The 50 best movies on Hulu right now
No longer just a hub for network TV, Hulu has grown exponentially over the past few years. Today, its TV streaming library holds up against any streaming giant, but its film selection has grown to be an equally competitive stalwart as well. With high-quality originals in both TV and film, Hulu offers its subscribers an awesome selection of exclusive offerings. But not everything is worth your time, so we’ve done the curating for you.
This list is consistently updated with all of the best movies currently available on Hulu. Keep checking back because we update this list every week!
Subscribe to a different platform? Not only do we have a guide to the best shows on Hulu, but we’ve rounded up the best movies on Amazon Prime, the best movies on Netflix, and the best movies on Disney+.
American Animals (2018)
A young all-star cast drives this thrill ride based on the true story of four friends from Kentucky who attempted to rip off a university library. After visiting Transylvania University, one of the boys decides to steal the rarest and most valuable books from the school’s library, worth millions of dollars. One of the most audacious attempted art heists in U.S. history, the “Transy Book Heist” was spearheaded by a bunch of young Americans lacking purpose or ambition taking a misguided hack at the American dream. The film is based on John Falk’s Vanity Fair article “Majoring in Crime.”
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Drama
Stars: Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Jared Abrahamson
Director: Bart Layton
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Like the titular character, Our Idiot Brother is kind of dumb. But it’s also sweet and irresistibly charming thanks to dumb charm factory Paul Rudd. Rudd plays slacker Ned Rochlin, who is happily going about his aimless life until he mistakenly sells pot to a cop. After being released from jail, Ned’s homeless and unemployed, forcing him to turn to his three significantly more mature sisters for help. Their carefully ordered lives suffer, however, whenever their guileless deadbeat brother is around.
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer
Director: Jesse Peretz
Rating: R
Runtime: 96 minutes
You Cannot Kill David Arquette (2020)
If you grew up in the late ’80s or ’90s, you knew David Arquette. A TV star launched to superstardom by the teen scream queen classic Scream, Arquette was a jack of many trades, including wrestling. In 2000, he won a highly controversial WCW World Heavyweight Championship and was quickly branded the most hated man in wrestling. And then, almost as soon as he arrived, Arquette faded into obscurity. This unusual, extremely watchable documentary explores a nearly 50-year-old Arquette’s attempts to return to the sport that derailed his Hollywood career. Arquette is dangerously determined to reclaim his reputation and self-respect, pushing increasingly insane limits to regain his place in professional wrestling.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: David Arquette
Director: David Darg, Price James
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
I Am Greta (2020)
All one has to do is look at the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes to know how much teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg terrifies people. Thunberg, 15, has become the unlikely face of the fight against climate change, speaking before the United Nations and governments the world over. While I Am Greta doesn’t tell us a whole lot we don’t already know (the planet is in dire, dire condition), it’s an inspiring call to action by witnessing the steadfast commitment and extraordinary passion of Thunberg. We still have a chance to get climate change under control; will Greta’s message prevail?
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Greta Thunberg
Director: Nathan Grossman
Rating: NR
Runtime: 98 minutes
God’s Own Country (2017)
A drama for drama buffs, God’s Own Country is a quiet, profound ponderance on loneliness. Josh O’Connor (The Crown) plays a young farmer who buries his feelings of loneliness and frustrations with his life through drinking and casual sex until he crosses paths with a Romanian migrant worker who forces him to reevaluate everything he knows about himself and the world.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Stars: Josh O’Connor, Alec Secareanu, Gemma Jones
Director: Francis Lee
Rating: R
Runtime: 104 minutes
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The first in Peter Jackson’s legendary trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the most faithful and successful adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkein. The future of civilization rests in the balance as the One Ring of power — which has been lost for centuries — resurfaces in the hands of a Hobbit. As the Dark Lord Sauron’s forces scour Middle Earth to find it, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) inherits the ring and is tasked with destroying it in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged. To do so, he’ll have to travel hundreds of miles on foot through some of the most dangerous territories in the land. A fellowship of man, elf, and dwarf are formed to help guide him on his mission. If you’re looking for a binge, you found it: The entire trilogy, which also includes The Two Towers and The Return of the King, is available on Hulu now, just in time for the holidays.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin,
Director: Peter Jackson
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 178 minutes
Bombshell (2019)
Roger Ailes turned Fox News into the ratings champion of news media through ruthlessness, sensationalism, and absolute control over his staff. But as the corporate giant aligns itself with controversial presidential nominee Donald Trump, it assumes a “boys will be boys” attitude toward the candidate’s misogynistic tendencies and a litany of sexual assault allegations. That doesn’t sit well with three women at the network — each at different moments of their careers — as they step into the line of fire and do what no Fox News employee is ever supposed to: Become the headline. Bombshell is based on the true stories of Ailes, Megyn Kelly, and Gretchen Carlson.
