Now that we’re past awards season and the flurry of Oscar-worthy films from Netflix has dried up, it’s getting harder to find a movie to watch on Netflix. But thanks to A24, there’s a perfect movie for you to watch tonight… as long as you don’t mind twentysomethings doing Gen Z things and then turning on each other in a paranoid horror film. Bodies Bodies Bodies is now streaming on Netflix, and it’s worth a look. Also new on Netflix are the Adam Sandler sci-fi film Spaceman, the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, and Millie Bobby Brown’s fantasy adventure Damsel, though, to be honest, you can skip the last one. 

This is a list of the best movies to watch on Netflix right now. To keep things relevant, we’re specifically highlighting the best recent releases, Netflix originals, and some of our own personal favorites.

Last updated March 21; newer additions are at the top.

For fans of: Gen Z horror, movies with perfect endings

Director: Halina Reijn
Stars: Rachel Sennott, Amandla Stenberg, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace, Maria Bakalova, and Chase Sui Wonders
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 69

A24 is putting some of its fine movies on Netflix, but the big deal it has with Warner Bros. Discovery (and therefore Max) means that the movies Netflix does get won’t be there for long. So watch this horror flick about a group of friends who play some deadly games at a secluded mansion before it leaves the service. With a distinct Gen Z flavor, an escalating sense of paranoia, and an ending that just tickled me, it’s the perfect “I don’t know what to watch tonight” watch. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Adam Sandler being more serious, space movies

Director: Johan Renck
Stars: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Isabella Rosselini, Lena lin
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 55

The Sandman has become the Spaceman. Adam Sandler‘s latest foray into dramatic acting sees him playing an astronaut who may be losing his damned mind. Six months into a lone mission in space and on the brink of insanity, he gets the psychological and emotional support he needs from a giant talking space spider (voiced by Paul Dano). So yeah, things are going just fine for him. Spaceman is based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Czech author Jaroslav Kalfař. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Star power, the process of collaboration, crazy Michael Jackson stories

Director: Bao Nguyen
Stars: Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Dionne Warwick, Huey Lewis, and a whole lot of others
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: 69

’80s kids remember the charity anthem “We Are the World,” a massive collaboration put together between Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Bob Geldof, Harry Belafonte, and Quincy Jones to bring awareness to famine in Africa that brought together dozens of pop music’s biggest stars. This documentary with tons of behind-the-scenes footage charts its creation, from Jackson’s humming of a melody to the ultra-secretive recording session to its impact (it’s still the ninth-best selling physical single of all-time), and it’s all guided by the charismatic Richie, whose recounting of meeting with Jackson in his animal-filled house kicks off this unbelievable story. It’s worth watching just to see Bob Dylan look very uncomfortable the entire time. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Survival stories, cannibalism

Director: J.A. Bayona
Stars: Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Paradella, Matías Recalt, and Esteban Bigliardi
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72

The disaster of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in 1972 has been covered in many books and movies, but J.A. Bayona’s take stands on its own thanks to some heart-pounding action sequences. The film covers the survivors of a plane crash in the Andes, and the lengths — including cannibalism — to which they had to go to see the next day. Society of the Snow is one of Netflix’s 2024 Oscar nominees, most notably for its nomination for Best International Feature. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Fighting The Man, stacked casts, diamond hands

Director: Craig Gillespie
Stars: Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, America Ferrera, Shailene Woodley, Nick Offerman, Sebastian Stan, Vincent D’Onofrio
Genre: Comedy, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 66

**This is not financial advice** The GameStop stock saga of 2021 was one of the wildest things to happen during a time when wild things were happening all the time. In this comedic look at the financial battle between retail traders and the monolithic power of Wall Street, Paul Dano plays Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, aka DeepF—ingValue, who used Reddit and YouTube to rally retail investors toward short squeezing hedge funds out of billions by investing in GameStop. It’s a story that will give you hope and make you mad at the same time. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Biopics, romance, musical icons

Director: Bradley Cooper
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke
Genre: 
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 77

The expertly composed Maestro raked in Oscar nominations this season. In addition to directing and writing this biopic about composer Leonard Bernstein, Bradley Cooper stars in the leading role, opposite Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre. It’s hardly surprising that critics are heaping praise on both lead performances. –Kat Moon [Trailer]

For fans of: Dark slow-burns, melodrama

Director: Todd Haynes
Stars: Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charles Melton
Genre: Drama, romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 85

One of this winter’s buzziest films — and an Oscar nominee for Best Original Screenplay — has landed on Netflix. In May December, Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe’s (Charles Melton) marriage threatens to crumble when an actor shows up on their porch one day. To prepare for a film, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) has made it her goal to learn about their controversial relationship beyond the tabloid headlines from two decades ago. But what happens when the actor takes her research a little too far? –Kat Moon [Trailer]

The Killer

For fans of: David Fincher, relatable psychopaths

Director: David Fincher
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 73

David Fincher‘s newest project, The Killer, is based on the French graphic novel series of the same name that was first published in 1998. The film stars Michael Fassbender as an assassin bent on fulfilling his mission without letting emotions cloud his judgment. Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton round out the cast. The Killer‘s trailer promises a chilling energy signature to Fincher’s films, as well as high-octane, smoothly choreographed action scenes. –Kat Moon [Trailer]

For fans of: Spider-versity and Spider-people, sequels that are as good as the original

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson
Genre: Animation, Action, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 86

Rarely do sequels match the energy of the original, but in this case, Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, should clear some space for more trophies. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) returns as a more established hero and travels the Spider-Verse with Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), where they, along with a group of various Spider-People from different universes, must stop a new evil. The animation is incredible, the beats are delicious, and the emotional story hits hard. This is as close to a must-watch as there is. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Going to baseball games but not to watch baseball, fathers and sons and daughters

Director: Jeff Malmberg and Morgan Neville
Stars: Charlie Day, Jeff Daniels (narrator)
Genre: Documentary, Sports, Comedy
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 71

