Welcome to your Netflix Streaming Report for September 24, 2015. After the long week you deserve a relaxing staycation with a bowl of popcorn, a bucket of ice cream, and only your Netflix queue to judge you. This past week, Netflix Watch Instant has been kind enough to supply us with Gotham Season 1, Philomena, The Loft, and more.

Gotham: The Complete First Season (Bruno Heller) Rated TV-14 [42 min] – The story behind Commissioner James Gordon’s rise to prominence in Gotham City in the years before Batman’s arrival. Starring Ben McKenzie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, Robin Lord Taylor

Earlier this month I wrote a little ditty on my thoughts about Gotham Season 1. As I stated, my opinion is so so on the series thus far. Batman mythology is forced too hard too soon and it winds up hurting the show by not letting detective Gordon have his own thing. It’s OK. The series is definitely best viewed via Netflix. I wouldn’t consider it binge-worthy though. It’s not that digestible. I’d say about 40% of it is worthwhile entertainment.

(Watch it now)

Philomena (Stephen Frears) A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman’s search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent. Starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, and Mare Winningham

Philomena is pretty drab. The performances by both Dench and Coogan are well done, but there’s such minimal amount of energy from their characters that the reward of the climax is hardly fulfilling. Depending on if you like slow burn dramas, the story surrounding these characters isn’t built up to be that interesting too.

(Watch it now)

The Loft (Erik Van Looy) Rated R [108 min] – Five married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city–a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved. Starring Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, and Eric Stonestreet

If you want to watch decent actors swept up in a unique concept contained within a terrible movie be my guest.

(Watch it now)

Also newly available on Netflix streaming this week:

• From Prada to Nada
• Kung Fu Killer
• Keith Richards: Under the Influence
• Serendipity
• SMOSH: The Movie
• Finding Neighbors
• Iris
• Because I Was a Painter

What will you be watching this weekend?

Look forward to more new titles from the Netflix Streaming Report every Thursday on TTRC.

All plot synopses courtesy of IMDb.com