Hulu is a strange entity in the current streaming landscape, since its primary role is not as a producer of originals, like Netflix, but as a distributor. But it’s still a massive hub of licensed content, drawing from all sorts of sources, and its existence as Disney’s other streaming service means that anything from the Mouse House that doesn’t make sense for Disney+ will end up on Hulu. During spooky season, that means lots and lots of horror flicks.
The spooky offerings are pretty robust on Hulu, with recent releases like Late Night with the Devil and Immaculate sure to give you the heebie jeebies, but those are just the tip of the iceberg.
This list isn’t just about the absolute best movies of all time; it’s about the best movies to watch on Hulu right now. That means this list will look a little different from the other ones out there, as we’re focusing on Hulu originals, new arrivals to Hulu, and our own personal favorites.
Last updated Oct. 25; newer additions are at the top.
David Dastmalchian, Late Night With The Devil
Shudder
Director: Cameron and Colin Cairnes
Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordan, Ian Bliss, Fayssel Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72
Character actor David Dastmalchian (Oppenheimer) is terrific in a rare starring role in this supernatural spooker as Jack Delroy, a 1970s late night talk show host whose desperation for ratings leads to him booking a demonic entity as a guest on his show, in the form of a possessed child, and an author who wrote a book about her. Dastmalchian nails the talk show host’s smarmy patter, as well as his terror when he realizes that he’s at the mercy of even more powerful and sinister force than the Nielsen corporation. The title sort of implies that the Devil is hosting the show. Technically he isn’t, but in a way he is. -Liam Mathews (Trailer)
Sydney Sweeney, Immaculate
Neon Releasing
Director: Michael Mohan
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Alvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Giorgio Colangeli, Dora Romano
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 57
Sydney Sweeney stars in this slow burn story of a Catholic nun who seemingly spontaneously becomes pregnant. Is this baby a blessing from the Lord, or could there be some other nefarious force at work here? This is a horror film, so, uh, spoiler: it’s the nefarious one. One of a pair of mysterious pregnant nun movies to hit theaters in 2024, Immaculate does cover some of the same ground as The First Omen does. But unlike that very solid film, Immaculate’s story doesn’t have to fit the lore of some existing 50-year-old movie, which makes it a better watch. -Phil Owen (Trailer)
Hailey Joel Osment and Bruce Willis, The Sixth Sense
Buena Vista
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Hailey Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Genre: Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 64
M. Night Shyamalan is a pretty divisive filmmaker these days, but that wasn’t always the case — his breakout movie, The Sixth Sense, pulled six Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. And what a film it was, with a twist for the ages and an intense-but-low-key vibe that he’s never quite been able to pull off in the same way since. But that’s OK — The Sixth Sense is a classic all the same. -Phil Owen (Trailer)
Director: Wes Ball
Stars: Freya Allan, William H. Macy, Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, and Dichen Lachman
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 66
One of 2024’s biggest movies, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth film in the Planet of the Apes reboot series, and because the film industry works in threes, it’s technically the first movie in a planned second trilogy. Set 300 years after 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom stars The Witcher’s Freya Allan and The Stand’s Owen Teague as a human and a young chimpanzee, respectively, who go on a journey to determine the future of their species. Those expecting a special effects feast will be sated, but they may also be surprised at the insightful story. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge
Hulu
Director: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton
Genre: Documentary
Rating: n/a
Metacritic score: 63
To many, the name Diane von Furstenberg is synonymous with the wrap dress. It’s expected, since the Belgian entrepreneur built her fashion empire around that clothing item. But in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton’s documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, Furstenburg is introduced as far more than a designer. The film is an intimate portrayal of her life, from being the daughter of a Holocaust survivor to the wife of Prince Egon von Furstenberg to a global voice empowering women. Woman in Charge paints an undeniable portrait of a trailblazer who never shied away from pushing boundaries. And while interviews with figures like Oprah Winfrey and Marc Jacobs certainly establish Furstenberg as an industry icon, it’s the interviews with her family that are the film’s most poignant. -Kat Moon (Trailer)
Kōji Yakusho and Arisa Nakano, Perfect Days
Hulu
Director: Wim Wenders
Stars: Kōji Yakusho and Arisa Nakano