This documentary is less a historical document and more of a series of true tall tales passed down from generation to generation about the Veeck family, notably Bill Veeck, the beloved and fun-loving owner of the Chicago White Sox in the 1970s, and his son Mike, whose up-and-down relationship with his dad — which hit a low after Mike’s brainchild, the infamous “Disco Sucks” night, tarnished Bill’s reputation — eventually left him clawing his way back up in the world of baseball and reflecting on his relationship with his own family. Mike is charismatic as he talks about his dad and his life, and Malmberg and Neville have fun with the direction, bringing in Charlie Day to play a young Mike Veeck in reenactments. It’s a heartwarming story that transcends the world of baseball. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Blaxploitation films, sci-fi/comedy

Director: Juel Taylor
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, John Boyega, David Alan Grier, Kiefer Sutherland
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Mystery
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 76

It would be a shame if They Cloned Tyrone got lost in the Netflix shuffle. The sci-fi mystery is director Juel Taylor‘s feature film debut, and boasts a trio of standout lead performances from John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx, playing three people thrown together by circumstance who, after a shooting in their neighborhood, find themselves wrapped up in an increasingly bizarre government conspiracy. Their search for answers leads them down an eerie path, and to say more would be a disservice to this funny, inventive film. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Sacrifice, stunning underwater shots, Fire of Love

Director: Laura McGann
Stars: Alessia Zecchini, Stephen Keenan
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 70

The A24-produced documentary about a couple at the top of the freediving world really delves into what drives people to risk everything to be the best. World champion freediver Alessia Zecchini and Irish safety diving instructor Stephen Keenan seemed destined to meet, but their passion for exploring beneath the surface and risk-taking meant danger would always be near what they loved to do. There are some interesting storytelling choices made by director Laura McGann that some say border on manipulation, but the end result is worth it, and no one can deny that the stunning and treacherous underwater footage of the dives will make your heart pound. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

For fans of: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, cats, cool as heck villains

Director: Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura
Genre: Animation
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 73

A member of the excellent class of 2023 Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a dazzling sequel to the 2011 Puss in Boots film, though it exceeds it in every way. Slightly darker than its predecessor, as its main focus is on death — Puss comes dangerously close to expiring his nine lives — The Last Wish still manages to be very family-friendly with its colorful characters and comedy, thanks to an excellent voice cast that includes new franchise members John Mulaney, Florence Pugh, and Wagner Moura. It was also clearly influenced by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which you’ll notice in its animation style. I love this movie. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

More recommendations:

For fans of: Queer-friendly messages, dazzling animation

Director: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Beck Bennett, RuPaul, Lorraine Toussaint
Genre: Animation, Action, Sci-fi
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 75

This charming animated movie about not putting labels on people may seem pretty typical, but it relays that message well and is the rare family-friendly film with LGBTQ+ themes. (The film was reportedly delayed multiple times and eventually canceled in 2021 by boneheaded Disney leadership because of its LGBTQ+ storyline, before being revived by Annapurna and Netflix.) Based on the award-winning graphic novel by ND Stevenson, Nimona features Riz Ahmed as the voice of a disgraced knight whose only chance at redemption is a rambunctious, shapeshifting teenager (Chloë Grace Moretz). Set in a world that evokes science-fiction and D&D fantasy, it’s a feast for the eyes, but it’s your heart that will feel the fullest by the end. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

King of Clones

For fans of: Ethics, science, cloning, dogs that look alike

Director: Aditya Thayi
Stars: Woo-suk Hwang
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a

Scientific breakthroughs aren’t without their moral dilemmas — sure we COULD have jetpack backpacks, but how do you keep grandma from rocketing into a wall? — and this Netflix film focuses on the moral and ethical questions of cloning. The idea is framed around the story of South Korean scientist Woo-suk Hwang, who rose to fame as a pioneer of xeroxing living things but then became vilified for breaking the rules. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

For fans of: Chris Hemsworth, brutal action

Director: Sam Hargrave
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Olga Kurylenko
Genre: Action, Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 57

The sequel to one of Netflix’s biggest movies ever continues the “story” of a mercenary (Hemsworth) whose skillset includes… extraction. I say “story” because the real reason to watch this (and its prequel) is for the mindless action and violence, which flows so copiously that you can smell the shrapnel. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

For fans of: Watching YOLOers make mistakes, COVID flashbacks, dating horror stories, man buns

Director: Brent Hodge
Stars: Khani Le, Matt Robertson
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a

You know those annoying people who film every second of their lives? Matt Robertson is one of those guys, but in a rare case of “I’ll allow it,” I’ll allow it. Matt suggested to an online match that they spend their third date on an adventure and — as young people are wont to do — make the shortsighted decision to fly to Costa Rica together. Even when they were just getting to know each other. The problem? They left in March 2020. After they landed, the world went into lockdown, stranding them together on an island paradise that became an island prison. This is their story. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

For fans of: Female assassins, overworked moms

Director: Sung-hyun Byun
Stars: Do-yeon Jeon, Esom, Fahim Fazli, Gyo-hwan Koo, Jeong-min Hwang, Kyung-gu Sol
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 67

This Korean action film features plenty of clichés — a seasoned assassin whose personal life gets in the way of work agrees to one last mission before retirement and decides she can’t go through with the killing for moral reasons — but that’s OK, since it executes them all pretty well and features a great performance from Do-yeon Jeon as a woman who flips back and forth between heartless killer and doting mother to her teenage daughter. Violent, stylish, and tense, it’s worth a watch for fans of Korean dramas and action flicks. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

For fans of: Classic literature, anti-war war movies

Director: Edward Berger
Stars: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Sebastian Hülk
Genre: Drama, War
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 75

This epic adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic and ever-timely 1929 anti-war novel is one of the best Netflix Original movies of 2022, and the winner of the Best International Film award at the 2023 Academy Awards as well as a nominee for Best Picture. It tells the story of Paul Bäumer (Felix Bammerer), a 17-year-old who enlists in the Germany army and gets a firsthand look at the pointless, dehumanizing slaughter of World War I. It’s a devastating film that’s especially notable for composer Volker Bertelmann’s modern, powerful score. -Liam Mathews [Trailer] 

Year: 2023
Director: Nathaniel Martello-White
Stars: Ashley Madekwe, Jordan Myrie, Bukky Bakray
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a

