With so many streaming services out there (and more popping up by the day), it can be hard to know which one you can turn to in your time of streaming need. But really, all you need is the one that started it all: Netflix. Yes, Netflix still has plenty of streaming movies (both original and acquired) that rival the ones that you can catch in theaters. The only problem is that it’s tough to keep up with what’s being added to the service every month. Luckily you have us to sift through their extensive library and find the very best of the best. You’re welcome, by the way.
The reason that Netflix remains so successful and popular to this day is that there really is something for everyone. The past year saw the release of Oscar nominated dramas The Power of the Dog and Don’t Look Up, stylish war drama Operation Mincemeat and to the basketball comedy/drama Hustle. Their repertory library also stays stacked with favorites like Mission Impossible and Menace II Society that rank consistently high on the Netflix top ten most watched list.
So when you’ve had enough Peaky Blinders and before you find out what the Lincoln Lawyer is all about, why not dive into a movie? Here are the best movies on Netflix right now.
For a more in-depth look into our favorite titles available to stream by genre, check out The Best TV Shows on Netflix, The Best Movies on Hulu, The Best HBO Series, The Best Shows on Amazon Prime, and The Best Movies to See Before You Die.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Director: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Cast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton
Genre: Musical, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 57m
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (Critics) 85% (Audience)
Following the death of his son, a toymaker creates a marionette boy in his image. When it comes to life, the man finds, sadly, the puppet is nothing like his former son. Pinocchio follows the beloved wooden boy as he tries to integrate into society as a “real” boy and earn his papa’s approval. Guillermo del Toro’s take on the puppet finds him in the throes of Italy during the rise of Mussolini and fascism. Throughout it all, Pinocchio reminds us and the other characters what it means to be human in such a cruel world. While we are used to fairy tales having a darker edge, del Toro’s war setting brings out the cruelness of humanity. The melancholy song, “Ciao Papa,” will be stuck in your head for weeks.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)
Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
Cast: Emma Corrin, Jack O’Connell, Joely Richardson, Ella Hunt
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 6m
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% (Critics) 100% (Audience)
After getting married, a woman finds boredom with domesticity. Unpleased by her aristocratic husband, she seeks pleasure from one of the handsome estate workers. As the affair heats up, the affair threatens her and her husband's place in society. The Crown's Emma Corin stars as Constance Reid (aka Lady Chatterley) while Jack O'Connell (Skins) plays the object of her affection. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawerence was controversial upon publication for its graphic depiction of sexuality between the two lovers. Publisher Penguin books were even brought to trial for obscenity charges back upon its English language publication.
Sr. (2022)
Director: Chris Smith
Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 30m
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (Critics) 100% (Audience)
Robert Downey Sr. was not just the father of one of the biggest movie stars, he was also a prolific counter-cultural filmmaker. Due to the anti-establishment nature of his movies, he is often forgotten. As he battled Parkinson’s disease, his son decided to make a documentary honoring him. The documentary is not just a revealing look at its subject but a deeply personal film about the relationship between fathers and sons. Director Chris Smith (American Movie) was given complete access by the Downey’s of their lives, past and present, to tell the story.
The Swimmers (2022)
Director: Sally El Hosaini
Cast: Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ahmed Malek
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 14m
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% (Critics) 85% (Audience)
Two sisters dream of swimming in the Olympic games but this seems like just a fantasy. They live in Syria where the war threatens their lives every day. When they are given the chance to escape to Greece, they take it. In a packed boat made only for six or seven people, they begin their journey. As the boat starts to sink, they use their swimming skills to help guide the boat to safety. This is only the beginning of this amazing true story. Based on the lives of Sara and Yusra Mardini, The Swimmers is an ode to dreams and the human spirit in the face of tragedy.
The Noel Diary (2022)
Director: Charles Shyer
Cast: Justin Hartley, James Remar, Bonnie Bedelia, Essence Atkins
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: 1h 39m
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Critics) 61% (Audience)
Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) is a successful novelist. After leaving his small town, he never looked back. That is, until he gets word that his mother has died. When he returns to his childhood home he meets a mysterious woman whose birth mother used to work for his family. She’s looking for answers as to why her mother gave her up all those years ago. While Jake is unsure how he can help, they find that an answer may lie with his estranged father. As they work together on healing old wounds during the holiday season, they find themselves unable to deny their mutual attraction. The Noel Diary is written and directed by romantic comedy legend Charles Shyer.
The Wonder (2022)
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Cast: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 48m
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Critics) 72% (Audience)
Based on Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel of the same name, this psychological drama takes a look at the religious fervor of a small Irish town. A skeptical nurse is asked to accompany a group of religious townsfolk to the residence of a young girl. Her family has claimed that she has not eaten in more than four months and that it is a miracle. Both the girl and her family claim that she is satiated by manna that comes from heaven. As the nurse investigates, she is met with pushback from the town who feel that she does not believe. Florence Pugh delivers a powerful performance as the nurse who just wants to save the innocent girl. The film is helmed by the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman director Sebastián Lelio with a screenplay by the novel’s author.
Slumberland (2022)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jason Momoa, Marlow Barkley, Chris O’Dowd, Kyle Chandler
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 57m
Rotten Tomatoes: 45% (Critics) 92% (Audience)
After the death of her father, Nemo (Marlow Barkley) is sent to live with her uncle. He shares with her stories of fictional adventures her father had gone on. Interrupted mid-sleep, Nemo finds herself floating off into Slumberland, her father’s old stomping grounds. Joined by her father’s old friend, the horned Flip (Jason Momoa), the two go in search of a treasure that grants one wish to whoever finds it. Nightmares in both the dream and real world try to keep her away but Nemo is determined to wish for her father back. Slumberland is a modern retelling of the famous Little Nemo comics from the early 20th century.