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 80
Japan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film award at the 2024 Oscars (it lost to The Zone of Interest) is directed by the very non-Japanese Wim Wenders, the legendary German director behind Buena Vista Social Club; Paris, Texas; and Wings of Desire. Perfect Days is a quaint and poignant film about a man (Kōji Yakusho) who cleans public toilets in Tokyo for a living and enjoys the little things in life. Don’t expect a typical movie experience from this one; it’s a meditative look at living in the now, with a quietly standout performance from Yakusho and minimalist direction from Wenders. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Nell Tiger Free and Nicole Sorace, The First Omen
20 Century Studios
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
Stars: Nell Tiger Free, Sonia Braga, Ralph Inneson, Maria Caballero
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 83
Way back in the original The Omen, a politician’s stillborn child was secretly replaced with an Antichrist baby — The First Omen is the story of where that baby came from. Despite the franchise baggage, The First Omen works well as a creepy little standalone story, and Tiger Free is outstanding as the protagonist, a nun-in-training who was just brought to the Vatican at the request of the priest who ran the orphanage she was raised at. It’s a slow burn, and the ending that ties the franchise together is kind of awkward, but The First Omen has a lot to offer fans of religious horror — it’s a lot more compelling than 2023’s Exorcist sequel; that’s for sure. -Phil Owen (Trailer)
Adam Driver, Ferrari
Year: 2023
Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 73
Mann paints a poignant portrait of Enzo Ferrari with this film, never shying away from his flaws and telling an unexpectedly resonant personal story. And despite Adam Driver being far too young for the role — Enzo Ferrari was nearly 60 during the events of the film, two decades older than Driver — the multi-time Emmy and Oscar nominee pulls it off nearly flawlessly. Despite Ferrari being all about cars, it’s the quieter portions of the film that give it its substance. -Phil Owen (Trailer)
Tomoaki “Nasubi” Hamatsu, The Contestant
Disney
Year: 2023
Director: Clair Titley
Stars: Tomoaki Hamatsu, narrated by Fred Armisen
Genre: Documentary
Rating: n/a
Metacritic score: 71
In 1998, a Japanese reality show convinced a man named Tomoaki Hamatsu to participate in a strange contest: He had to live in complete isolation, without any clothes, and live off only what he could win from magazine sweepstakes cards. And then the whole thing was livestreamed and became a national sensation — the man lived like this for more than a year without having a clue about his popularity. That really happened, and this compelling documentary from director Clair Titley retells the story both from Hamatsu’s perspective and that of the TV producer who exploited him. But it’s in the final act, which focuses on Hamtsu’s later life and his attempts to climb Mount Everest, where The Contestant hits the hardest. All that and it lasts under 90 minutes. -Phil Owen (Trailer)
Brian Jones, The Stones and Brian Jones
Magnolia Pictures
Year: 2023
Director: Nick Broomfield
Stars: Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and others
Genre: Documentary, Music
Rating: n/a
Metacritic score: 75
Kurt & Courtney director Nick Broomfield looks back at the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll with this documentary about Brian Jones, the founder of the Rolling Stones, and the band that would eventually move on without him. Jones started the Rolling Stones in 1962 before seeing his influence on the band fade away as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took creative control, leading to his ouster in 1969. He died less than a month later, but his footprint on the British rock scene remains as strong as ever. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Poor Things (2023)
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Searchlight Pictures
Year: 2023
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Stars: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, and Vicki Pepperdine
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 88
Yorgos Lanthimos’ endearingly odd fantasy/romance/drama/comedy film and Best Picture nominee hit subscription streaming just in time for your Oscars cram. Though it didn’t win Best Picture, Emma Stone won Best Actress for playing a previously deceased woman who is brought back to life and thirsts for worldliness and self-discovery. Best Supporting Actor nominee Mark Ruffalo plays the man she runs off with for a global adventure. It’s a good one. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Nico Parker, Suncoast
Year: 2024
Director: Laura Chinn
Stars: Laura Linney, Nico Parker, Woody Harrelson
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 61
This semi-autobiographical film from writer/director Laura Chinn is a coming-of-age tale with a compelling set of wrinkles — the girl at the center of the story has a brother who is terminally ill, and the movie takes place during the final days of Terri Schiavo’s life in 2005. The broad strokes of this one can get a bit trope-y, but it’s the emotional honesty from Chinn, and young star Nico Parker, that will hit viewers square in the heart. Suncoast — which also stars Woody Harrelson and Laura Linney — is quite a first movie from Chinn. -Phil Owen (Trailer)