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Director: Jay Roach
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Run (2020)
Teenager Chloe (Kiera Allen) has spent her entire life under the thumb of her mother, Diane (Sarah Paulson). She doesn’t know that, however. Chloe is afflicted with a variety of maladies that restrict her to a wheelchair and make every day a painful routine of pills and treatments, much of which her mother facilities. But when she stumbles across a strange secret, her world begins to unravel and Chloe is forced to wonder if her mother is really helping or hurting.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Stars: Kiera Allen, Sarah Paulson
Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 90 minutes
The Nice Guys (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe star in this off-beat buddy comedy about a couple of unlikely detectives in 1977 Los Angeles. Holland March (Gosling) is a down-on-his-luck private eye who stumbles into a potentially huge case. Jackson Healy (Crowe) is a hired enforcer who brings pain for a living. After a young woman disappears, the two are brought together by fate, only to discover there’s far more going on than meets the eye. As their investigation takes them to some extremely dark places, the bodies start piling up as their odd friendship blossoms.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Comedy, Action, Mystery, Thriller
Stars: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Margaret Qualley
Director: Shane Black
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Ingrid Goes West (2017)
A Thelma and Louise for the social media generation, Ingrid Goes West is a funny, twisted tale of internet obsession and the endless search for genuine connection. After the death of her mother, Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza) decides to escape her podunk town and move to Los Angeles to befriend her Instagram obsession, Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen). They quickly (almost unnaturally quickly) forge a bond, but soon the facade begins to crack.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Director: Matt Spicer
Rating: R
Runtime: 98 minutes
The Prestige (2006)
The Prestige is not Christopher Nolan’s most well-known film, but it contains arguably one of the greatest twists in Nolan’s filmography. In the 19th century, magicians are some of the most popular entertainers around, pushing the scientific boundaries of the age to perform incredible illusions. But when one such illusion goes horribly wrong, magicians Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) are pitted against one another in a bitter rivalry. As they each escalate their feud, terrible consequences come about as a game of wits devolves into one of life and death.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, David Bowie
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 130 minutes
Platoon (1986)
In war, it’s hard to see who the true enemy is. That’s one of the prevailing themes of Platoon, Oliver Stone’s classic Vietnam War movie. Charlie Sheen stars as Chris Taylor, a university student who drops out to pursue his patriotic duty in Vietnam in 1967. But once he’s in the jungle as a member of an ideologically polarized platoon, his idealism rapidly dissipates. As they march through the jungle, Taylor becomes a psychological fulcrum between Staff Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger), who sees Viet Cong soldiers in every civilian, and Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe), who has a more sympathetic view of the local people.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Genre: War, Drama
Stars: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe
Director: Oliver Stone
Rating: R
Runtime: 120 minutes
Crawl (2019)
Who knew giant alligators swarming during a flood could be so much fun? Alexandre Aja did! This quick-hitting creature horror flick may look silly but it’s endlessly entertaining and pulse-pounding. Collegiate swimmer Haley (Kaya Scodelario) checks up on her estranged father (Barry Pepper) during a Category 5 hurricane in Florida, only to find him unconscious. In her attempt to rescue him, Haley becomes trapped in the house’s crawlspace. Unfortunately, some hungry prehistoric swimmers have found themselves trapped in there as well. If you love a good thriller, Crawl is a must-watch.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper
Director: Alexandre Aja
Rating: R
Runtime: 87 minutes
Superbad (2007)
Based on Seth Rogen’s and Evan Goldberg’s real high school co-dependency, Superbad is a coming-of-age high school movie that actually feels accurate to high school life. That’s why it became something of a must-see classic for the millennial generation. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) know they’re heading separate ways after graduation, so they’re finally looking to party with their classmates just once. When their friend Fogle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) says he’s about to score a fake ID, Seth volunteers the trio as the beer providers in order to score admission to a party and gain the affection of a girl (Emma Stone). But when Fogle’s ID turns out to be the worst fake ID of all-time and two bored police officers make it their mission to mess with the boys, things get complicated in a hurry.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen
Director: Greg Mottola
Rating: R
Runtime: 113 minutes
Mud (2013)
Two boys from Arkansas (Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland) explore an island on the Mississippi River, where they unexpectedly encounter a fugitive on the run. The fugitive, Mud (Matthew McConaughey), killed a man in Texas and is being hunted by bounty hunters. But all he really cares about is reuniting with the love of his life, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). The boys agree to do all they can to protect Mud and help him find Juniper so at least he can face the end of his life as a happy man.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland
Director: Jeff Nichols
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 130 minutes
Palm Springs (2020)
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti find themselves stuck in a time loop while attending a wedding in Palm Springs, only to have the novelty of their never-ending day together turn sour when they discover they can’t seem to escape the day or each other. The Hulu Original comedy earned praise for its clever spin on the well-worn plot device that keeps the characters living through the same day over and over again.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti
Director: Max Barbakow
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
Minding the Gap (2018)
Across 12 years, director Bing Liu searches for correlations between his skateboarder friends’ rocky upbringings and modern-day masculinity in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois. Bing follows 23-year-old Zack’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend as it deteriorates after the birth of their son, as well as with 17-year-old Keire struggling with his racial identity after the death of his father. Navigating an uncomfortable relationship between his camera, his friends, and his own past, Bing explores the gap between childhood and adulthood with alacrity.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: N/A
Director: Bing Liu
Rating: NR
Runtime: 93 minutes
Shirley (2020)
Acclaimed horror author Shirley Jackson was famously reclusive and odd. In Shirley, we see just how much so. After moving to a small Vermont college town where her husband, Stanley, will be a professor, Stanley and Shirley offer room and board to Fred and Rose, so long as they help look after Shirley. Jackson soon finds her creative process disrupted by the new tenants and her husband’s philandering, although Rose may serve as some curious inspiration.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg, Logan Lerman, Odessa Young
Director: Josephine Decker
Rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
RBG (2018)
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed an enormous legal legacy and has become a pop culture icon. In this documentary, the filmmakers explore the unique personal journey of the 84-year-old quiet warrior’s rise to the nation’s court. RBG takes a deep dive into Ginsburg’s exceptional life through personal interviews and extensive backstory.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Director: Betsy West, Julie Cohen
Rating: PG
Runtime: 96 minutes
Shoplifters (2018)
A film about a Korean family in abject poverty and their overwhelming compassion and urge to do what’s right, Shoplifters is a gut-wrenching watch. Osamu’s family must shoplift to make ends meet. After one of their typical sprees, they come across a little girl abandoned in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter her, Osamu’s wife agrees to care for her after learning her hardships are even greater than their own. She becomes one of the family, living happily together until a surprise incident reveals secrets that will test their bonds.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Maya Matsuoka
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Rating: R
Runtime: 121 minutes
Bumblebee (2018)
The Transformers franchise hasn’t exactly been known for the heart of its movies, but Bumblebee is the rare spinoff that vastly exceeds its primary source material. Autobot Bumblebee finds himself on the run from enemies in 1987, seeking refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian town. There, he’s discovered battle-scarred and broken by Charlie, a young woman looking for her place in the world. As Charlie fixes him up, believing him to be a junky old VW bug, she soon discovers that he’s no ordinary Volkswagen. Unfortunately, a number of competing interests also discover his existence, as well.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena
Director: Travis Knight
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 119 minutes
Diane (2018)
Diane (Mary Kay Place) puts everyone else first. She’s extremely generous, spending her days checking in on sick friends, volunteering at her local soup kitchen, and working effortlessly to save her drug-addicted adult son (Jake Lacy) from himself. But despite her relentless self-sacrifice, Diane is haunted by a past she can’t forget, which threatens to tear her world apart. Mary Kay Place is extraordinary as a woman rifling through the wreckage of her life in search of redemption.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Mary Kay Place, Jake Lacy, Andrea Martin
Director: Kent Jones
Rating: NR
Runtime: 96 minutes
Amazing Grace (2018)
Experience Aretha Franklin in all her considerable glory in Amazing Grace. This concert film compiles footage from a 1972 performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Performing songs from the bestselling gospel album Amazing Grace, Franklin tears down the house in this rip-roaring film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Genre: Documentary, Musical
Stars: Aretha Franklin
Director: Sydney Pollack
Rating: G
Runtime: 87 minutes
The Bourne Identity (2002)
If you’re looking for a real marathon, the first three (of five) Jason Bourne movies are available on Hulu. Of course, you should start with The Bourne Identity or you might wind up feeling a little like Jason Bourne yourself. Matt Damon plays Bourne, a man near-death who is saved by an Italian fishing boat, only to recover with complete amnesia. He has no idea who he is or where he comes from, but he intuitively has the physical and linguistic skills of an extraordinary international secret agent. Realizing somebody very clearly wanted him dead, Bourne sets out to discover who he really is and why he is still being pursued across the world by assassins.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Genre: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper
Director: Doug Liman
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 minutes
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