This British horror film gets a lot of comparisons to Get Out, and rightfully so, as it not only has a similar sensory aesthetic to Jordan Peele’s beloved film, but it’s also steeped in race relations. Ashley Madewe stars as a light-skinned black woman living in an upper-crust predominantly white community, when she begins to have visions that others can’t see. Fans and critics have been divided on most of the film, but all agree that the ending is a delightful whopper. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Year: 2023
Director: Ryan White
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 66

Pamela Anderson shares her side of the story in this revealing documentary about her life, in which she discusses the fame, movies, shows, sex tape scandals, and men that have come to define her with the public. It’s the perfect chaser to Hulu’s raucous Pam & Tommy, which Anderson wasn’t part of and didn’t really portray her fairly. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Year: 2023
Director: Colette Camden
Genre: Documentary, True Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: n/a

This documentary uses the tried-and-true Netflix true crime formula of an irresistibly lurid title that you can’t help but click play on. Sometimes you get shameless trash, and sometimes you get surprisingly thoughtful examinations of viral fame, mental illness, and small-scale human tragedy. The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker tells the story of Kai Lawrence, a young homeless man who became an internet sensation in 2013 when a news report of his spirited account of using his hatchet to save a woman from an attacker went viral. Not long after, he was convicted of murdering a different man. It’s a sad tale that will make you feel for everyone involved. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Year: 2022
Director: Scott Cooper
Stars: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Robert Duvall
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Drama, Historical
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 55

Scott Cooper writes and directs this mystery film based on Louis Bayard’s 2003 novel of the same name. Christian Bale stars as Det. Augustus Landor, who’s investigating a grisly murder at West Point in 1830 with the help of a curious cadet played by Harry Melling. That cadet’s name? Edgar Allan Poe. The extremely stacked cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Robert Duvall. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Postmodern literature, ’80s imagery

Year: 2022
Director: Noah Baumbach
Stars: Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy, Lars Eidinger, Jodie Turner-Smith
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 66

Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig star in director Noah Baumbach‘s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s classic postmodern satirical novel. I don’t usually do this, but I’m going to defer to Netflix’s description for this one, because it’s really good: “White Noise dramatizes a contemporary American family’s attempts to deal with the mundane conflicts of everyday life while grappling with the universal mysteries of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world.” That’s exactly what it’s about! Reviews have been more mixed than you might expect for a film with this pedigree, perhaps because DeLillo’s stylized dialogue is meant to be read, not spoken aloud, so it sounds really weird, not at all like how people actually speak. But once you get on its unique wavelength, you might find White Noise to be a thought-provoking and darkly funny film. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Good old-fashioned murder mysteries, actors having fun with their personas

Year: 2022
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista
Genre: Mystery, Drama, Thriller, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 81

The first Knives Out was a box office smash, and the sequel got the widest (though still very brief) theatrical release for a Netflix movie ever, but make no mistake, this stylish sequel is a Netflix film. Daniel Craig returns as master detective Benoit Blanc, who’s tasked with solving a murder mystery at a Greek villa that starts out as a game and turns real. The cast includes Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. The plotting is brilliant, the performances are delightful, and the social commentary is astute. In his review for TV Guide, Jordan Hoffman gave it a 9 out of 10, an exceptionally high score for any movie, let alone a Netflix Original in 2022. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Crushing student loan debt, smart indies

Year: 2022
Director: John Patton Ford
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Gina Gershon
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 75

Aubrey Plaza stars in this crime drama that isn’t technically a Netflix original but had such a small indie release that it may as well be. The White Lotus star plays the titular aspiring artist, who has a crushing amount of student debt and a past felony conviction that prevents her from getting a job that makes enough money to pay down what she owes. But then she meets a guy named Youcef (Theo Rossi), who runs a credit card fraud ring. It’s a tight little thriller with astute social commentary. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: New takes on classic stories, that signature del Toro touch

Year: 2022
Director: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson
Stars: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Animation, Family, Musical
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 80

It took Guillermo del Toro a decade to bring this passion project, a stop-motion adaptation of the timeless tale of the puppet who wants to be a real boy, to life. GDT’s take is steeped in his signature allegorical style of dark fantasy, setting the story in Fascist 1930s Italy and making Pinocchio much less cute than the Disney version of popular imagination. In his review for TV Guide, Jordan Hoffman had particular praise for Pinocchio’s character design. “He’s lively and charming and lovable, but still looks like real wood,” he wrote. “It truly is a work of minor magic.” -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Troll

For fans of: Overgrown garden gnomes, blockbuster tropes, Norwegian troll movies

Year: 2022
Director: Roar Uthrag
Stars: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Rating: N/R
Metacritic score: n/a

Trolls come in all shapes and sizes, from hair-raised freaky-looking dolls to leprechaun-sized B-movie stars to the mammoth monster of this Norwegian sci-fi action flick. Part Godzilla-esque kaiju movie, part Roland Emmerich disaster film, Troll executes its pea-brained premise — a skyscraper-sized creature made of mountain wreaks havoc on Norway — wonderfully, incorporating American blockbuster tropes gleefully and winking at the audience as it does so. The effects are great and the action is plentiful, and a government aide constantly talking about the movie script he’s writing about a monk who can throw his head and hands as weapons is a running joke that keeps things from being too serious. You’ll start the movie laughing at it; you’ll end it cheering it on. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Flo, The Banshees of Inisherin

Year: 2022
Director: Sebastian Lelio
Stars: Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Kila Lord Cassidy, Niamh Algar, Ciaran Hinds
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72

The Wonder is an eerie period drama film starring woman-of-the-moment Florence Pugh. She plays a nurse sent to an isolated Irish village to investigate a local girl who hasn’t eaten in months. It’s got those European folk horror vibes that Pugh’s familiar with from Midsommar (minus the bear suits), plus a unique eye behind the camera by director Sebastian Lelio (just watch the opening scene to see it in action). -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Movies, culture, a smart man saying smart things

Year: 2022
Director: Elvis Mitchell
Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 82