Beyond Utopia (2023)
Beyond Utopia
Year: 2023
Director: Madeleine Gavin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 84
This acclaimed documentary from director Madeleine Gavin follows families trying to escape North Korea after living a life of hardship and lies brought upon them by the North Korean government. Using rare footage of life inside North Korea, Beyond Utopia captures the harrowing and life-threatening journey toward freedom, aided by South Korean pastor Seungeun Kim, who has helped over a thousand North Koreans defect. While the human stories are captivating, it’s worth noting that some critics found the movie failed to detail America’s involvement in making North Korea what it is today. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
John David Washington, The Creator
Year: 2023
Director: Gareth Edwards
Stars: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Madeleine Yuna Voyles
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 63
Rogue One director Gareth Edwards tackles a future in which artificial intelligence isn’t just writing college students’ term papers; it’s in all-out war against the human race after a bot launches a nuclear attack on Los Angeles. Years later, a special agent (John David Washington) goes on a mission to hunt down the mysterious “creator,” the mastermind behind a new weapon that will help AI win the war. And then things get complicated! It’s a solid action-based sci-fi film with better visuals than story, so have the popcorn handy. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Kaitlyn Dever, No One Will Save You
20th Century Studios
Year: 2023
Director: Brian Duffield
Stars: Kaitlyn Dever
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 64
No One Will Save You, a nearly wordless thriller from Brian Duffield (Love and Monsters, The Babysitter), stars Kaitlyn Dever as a creative but lonely young woman named Brynn, whose alienation turns literal when extraterrestrials invade her childhood home one night. In order to confront her intruders, Brynn will have to face her past. Beam this one up; it’s a lot of fun. -Kelly Connolly (Trailer)
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Neon
Year: 2023
Director: Daniel Goldhaber
Stars: Lukas Gage, Marcus Scribner, Kristine Froseth
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 76
Hulu is still one of the strongest streamers for great under-the-radar movies, and this 2023 film from Neon is a good one. How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows a group of youngsters who band together to take out a controversial oil pipeline, tiptoeing the line between environmental activism and domestic terrorism. It was a hit among critics, who lauded it as a taut thriller with eco-friendly themes, and it features a cast that includes The White Lotus’ Lukas Gage, black-ish’s Marcus Scribner, and The Society’s Kristine Froseth. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård, Infinity Pool
NEON
Year: 2023
Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Cleopatra Coleman, Mia Goth
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72
Infinity Pool director Brandon Cronenberg is the son of the king of body horror, David Cronenberg. If the name “Cronenberg” didn’t tip you off, you should know that this is a bizarre and often disturbing film. It follows a vacationing married couple, played by Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman, who, after an accident, begin to discover the dark, twisted secrets hidden beyond the walls of their resort. It’s difficult to say much without spoiling everything, but this is certainly a movie that will stick with you long after it ends. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane
Chris Harris/Searchlight Pictures
Year: 2023
Director: Raine Allen Miller
Stars: Vivian Oparah, David Jonsson
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 83
This cute rom-com film set in the London neighborhoods of Peckham and Brixton has a tried-and-true setup — two people reeling from bad breakups have a chance encounter with each other, and you know the rest — but it’s presented in a dazzling, magnetic way thanks to director Raine Allen Miller. Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (Industry’s David Jonsson) are twentysomethings who use their new friendship to deal with their exes over the course of a day, and who knows, maybe they will fall for each other. Who knows!?!? -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Triangle of Sadness
Year: 2022
Director: Ruben Östlund
Stars: Harry Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Dolly de Leon
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 63
This film from director Ruben Östlund won the Palme d’Or in 2022 and Best Picture at the European Film Awards, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. But it also has a 63 score on Metacritic. It’s one of those movies, a satirical look at and takedown of the rich and famous on a cruise ship, and for some the satire and black humor don’t hit. Others love it, though, and as one of 2023’s most polarizing Best Picture nominees, it’s a mandatory watch. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Shamier Anderson and Jalyn Hall, Bruiser
