Now Stream This: 'Inglourious Basterds', 'Widows', 'A Vigilante', 'Panic Room', 'Apollo 11', 'King Of New York' And More
(Welcome to Now Stream This, a column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.)
If you're in the need of something to watch on the many streaming services out there, you've come to the right place. As I do every other week, I've gathered together some great movies that you can stream right now and laid out what makes them so special. These are the best movies streaming right now. Let's get streaming!
Now Streaming on Netflix
Release Date: 2009Genre: Dark ComedyDirector: Quentin Tarantino Cast: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie LaurentQuentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is now playing in theaters everywhere, and it's pretty damn great. But if you're in the mood for more Tarantino, Netflix just dropped what might be his best movie: Inglourious Basterds. A thrilling, hilarious, brutal revisionist look at World War II, Basterds is telling several different stories, all set behind enemy lines during the war. Brad Pitt is leading a team of Jewish soldiers on a mission to kill, and scalp, as many Nazis as they can. Mélanie Laurent is a young Jewish woman in hiding, having escaped the slaughter of her entire family. And Christoph Waltz is an SS Colonel who has a knack for sniffing-out Jews and self-preservation. All of this comes together in an explosive way – literally. Full of snappy dialogue, whiplash-clever plotting, and some killer performances – Waltz is a revelation here – Inglourious Basterds is the perfect example of what makes Tarantino so good at what he does.For fans of: Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, sick David Bowie needle drops.
Now Streaming on HBO Go/Now
Release Date: 2018Genre: Neo-Noir ThrillerDirector: Steve McQueenCast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, Liam NeesonWidows deserved better. Steve McQueen's heist-drama combined action movie thrills with social commentary, resulting in an unusually smart, frequently fantastic film. And audiences ignored it. Now, Widows is streaming on HBO, and if you've avoided it this long, you really need to check it out. Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, and Elizabeth Debicki play the wives of a group of recently-killed criminals. The widows team-up to pull off a job to pay off their dead husband's debts, recruiting Cynthia Erivo (and her amazing biceps) along the way. That sounds like the set-up of a rather simple heist movie, but Widows has more on its mind, dealing with issues of race, gentrification, feminism and more. Perhaps this atypical approach is what kept people away, but I'd rather have a dozen more movies like this than 99% of what's currently in theaters.For fans of: Heat, Set It Off, marveling at how tall Elizabeth Debicki is.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Release Date: 2018Genre: DramaDirector: Sarah Dagger-NicksonCast: Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector, Kyle Catlett, C.J. Wilson, Tonye Patano, Chuck Cooper, Betsy Aidem, Judy MarteOlivia Wilde gives a raw, fierce, shocking performance in this often brutal drama from director Sarah Dagger-Nickson. Wilde plays a former domestic violence victim who now devotes her time and energy to helping other abused women break away from their spouses. She does this by donning not-so-elaborate disguises, showing up at houses, and beating the living shit out of these abusive men. It sounds like the recipe for a standard revenge saga, and indeed, Wilde's abusive husband comes back into play at one point, but A Vigilante is more interested in emotional stakes, and the toll violence takes on people. Wilde is wholly believable in the lead as she punches and smashes her way from scene to scene, only to have complete emotional breakdowns in the aftermath. Director Dagger-Nickson keeps the camera incredibly tight on Wilde, letting her get right up in our faces.For fans of: You Were Never Really Here, Haywire, Olivia Wilde punching stuff.
Now Streaming on Hulu
Release Date: 2019Genre: DocumentaryDirector: Todd Douglas MillerCast: NASA and the Moon
Comprised entirely of archival footage, many of it previously unreleased to the public, Apollo 11 is not your typical moon landing documentary. There are no talking heads; no narration. The story simply unfolds through the archival footage pieced together, taking us inside the mission to the Moon. The result is often jaw-dropping – the footage, some of it 70 mm, has been restored to the point where it looks like it was shot today, not 50 years ago. And like First Man, Apollo 11 perfectly encapsulates how crazy and dangerous going to space is.
For fans of: First Man, Apollo 13, buzzcuts.