Film critic and academic Elvis Mitchell explores Black cinema in this insightful and incredibly researched documentary that features interviews with Samuel Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, and other legends. Starting with the early representations of Black people in movies and paying close attention to the blaxploitation era of the 1970s, Is That Black Enough for You?!? is a fascinating and illuminating cultural essay that looks at Black cinema from all angles. The always great Mitchell outdoes himself here in what should be required watching for all cinephiles. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: When animated movies are great

Director: Nora Twomey
Stars: Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Whoopi Goldberg, Ian McShane, Chris O’Dowd
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 72

If you don’t have a kid, you might consider picking one up to watch My Father’s Dragon, the latest animated film from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. Cartoon Saloon gave us the outstanding Wolfwalkers, as well as Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells, all of which were nominated for Oscars and all of which are fantastic. My Father’s Dragon is an adaptation of the classic children’s novel of the same name, and features the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, and Whoopi Goldberg. We miss the Irish accents Cartoon Saloon movies usually have, but it’s still really good. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Millie, Bobby, Brown

Director: Harry Bradbeer 
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge, David Thewlis
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Mystery
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 62

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown‘s other franchise is this energetic mystery movie series in which she plays Sherlock Holmes’ little sister (Sherlock is played by Henry Cavill, himself no stranger to franchises, both on Netflix and off). The sequel is a ton of fun as Brown, “a natural born comic with a hydrogen bomb’s worth of screen charisma, turns what could be just another disposable tween-and-teens romp into a genuine delight,” Jordan Hoffman wrote in his review for TV Guide. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Great casts, tense medical dramas, true crime

Director: Tobias Lindholm
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Nnamdi Asomugha, Noah Emmerich, Kim Dickens
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 64

Oscar-winners Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne star in this drama about the chilling case of Charles Cullen, a nurse who is confirmed to have killed 29 people and is suspected to have possibly killed hundreds more during a period of time in which he kept getting jobs at hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Redmayne plays Cullen, while Chastain plays Amy Loughren, a nurse who played a pivotal role in catching Cullen. In his review for TV Guide, Jordan Hoffman called it “tense” and “engrossing,” with a better performance from Redmayne than the one that won him an Oscar. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

The Stranger

For fans of: Good Netflix thrillers, saying “Joel Edgerton is so underrated”

Director: Thomas M. Wright
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: 74

Joel Edgerton stars in this tense Australian crime drama as an undercover cop who befriends a murder suspect (the Mission: Impossible movies’ Sean Harris) in order to get close enough to get information, but he gets in really, really deep, and if he gets any deeper, he’ll lose himself entirely. It doesn’t break any new ground, but the performances are great. Not to be confused with the Harlan Coben limited series The Stranger, which is also on Netflix. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: When extreme horror directors make family movies

Director: Rob Zombie
Stars: Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie, Daniel Roebuck, Sylvester McCoy, Richard Brake
Genre: Comedy, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 57

Writer-director Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, Halloween 2007) goes gentle with this earnest, PG-rated remake of The Munsters, the ’60s sitcom about a family of monsters living an affectionately satirical Leave It to Beaver-style suburban life. The movie is an origin story for how Herman (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Lily Munster (Sheri Moon Zombie) met and fell in love. The series clearly had a big influence on Zombie, who has spent his musical and theatrical career doing slightly ironic riffs on classic horror images and intellectual property. It’s the first thing he’s ever made that’s safe for the whole family, unless you take your family with you when you dig through the ditches and burn though the witches and slam in the back of your Dragula. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Strangers on a Train, Gen Z icons Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke

Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Stars: Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, Austin Abrams, Rish Shah, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sophie Turner
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: 66

This stylish teen revenge comedy is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Strangers on a Train, where two strangers swap targets in order to eliminate the motive and avoid being caught. In this version, high school seniors Drea (Riverdale‘s Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Stranger Things‘ Maya Hawke) team up to punish each other’s bullies. “What it has going for it most is Maya Hawke, a very gifted performer who carries herself through the comedy quite well,” Jordan Hoffman writes in his review of the film. “Hawke makes funny faces when you least expect them, and it’s fun to watch.” -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Sheng Wang: Sweet & Juicy

For fans of: Laughing a lot

Director: Ali Wong
Stars: Sheng Wang
Genre: Stand-up Special
Rating: n/a
Metacritic score: n/a

Comedian Sheng Wang has delivered one of Netflix’s all-time great comedy specials, dissecting office printers, Costco pants, and snoring in his unique Texas drawl. Wang, based out of the Bay Area, keeps things irreverent but relatable with observational comedy about getting older and not giving a crap about it. It’s funny from the moment he steps on stage until the second he leaves it. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Saying “my cat is very empathetic”

Year: 2022
Director: Andy Mitchell
Genre: Documentary, Family
Rating: TV-PG
Metacritic score: n/a

People like to say that cats are a mystery, but the truth is there just hasn’t been a lot of research into why our feline friends are the way they are. That’s starting to change. This family-friendly documentary explains the science of cats in a cute and fun way. For example, it’s scientifically proven that cats know their own names, but don’t always choose to respond. If you love cats, this film will help you understand them better, and if you love a cat-lover, it will help you understand them better. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Moana, nautical adventures arrr matey

Year: 2022
Director: Chris Williams
Stars: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Genre: Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 74

Most Netflix original kids movies are just re-dubs of second-tier CGI films from foreign studios, but The Sea Beast, from Moana and Big Hero 6 director Chris Williams, looks like a legitimate contender for best family film of the year. A young girl stows away on her idol’s ship to help him hunt gigantic sea creatures, leading to seafaring adventure and action. It’s getting great reviews, and features three TV Guide favorites as voice actors: The Boys‘ Karl Urban, Legion‘s Dan Stevens, and Chernobyl‘s Jared Harris. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The most messed up true crime you’ve ever seen in your life

Year: 2022
Director: Skye Borgman
Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: n/a

This haunting true crime documentary tells the story of a young woman named Sharon Marshall, who was abused by her stepfather Franklin Floyd in unspeakable ways. Marshall was found dying by the side of a road in 1990, which led to an investigation that uncovered Floyd’s crimes. The documentary is structured around the unbelievable twists in the things Floyd did, but unlike most true crime documentaries like this, it always cares more about the victims than the perpetrator, which keeps it from getting too lurid. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Dystopian thrillers, when Chris Hemsworth plays himbos

