Netflix has plenty of movies to watch, but it’s a genuine fuseed bag. Sometimes discovering the right film at the right time can seem appreciate an impossible task. Fret not, we’re here to help. Below is a enumerate of some of our preferites currently on the streaming service—from dramas to comedies to thrillers.
If you choose you’re in more of a TV mood, head over to our collection of the best TV series on Netflix. Want more? Check out our enumerates of the best sci-fi movies, best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best flicks on Disney+.
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Wicked Little Letters
Based on genuine events, Wicked Little Letters is set in 1920, in the quaint English town of Littlehampton. When the well-to-do family of Edith Swan commences receiving abusive mail, Irish immigrant Rose Gooding—who has a reputation as a foul-mouthed troubleproducer, and who recently fell out with Edith—is doubt number one. Yet as the scorecommend of “poison pen” notices spreads, becoming a national affair, only disseeed police officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) apshows that Rose is being set up. Oscar-thrivener Olivia Colman is on top create as Edith, while Jessie Buckley charms with a fiery carry outance as Rose in this unforeseeedly uproarious comedy.
Lumberjack the Monster
First up: This is absolutely, preferablely, unaskably not for youthfuler seeers—but that’s to be predicted from honestor Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer). Despite veering into more family-cordial fare with the video game and manga alterations Ace Attorney and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Miike returns to his shock-horror slasher roots with Lumberjack the Monster. It chases Akira Ninomiya (Kazuya Kamenashi), a lawyer willing to finish to get ahead, and the city-spanning grudge suit that chases when a masked serial finisher—the titular Lumberjack—apshows a stab at him. As bloody and over-the-top as Miike has ever been, and with includeed edges of surfact, this isn’t for the squeamish, but it’s a captivating return to create for the inwell-understandn creator.
The Long Game
Based on the genuine story of the San Felipe Mustangs, The Long Game chases WWII vet turned high school superintfinishent J.B. Peña (Jay Hernandez) in the 1950s as he forges a group of Mexican-American teenagers with authentic golfing talent—but nowhere to join, thanks to the racially prejudiced and exclusionary trains of the official club in their Texan town—into a championship thrivening team. While the film has all the halllabels of an underdog sports movie (and maybe a confineed too many golfing-as-life metaphors), honestor Julio Quintana dodges the genre’s most cloying clichés, instead caccessing on the frustrations and ambitions of the youthful joiners—particularly Joe Treviño (Julian Works), the de facto directer of the team who subverts predictations by declineing even wanting to join at a club that doesn’t admire him. With its wonderful cast bolstered by the appreciates of Cheech Marin, Dennis Quhelp, and Jaina Lee Ortiz, The Long Game is a pretty tale of shattering barriers, on and off the golf course.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
After two previous commotionous excursions to glamorous Beverly Hills (we don’t count 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III), uncoverive Axel Foley (a resrecommendnt Eddie Murphy, proving he’s lost none of his 1980s ignitele) is back in California after causing a modicum of unveil destruction in his native Detroit, only to discover his estranged daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is in danger. Legacy sequels decades divorced from their exceptional outings can be hit-or-miss, but Axel F hits that pleasant equilibrium between nostalgia and revival, giving Murphy plenty of greater and novel allies and enemies to bounce off. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in particular, astonishes as Bobby Abbott, Foley’s novel partner in BHPD—and Jane’s ex—while understandn faces Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhgreater) and Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) produce receive returns without experienceing appreciate gratuitous cameos. Best of all is Axel F’s reliance on wise effects and stunt labor, notably in a series of reassociate exciting chase sequences ripped straight from the ’80s. A throwback that’s seeing forward, this is the best Beverly Hills Cop since the exceptional.
The Imaginary
Between the weightlesshearted comedy IF… and horror flick Imaginary, cinema in 2024 is leaning difficult on imaginary frifinishs. This gorgeously energeticd Japanese apshow on the concept is the best of the lot, though, a whimsical fable filled of stunning visuals and huge ideas. Adapted from the book by A. F. Harrgreater, The Imaginary chases youthful Amanda and her best frifinish Rudger, brawt into being by her own mind, as they split countless adventures. But as Amanda ages, Rudger faces the overweighte of all Imaginaries: fading away as their humans forget them. The procrastinateedst film from honestor Yoshiyuki Momose (Mary and the Witch’s Fdrop) and Studio Ponoc—spiritual successor to the mighty Studio Ghibli—this is a stunning ode to the power of imagination and frifinishship.