Dan Anderson/Hulu
Year: 2023
Director: Miles Warren
Stars: Jalyn Hall, Shamier Anderson, Trevante Rhodes
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Metacritic score: 81
First-time feature director Miles Warren arrives with the confidence of a veteran filmmaker with this family drama about a 14-year-old (Jalyn Hall) caught between his father (Shamier Anderson) and a mysterious drifter (Trevante Rhodes). It’s a story about fatherhood and parenting, coming of age, and defending yourself. It’s also one of the best things Onyx Collective, a subdivision of Disney focusing on Black stories, has produced. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Fire of Love
Rooftop Films
Year: 2022
Director: Sara Dosa
Stars: Maurice Krafft, Katia Krafft
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 83
This stunning film was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2023 Academy Awards, and for good reason. Fire of Love introduces audiences to Maurice and Katia Krafft, a pair of charismatic French volcanologists who bucked the stuffy stereotypes of scientists from the 1970s to early 1990s. Director Sara Dosa also innovates with a stylish collage of the Kraffts’ massive library of film footage, multimedia animations, groovy music, and entrancing editing. But what makes Fire of Love better than the sum of its parts is the fascinating love triangle between Maurice and Katia, who were married, and the explosive volcanoes that drew them in. It’s a nature documentary, a profile of a couple who found love against all odds, and an art film in one splendid package. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Riotsville, U.S.A.
Magnolia Pictures
Year: 2022
Director: Sarah Pettengill
Stars: Charlene Modeste
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 83
History repeats itself — or maybe it just never ends — in Riotsville, U.S.A. This well-reviewed 2022 documentary looks back on the social justice movement of the late 1960s and traces how America’s police forces militarized in response. Its focus is on fake towns built by the Army, which were used to train police and the military to violently subdue protests. Director Sarah Pettengill uses archival footage and pointed narration to tell a story that has obvious parallels in the present. -Kelly Connolly (Trailer)
Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn, Stars at Noon
Zoey Kang/A24
Year: 2022
Director: Claire Denis
Stars: Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Benny Safdie, John C. Reilly
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Romance
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 67
Claire Denis’ Stars at Noon was a big hit at Cannes, and now it’s on Hulu for you to form your own opinion about. A modern adaptation of Denis Johnson’s 1984 novel, it stars Margaret Qualley as an American journalist stranded in Nicaragua and Joe Alwyn as the British guy she meets and immediately falls for, only to discover he’s in deep with — wait for it — the CIA. It’s a woozy, sweaty, and sexy romantic thriller elevated by a dynamic performance from Qualley. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux, Crimes of the Future
Nikos Nikolopoulos/NEON
Year: 2022
Director: David Cronenberg
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Léa Seydoux, Viggo Mortensen, Scott Speedman
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Horror
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 67
David Cronenberg’s name is synonymous with stomach-churning body horror, and his latest film is a return to the genre he helped pioneer. Set in an alternate future, Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux star as a performance artist couple who make their money staging live surgeries in which they remove extra organs from the body for rapt audiences. They catch the attention of a government organization that keeps track of new organs, as well as a peculiar cult of people who are experimenting with their own form of biological performance art. It’s a big old Cronenbergian blend of ideas that’s guaranteed to make your squirm. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Christopher Abbott and Jerrod Carmichael, On the Count of Three
Albert Camicioli
Year: 2021
Director: Jerrod Carmichael
Stars: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, Henry Winkler, JB Smoove
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 85
Jerrod Carmichael directs this dark buddy dramedy about two best friends – one played by Carmichael, the other by Christopher Abbott – who hatch a joint suicide pact. Before they kill themselves, though, they spend their last day alive taking care of unfinished business and engaging in shameless debauchery. It’s difficult to recommend a movie with such upsetting subject material, but Carmichael’s singular voice makes this one worth it. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Prey (2022)
The Predator and Amber Midthunder, Prey
David Bukach
Year: 2022
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Stars: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller, Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 69