James Baldwin was one of the most influential writers of the late 20th century, penning numerous essays and acclaimed novels addressing issues of race at a time when racial friction seemed to be boiling over in America. Working from an unfinished Baldwin manuscript, director Raoul Peck has created I Am Not Your Negro, a documentary examining Baldwin’s views and how they apply not only to the tumults of the ’60s but to modern America as well. Samuel L. Jackson narrates, infusing the material with a husky weariness. I Am Not Your Negro leaves one with the impression that Baldwin’s work has never been finished, and never been more important.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Raoul Peck
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 93 minutes
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Before he directed Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, filmmaker Taika Waititi wrote and directed this 2016 film about a teenage troublemaker and his reluctant father figure who become the subject of a massive manhunt when they disappear into the forests of New Zealand. Julian Dennison and Sam Neill co-star in the film, which received widespread praise for its clever story and lead actors’ chemistry.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill
Director: Taika Waititi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 101 minutes
Parasite (2019)
Filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner at the 92nd Academy Awards is a brutal, thought-provoking, masterfully shot thriller that explores the class divide through the experiences of a South Korean family who cons their way into working for a wealthy family whose lives couldn’t be more unlike their own. While the first act of the film is peppered with humor, the overall tone of the film is anything but — particularly after a shocking discovery turns the family’s grift into something far more sinister.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Genre: Thriller
Stars: Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-Shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Rating: R
Runtime: 132 minutes
Booksmart (2019)
So, you worked really hard in school, avoided drugs and alcohol, didn’t go to any parties, and were rewarded by getting into the Ivy League college of your choice. Nice! You’ve got a lot in common with Booksmart‘s protagonists, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein). If you’re anything like them, however, you may be unhappy to learn that everyone else in your school also got into the Ivy League college of their choice but they partied constantly and had a great time in high school. That realization leads Amy and Molly to go out for one wild night of partying before graduation day. It may sound like a tired concept for a high-school comedy but Booksmart is anything but a run-of-the-mill teen movie. By investing in the friendship of its brilliant female leads and focusing more on questions of growing up and discovering yourself rather than sex and dating, Booksmart is a refreshing take on the teen comedy. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is funny, refreshingly creative, and heartwarming.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams
Director: Olivia Wilde
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
The Sisters Brothers (2018)
Since the failure of big-budget westerns like 2013’s The Lone Ranger and 2011’s Cowboys & Aliens, Hollywood’s seemed apprehensive about putting much money into westerns. As a result, the westerns we do get are usually outside the proverbial box. The Sisters Brothers is a great example, starring Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly as two unlikely guns-for-hire during the gold rush era. Everything you expect in a western happens in The Sisters Brothers, just not quite the way you expect them. Director Jacques Audiard, for example, sometimes chooses to stage gunfights in almost complete darkness, with only the sounds and flashes letting us know they’re happening. This unpredictable and sullen comedy plays with western tropes and delivers an experience unique to the genre.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Drama, Western
Stars: John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal
Director: Jacques Audiard
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Winner of the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s highest honor, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is considered a modern masterpiece of period cinema. In 1760 France, young Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent and become reluctantly betrothed. A methodical portraitist, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by night. But as the two women spend more time together, an attraction grows as they revel in Héloïse’s first — and last — moments of freedom as she transfers from the convent to an unwilling marriage. As Marianne works, the portrait takes on greater meaning, symbolizing the two women’s collaboration and forbidden love for one another.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Stars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luana Bajrami
Director: Céline Sciamma
Rating: R
Runtime: 119 minutes
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (2016)
Music documentaries, especially ones discussing The Beatles, are a dime a dozen. Yet few documentaries ever have the acclaimed Ron Howard at the helm, especially one that does away with the conventional through-the-years filmography. Instead, Howard decided to focus more on the early days of the infamous rock band, gazing more so at their rise into fame and the ingredients to their immediate success. The Beatles: Eight Days a Week is a music lover’s go-to, offering the best sound and live performance experiences while also delivering interesting tidbits on the nature of The Beatles’ rise to stardom.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Genre: Documentary, Music
Stars: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Ed Sullivan
Director: Ron Howard
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 306 minutes