Up in the Air (2009)
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (Critics) 79% (Audience)
Jason Reitman followed up his Oscar-winning film Juno with another Oscar contender, Up in the Air. George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham who travels around the country helping companies lay off staff. By traveling and living out of his suitcase, he doesn’t have to carry around much. In his spare time, he offers lectures on keeping life light. Two women enter his life, a protégé named Natalie (Anna Kendrick), and a frequent flyer with whom he enters a casual relationship with. Ryan begins to wonder if maybe he’s been escaping real life this whole time. Kendrick broke out with her role as the cold, newbie who would rather terminate employees over a video call.
Falling for Christmas (2022)
Director: Janeen Damian
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, Jack Wagner, George Young
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Runtime: 1h 33m
Rating: TV-PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 58% (Critics) 80% (Audience)
Lindsay Lohan’s comeback tour begins with this Netflix holiday comedy. A hotel heiress known for her extravagance is found knocked out after falling down a mountain. Somehow, this small town has escaped the media frenzy surrounding her. As she is struck with memory loss, she is taken in for the holidays by a handy single lodge owner name Tad (Chord Overstreet). She finds herself falling deeper and deeper for the town and the man who saved her even as her memories and (twist!) fiancé return. Of course, Lindsay Lohan sings “Jingle Bell Rock” in a nod to her iconic role in Mean Girls.
Final Score (2018)
Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Dave Bautista, Ray Stevenson, Pierce Brosnan, Alexandra Dinu
Genre: Action
Runtime: 1h 45m
Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 69% (Critics) 37% (Audience)
In the middle of a soccer match, a stadium is taken over by terrorists. They are looking for someone and have taken the whole stadium captive. Unless one man finds who they are looking for, they are going to start by killing his daughter first. It just so happens that this hostage is the one person they shouldn’t have messed with. Dave Bautista stars as an ex-military man who just wants his daughter back safe while Pierce Brosnan is the target of the manhunt.
Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, David Thewlis
Genre: Mystery, Action
Runtime: 2h 9m
Rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics) 69% (Audience)
Sherlock’s younger sister is back! After solving a mystery before her more famous brother could, Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) has decided to start her own detective agency. If only the men of the Victorian era respected the minds of women. When she is the only one to accept the case of a missing girl, she finds that this mystery might be one for the whole Holmes family. Brown is joined by Henry Cavill as Sherlock and Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria, the matriarch of the Holmes clan.
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Wendell & Wild (2022)
Director: Henry Selick
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Lyric Ross, Angela Bassett
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (Critics) 83% (Audience)
The constant barrage of mediocre CGI makes acclaimed animator Henry Selick’s absence all the more regretful. Having brought to life our childhood nightmares of Coraline and James and the Giant Peach in beautiful stop-motion animation, he finally returns with his latest for Netflix, Wendell & Wild. Based on his own unpublished novel and co-written with Jordan Peele, the movie is full of the ghastly and haunting images we’ve come to expect. Kat is an outcast at her school. This makes her an easy target for two demon brothers who are trying to make their way back to the land of the living. When she is tricked into helping them, she’s going to have to learn that she can’t keep doing it alone. Peele not only had his hands busy with the script but also co-stars with his Key & Peele partner, Keegan-Michael Key, as the devilish duo.
The Good Nurse (2022)
Director: Tobias Lindholm
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kim Dickens
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (Critics) 80% (Audience)
The Good Nurse continues the Netflix streak of star-studded true crime adaptations. Jessica Chastain stars as Amy Loughren, a run-down ICU nurse. As she suffers from a heart condition, the long shifts in the understaffed hospital are starting to get to her. Hope comes through by the way of a newly hired nurse named Charles (Eddie Redmayne). As things are finally looking up for Amy, a series of patient deaths sets off cause for concern when they are traced back to her new savior. When she begins to look into his mysterious past, it seems like this has happened with Charles before. Not only does this film explore the crimes of one of the biggest serial killers in history but it also indicts the broken United States healthcare system.
The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Priah Ferguson, Kelly Rowland, Lauren Lapkus
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 1h 29m
Rotten Tomatoes: 41% (Critics) 61% (Audience)
In the spirit of Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus or Hubie Halloween comes The Curse of Bridge Hollow. A family relocates from Brooklyn to the small New England (aren’t they all) town of Bridge Hollow, much to the dismay of their teenage daughter, Syd. They just so happen to have moved into the former residence of a local boogeyman named Stingy Jack. After being killed by the townspeople, he vows his revenge and awaits release from his cursed pumpkin. When Syd accidentally sets him loose, she has to convince her no-nonsense, scientist dad to believe in the supernatural to put Jack back in his place. There’s nothing better than a movie that relishes in not just Halloween but the small pleasures of the season like the fall foliage and the houses that go all out with decorations.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Director: André Øvredal
Cast: Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams
Genre: Horror
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 51m
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (Critics) 72% (Audience)
Alvin Schwartz terrified generations of children with his book series, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. These were a collection of short stories based on folktales, urban legends, or games with spooky origins all accompanied by frightening illustrations. Rather than play out episodically as they do in the source material, the film presents the tales as curses brought forth by a woman accused of witchcraft. When a group of teenagers take her book of stories, they find themselves victims of what horror lurks in the pages. Director André Øvredal brings to life the images that have burned themselves into generations including the kindertrauma of the Pale Lady.
30 Minutes or Less (2011)
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 23m
Rotten Tomatoes: 45% (Critics) 40% (Audience)
Director Ruben Fleischer turned Jesse Eisenberg into an unconventional action hero with Zombieland and here he does it again with 30 Minutes or Less. Eisenberg plays Nick, a lazy pizza boy who rarely delivers on the 30 minutes or less policy. He’s given one more chance which leads to a freak encounter: two even bigger slackers strap a bomb to his chest and deliver an ultimatum to rob a bank or they’ll detonate it. Unable to go through with it alone, he enlists his best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari), as the stakes continue to rise. Like the gimmick it’s based on, the film is quick with action and comedy.