Hulu went ahead and revived the Predator franchise, and this time it’s a prequel. Prey is set in the Comanche Nation in the 1700s, and finds the Predator coming to Earth, where he faces off against a young warrior (Amber Midthunder) trying to protect her tribe. It has all the brawling and killing you want from a Predator movie, and as Jordan Hoffman said in his review for TV Guide, its setting feels refreshing. -Allison Picurro (Trailer | Review)
Aftershock (2022)
Aftershock
Hulu
Year: 2022
Director: Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 89
This documentary from directors Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee puts the focus on the healthcare crisis that disproportionately affects Black women, who face rising maternal death rates after childbirth. The film follows the families of two women, Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac, as they bring attention to this largely ignored issue. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Hulu
Year: 2022
Director: Sophie Hyde
Stars: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 78
Emma Thompson is one of our all-time greats, period. She has the unique ability to light up just about anything she’s in, a talent on full display in this charming dramedy about a retired widow who decides, for the first time in her life, to seek out good sex, leading her to hire and form an unexpected bond with a sex worker (Daryl McCormack). Thompson and McCormack have enough chemistry to make this very dialogue-heavy movie feel sweet and easily watchable. -Allison Picurro (Trailer | Review)
Renata Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World
SF Studios
Year: 2021
Director: Joachim Trier
Stars: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 90
One of the most well-liked and well-reviewed films of last year (it was nominated for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars), The Worst Person in the World is not actually all that romantic or all that much of a comedy, despite often being classified as a rom-com. It’s more of a character study about one aimless woman (Renate Reinsve) in her twenties, following her over the course of several years as she drifts in and out of relationships and jobs — think Frances Ha, but Norwegian. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Margaret Cho, Tomás Matos, Bowen Yang, Joel Kim Booster, and Matt Rogers, Fire Island
Jeong Park/Searchlight
Year: 2022
Director: Andrew Ahn
Stars: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, Margaret Cho, Matt Rogers
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72
Joel Kim Booster writes and stars in this hilarious, heartbreaking, and horny adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which reimagines one of Jane Austen’s most famous novels as a gay romantic comedy set on New York’s Fire Island. Booster stars as Noah, the Elizabeth Bennett role, and Bowen Yang plays his best friend Howie, the Jane Bennett; the film hits all the Austenian beats regarding class and social status, but Booster’s observations about being gay and Asian American gives a well-trodden story its updated perspective. It’s likely the only movie you’ll see that has jokes about Quibi, My Cousin Vinny, and Yolanda Hadid. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Try Harder!
Year: 2021
Director: Debbie Lum
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 75
If you’d like to get in on the anxiety high school seniors are facing as they await the decisions of the colleges they applied to, this documentary will do the trick. The film examines how much college admissions have changed over the years, with students now expected to have 5.0 GPAs, be a member of no less than 17 clubs, and run a 4-minute mile. Slightly exaggerated, but the competition has never been fiercer, even to get into some second-choice school like Vassar. Thankfully, director Debbie Lum handles the absurdity of it all with a playful sense of humor. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Tim Roth, Sundown
Year: 2022
Director: Michael Franco
Stars: Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 70
Tim Roth is the embodiment of indifference in this mellow drama about a wealthy British man vacationing in Acapulco with his siblings when they’re suddenly called back for a family tragedy. Only he doesn’t go back, pretending he forgot his passport back at the hotel. Then he just stays in Mexico while everyone else deals with all the responsibility! Roth is excellent as a man who has completely given up in this film that’s low on plot but high on masculine malaise and shots of drinking beer on the beach. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Flee
Hulu
Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Genre: Documentary, Animation, Biography
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 91
Be more efficient with your Oscar nominee watch by checking out Flee, a triple threat that’s nominated for Best Documentary, Best Animated Feature, and Best International Feature. The gorgeous film was a top pick on many critics’ Best of 2021 lists and focuses on Amin Nawabi, who tells the story of his journey to Denmark as a child refugee from Afghanistan and the secret he kept hidden for 20 years. It’s an astounding piece of art. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Sebastian Stan, Fresh