If Beale Street Could Talk (2019)
If Beale Street Could Talk takes you to early-1970s Harlem and introduces you to 19-year-old Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne). Tish is a daughter and soon-to-be wife to her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by Fonny (Stephan James). Friends since childhood, their unbreakable bond has flourished together, and they dream of a bright, beautiful future. But when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit, their love is tested by an unforgiving and racially biased world.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Stars: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King
Director: Barry Jenkins
Rating: R
Runtime: 117 minutes
Big Time Adolescence (2019)
This Hulu original follows a bright, mostly innocent 16-year old named Mo (Griffin Gluck) as he attempts to navigate high school. Fortunately, he has the guidance of his best friend, charismatic college dropout Zeke (Pete Davidson). Zeke genuinely cares about Mo, but as he shares the untraditional life lessons he’s learned in drug dealing, partying, and dating, things go a little off the rails in Mo’s life. Meanwhile, Mo’s dad (Jon Cryer) tries to take back the reins.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck
Director: Jason Orley
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
Fighting with My Family (2018)
Based on the true story of WWE Superstar Paige, Fighting with My Family is one of the more unusual heartwarming comedies of recent years. Directed by comedy legend Stephen Merchant, this film centers on a tight-knit wrestling family. Paige and her brother Zak are over the moon when they get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she has to leave her family and face this cutthroat world on her own. Her journey pushes her to fight for her family and ultimately prove that devotion is precisely what can make her a star.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Dwayne Johnson
Director: Stephen Merchant
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 107 minutes
I, Tonya (2017)
Tonya Harding is one of the most notorious figures in sports history. Once a shining star in the world of figure skating, she transformed into a villain after her ex-husband and bodyguard conspired to injure her rival, Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), a conspiracy many believed Harding had a hand in. I, Tonya follows Harding (Margot Robbie) from her sad childhood to her rise as a figure skater, to her eventual fall.
What elevates the film above most biopics, however, is its willingness to play with reality; I, Tonya filters events through the perspectives of its characters, leaving the audience questioning whether Harding is simply a misunderstood person with some flaws or a devious villain. Robbie’s standout performance — and that of Allison Janney, who plays Harding’s mother — is the foundation that supports the entire endeavor.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Sport
Stars: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janey
Director: Craig Gillespie
Rating: R
Runtime: 119 minutes
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
The directorial debut of Boots Riley (perhaps better known as the frontman of the hip-hop band The Coup), Sorry to Bother You is a madcap satire of 21st-century capitalism, a film that tosses realism out the window within the first 10 minutes or so. The movie follows Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), a sad-sack guy who, desperate for money, gets a job as a telemarketer at a grimy office (he lies about his previous work experience, which his interviewer considers a positive). Cassius struggles to make sales, so an older coworker (Danny Glover) gives him some advice, telling him to use a “white voice.” After using a white voice (David Cross), Cassius suddenly starts racking up sales and soon gets a promotion to the esteemed position of Power Caller. As he climbs the corporate ladder, however, Cassius risks losing his soul to the relentless machine of marketing. Sorry to Bother You makes use of some bonkers visuals to accompany its eccentric premise, such as an early sequence in which Cassius, as he calls customers, literally drops into their houses, snapping back to the office when they hang up.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler
Director: Boots Riley
Rating: R
Runtime: 112 minutes
Knocked Up (2007)
One of Judd Apatow’s finest works, Knocked Up carries almost as much emotional weight as it does comedic weight. Career-oriented entertainment journalist Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is a little too dedicated to her work, so her sister convinces her to let loose for one night. Unfortunately, that one night gets a little out of hand and Alison sleeps with slacker Ben Stone (Seth Rogen). Not only is she embarrassingly out of his league, but the tryst also results in an unplanned pregnancy. Rather than raise the baby on her own, Alison gives Ben a chance to prove he’s father material and give this relationship a real shot.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Stars: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd
Director: Judd Apatow
Rating: R
Runtime: 129 minutes
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Beloved more so for its humor than its fear, The Cabin in the Woods is unlike any horror film ever conceived. Drew Goddard does away with convention, instead lightening up the mood with an array of comic relief, delivered best by Curt Vaughn (Chris Hemsworth) and Marty Mikalski (Fran Kranz). It’s like the live-action version of Until Dawn, with an added layer of thrilling intrigue, as not everything is as it may seem. Join five college students in a night of unrelenting terror, as each one falls to the deathly secrets of this mysterious cabin in the woods.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams
Director: Drew Goddard
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Rocketman (2019)