Now Streaming on Netflix
Release Date: 2002Genre: ThrillerDirector: David Fincher Cast: Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto, Kristen StewartPanic Room is one of David Fincher's more slept-on films, and indeed – it's not what I'd consider his best work. But Fincher takes a rather pedestrian home invasion thriller script and turns it into a magnificent exercise in style, with cameras slowly zooming through teapot handles, keyholes and more. Jodie Foster plays a recently divorced woman who moves into a huge brownstone in New York with her daughter, played by a young, pre-fame Kristen Stewart. Unfortunately for Foster and Stewart, a group of thieves busts in looking for a score. Unfortunately for the thieves, the house has a panic room that Foster and Stewart lock themselves in. What follows is a series of mishaps that force the characters to constantly one-up each other. In anyone else's hands, Panic Room would be utterly forgettable. In Fincher's, it's special.For fans of: The Game, Don't Breathe, baby KStew.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Release Date: 1990Genre: Crime DramaDirector: Abel FerraraCast: Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, Giancarlo Esposito
Like a modern-day Robin Hood, Frank White (Christopher Walken) wants to spread the wealth to the poor. Sounds like a nice guy, right? Not so fast. Frank is also a psychopath and a drug kingpin. That's the set-up of Abel Ferrara's violent, stylish crime drama King of New York. Walken is the personification of attractive evil here, using his training as a dancer to roll like liquid from scene to scene, his Frankenstein haircut towering above him. This is perhaps Ferrara's most polished film, and yet it still maintains the hazy, dreamy, weird tone that blankets so much of his work. The script is a tad too scattered for its own good, but it ultimately doesn't matter. We're so entranced by Ferrara's dirty NYC, and Walken's Satanic performance, that the end result is truly stunning.
For fans of: New Jack City, Deep Cover, Christopher Walken dancing for no reason other than it looks cool.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Release Date: 2006Genre: HorrorDirector: Nacho CerdàCast: Anastasia Hille, Carlos Reig, Valentin Ganev, Karel Roden
This immensely spooky horror film was part of the now-defunct After Dark Horrorfest and has mostly been forgotten. Which means it's time for audiences to discover it. An American woman (Anastasia Hille) learns that she's inherited some family property in Russia, and heads overseas to check it out. The property is dilapidated and in the middle of nowhere. It's also full of ghoulish figures, including her exact doppelganger. Things get even weirder when her long-lost twin brother (Karel Roden) shows up and spots his doppelganger as well. The siblings uncover dark family secrets, all while dealing with the terrors that lurk within the walls of the property. Director Nacho Cerdà smothers The Abandonded in unrelenting dread, creating an atmospheric nightmare that won't let up.
For fans of: Lake Mungo, Enemy, boars.
Now Streaming on Netflix
Release Date: 2019Genre: ActionDirector: Joe LynchCast: Frank Grillo, Anthony Mackie, Marcia Gay Harden, Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver, Markice MooreJoe Lynch's Point Blank is a remake of the 2010 French film of the same name, with Lynch using his usual flair for humor and brutality to the proceedings. ER nurse Anthony Mackie ends up having to team up with Frank Grillo after Mackie's pregnant wife (Teyonah Parris) is kidnapped by Grillo's brother (Christian Cooke). But there's more at play here, with nothing being as it seems. While the French original is the better film, Lynch's Point Blank benefits from having Mackie and Grillo as its leads. Watching the actors bicker with each other as they get in one violent situation after another is a blast, and recalls the back-and-forth between Charles Grodin and Robert De Niro in Midnight Run. Point Blank is the perfect Netflix movie – something to throw on for quick, fun entertainment.For fans of: Midnight Run, the other Point Blank, Frank Grillo's biceps.
Now Streaming on Shudder
Release Date: 2009Genre: Sci-FiDirector: Duncan JonesCast: Sam RockwellDuncan Jones's Moon is a heartfelt, often heartbreaking sci-fi indie boasting not one, but two great performances from Sam Rockwell. Rockwell plays astronaut Sam Bell, who has spent the last three years on the Moon. He's about to return home to Earth, but things get complicated when Sam encounters someone else on the Moon. Someone who looks exactly like him – his exact clone, in fact. What's going on here? Moon unlocks its mysteries slowly and methodically, building its way towards big, emotional beats. All of this would fall apart were it not for the remarkable work of Rockwell, who makes Sam and his clone both distinct, wholly unique individuals to the point where you almost forget they're played by the same guy.For fans of: Source Code, Solaris, having an existential crisis.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Release Date: 2019Genre: Weird ShitDirector: Steven KnightCast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke, Djimon Hounsou, Jeremy Strong
By now you've likely heard that Serenity has one of the weirdest twists in film history. You might even know what that twist is! But trust me, you need to see it to believe it. I won't lie and say Serenity is one of those so-bad-it's-good movies. There are long stretches of the film that are just flat-out boring. And yet I'm urging you to check it out because you really, really, really have to see the absolutely bonkers twist unfold. In Serenity, Matthew McConaughey is a constantly sweaty fishing boat captain Baker Dill living in seclusion on a sunny island. But Dill's past comes back to haunt him in the form of his ex-wife, played by an unnaturally blonde Anne Hathaway. Hathaway is now married to an abusive jerk played by Jason Clarke, and she wants Dill to kill him. Sounds like the set-up for your standard neo-noir, right? Well, while all this is unfolding, the film keeps cutting to a young boy somewhere playing a fishing video game. This boy's connection to the main story becomes clear in the middle of the film, and you won't believe your own eyes when it does.
For fans of: ...I don't really know.