Searchlight Pictures
Director: Mimi Cave
Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan
Genre: Thriller, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 67
It’s not really a spoiler to say that this movie starts out as a romantic comedy and then turns into a horror movie a half-hour in, because that’s the whole thing of it. I just won’t tell you what happens, other than to say Sebastian Stan gets his Patrick Bateman on. Fresh is the debut film from promising director Mimi Cave, and it stars Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones as a young woman who’s sick of online dating. She meets a charming man in a grocery store, and after they quickly hit it off, she agrees to go away with him to a remote cabin for a weekend. You can guess how it goes. The cinematographer is Midsommar’s Pawel Pogorzelski, who’s very good at shooting visually striking, gruesome horror. -Liam Mathews (Trailer)
Agathe Rousselle, Titane
Hulu
Director: Julia Ducournau
Stars: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, a dope Cadillac
Genre: Body horror, Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 75
Given its everything, I have no idea how Titane became the winner of the 2021 Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes International Film Festival. But I’m glad it did because Titane is absolutely amazing in the most primal sense of the word. The French-Belgian film defies genre but spends lots of time in almost all of them — horror, science-fiction, drama, comedy — as it follows a model with a titanium plate in her head that she got after a car crash when she was young at car shows. From there, Titane is a riveting and savage ride as shocking as it is unpredictable (you’ll never think of airport bathroom sinks the same way again). And just when you think it’s gone entirely off the rails, it becomes an emotional and thought-provoking film about character relationships. Love it or hate it, no reaction would surprise me from this truly original and daring film. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Annes Elwy, The Feast
IFC Midnight
Director: Lee Haven Jones
Stars: Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones
Genre: Horror
Rating: Not rated
Metacritic score: 68
You may have never seen a Welsh-language horror movie before, but Hulu can make your first one a good one. The Feast, which made a splash on the film festival circuit, is an ecologically minded folk horror slow-burner that takes its sweet time getting going, but is well worth it when it gets there. It’s about a strange, quiet young woman named Cadi (Annes Elwy) who’s hired to be a cater-waitress at a dinner party of the home of an exploitative politician and his stuck-up wife. They’ve forgotten their connection to the land, and Cadi is going to remind them, in very gruesome and disturbing fashion. -Liam Mathews (Trailer)
Charli XCX: Alone Together
Greenwich Entertainment
Director: Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler
Stars: Charli XCX
Genre: Music, Documentary
Rating: Unrated
Metacritic score: 71
It might be a little too soon to relive early quarantine days, but it’s different when you do it through the eyes of one of our greatest (and somehow still underrated) pop stars — in this case, Charli XCX. Told largely through self-taped footage, Alone Together follows the inception, creation, and release of one of the more unique projects to come out of the pandemic: Charli’s near-perfect 2020 album How I’m Feeling Now. It’s a fascinating look at a truly collaborative process between an artist and her fans, showing how songs were written with their help over Instagram Live, and also presents a raw account of Charli’s struggles with anxiety. This is definitely a documentary primarily for the diehard fans, but even a casual listener can enjoy bearing witness to such a cool creative process. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley
Hulu
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 70
This traveling circus film noir from Guillermo del Toro stars Bradley Cooper as a carnival worker in the 1930s and 1940s who learns to grift the rich and famous from other circus folk. He’s joined by a stellar cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, and David Strathairn. Under del Toro’s eye, Nightmare Alley is a sight to behold, a time warp to the shady traveling sideshows and elegant art deco ballrooms of the era when everyone was working some sort of scheme. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps, Bergman Island
Hulu
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Stars: Tim Roth, Vicky Krieps, Mia Wasikowska
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 81
A filmmaking couple, played by Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps, head to the Swedish island of Fårö, the home of legendary director Ingmar Bergman, to root around for inspiration. But as they spend more time on the quaint island and their opinions of Bergman diverge, their marriage slowly falls apart. The film is like two indie movies in one, with a movie-within-a-movie playing in the middle as a visualization of the screenplay the wife is working on, and it all floats along gorgeously with the natural beauty of Fårö. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert, I’m Your Man