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Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)
Director: Leigh Janiak
Cast: Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr., Gillian Jacobs, Fred Hechinger
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics) 62% (Audience)
Sarah Fier is a local urban legend: a woman unjustly hanged for the crime of being a witch who haunts Shadyside to this day. After accidentally disturbing her final resting place, a group of teens realize they have unleashed her curse upon their town. It is up to them to return her to her grave and maybe break whatever spell she has put on the town. The movie feels like a classic slasher straight out of the late ’90s with plenty of elaborate kills, cool masks, and a climactic mall scene. Fear Street Part One: 1994 is the first in a trilogy based on the classic Fear Street novels by the incomparable R.L. Stine. It’s a movie that reminds you of what it was like reading Stine with a flashlight in your childhood bed before you go to bed terrified.
Blackout (2022)
Director: Sam Macaroni
Cast: Josh Duhamel, Abbie Cornish, Nick Nolte, Lou Ferrigno Jr.
Genre: Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 20m
Netflix has become a home to that specific genre of action movies that you would find yourself watching on cable during the weekends. They seem pretty intent on giving every actor their own John Wick. The latest entry into that subgenre is Josh Duhamel’s new film Blackout. A man wakes up in a Mexican hospital with no idea who he is or why he is there. The only thing he seems to have is a particular set of skills that he can use to fend off some would-be assailants. Finding himself in the middle of a cartel ring, the man must piece together what brought him there and how he can get out before he is killed. Blackout looks to be a fun and thrilling ride.
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His House (2022)
Director: Remi Weekes
Cast: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith, Cornell John
Genre: Horror
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 1h 33m
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (Critics) 74% (Audience)
Horror has always been a genre capable of bringing real issues to the forefront. In His House, director Remi Weekes dives into the horror of trauma. A Sudanese couple is finally granted asylum to England. Despite being placed in a run-down shack, they promise to make the best of it. When both start to experience strange events in the house, they try not to speak of it. They don’t want to make a scene and risk deportation. As the spirit begins to physically manifest and destroy their new house, the couple have to question if it’s really worth it. The film takes a look at how much we will endure just to escape the horrors of our past.
Scooby-Doo (2002)
Director: Raja Gosnell
Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 26m
Rotten Tomatoes: 32% (Critics) 39% (Audience)
Scooby-Doo brings the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon to life. After their latest mystery reveals long-running disputes within the team, Mystery, Inc. decides to call it quits. This leads the gang to discover more about themselves. When someone approaches Scooby and Shaggy about strange going-ons at a tropical resort, it’s up to these two to reunite the team and put a stop to the spookiness of Spooky Island. While it shouldn’t work, the fantastic cast and James Gunn screenplay allow for one of the few instances of live-action movies based on a cartoon being actually good, with Matthew Lillard making the perfect Shaggy.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022)
Director: John Lee Hancock
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martell, Joe Tippett, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Genre: Horror
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 44m
Rotten Tomatoes: 30% (Critics) 62% (Audience)
There was a time in the ’80s where anything Stephen King put his name to would result in a movie or miniseries being made. The success of 2017’s It has revitalized interest in King adaptations. Based off of his 2020 short story of the same name, it follows young teen Craig (Jaeden Martell) as he helps out an older man, Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland), as he enters high school in the late 2000’s. Mr. Harrigan is a mentor to Craig. When his elderly friend passes away he has no one to turn to when he begins to be tormented by a bully. With nothing to lose, he leaves a message for Mr. Harrigan, who always offered him good advice. The next day the bully is found dead. Is this all just a coincidence or does Mr. Harrigan have something to do with it?
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Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)
Director: Mike Barker
Cast: Mila Kunis, Finn Wittrock, Chiara Aurelia, Scoot McNairy
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 53m
After the publication and success of Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, Gone Girl, several other thrillers began to follow unreliable female narrators. One of those that really gripped readers was Jessica Knoll’s 2015 Luckiest Girl Alive, which after years of development has finally made its way to Netflix. The film follows Ani Fanelli (Mila Kunis), a woman who seems to have it all—job, money, and a handsome fiancé—as her life begins to unravel. Dark events from her high school past threaten to surface when a reporter questions about her involvement. It seems that Ani has been keeping secrets from her loved ones to protect them from the truth. Luckiest Girl Alive explores not only what we keep from people, but what we keep from ourselves.
Togo (2022)
Director: Israel Adrián Caetano
Cast: Diego Alonso, Catalina Arrillaga, Néstor Prieto, Luis Alberto Acosta
Genre: Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 32m
Director Israel Adrián Caetano’s latest film looks like a callback to American vigilante justice films like Death Wish and Taken. Togo is a fixture of the neighborhood. He makes sure he protects all the cars he’s entrusted with. He takes pride in knowing he’s doing an honest job. He tries to keep kids off the street. When the block he works on and the others who work on it are threatened by violent drug dealers, he’s going to show them that they messed with the wrong neighborhood. Togo holds the distinction of being Netflix’s first original film from Uruguay.
The Munsters (2022)
Director: Rob Zombie
Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck, Catherine Schell
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 50m
Rob Zombie is known for crafting R-rated horror masterpieces. For his latest, he’s dialing it back considerably to pay homage to one of his inspirations, the ’60s sitcom The Munsters. Herman Munster is a Frankenstein’s monster-type who, despite his looks, just wants everybody to have a good time. This is what captures the eye of the vampire girl next door, Lily, even with the disapproval of her father. This looks to be an episodic romp very similar to the cult classic sitcom. The Munsters always relied on their corny lessons of the week under layers of Universal Monster makeup which made it different from anything else on TV. Zombie looks to have lovingly recreated all of that in his first movie that you can watch with the whole family.
