoeing off Netflix in the United States in July, along with two offbeat ’70s favorites, a horror classic and more. (Dates reflect the first day titles are unavailable and are subject to change.)
‘Gilmore Girls’ Seasons 1-7 (July 1)
The seven-season multigenerational comedy-drama has been one of Netflix’s standbys for years, so popular on the service that Netflix even reunited the characters for a 2016 mini-series. That will stay, but the original series will go (at least for now), and that’s a shame; it’s the kind of comfort television that one likes to have at the click of a button. Its pleasures are numerous: the rat-tat-tat dialogue; the lived-in chemistry between the stars, Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel; their parade of potential beaus (every fan has a favorite); and the screwy energy of tiny, tucked away Stars Hollow, Conn., whose oddballs and eccentricities are just a shade on the sane side of Twin Peaks.
‘The Great Waldo Pepper’ (July 1)
Robert Redford re-teamed with George Roy Hill, the director of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting,” for this 1975 combination of character drama and aviation adventure. But they did not seek to replicate the good-time crowd-pleaser energy of those earlier collaborations. This story of a World War I pilot who spends the late 1920s making a living as a barnstorming flyer takes on a darker and more deliberate tone, as the high risks taken by Redford’s Waldo Pepper and his rival-turned-partner, Axel Olsson (Bo Svenson), have real consequences. The aerial photography, shot by the great cinematographer Robert Surtees (“Ben Hur”), is stunning, and the supporting players are excellent, particularly Susan Sarandon in an early, important role.
‘Slap Shot’ (July 1)
Hill followed up “Pepper” by reuniting with Redford’s “Butch Cassidy” and “Sting” co-star Paul Newman, who spent the ’70s making a series of unpredictable and often bold career choices, lending his movie-star good looks and off-kilter line readings to characters that weren’t traditionally heroic. One of his juiciest came in this delightfully, unapologetically bawdy sports comedy from screenwriter Nancy Dowd, with Newman as Reggie Dunlop, coach and player for the Charlestown Chiefs, a Pennsylvania hockey team that offsets its low scores with cheerful violence. “Slap Shot” both skewers and slyly indulges in the conventions of the underdog sports movie, daring us to cheer for these beer-guzzling, profanity-spewing cave men — and we do.
‘Night of the Living Dead’ (July 4)
Few films have proven as influential (certainly within the world of horror) as this wonder from George A. Romero, which set the template for low-budget genre filmmaking and set many of the rules that have governed zombie movies ever since. It was a classic case of a filmmaker turning his limitations into virtues; his Pittsburgh home base gave him access to an untapped talent pool of actors, who lend the film an authenticity it might have lacked if it had been filled with familiar faces. And his crew of industrial filmmakers shoot in an off-the-cuff newsreel style that makes the zombie apocalypse feel observed rather than created. Nearly 60 years on, “Night of the Living Dead” retains its ability to shock and scare.
‘Sneaky Pete’ Seasons 1-3 (July 10)
Created by David Shore (who also created “House”) and Bryan Cranston, this three-season Amazon original stars Giovanni Ribisi as Marius, a fast-talking, faster-thinking con artist who is released from prison and steps into the life of his cellmate Pete, whom he impersonates to take advantage of Pete’s long-lost grandparents. But it turns into a longer con than he anticipates, particularly when his past starts catching up to him. Ribisi is perfect in the lead, while a cast of stellar character actors — including Jane Adams, Marin Ireland, Margo Martindale and Cranston himself — shine in support.
ALSO LEAVING: “30 Minutes or Less,” “All About the Benjamins,” “Along Came Polly” “American Hustle,” “Backstabbing for Beginners,” “The Bernie Mac Show” Seasons 1-5, “The Best of Enemies,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Colombiana,” “Deepwater Horizon,” “Domestic Disturbance,” “Field of Dreams,” “Hellboy,” “Johnny Mnemonic,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Just Go With It,” “The Lost Husband,” “Madagascar,” “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,” “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” “Money Talks,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “My Girl,” “Paw Patrol: The Movie,” “Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie,” “The Rover,” “Runaway Bride,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Thank You for Your Service,” “Tower Heist,” “The Vanishing of Sidney Hall,” “Wild Things,” “The Wiz,” (July 1); “Attack on Pearl Harbor: Minute by Minute” (July 4); “Under the Silver Lake” (July 5); “The Roommate” (July 7); “Silent House’ (July 8); “Bob Marley: One Love” (July 12); “Side Effects” (July 15) “A Fortunate Man” (July 16); “Dark Tide” (July 17); the “Saw” series (July 19); “Saturday Night” (July 25); “Sliding Doors” (July 27); “Tallulah” (July 29).
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