Retelling the wild and music-filled life of Sir Elton John, Rocketman captures in great detail the journey of a British artist’s slow but sure claim to fame. Taron Egerton, known best for his role in Kingsman: The Secret Service, plays the titular musician on a road of discovery filled with its fair share of young love and substance abuse. It’s one of the best musician movies, examining the singer’s life with immense accuracy and heartbreaking detail. Joining Hulu in late May, Rocketman is the perfect companion piece for all fans of Elton John to experience his ascension not only into stardom but into his truest self.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Biopic, Drama
Stars: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Madden
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Rating: R
Runtime: 121 minutes
Raging Bull (1980)
Some may say Raging Bull is the crown jewel in the shared crown of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Some may say it’s just too dang hard to watch. This biopic follows Jake LaMotta (De Niro), a middleweight boxer from the Bronx rising through the ranks to earn his first shot at the title belt. But as he obsessively pursues his boxing dreams, his inability to connect with the woman he loves and express the physical and mental toll the sport takes on him begins to take over his life and spawn something brutal in the ring. Raging Bull is Rocky in reverse. While Balboa rises through sacrifice and tragedy, LaMotta is completely overcome by the violence that rules his life, crashing and burning in glorious spectacle.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Drama, Biography
Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: R
Runtime: 128 minutes
Apollo 11 (2019)
Take one giant leap into the past, wherein humankind barrelled through the nighttime sky and raced to walk on surfaces not our own. Apollo 11 tracks the star-bound adventure of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin in a moment now frozen in time. Provided via never-before-seen footage and audio recordings, Apollo 11 is the next-best equivalent of time traveling back to that very life-altering event. Experience the groundbreaking NASA exploration like never before, all within the comfort of the living room.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Genre: Documentary, History
Stars: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
Rating: G
Runtime: 93 minutes
Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018)
Fallout has a good case for being the best entry to the Mission: Impossible franchise. Rogue Nation writer-director Christopher McQuarrie returns and continues to push the envelope in this traditionally envelope-pushing series. M:I is at its best when the world of espionage in which it exists is living just along the edge of believability, which McQuarrie has fully grasped. Thanks to Tom Cruise’s insane penchant for thrill-seeking and ability to perform death-defying stunts sans double, the most recent iterations of Mission: Impossible do just that: Expand our mind beyond what we thought possible, while grounding the story of international conspiracies and world-destroying syndicates just enough to feel plausible. While James Bond’s MI6 enjoys a level of tongue-in-cheek, Ethan Hunt’s IMF captures the imagination of an interconnected, deeply perilous world and gleefully operates in the fringes. Fallout continues to explore the villainy and influence of The Syndicate and its leader, Solomon Lane, as the IMF joins forces with the CIA to prevent a global catastrophe. It’s as good as spy movies get.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Stars: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 147 minutes
Akira (1988)
The seminal anime film Akira has had a huge impact on sci-fi since its release, but despite how many films and video games have drawn on Akira for inspiration, the movie itself still feels fresh. The film begins in Neo-Tokyo circa 2019, decades after the start of World War III. Far below the towering skyscrapers, gangs of motorcycle-riding youths fight in the streets. A leather-clad hotshot named Kaneda leads a gang called the Capsules. While evading the police, Kaneda’s comrade Tetsuo runs across a mysterious being with psychic powers, and after crashing his bike, ends up in the government’s custody. After enduring strange experiments, Tetsuo develops psychic powers, and a mighty ego to match. As Tetsuo’s powers grow, Kaneda must try to stop him before he destroys Tokyo. Akira is a slick action film full of striking imagery and stylish violence.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Stars: Mitsuo Itawa, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo
Rating: R
Runtime: 124 minutes
The Assistant (2019)
Jane (Julia Garner) is a recent college graduate and an aspiring film producer who, to her delight, lands her dream job as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul. But spending one day in her life is enough to understand the abuse that comes with the job. The Assistant follows one ordinary day as Jane makes coffee, makes copies, orders lunch, takes phone messages, and more, but the insidious accumulation of degradations and abuse she encounters become more and more prevalent as the film continues, illuminating the depth of mistreatment inherent in the system she’s just entered.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Stars: Julia Garner, Matthew MacFayden, McKenzie Leigh
Director: Kitty Green
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 87 minutes
Blackfish (2013)
Though it may be heartbreaking above all else, Blackfish is a tale as necessary as it is painful to bear witness to. It tells the real-life and grueling story of Tilikum, a SeaWorld-owned orca, whose experiences speak volumes of the true nature inherent in the aquarium. Proving its immense acclaim, Blackfish was even nominated for a BAFTA for best documentary. Upon its release in 2013, it gained immediate traction, provoking SeaWorld to issue multiple responses. Despite the rebuttals, the detestable experiences of these performance whales shown in the documentary will outrage many viewers.