Year: 2022
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Stars: Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett, Chris Hemsworth
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 55

This expensive movie has unusually literary background for a Netflix dystopian sci-fi thriller. It’s based on a short story by MacArthur Fellowship recipient George Saunders originally published in The New Yorker. While that seems like source material that would have to be dumbed down a lot to get made into a Netflix movie — and some of the despairing story’s darkness has definitely been filtered out — Deadpool screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski actually kept it pretty smart. It’s unusually thoughtful for a Netflix blockbuster. It stars Chris Hemsworth as the warden of an experimental prison where mysterious pharmaceuticals are tested out on the prisoners, who include Jeff (Miles Teller) and Rachel (Jurnee Smollett). Jeff and Rachel form a special bond, which leads to them getting subjected to some mind-bending, darkly funny psychological thrills. -Liam Mathews [Trailer | Review]

For fans of: Adam Sandler: Serious Actor 

Year: 2022
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Stars: Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangomez, Queen Latifah, Robert Duvall
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Sports
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 67

In Uncut Gems, which sadly expired from Netflix in May, the game of basketball is essentially second billed, right behind Adam Sandler himself. Sandler is famously a huge basketball fan in general, so it was only a matter of time before he made a movie about it. Another reminder to the world that Sandler is a solid dramatic actor, Hustle is a sports drama that stars Sandler as a washed-up scout who makes it his mission to recruit a talented street ball player from Spain (Utah Jazz forward Juancho Hernangomez) into the NBA. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Bromance, epics, insane action

Year: 2022
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Stars: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan
Genre: Action, Epic
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 87

As Americans, we’re pretty much just “Marvel movie, drrr drrr, Star Wars, drrr drrr,” but now’s your chance to expand your range to some quality action from international cinema. S.S. Rajamouli’s insane epic RRR is a global phenomenon, a dazzling period adventure about two real figures from India’s history who meet, form a friendship, and fight the British Raj together, and find a missing girl. With over-the-top, physics-defying action sequences, you won’t care that it runs over three hours long. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The good old days, childhood memories, Waking Life

Year: 2022
Director: Richard Linklater
Stars: Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell
Genre: Animation, Drama, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 81

Richard Linklater returns to his animation style of choice — rotoscoping, in which film is drawn over frame-by-frame for realistic movement with a dream-like feel — that he used in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly. This time, it’s used to tell a story about his very real childhood growing up in Houston in the late 1960s and a very unreal story about a 10-year-old boy who goes to the moon in a secret NASA program. It’s a wistful, energetic tale of childhood innocence during a period of immense change, and Linklater nails the vibe of youthful exuberance and coming-of-age. Plus, it has a fantastic soundtrack. Watch this with your parents, they’ll love it. (You will, too.) -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Dating app nightmares, con jobs

Year: 2022
Director: Felicity Morris
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: n/a

This frightening documentary about a con man who used Tinder to — you guessed it — swindle unsuspecting ladies into handing over their credit cards and taking out loans to funnel him cash will make you want to hunt down this scumbag yourself. By putting up a front of extravagance, paid for by his current mark, this man would woo women he met on the dating app and set them up to be his next source of cash before disappearing into the internet and tropical locales where he partied his ass off on their dime. It’s not a particularly well-made documentary, but the story is riveting and the victims are rightfully treated with compassion. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Olivia Colman, bad vacations, “Livin’ on a Prayer”

Year: 2021
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Stars: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 86

Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s directorial debut is dark, psychological goodness. In this adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel, Olivia Colman stars as Leda, a college professor on a solo trip to Greece, where she meets and becomes obsessed with Nina (Dakota Johnson), a young, overwhelmed mother. It all quickly turns into the vacation from hell as Nina forces Leda to confront memories of her own experience as a young mother. Jessie Buckley plays the younger version of Leda in flashbacks, while Peter Sarsgaard, Ed Harris, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Paul Mescal fill out the rest of the cast. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Coming-of-age dramas, world-class directors in their prime

Year: 2021
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Stars: Betty Pedrazzi, Biagio Manna, Ciro Capano
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 76

Italian movie magician Paolo Sorrentino (The Young Pope) is in peak form with his highly personal coming-of-age drama The Hand of God, which will almost certainly be nominated in the International Feature Film category at next year’s Oscars. Set in the 1980s in Naples, Italy, The Hand of God follows a teen through the ups and downs of life, and ties it together with soccer star Diego Maradona’s infamous “hand of god” play. Though some critics note its messiness, no one can deny that it’s absolutely gorgeous. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Tension, Benedict Cumberbatch being a big ol’ meanie

Year: 2021
Director: Jane Campion
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 89

Jane Campion’s first film since 2009 heads out on the range with one mean cowboy in Benedict Cumberbatch. The 1925-set Western quickly reaches a boil and holds it as a rancher (Jesse Plemons) gets a new wife (Kirsten Dunst) whom his brother (Cumberbatch) takes a strong disliking to. It’s a masterclass of simmering tension and spellbinding acting, but if you’re here for shoot ’em ups, this Western ain’t it. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Healing, the power of art

Year: 2021
Director: Robert Greene
Stars: Dan Laurine, Ed Gavagan, Joe Eldred, Michael Sandridge, Mike Foreman, Tom Viviano
Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 90

Robert Greene’s gutting documentary comes to Netflix just two months after making its debut at Telluride, a quick turnaround that belies how much time went into this movie. Shot over three years, Procession focuses on six men who each suffered abuse by Catholic priests in the diocese of Kansas City, Missouri, when they were boys. Greene’s project is unique: The men, working with both Greene and a therapist who uses theater in her work, create short films about their trauma. It’s an unmissable story of how to reckon with evil. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

For fans of: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway

Year: 2021
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, Bradley Whitford
Genre: Drama, Musical
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 74