Hulu
Director: Maria Schrader
Stars: Dan Stevens, Maren Eggert
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Romance
Rating: Not Rated
Metacritic score: 78
This Best International Feature Film selection from Germany for the 2022 Academy Awards was this science-fiction rom-com starring Dan Stevens (Legion) as a robot built to be the perfect boyfriend. He does the rumba. Do you need any other reason to watch this? (In German, with English subtitles.) -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Pig (2021)
Nicolas Cage, Pig
David Reamer/NEON
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 82
“We don’t get a lot of things to really care about.” If that line resonates with you, you’ll want to see the indie drama Pig. Nicolas Cage stars as a onetime prominent chef from Portland who left society to go live in the woods with his beloved truffle-hunting pig. When his pig is stolen, he has to return to the city to look for one of the few things he really cares about. It’s a similar premise to John Wick, with assassin action replaced by tragicomic character study. It’s a top-tier Nicolas Cage performance, and probably his most subtle in at least 20 years. -Liam Mathews (Trailer)
Mandibles
Magnet Releasing
Director: Quentin Dupieux
Stars: David Marsais, Grégoire Ludig, Adèle Exarchopoulos, India Hair
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 74
If you’ve ever wondered what a silly stoner comedy would be like en français, wonder no more. Mandibles, from bugged out writer-director Quentin Dupieux, is about two dumb slacker pals who find themselves in possession of a gigantic housefly. They initially plan to train the fly to rob people for them, but instead they just end up meandering around the South of France with their bristly companion having moronic misadventures. It’s a flyweight buddy comedy with a refreshing sense of creativity – you never know what’s going to happen next – that generated a lot of buzz on the film festival circuit. All right, that’s enough bug puns. Just watch it. -Liam Mathews (Trailer)
For Madmen Only (2020)
For Madmen Only
Hulu
Director: Heather Ross
Stars: Ike Barinholtz, Janet Coleman, Josh Fadem, Mike Gold, Robert Dassie
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a
You may not know the name Del Close, but you’re definitely a fan of his work. Close was instrumental in establishing improv comedy, and is credited by many top comedians — Bob Odenkirk, Tina Fey, John Belushi, to name a few — as their mentor, with his knowledge being passed down to today’s generation. The documentary For Madmen Only digs into Close’s legacy, including his legendary stories and mental illness. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Maybe This Year (2021)
Maybe This Year
Director: Kyle Thrash
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a
Director Kyle Thrash follows fans of the Philadelphia Eagles during the team’s 2017 Super Bowl run in this character documentary. What’s the big deal about that? Have you seen fans of Philadelphia sports teams? They’re a unique type of insane. They throw batteries at opposing players. They boo Santa Claus! Maybe This Year (sometimes called Maybe Next Year) isn’t so much about football as it is a look at fandom from the perspective of one of the most die-hard fanbases in the world, like the guy who spent his life savings making a makeshift Eagles bar in his home or the self-proclaimed shy woman who calls into sports radio and screams. And you know it has a happy ending. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Jacinta
Jessica Earnshaw/Hulu
Director: Jessica Earnshaw
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a
This documentary isn’t an easy watch, but it is an essential watch. Director Jessica Earnshaw trains her cameras on three generations of a family, with the focus on young mother Jacinta, a heroin addict who is in and out of jail and desperate to reconnect with her young daughter. But Jacinta’s addiction, born from her mother’s behavior, might be too powerful for her to ever have a normal relationship with her child. There’s a lot of pain on screen here (as well as lessons to be learned), but a bittersweet ending at least avoids the worst possible scenario. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
B.B. King, Summer of Soul
20th Century Studios
Director: Ahmir-Khalib Thompson
Stars: B.B. King, Jesse Jackson, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder
Genre: Documentary, Music
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 96
The same year Woodstock was held and grabbed all the headlines as the only thing that happened in music in 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival took place, with performances by Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, and more. Footage of the festival never saw the light of day until the release of this film, which marks the directorial debut of musician Questlove. If you need more reason to watch it, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) has been universally acclaimed and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary category at Sundance. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Chloë Grace Moretz, Shadow in the Cloud