Entergalactic (2022)
Director: Fletcher Moules
Cast: Kid Cudi, Jessica Williams, Timothée Chalamet, Ty Dolla $ign
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 32m
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A (Critics) 100% (Audience)
Kid Cudi has teamed up with Kenya Barris and Netflix to bring his animated special to life. The visual design looks straight out of the “Spider-Verse.” Our main character Jabari is ready to focus on his career as an artist after a breakup. Then at a party he meets his next-door neighbor, Meadow. It’s hard to find anyone in New York City, especially someone who you vibe so much like this with. Soon Jabari is scared of sabotaging this relationship before it even begins in this unique look at NYC in the 21st century when you are still figuring it out. Entergalactic serves as a companion piece to Kid Cudi’s album of the same name. The film also features a stacked voice cast including Cudi himself, Jessica Williams, Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Abbott, Jaden Smith, and Timothée Chalamet.
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Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 12m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics) 86% (Audience)
While it may have a little more infamy for a scene involving a certain peach or whether or not it qualifies as a queer film, Call Me by Your Name is much more than that: it proudly belongs in the coming-of-age film canon. Luca Guadagnino directed this adaption of Andre Aciman’s novel about the excitement and heartbreak of first love starring Timothée Chalamet in his Oscar-nominated role as the 17-year-old Elio. One fateful summer, Elio falls in love with his father’s newest protégé. Set in the picturesque Italian countryside in 1983, Guadagnino and Chalamet together evoke Francois Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel character as we spend the summer with Elio as he discovers something new about himself. Chalamet’s performance cemented the actor as a talent to watch out for, especially in the devastating final scene.
Blonde (2022)
Director: Andrew Dominik
Cast: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Evan Williams
Genre: Drama
Rating: NC-17
Runtime: 2h 46m
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% (Critics) 46% (Audience)
While watching Blonde, it’s important to remember that this is not a biography of Marilyn Monroe. Blonde is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 fictional account of what, after years of speculation and rumors played out in the media, Monroe’s life seemed to be like from a total outsider’s perspective. In perhaps one of the biggest instances of the modern American folk hero, “Marilyn Monroe” is a character who tragically followed the idea of the American dream. Ana de Armas plays the dual role of “Norma Jeane Mortenson” and “Marilyn” during her rise to fame and focuses on two of the pivotal romantic relationships in her life (the “ex-athlete” and the “playwright”). Blonde may not give you any easy answers but it will make you think about the way we talk about celebrities.
A Jazzman’s Blues (2022)
Director: Tyler Perry
Cast: Ryan Eggold, E. Roger Mitchell, Milauna Jackson, Amirah Vann
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 7m
Rotten Tomatoes: 63% (Critics) 67% (Audience)
Something about Tyler Perry’s latest Netflix film feels nostalgic. Maybe it’s because Perry brings us down to the South and back to the ’40s for a historical romance. Each night young lovers Leanne and Bayou meet in secret. When Leanne is forced to go live with her mother, Bayou continues to write to her every day. They go about their lives until they have a chance encounter. Despite everything taken away from them, they still yearn for the love they lost. When old habits resurface, they rekindle what they once had. What they don’t realize is that they are putting each other’s lives in danger.
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The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist (2022)
Director: Robert Davis
Cast: Cabot Rea, Tim Cullingworth-Hudson, Audrina Patridge
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 2h 30m
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A (Critics) N/A (Audience)
A 2010 article in Vanity Fair, “The Suspects Wore Louboutins” by Nancy Jo Sales, brought to light a gang of affluent teenagers who robbed celebrities. From 2008 to 2009 friends would get together to go “shopping” by breaking into an A-list celebrity’s house. A common target for this was socialite Paris Hilton, then at the height of her fame. This documentary sits down with those involved, including two members of the so-called “Bling Ring,” as it dives into the culture of celebrity in the late 2000s. It looks to unlock the minds of these wealthy teens who committed the crimes, their eventual fame, and ask why exactly they did it in the first place.
Lou (2022)
Director: Anna Foerster
Cast: Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green, Greyston Holt
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 47m
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (Critics) 62% (Audience)
A woman named Hannah (Jurnee Smollett) and her daughter live away from the world, except for their grumpy, careless neighbor, Lou (Allison Janney). On a stormy night, someone breaks in and kidnaps the little girl. With no one left to turn to, she asks Lou for help. There seems to be more to this old woman than she let on as she is quick to jump into action and kick ass searching for the missing child. The two women find themselves caught up in a larger conspiracy which may lead them to revealing who they really are to each other. While Jurnee Smollett has previously played a superhero, this is the first time Oscar winner Allison Janney gets to show off some action chops.
Do Revenge (2022)
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Cast: Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, Rish Shah, Austin Abrams
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 58m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics) 94% (Audience)
Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke decide to get revenge on their high school tormentors in this modern-day, pastel-colored take on a Hitchcock classic. Drea (Mendes) finds herself on the wrong end of social media fame when a topless video meant for her boyfriend circulates through the school. Eleanor has just transferred into the same school as a former friend who claims she forcefully tried to seduce her. When the two meet and exchange battle scars, they come up with the perfect solution: They must “do” revenge on one another’s tormentors. This sets into motion the Strangers on a Train concept where each girl will get close to their target. It is high school, though, so what happens if you kind of get sucked into it? Do Revenge looks to have the attitude of a modern-day Heathers.
This Is the End (2013)
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Cast: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 47m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics) 71% (Audience)
When Jay Baruchel visits his friend Seth Rogen in California, he expects to be smoking weed and playing video games for the next few days. Seth has become somewhat of a big-shot in Hollywood and drags him to a star-filled party. Just when Jay thinks it can’t get any worse than being stuck in a mansion with a bunch of famous people, a sinkhole opens up, dragging several guests into hell. Stuck in a house in the Hollywood Hills with Seth’s friends with no plan out, they must fight off demons, supply shortages, and Danny McBride. Each actor is playing a fictionalized version of themself here at the end of the world. The party scenes offer plenty of cameos, including a side of Michael Cera you may have never wanted to see.