Lin-Manuel Miranda has a type: musicals about guys who are worried their time is running out. And why mess with success? Miranda makes his directorial debut with this film adaptation, already racking up good reviews, of Rent creator Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical. Andrew Garfield stars as the struggling playwright, who’s anxious that he hasn’t accomplished enough by his upcoming 30th birthday. (The story is made more poignant by Larson’s real-life early death at the age of 35, the night before Rent‘s off-Broadway premiere.) Garfield is a hit in this, Vanessa Hudgens is in her element, and Bradley Whitford does a rock-solid Sondheim impersonation. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

For fans of: Stars wisecrackin’, dumb action, dumber twists

Year: 2021
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds
Genre: Adventure, Action, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 37

I watched this entire movie in one sitting and I had a great time, but in no reality would I say this is a good movie. It’s one of those, y’know? It’s a film in which the stars are secured and then you write the script. Those stars happen to be Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, some of the biggest celebrities on the planet, and the script sees them playing various combinations of FBI agents and art thieves, sometimes both! Add in a budget of about $200 million, and you’ve got yourself one of Netflix’s most popular original movies ever. This is streaming candy; they can’t all be Roma. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Where the line of racial equality blurs, gorgeous black and white photos come to life

Year: 2021
Director: Rebecca Hall
Stars: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 85

Would you give up your culture if it meant you could have an easier life? That’s the question posed in this stirring film set in 1920s New York City that stars Tessa Thompson as a Black woman who runs into a childhood friend (Ruth Negga) who has been passing for a white woman, bringing up questions of racial identity and whitewashing. Shot entirely in black and white, the film features wonderful performances from Thompson, Negga, and André Holland. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Found

For fans of: Heartfelt stories, discovering your roots and culture

Year: 2021
Director: Amanda Lipitz
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 82

This documentary about three adopted Chinese high schoolers looking into their roots could also pass as a robot test, because if you aren’t moved to tears at some point, then you’re made out of tin. What makes it so effective is that it looks at adoption from every angle: the girls looking for answers and discovering their culture, their adoptive families looking to help them find their roots, the Chinese families who were forced to give up their babies under China’s one child policy, and the intrepid investigator who helps adopted children find their birth parents in China. It’s an emotional wallop. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Quentin Tarantino films, Red Dead Redemption, lots of shootin’

Year: 2021
Director: Jeymes Samuel
Stars: Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Regina King, Jonathan Majors
Genre: Drama, Western
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 68

This Netflix blockbuster is an action Western with a lot more style than you’re used to. Director Jeymes Samuel takes a tried-and-true cowboy premise — a gang gets together to exact revenge on the persons responsible for the deaths of loved ones — and infuses it with gorgeous violence, snappy dialogue, and a predominantly Black cast that includes Regina King, Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Jonathan Majors, Delroy Lindo, and Zazie Beetz. The result is a rollicking good time and one of the gosh dang coolest films you’ll see. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Couples therapy, violence, Noomi Rapace 

Year: 2021
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Stars: Aksel Hennie, Noomi Rapace
Genre: Thriller, Comedy
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a

This Norwegian dark comedy follows a couple (Aksel Hennie and Noomi Rapace) who go to a remote cabin in an attempt to repair their dissolving relationship. Little do they know that they each plan to murder each other as their solution to their problems. Even littler do they know that others are out there in the wilderness to give them even more troubles. Spectacularly violent with humor as black as the night, The Trip is a trip. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: One-man plays, Jake Gyllenhaal, thrilling phone conversations

Year: 2021
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 63

Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cop sent to desk duty at a 9-1-1 call center and becomes embroiled in a case when a woman being held against her will calls to ask for help. An adaptation of a 2018 Danish film, The Guilty is the rare intense thriller without any action as it’s mostly set in the call center with Jake on the phone and only voices coming from the other end. But director Antoine Fuqua and Gyllenhaal keep things mesmerizing. –Tim Surette [Trailer | Review]

For fans of: Cinematography, the battle between sanity and madness, fast snow & slow burns

Year: 2021
Director: Daniel Sandu
Stars: Adrian Titieni, Bogdan Nechifor
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: n/a

This Romanian film follows a powerful man of means desperate to find his son after he goes missing on a mountain trek. It’s not an action film, but rather a contemplative exploration of how far a man will go to save his son and at what cost to others. You’ll understand why he does what he does, but you might not like him for it. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Old Ways

For fans of: Witchcraft, Latin American demonology, creepy crawlies

Year: 2020
Director: Christopher Alender
Stars: Brigitte Kali, Andrea Cortés
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 67

A young journalist goes deep into the jungles of Veracruz, Mexico, for a story on indigenous people who practice ancient witchcraft, only to be kidnapped by them when they believe she is possessed by a demon. It’s full of terrifying imagery, as is expected, but it’s the claustrophobia of being imprisoned that really drives the horror. On top of that, there are themes of cultural identity that take it to a smarter level than your typical horror film, and visually, it’s aces. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Monstrous surprises, small-space horror

Year: 2021
Director: Peter Thorwarth
Stars: Carl Anton Koch, Peri Baumeister
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 43

This German-English language action-forward horror film is set on a Transatlantic flight between Berlin and New York City that is besieged by hijackers. But they don’t know that one of the passengers on board possesses supernatural powers, and will do anything to protect her young son, which sometimes means eating the bad guys. It’s a taut thriller with a paranormal twist that’s one of Netflix’s better original horror films. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Existentialism, music

Year: 2021
Director: Bo Burnham
Stars: Bo Burnham
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: 98

Indie auteur and certified bad movie boyfriend Bo Burnham surprised his fans when he announced he had orchestrated a return to his comedic roots during the pandemic. With Inside, which Burnham wrote, directed, and edited without a crew or an audience while stuck at home, he lets out his feelings through music, delivering a setlist of very catchy, very meme-worthy songs that have titles like “White Woman’s Instagram” and “FaceTime with My Mom (Tonight).” The special gets in touch with the collective mood 2020 inspired in all of us — the anguish, the despair, the horniness. Burnham’s comedy has always touched on the existential, but he goes deeper than ever here. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Realizing that the horrors of the past are still effecting the present

Year: 2021
Director: Kristine Solakis
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 76

Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum executive produce this documentary about Exodus International, an Evangelical group formed in the ’70s that claims it could turn gay people straight through prayer and conversion therapy. What’s most interesting about this film is that it features interviews with ex-leaders who are now speaking out against the movement they were part of for so many years. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Eric Andre, the Sacha Baron Cohen effect

Year: 2021
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Stars: Eric André, Lil Rel Howery
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 61

How in the world is Bad Trip as great as it is? There is no plausible reason why a prank movie was able to feel so fresh and hilarious in the year 2021, and yet here I am, writing about the greatness of Bad Trip. It has a pretty loose plot (two listless best friends take a road trip so one can reunite with his high school crush), which is sort of unnecessary to the film’s broad comedy, but does help with providing structure and emotional beats when needed. Anyway, that’s not really why it’s on this list. Bad Trip shines thanks to its many interactions with the unsuspecting public, who have no idea they’re being filmed or that they’re part of a movie. The way the film’s stars, Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, and Tiffany Haddish, drag poor strangers into the bizarre world they’ve created and get them invested in their characters’ fictional problems (a particularly memorable scene in which Haddish recruits the patrons of a restaurant into helping her track down Andre and Howery becomes an instant classic thanks to the passionate reaction from one woman), ends up producing the best comedic moments. Clocking in under 90 minutes, Bad Trip is a quick, wholeheartedly joyful watch. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: The struggles of hitting the big 4-0, the artist’s life

Year: 2020
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Stars: Radha Blank
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 80

Soon-to-be household name Radha Blank writes, directs, and stars in this poignant comedy about a playwright who is approaching her 40th birthday but still has nothing to show for it, even after winning a coveted “30 under 30” award nearly a decade before. To reinvent her life, she breaks into rapping, spitting rhymes from her unique viewpoint and fighting to stay true to her own artistic vision. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The Coen brothers, dark comedy

Year: 2018
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, Tom Waits, James Franco
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 79

The Coen brothers strap on their spurs for this collection of short stories from the Wild West, all peppered with that trademark Coen absurdism made famous in their films Fargo and Raising Arizona. The stories range from a singing cowboy (Tim Blake Nelson) who’s quick on the draw to a mumbling prospector (Tom Waits) tracked down by an opportunist to an outlaw (James Franco) who’s no stranger to the gallows. It’s a gorgeous film about opportunity in a land where there’s nothing but opportunity. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Spike Lee, being reminded that war is bad

Year: 2020
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Chadwick Boseman, Norm Lewis
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 82

Spike Lee‘s latest is a sprawling drama split between two timelines: the first during the Vietnam War, where a group of Black soldiers band together, and the second during the present, where the surviving members, now aging veterans, return to the country in the hopes of recovering the remains of their fallen squad leader (Chadwick Boseman, in one of his last performances) and locating the gold they buried years ago. It’s a dazzling, stylized adventure, and the kind of movie that will make you walk away feeling like you learned something without skimping on character development. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Unlikely friendships, cephalopods

Year: 2020
Director: James Reed and Pippa Ehrlich
Stars: Craig Foster, Tom Foster
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 82

This film about the intimate relationship between a man and his octopus won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2021. Craig Foster, a diver, buddies up with an octopus in South Africa for a year, documenting her life as she sleeps, eats, and battles sharks. The whole experience teaches Foster about life and moves him to gain appreciation for humanity’s relationship with nature, as well as form a closer bond with his son. The whole thing feels a little like a more wholesome version of Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, but I’m not here to knock anyone who dares to explore interspecies friendships. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Aaron Sorkin’s whole thing, watered down history

Year: 2020
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 76

In 1969, a group of anti-war activists were charged with conspiring to start a riot at the Democratic National Convention, and in 2019, Aaron Sorkin told an extremely Hollywood version of their story. Although Sorkin really simplifies a lot of the more radical politics people like Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) actually had, a big, showy courtroom drama — full of grandstanding and dramatic speeches and quippy dialogue — is a perfect vehicle for his style. It’s grounded by the performances of its sprawling, star-studded cast (which also includes Mark Rylance, Frank Langella, and Michael Keaton) and the writing, which earned Sorkin a Best Original Screenplay nod at the Oscars, and it’ll teach you something about the injustices of the American justice system, which, spoiler, has always been pretty bad! -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Haunted houses, immigrant horror stories

Year: 2020
Director: Remi Weekes
Stars: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu
Genre: Horror
Rating: TV-14
Metacritic score: 72

A refugee couple from South Sudan find their new housing in England is not what it seems in this chilling and stylish horror movie from writer-director Remi Weekes. If you love ghosts and grief but are ready for a little more intensity, His House is a must-watch; it’s a haunted house story that blends serious scares with thoughtful commentary on immigration and trauma. Plus, it’s anchored by unmissable performances from stars Wunmi Mosaku and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

For fans of: Social justice, visual poetry, hard truths

Year: 2016
Director: Raoul Peck
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 95

Raoul Peck’s 2016 documentary that’s an adaptation of James Baldwin’s manuscript about racism in America through the eyes of Black people — specifically civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X, and Medgar Evans — is a visual masterpiece with a clear message: America has failed the Black community. The powerful 2016 film brims with energy through old footage of segregation and current shots of protests in the streets in the wake of police violence against minorities. It’s an essential watch to better understand America’s shameful past and present. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Oscar winners, art films

Year: 2018
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 96

Sorry Mank, you aren’t the best black-and-white film on Netflix. Not even close. Alfonso Cuaron‘s 2018 personal tale of a housekeeper in Mexico to a wealthy Mexican family won Best Foreign Film, Best Director (Cuaron), and Best Cinematography (Cuaron) at the 91st Academy Awards, but could have won tons more. It’s both quiet and epic in scope, balancing a fascinating relationship between a hard-working woman named Cleo and the family that relies on her, unforgettable shots involving hundreds of extras, and a sensitive story on life bubbling under the surface. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Beyoncé, of course… and who isn’t?