Vertical Entertainment
Director: Roseanne Liang
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson
Genre: Action, Horror, War
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 66
This movie isn’t for everyone, but if Chloë Grace Moretz fist-fighting a bat-like creature is for you, then this is definitely your kind of movie. It’s a WWII movie, a creature feature, and a female action flick all in one, as Moretz stars as a woman with secrets who catches a lift from a WWII combat plane. In addition to firing at Japanese fighter planes, the crew ends up tangling with a monster and they’re picked off one-by-one until Moretz has to save the day. These aren’t spoilers; these are just facts you know are coming. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Changing the Game
Hulu
Director: Mike Barnett
Stars: Andraya Yearwood, Mack Beggs, Ngozi Nnaji, Ngozi Yarwood, Sarah Rose Huckman, Terry Miller
Genre: Documentary, Sports
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 77
One of the most talked about issues in sports today is the role of transgender athletes. The award-winning documentary Changing the Game takes a humane, honest look at the subject from the point of view of three transgender teen athletes fighting for their right to compete. The centerpiece is trans man Mack Beggs, who was given two options by his home state of Texas: wrestle as his assigned sex (female) or quit. He chose to wrestle. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Minding the Gap
Hulu
Director: Bing Liu
Stars: Kiere Johnson, Zack Mulligan
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 90
If you like your documentaries with a side of a punch in the gut, Minding the Gap will suffice! The Oscar-nominated film, from first-time director Bing Liu, follows Liu as he reconnects with two of his old skateboarding buddies while the twentysomething young men all deal with the struggles of growing up after childhoods of abuse and neglect. Archival footage is both exuberant and emotional as the trio escapes troubles through skateboarding and details the problems at home, while new footage shows how their lives have changed (or not changed) through unplanned fatherhood, new family issues, and more all-too-common obstacles. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
NEON
Director: Céline Sciamma
Stars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 95
The most romantic movie of 2019, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a simmering love story designed to devastate and delight. Céline Sciamma directs the film, which is set in 18th century France and revolves around the affair that develops between an artist and her subject, a young aristocratic woman who is about to be married off. The chemistry between the leads, Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, is a pleasure to watch in action, made all the more upsetting because of the pervasive knowledge that there’s a hard expiration date on their relationship. -Allison Picurro (Trailer)
Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
Hulu
Director: Max Barbakow
Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Camila Mendes, June Squibb, Peter Gallagher, Tyler Hoechlin
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 83
The less you know about Palm Springs going into it, the better, but it’s probably no secret at this point that this delightful comedy features Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as a pair of wedding goers who find themselves trapped in a time loop. Their performances are at once goofy and grounded, and there are plenty of surprises packed into every precious minute of this wild, incredibly fun rom-com with touches of sci-fi. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Director: Chloé Zhao
Stars: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 93
You have Hulu, so you may as well watch the 2021 Oscar winner for Best Picture. Frances McDormand stars in this adaptation of the 2017 book about a nomad who works odd jobs and lives out of a van as part of a lifestyle choice, bringing light to an expanding community of people breaking the mold of how we’re supposed to live. Many of those people are in the film as major characters, adding an immersive sense of authenticity. Part of that authenticity? The feeling you get wondering if you should ditch your house and hit the road to fully appreciate everything life and nature has to offer. Nomadland is a unique achievement that deserved every award it got. -Tim Surette (Trailer)
Three Identical Strangers
NEON
Director: Tim Wardle
Stars: Adrian Lichter, Andrew Lovesey, David Kellman
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 81
Every documentary that has used some variation of the selling point “a story so crazy it has to be true” needs to step aside. The truth in Three Identical Strangers is so bizarre and goes in so many directions you’d never expect that you’ll want to put a pillow on the floor for your jaw. The film follows the story of identical triplets — three gregarious New York boys — separated at birth who meet in their teenage years and become media sensations, but gets really insane when it dives into the circumstances of why they were separated. If I told you any more, I’d ruin it for you. -Tim Surette (Trailer)