Drifting Home (2022)
Director: Hiroyasu Ishida
Cast: Mutsumi Tamura, Asami Seto, Daiki Yamashita, Kana Hanazawa
Genre: Adventure
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 59m
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Critics) N/A (Audience)
A few friends decide to get together before the start of their new school year. They end up at the apartment complex where two of them grew up. A lot has happened between these two that has led to a fractured friendship, but as the complex is due to be destroyed any day now, it deserves to be memorialized. In the midst of a strange flash flood, everyone heads inside for shelter. When they wake up, the group of kids find themselves in the middle of an ocean. In order to survive, they are going to have to trust in each other, even if it means believing the mysterious boy who got trapped with them. Hiroyasu Ishida, the acclaimed director of Penguin Highway, continues to show that he knows how to tug at our nostalgic feelings with this one.
Bad Words (2014)
Director: Jason Bateman
Cast: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Philip Baker Hall
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 25m
Rotten Tomatoes: 65% (Critics) 61% (Audience)
Jason Bateman made his directorial debut with this dark comedy. By exploiting a loophole, 40-year-old Guy Trilby manages to enter his local school’s spelling bee contest. When this sets off a series of wins for him, he ascends to fight for the national title. Along for the ride is a journalist, played by Kathryn Hahn, hoping to make a name for herself with this piece. While someone his age competing against a bunch of real fourth graders causes outrage amongst parents and judges, one of his competitors takes a liking to him. An attempted sabotage takes a turn when Guy realizes that his pint-size frenemy will also do anything to win. The film’s writer Andrew Dodge takes the hallmarks of a quirky, heartwarming Sundance comedy and paints it pitch black.
Love in the Villa (2022)
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Cast: Kat Graham, Tom Hopper, Raymond Ablack, Laura Hopper
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 1h 55m
Rotten Tomatoes: 43% (Critics) 35% (Audience)
Netflix continues to revitalize the romcom with its latest film, Love in the Villa. When what was supposed to be a romantic Italian trip with her long-time boyfriend suddenly turns into a trip for one, Julie decides to take the time to eulogize the break-up. After all, she is traveling to Verona, the setting of the most romantic (and tragic) story, Romeo and Juliet. Setting foot into what she thought was her perfectly planned getaway, she sees a stranger who is not too happy about her either. It seems that this villa has been double-booked. After a rough start, the two begin to share more than their commiserations as they explore what Verona has to offer and realize it’s okay to change the plan sometimes.
I Came By (2022)
Director: Babak Anvari
Cast: Kelly Macdonald, George Mackay, Varada Sethu, Hugh Bonneville
Genre: Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 50m
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (Critics) 45% (Audience)
Toby is an underground graffiti artist with a calling card. He preys on the hypocritical bourgeois by tagging their perfect houses while they are out. His duty as an artist is to let them know they have been caught. As he finishes the job of a corrupt judge, he sees something too dark to leave alone in a locked room. This time, he happened to stop at the wrong house. A repeat visit after he can’t get it out of his head finds him face to face with the man himself. Toby is about to find out what’s hidden and why it is kept locked away. I Came By features an absolutely menacing performance from Hugh Bonneville as the amoral arbiter.
This Is 40 (2012)
Director: Judd Apatow
Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 14m
Rotten Tomatoes: 51% (Critics) 50% (Audience)
When Knocked Up premiered, two characters stole every scene they were in: Katherine Heigl’s sister, played by Leslie Mann, and her brother-in-law, played by Paul Rudd. Years later, Judd Apatow decided to finally give them their own movie. Mann and Rudd return as Debbie and Pete. On the cusp of their respective 40th birthdays, Debbie finds out she is pregnant, unsure if she can handle a third kid in the mix. Meanwhile, Pete, having owned his record label for a few years, struggles professionally with signing a real artist. How these situations affect them individually ripples into tension in their relationship at a start of a culturally pivotal age. Of course, this is an Apatow comedy, not Marriage Story, so there are plenty of episodic hijinks, including the couple eating pot cookies, and hilarious cameos to keep it all light.
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Flight (2012)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 18m
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (Critics) 75% (Audience)
Robert Zemeckis is one of the greatest directors of the ’90s and Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of the ’90s (and ’00s, and ’10s), so it only makes sense that a collaboration between them would be, well, great. Flight centers on commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Washington), who struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. While usually able to keep his addiction under control, he risks becoming exposed after he pulls off a miraculous crash landing and is investigated by the authorities in the aftermath. Zemeckis’s first live-action film since 2000’s Cast Away, Flight lives up to the best of his films, marrying fantastic visuals and great music to mature, well-drawn performances. Washington gives one of his best performances of the 2010s here, but it’s even more impressive that his costar, Kelly Reilly (now better known as Beth from Yellowstone), manages to go toe to toe with him with her performance. A well-designed moving drama, Flight is a top-notch film thanks to the talents of both Denzel Washington and Robert Zemeckis.
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Director: Brian Helgeland
Cast: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 12m
Rotten Tomatoes: 59% (Critics) 79% (Audience)
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales had no right to be adapted in such a sexy way. Brian Helgeland, the writer of L.A. Confidential and Mystic River, took an English class staple and remixed it for the 21st century with his film A Knight’s Tale. After the death of his master on the field, squire William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) covertly disguises himself as the late knight. With the help of Chaucer himself (Paul Bettany), William secures a place in future tournaments despite his place in the caste system. While there are plenty of nay-sayers for William’s upbringing, his long-held dreams of being a knight will not be stopped just because of where he happened to be born. A Knight’s Tale sets itself apart from other period films with its super attractive cast (Ledger, Bettany, as well as Shannyn Sossaman), completely anachronistic rock soundtrack, and music video style editing.
