In mid-April of 2006, I took the Netflix plunge. The following are the movies I saw via Netflix and my very abrupt reviews.

Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman)
Uninteresting prison movie wasn't for me. This isn't the typical cool, hip Newman. This is a downer of a flick, with Newman serving as the "hero."
Final grade: D+

The Pope of Greenwich Village (Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts)
Genius 80s flick about two lowlifes living in New York City. Rourke & Roberts are hysterical as hustlers trying to make a living. Great comedy and dialogue. Bonus points for using Sinatra tunes.
Final grade: B+

Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood)
Eastwood kicks tail as a vigilante cop. The first 20 and the last 15 minutes are genius. The middle isn't as exciting, but I can see why it was so heralded at its time of release.
Final grade: B

Higher Learning (Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rappaport)
Modern look at race developed by John Singleton. Completely over-the-top ending, but some interesting characters and great job by Laurence Fishburne.
Final grade: C

The Color of Money (Paul Newman, Tom Cruise)
Sequel to The Hustler. Finds Newman far past his prime, looking for a young player to sponsor. He and Cruise go out on the road, with Cruise playing the punk and Newman playing the veteran hustler. Definitely not as good as the first, but Newman in those shades is still ultra-cool.
Final grade: B-

Miller's Crossing (Gabriel Byrne, John Turturro, Albert Finney)
Old-school gangster movie from the Coens. Some points had great cinematogrpaphy and great dialogue, as is true of most Coen films. The scene where Finney busts off numerous rounds from his machine gun is great.
Final grade: B

The Hustler (Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason)
Ultra-cool Newman on the pool tables. Great dialogue, great script. Several genius scenes. A tad long, but I know why it's considered a classic.
Final grade: B+

The French Connection (Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider)
It's basically one long chase scene. Hackman is great and the movie improves as it goes along. A big award-winner in its day, the film was based on true events.
Final grade: B-

Escape from New York (Kurt Russell)
Very disappointing. Older John Carpenter cult classic. Was groundbreaking for its time, but didn't hold up here. Was expecting a lot more.
Final grade: D+