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Tilikum, Samantha Berg, Dawn Brancheau
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 90 minutes
Free Solo (2018)
What can we say about Free Solo that hasn’t been said already? Filmmaker Jimmy Chin’s award-winning biopic chronicles professional climber Alex Honnold’s free solo ascent of one the most iconic slabs of granite in the world, El Capitan, as well his upbringing and van-fueled life outside the wall. It’s a harrowing portrait, one lined with vertigo-inducing shots and candid conversations about life and death, told through the lens of a 33-year-old who wants nothing more than to summit a 3,000-foot cliff with no ropes or safety harness. The footage of the climb itself — from the route planning to the actual execution — is mesmerizing, but it’s the film’s blunt examination of Honnold’s mind and motives that takes it to new heights.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin
Director: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 100 minutes
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Plenty of Star Trek fans will still tell you none of the 11 Trek films that followed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan has surpassed the first follow-up to 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Ricardo Montalban reprises the role he played in an episode of the TV series — Khan, a genetically enhanced tyrant from the late 20th century. Obsessed with getting revenge on James Kirk (William Shatner), Khan ambushes the Enterprise and ultimately forces one of the original series crew to sacrifice himself for the good of the ship. Perhaps the best reason to watch The Wrath of Khan is the starship battles that at times — despite the futuristic setting — feel as tense and suspenseful as the naval warfare of Wolfgang Petersen’s Das Boot.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
Director: Nicholas Meyer
Rating: PG
Runtime: 113 minutes
Creed II (2018)
Fans were not happy when they learned Ryan Coogler — director of 2015’s Creed — would not be returning for the sequel, but Steven Caple Jr. directs a worthy follow-up with Creed II. The sequel fuses elements of earlier Rocky films, pitting Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) as the new heavyweight champ against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), the son of the man who beat his father to death in 1985’s Rocky IV. Jordan is once again stellar as the boxer wrestling with his inner demons as hard as he trades blows in the ring. With all the ups and downs of any good Rockyflick, Creed II delivers an old story in fresh, new clothing.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Genre: Drama, Sport
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 130 minutes
Fast Color (2018)
Superhero movies aren’t particularly rare these days, but what you can’t find in every multiplex is a superhero story that is more about the person than the spectacle their powers make possible. Fast Color is a brilliant exception. The film’s hero is Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) — a young woman whose emerging powers have her on the run in a not-too-distant future of climate change and resource scarcity. Ruth is desperately trying to figure out how to control her new abilities as well as escape the government agents pursuing her, while at the same time trying to reconnect with her estranged family. Rather than fighting off alien invasions or saving the world from cackling terrorists, Fast Color gives us a superhero who is ultimately fighting the same difficult battle we’re all locked in — being a person in the world.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Strathairn, Lorraine Toussaint
Director: Julia Hart
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 100 minutes
Prisoners (2013)
Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners asks: How far would you go to protect your child? For Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman), it’s pretty darn far. When his six-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend vanish without a trace, Keller is wracked with fear of the worst. The only lead the police have is an old RV that was parked on the street near where the girls were playing. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver (Paul Dano), but lacks the evidence needed to hold him at the station. Although Loki strongly suspects the driver, he has no choice but to let his only suspect go. With the clock ticking, Keller realizes that the system may not be able to save his daughter, so he takes matters into his own hands.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Viola Davis
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: R
Runtime: 153 minutes
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