With major Oscar contenders still in theaters or already streaming (in addition to many of the best movies of 2025), and the big holiday hits like “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “The Housemaid” still at least a month away from streaming,

Queen of Chess, State of Fear and The Black Phone are a few great titles arriving on Netflix this month. Liz Kocan has spent the last 20 years covering TV, entertainment and working behind the scenes in digital production.

Director Joe Carnahan did a brilliant job of mixing true crime with creative license for the Netflix film, ''The Rip."