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Dope (2015)
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 43m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics) 83% (Audience)
Director Rick Famuyiwa is most famous for helming the ’90s classic The Wood and he returned to the coming of age genre with 2015’s underrated Dope. The comedy centers on Malcolm (Shameik Moore) as he snags an invitation to an underground party in Los Angeles that leads to an adventure that could possibly cause him to go from “geek” to “dope.” The movie is a refreshing throwback to the hood movies of the ’90s, like Friday and Juice, with plenty of visual style and a great ensemble cast that makes the madcap plot believable. Kiersey Clemons, ASAP Rocky, Rick Fox, and Zoe Kravitz round out the surprisingly stacked cast and give the film much of its unique charm. An inventive take on the coming of age genre that further proves the talent of Rick Famuyiwa, Dope is, well, dope.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 59m
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% (Critics) 71% (Audience)
Barry Jenkins had his work cut out for him in 2018: how do you follow up the instantly classic revolutionary Best Picture winner that is Moonlight? It didn’t seem possible, but he somehow managed it with 2018’s stunning If Beale Street Could Talk. An adaptation of the James Baldwin novel of the same name, the drama centers on a young pregnant woman, Tish (KiKi Layne), as she sets out to clear the name of her fiancé, Fonny (Stephan James), after he is falsely imprisoned. Jenkins already clearly had an eye for visuals with Moonlight and this canny eye is especially on display here, with the New York City of the ’70s rendered in fragile beauty alongside these melancholy characters. It’s through this eye for beauty that he manages to weave this sometimes joyous, sometimes deeply sad story in ways that seem beautifully human, thanks to the way the characters are framed and their finely tuned performances. KiKi Layne and Stephan James are outstanding, but the whole cast shines, including Euphoria’s Colman Domingo and Regina King in an Oscar winning performance. If Beale Street Could Talk is yet another gorgeous masterpiece from director Barry Jenkins.
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Director: Boots Riley
Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Armie Hammer
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics) 70% (Audience)
One of the strangest movies of the 2010s, Sorry To Bother You is also one of the most critically acclaimed. The surreal comedy follows down-on-his-luck telemarketer Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) as he begins using a “white voice” at his job, eventually leading to huge corporate success. With this success comes a major dilemma: either he can earn unimaginable sums of profit working for the rich CEO (Armie Hammer) or he can unionize with his coworkers and girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson). The result is a frequently funny, frequently strange comedy that’s explicitly anti-capitalist in a way that most modern mainstream movies wouldn’t dare to touch. Without giving away too much, the film gets even stranger at its climax, which effectively doubles down on its capitalist critique in even more surreal and horrifying ways than visualized before. Strange, beguiling, and most importantly well made, Sorry To Bother You is pure genius.
The Unforgivable (2021)
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Jon Bernthal, Vincent D’Onofrio, Viola Davis
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 52m
Rotten Tomatoes: 40% (Critics) 81% (Audience)
The latest prestige Netflix original drama has arrived in the form of The Unforgivable. Based on the 2009 British miniseries Unforgiven, the drama stars Sandra Bullock as Ruth, a woman released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, as she attempts to re-enter society and reconnect with her estranged sister. Her first film since 2018’s Bird Box, The Unforgivable sees Bullock returning in a more dramatically grounded role that sadly still remains relevant to this day. Bullock’s no-frills performance makes the tragedy of the movie feel lived-in, as Ruth goes through the adversity that many ex-cons experience in their day-to-day lives. While it can be a hard watch, it’s ultimately rewarding to get a sense of the nightmare of our current prison industrial complex. Bleak yet sneakily hopeful, The Unforgivable is a worthy return to Netflix for the fantastic Sandra Bullock.
The Other Guys (2010)
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 47m
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% (Critics) 60% (Audience)
While Adam McKay may now be best known for his political comedy-dramas like Vice and Don’t Look Up, he used to create more overt comedies. One of his most underrated comedies is 2010’s The Other Guys, which pairs him once again with frequent collaborator Will Ferrell. It follows Detectives Gamble (Ferrell) and Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) as they become the best cops in the city after two star officers die unexpectedly on the job and must investigate capitalist David Ershon (Steve Coogan). The Ferrell/McKay flavor of absurdity is present here, with the movie achieving the same tone as similar Ferrell/McKay classics Anchorman and Step Brothers, alongside a lot of fun action set pieces. Very quotable and featuring a fantastic Michael Keaton, The Other Guys deserves more love among comedy movie fans.
Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1 (2022)
Director: Kevin Wilson Jr.
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 9m
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Netflix’s critically acclaimed Untold documentary film series continues with a sports story that’s sure to pique the interest of any millennial sports fans. The Rise and Fall of AND1 charts the rise and fall of the streetball brand AND1 as it rockets in popularity and makes several local legends and international icons before disappearing just as quickly. It was impossible to escape the brand in the ’90s and ’00s, and this documentary sets out to answer exactly why the brand fizzled out so suddenly. Outside of nostalgic value, the documentary is an entertaining look at a flashpoint in both the pop culture and sports worlds that proved the inventiveness of the brand’s founders. Yet another great addition to Netflix’s Untold series, The Rise and Fall of AND1 is a must for any ’90s and ’00s basketball fans.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Director: John Hughes
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 43m
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (Critics) 92% (Audience)
John Hughes is, and will always be, the first name people think of whenever they think of teen movies. What’s debatable is which of his movies is his best. Arguably, it’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the height of the easy, breezy, fun teen comedy that came to define several years of the 1980s. Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a slacker whom everybody loves that decides to take the day off and head into downtown Chicago with his friends Cameron (Alan Ruck) and Sloane (Mia Sara), under the pretense that he’s sick at home. What Bueller doesn’t know is that his sister (Jennifer Grey) and principal have set out to expose his lies and finally get him in trouble. The movie is full of charming characters and hilarious gags, as well as some great music (“Oh Yeah” by Yello will definitely be stuck in your head after any viewing). Low stakes and effortlessly fun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a treat and one of John Hughes’ most purely enjoyable movies.