Year: 2019
Director: Beyoncé, Ed Burke
Stars: Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland
Genre: Documentary, Music
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 93

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Homecoming is perhaps the best, most impactful concert film of at least the past few years. This is Beyoncé at the absolute top of her game, showing not only her historic performance at Coachella 2018, but the emotionally and physically taxing preparation that led up to it. It’s just a pleasure to watch, not only because Beyoncé’s unparalleled work ethic and commitment to precision, but because of how dedicated she and her team of artists, dancers, and musicians were to making sure the performance was a celebration of Black culture. It’s called Homecoming because of the way it evokes traditions made popular by homecoming concerts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and it’s maybe the most entertaining history lesson you’ll ever get. Also, there’s a pitch-perfect Destiny’s Child reunion. We love to see it. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Teen rom-coms, John Hughes references

Year: 2018-2021
Director: Susan Johnson
Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: TV-14
Metacritic score: 64

Based on Jenny Han’s young adult trilogy, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before took the Netflix world by storm when it debuted in 2018. The teen rom-com stars Asian American actress Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey, a hopelessly romantic high schooler who pens letters to all her crushes in order to get her abundance of emotions out. But when those love letters are mailed out to the crushes by her younger sister, she’s mortified — especially because one is delivered to her older sister’s boyfriend, Josh (Israel Broussard). To cover up her feelings for Josh, Lara Jean begins fake dating the popular and charming Peter (Noah Centineo) — another love letter recipient who wants to make his ex jealous — but old feelings die hard. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has an inherent sweetness to it that calls back to classic ’80s films like Say Anything… or Sixteen Candles. Once you’ve finished it, check out its sequels, P.S. I Still Love You, which introduces yet another recipient of Lara Jean’s letters, and Always and Forever, the third and final film in the saga. –Kaitlin Thomas [Trailer]

For fans of: Keanu Reeves doing the most

Year: 2019
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Stars: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 64

Ali Wong co-wrote this 2019 romantic comedy in which she stars as Sasha, a celebrity chef who returns home to San Francisco to open a new restaurant and runs into her former childhood friend, Marcus (co-writer Randall Park). The romantic chemistry from their teenage years still remains, and after she breaks off her engagement to her fiancé after he delays their wedding yet again, Sasha attempts to embark on a new relationship with Marcus. However, his fears and her fame — and a great guest spot from Keanu Reeves — create obstacles that first have to be overcome before true happiness can be found. –Kaitlin Thomas [Trailer]

Before he got recruited by the Marvel machine, Taika Waititi made Hunt for the Wilderpeople, an adventure dramedy about a young delinquent (Julian Dennison) and his reluctant foster dad (Sam Neill) who, after a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, become the targets of a manhunt. They go into survival mode as they hide out in the New Zealand wilderness, running into a cast of oddball characters as they evade the police. As is the case with these things, the longer they stay out on their own, the closer they get. Waititi’s signature comedic style is what makes the whole thing really shine. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Impressive de-aging CGI, looooong movies

Year: 2019
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 94

Martin Scorsese loves telling stories about almost-great men undone by their own hubris, and The Irishman is the latest example of that. A lot was made of its three-hour runtime, and its use of CGI to de-age its stars, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino, but those aren’t the only things this film has to offer. De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, the titular Irishman, who works as a hitman alongside Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and famous Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), both of whom are tied to organized crime. It’s an epic about power and betrayal, and contains easily the best performance De Niro’s given in years. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Laura Dern memes, Adam Driver memes, being sad

Year: 2019
Director: Noah Baumbach
Stars: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta
Genre: Drama
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 94

A marriage unravels in Noah Baumbach’s latest, as Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) try to keep themselves afloat during their divorce. Yes, there’s definitely a lot movie going on in this movie emotionally, but isn’t the most important takeaway that we got two great memes out of it? I think so. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Underdog stories, Eddie Murphy doing something different

Year: 2019
Director: Craig Brewer
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Biography
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 76

In 1970s Los Angeles, struggling musician-comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) decides to create a raunchy alter ego named Dolemite in effort to get noticed. The movie highlights the way, through his work, Moore was able to help pioneer rap as a musical genre, provides wider commentary on the blaxploitation phenomenon, and touches on some of Murphy’s own feelings about the critics who have commented on his films. Spoiler: He doesn’t care! -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Crying!

Year: 2020
Director: Kirsten Johnson
Stars: Dick Johnson, Kirsten Johnson
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 89

You should break out a box of tissues before checking out Kristen Johnson‘s tender documentary about her father. When we’re introduced to the 86-year-old Dick, the frightening, heartbreaking effects of his dementia are starting to show, marking what both Dick and Kristen accept to be the beginning of the end of his life. What makes this film unique is the way it blends fiction and reality: Kristen imagines ways for her dad to die that he gamely acts out, from falling down a flight of stairs to bleeding out from a head wound. The two have such an easy rapport that it’s easy to laugh at their antics one minute and be horribly upset the next when Dick describes the pain of feeling his memory slip away from him in real time. It’s a beautiful film quite unlike anything else. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

It should be said straight up that I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Charlie Kaufman‘s haunting adaptation of Iain Reid’s novel, is probably not for everyone. It’s also not the kind of movie that will tell you exactly what it’s about; it doesn’t really follows a linear, cause-and-effect plot, and the story unfolds according to dream logic. I’ll describe it in the best way I can, though: A woman (Jessie Buckley) goes on a trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to visit his parents, all while she’s considering breaking up with him. It only gets trippier from there! The only things that are really made clear to the audience is that the woman is a wholly unreliable narrator and nothing is as it seems. If you like your movies a little out there, this one’s totally worth checking out. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Great performances from great actors, monologues

Year: 2020
Director: George C. Wolfe
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo
Genre: Drama, Music
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 87

Chadwick Boseman‘s final film role was in this Netflix original, which is based on the Tony-nominated August Wilson play. Viola Davis stars as Ma Rainey, a powerhouse blues singer in 1927 Chicago who holds up a recording session to butt heads with her white manager, and Boseman plays a trumpeter in the recording session angling to get a foothold in the music business. On its own, it’s a good film that has a lot to say about race and music ownership, but the performances from Davis and Boseman elevate it. -Aliison Picurro [Trailer]