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The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Director: Anthony Minghella
Cast: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 19m
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (Critics) 80% (Audience)
Based on the 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr. Ripley follows charming conman Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) as he’s offered money from a wealthy man to locate his son Dickie (Jude Law) and ingratiates himself into the life of Dickie and his partner Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). While Italian audiences previously were introduced to the character of Tom Ripley in 1960’s Purple Noon, The Talented Mr. Ripley was the first time American audiences experienced Ripley, played by the newly A-list Matt Damon who was fresh off an Oscar win for 1997’s Good Will Hunting. Damon takes a complete 180 from that feel-good drama to give an unsettling performance as Ripley, who quickly becomes obsessed with Dickie. What sells the performance is Damon’s charm, which makes the viewer like him even as his behavior becomes gradually more disturbing. Both titillating and suspenseful, The Talented Mr. Ripley is one of the best movies of the ’90s.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Margaret Qualley, Angourie Rice
Genre: Action, Comedy
Runtime: 1h 56m
Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Critics) 79% (Audience)
Writer Shane Black is one of the most distinctive screenwriters in contemporary Hollywood, with his scripts for Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero, and The Long Kiss Goodnight showcasing a charming blend of action and comedy that has influenced almost every action comedy since. After writing the similarly charming Iron Man 3, Black wrote his first original film in a decade, 2016’s underrated The Nice Guys. Like many of Black’s other films, The Nice Guys is a buddy cop action comedy that centers on a private eye (Ryan Gosling) and an enforcer (Russell Crowe) as they set out to investigate the disappearance of a teenager (Margaret Qualley) in 1977 Los Angeles. The chemistry between Gosling and Crowe is off the charts, creating buddy cop film heaven when combined with the wittiest screenplay Black has written in years. Filled with twists, laugh-out-loud jokes, and a welcome distrust of American institutions, The Nice Guys is a surprisingly dark blast.
Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist (2022)
Director: Tony Vainuku, Ryan Duffy
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 2h 4m
Rating: TV-MA
The latest entry in the Untold documentary film series centers on one of the more bizarre scandals in recent football history. The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist centers on the life and career of promising All-American Notre Dame football player Manti Te’o and how an online relationship threatened to derail his life and career. Te’o famously became part of a media circus in 2013 when an article alleged that his deceased girlfriend never existed. He became the subject of numerous jokes and memes, with him quickly becoming one of the biggest laughingstocks in the sports world. This documentary sets out to clear the facts once and for all, interviewing both Te’o and the woman who impersonated his girlfriend, Naya Tuiasosopo, in order to get to the true facts behind the sensationalized media reporting. Another sterling example of the fantastic sports documentary filmmaking that comprises the Untold series, The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist is a must for any contemporary football fan.
Look Both Ways (2022)
Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Cast: Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez, David Corenswet, Aisha Dee
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Runtime: 1h 50m
Rating: TV-14
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% (Critics) 64% (Audience)
Sometimes, we wonder what our lives would look like if we made different decisions. Would our lives be completely changed? In the ’90s, this concept was immortalized in the Gwyneth Paltrow vehicle Sliding Doors, and now Netflix’s Look Both Ways updates the concept for a 2022 audience. Executive produced by and starring Riverdale star Lili Reinhart, it follows Natalie (Reinhart) on the eve of her college graduation as her life diverges into two parallel realities: one in which she becomes pregnant and raises a child in her hometown and another in which she moves to L.A. to pursue her dream career. Refreshingly feminist and unfortunately all too timely in its pro-choice politics, the film is an honest look at the ways we live our lives and how different paths can result in both good and bad results. Reinhart is charming in the lead role, with Top Gun: Maverick’s Danny Ramirez in a similarly infectious role as the romantic lead. Thoughtful and sweet, Look Both Ways is another great comedy-drama from Netflix.
Wedding Season (2022)
Director: Tom Dey
Cast: Pallavi Sharda, Suraj Sharma, Rizwan Manji, Veena Sood
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: 1h 37m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics) 76% (Audience)
In order to stop each of their parents from interfering in their love lives, Asha and Ravi decide to pretend they are a couple. This gets rid of Asha’s mom, disappointed that she is still single at her age, and gets Ravi’s parents off his back after leaving his prestigious job. Even Asha’s mom loves Ravi! Spending all this time together at all these different weddings makes them question if it really is just an act or if it could be something more. While we seem to be in a rom-com drought, Netflix continues to give us rom-coms that feel like instant classics.
Day Shift (2022)
Director: J.J. Perry
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg, Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Genre: Action, Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 53m
Killing vampires is a hard job but it pays the bills. Jamie Foxx plays Bud, an average blue-collar union man working as a pool cleaner in Los Angeles. At least that’s what he tells his family. He’s actually a vampire hunter. Getting back into the game after some time away, he is partnered with a nebbish first-timer (played by Dave Franco) who’d rather try to reason with them than slay. Day Shift boasts the directorial debut of J.J. Perry, the stuntman who has worked on projects like the original Mortal Kombat films to Django Unchained.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 35m
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (Critics) 86% (Audience)
In another of his iconic roles, Will Ferrell takes on a San Diego news anchor, Ron Burgundy. Ron is at the top of the network until he is threatened by his attractive co-host, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). After he breaks network television taboos by reading a swear word off the teleprompter, he is left to pick up the pieces. What is an anchorman to do when he can no longer anchor? One of the most quotable films of the 2000s, Anchorman features a who’s who of cameos as well as a stacked cast.
Carter (2022)
Director: Jeong Byeong-gil
Cast: Joo Won, Lee Sung-jae, Kim Bo-Min, Jeong So-ri
Genre: Action
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 2h 13m
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% (Critics) 45% (Audience)
A man wakes up with no memories and a voice in his ear. In order to live, he must obey what the woman in the earpiece says. After hitting the United States and North Korea, a zombie-like plague is about to infect the rest of the world. The only key to humanity’s future lies in a little kid that he must protect with his life. No matter how dangerous the mission gets, he has to keep up at all costs. Carter, with its huge showdown set pieces, feels like a throwback to the ultra-fast ultra-violence seen in movies like Crank, The Transporter, and Taken. This film marks a return to the screen for its star, Joo Won, following the conclusion of his mandatory military service.
The Gray Man (2022)
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 9m
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% (Critics) 89% (Audience)
A couple of years after the Russo brothers directed a little movie you may have heard of called Avengers: Endgame, the directors are back at Netflix with an action flick starring a small actor you also may have heard of named Ryan Gosling. Based on the novel of the same name, The Gray Man centers on the CIA’s most skilled mercenary (Gosling), as he discovers dangerous secrets the agency is hiding and in turn becomes hunted around the world by a psychopathic former colleague (Chris Evans) and various assassins. The Russos have brought an all-star cast to this latest high profile Netflix blockbuster, with Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, and Billy Bob Thornton joining Gosling and Evans in this fast-paced, globe-trotting action thriller. Evans is playing thrillingly against type here as a murderous villain, and it’s great to have Gosling back in the movies again after a four-year absence. Thrilling, twisty, and just plain exciting, The Gray Man looks to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer.
Uncharted (2022)
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 40% (Critics), 90% (Audience)
After years of development and fan-casting, the PlayStation classic finally comes to the big screen. (Hello, Nathan Fillion!) For the unfamiliar...two orphans are separated after a “heist” gone wrong gives the older brother, Sam, his third strike. He leaves behind a ring belonging to their ancestor, Sir Francis Drake, promising to reunite someday. Flash-forward to a baby-faced Tom Holland taking on the role of bartender and future adventurer Nathan Drake, who—after a chance encounter with Sully (Mark Wahlberg), a former associate of his brother—finds himself drawn into the world that took his brother. The two form a partnership that leads to a, obviously, globe-trotting adventure. Did we mention Antonio Banderas as a scenery-chewing rival? Uncharted is the perfect Indiana Jones lite until we get that new Indiana Jones.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks
Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 44m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics) 81% (Audience)
After earning critical raves with 2015’s Sicario and 2016’s Arrival, director Denis Villeneuve was faced with his biggest challenge yet: re-introducing an iconic piece of science fiction to a new audience. A direct sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049 takes place three decades later, following blade runner (an officer who “retires” rogue “replicants,” or bioengineered humans) K (Ryan Gosling) as he discovers a secret that could throw society into chaos and leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who’s been missing for decades. While it was a box office bomb, Blade Runner 2049 is one of the most visually stunning science fiction movies of the 2010s (a feat Villeneuve would later pull off again in this decade with Dune), having a visual style distinct from the original’s that updates the world of Blade Runner as decades have passed. Villeneuve has an impressive eye for visuals, and this may be his best-looking movie yet thanks to its neon colors and haunting desert-like landscapes. The film also boasts an impressive Ryan Gosling performance and chilling, thoughtful developments in the series’ ongoing fascination of what exactly makes humans “human.” Intelligent and well made, Blade Runner 2049 is further proof of the talents of Denis Villeneuve.
Spider-Man (2002)
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (Critics) 67% (Audience)
Long before anyone ever thought there would be a Marvel Cinematic Universe, visionary director Sam Raimi brought the iconic webslinger to the big screen in 2002’s Spider-Man. The superhero blockbuster centers on the titular character, real name Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), as he gets bitten by a radioactive spider and finds himself with unusual spider-like powers that allow him to fight crime, just in time to stop the murderous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). Horror director Raimi was an inventive choice for Spider-Man’s big screen debut, infusing a sense of horror and visceral action to the film that make it unforgettable. Maguire rocketed to the A-list in the lead role, with Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and Willem Dafoe in particular giving their all in memorable roles. One of the greatest superhero movies of all time, Spider-Man helped set the template for the current superhero movie craze.
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Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 39m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics) 74% (Audience)
Legendary director Stanley Kubrick’s last film, Eyes Wide Shut, is a mysterious, beguiling masterwork. The erotic drama follows doctor William Harford (Tom Cruise) as he embarks on a nighttime odyssey in search of sex through New York City after his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), tells him about her sexual fantasies. Like the rest of Kubrick’s work, it’s a deeply psychologically complex film, delving deep into repressed sexuality, the constraints of marriage, and the entitlement of the obscenely rich. It’s most famous for the scene in which Harford stumbles upon an orgy hosted by the ultra rich wearing anonymous Venetian masks, a scene that’s only become chillingly more relevant as the rich become even more powerful. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman give two of their most fascinating performances as a sexually unfulfilled married couple (even more fascinating given they were actually married at the time), and Kubrick’s direction is some of the most haunting of his career, with a London soundstage creating an eerie version of New York City at night that simultaneously feels fake and real. Haunting and unforgettable, Eyes Wide Shut will burrow deep into your mind, much like Kubrick’s other films.
Hustle (2022)
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Cast: Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernángomez, Queen Latifah, Ben Foster
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 58m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics) 90% (Audience)
The latest Netflix original starring and produced by Adam Sandler, Hustle finds the comedic actor revisiting his dramatic chops once more. The sports drama centers on Stanley (Sandler), a former talent scout, as he decides to bring a talented player from overseas to the United States without his team’s approval in order to finally bring the team to the NBA. Not since 2019’s critically acclaimed Uncut Gems have we seen Adam Sandler in a purely dramatic role, and it’s a register that he should choose to be in more, since he’s great in Gems and he’s fantastic here as well. He even has surprisingly great chemistry opposite his wife in the film, played by the similarly usually comedic actor Queen Latifah. The curious casting choices don’t end there, with most of the supporting cast played by real-life NBA players, such as Juancho Hernángomez, Anthony Edwards, and Boban Marjanovic. Hernángomez himself holds his own against the more seasoned Sandler, injecting charm into his role as the talented unknown player Sandler recruits. Hustle once again shows that Adam Sandler still has some welcome surprises for us outside of his usual comedy movie shtick.
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