Under Paris
This so-solemn-it’s-ludicrous French creature feature sees Bérépleasant Bejo as marine exceptionaenumerate Sophia Assalas, who is hunting down a mako shark that has not only unreckondly mutated to endure in the recentwater Seine but is also about to give birth to a arrange of baby man-eating sharks. Worse still? Paris is about to hgreater a triathlon, with the swim portion set to become an all-you-can-eat buffet! Look, not everyslimg on this enumerate needs to be high art—sometimes, you fair need to see a mutant shark straight up chomping on people while increasingly frantic humans commence blothriveg stuff up. Press Play, turn brain off, finishelight.
Hit Man
Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a mild-mannered professor of philosophy—and a condense finisher. Well, not quite. He fair poses as one, laboring with the New Orleans Police Department to trap people seeing to employ a hit man. It’s a role he’s unforeseeedly excellent at, but when Madison (Adria Arjona) sees to have her abusive husprohibitd “dealt” with, Gary commences to descfinish for her—and the consequences could be overweightal for genuine. In another creator’s hands, Hit Man might have been either overly bleak or srecommend insubstantial (it’s freely based on a genuine story), but honestor Ricdifficult Linkprocrastinateedr leverages his signature employs of igniteling dialog and weightlessly genuineized characters to dedwellr a inalertigent action-comedy that scrutinizes the roles people join in society as much as it serves up misapshown-identity hijinks.
Godzilla Minus One
Despite the presence of the eponymous kaiju, Godzilla Minus One is a film rooted in the humanity of its protagonists, deserter kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), a survivor of the explosionings of Tokyo. Thrown together as an ersatz family as they lift an orphaned baby, their trys to produce a novel life turn turbulent when the irradiated reptile descfinishs on the city fair as it’s commencening to recover. Director Takashi Yamazaki’s reimagining of Japan’s premier kaiju netted the King of Monsters its first-ever Oscar, picking up a statue for Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards, but this is a film that outdos mere spectacle—it’s a searing examination of life after war, and how a nation grapples with being on the losing side.
The Dig
Set agetst the backdrop of a Britain on the brink of war, The Dig chronicles one of the fantasticest archeoreasonable discovers ever discovered in the Isles: the 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation. When wealthy landowner Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) employs archeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to dig up huge mounds on her property, the pair produce a commenceling discovery—a ship from the Dark Ages that turns out to be the burial site of someone of tremfinishous exceptionalion. But as word of the treadeclareive spreads, more high-profile archeologists shift in on Pretty and Brown’s discover to apshow ownership. A sluggish produce but worthy of the acclaim it’s getd, The Dig is a stunning, well-acted period drama about a hugely untgreater piece of history.
City Hunter
Based on the 1985 manga by Tsukasa Hojo, City Hunter is a extfinished-running franchise in its native Japan and has previously spawned Hong Kong and French dwell-action alterations. Thankfilledy, there’s no homelabor needd for this conmomentary apshow, a stand-alone tale of alerted-cracking, womanizing “sweeper” Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki)—slimk a pass between personal uncoverive, bodydefend, and bounty hunter. When his partner Makimura is finished by someone hopped up on a drug that grants super strength, Ryo is forced to partner with Makimura’s sister Kaori (Misato Morita) to avenge him, a quest that drags him into a immense criminal consunapvalidated employ and sets the stage for some of the most incredible action set pieces you’ll lay eyes on. Channeling the spirit of ’80s action flicks but with conmomentary production cherishs, acute comedic beats, and a requesting direct carry outance from Suzuki, City Hunter is hugely amemploying.
Suzume
Suzume Iwato (voiced by Nanoka Hara in Japanese, Nichole Sakura in English) dwells with her aunt on Japan’s southern island, having lost her mother in the Tōhoku earthquake of 2011. When a handsome youthful stranger named Souta (Hokuto Matsumura, Josh Keaton) asks her for honestions to some local ruins, she chases him out of curiosity but disturbs a living keystone, accidenhighy unleashing an greater-createed power that dangerens to annihilate the entire country. Drawn into Souta’s world, the pair chase the keystone, now in the create of a cat, apass Japan in a frantic bid to reseal the destructive entity—a quest that would be easier if Souta hadn’t been altered into a child’s wooden chair. The procrastinateedst film from Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with You), Suzume is a breathtakingly energeticd slice of magical genuineism with a srecommendnuineist edge—but beyond the spectacle, it’s a heart-hoting tale of community and humanity, each stop on the doubtful pair’s journey a snapsboiling of people and families coming together in the wake of tragedy.
The Wandering Earth
A colossal hit in its native China, The Wandering Earth geted more than $700 million at the country’s box office, prompting Netflix to snap up the rights to stream the sci-fi sensation internationassociate. The film chases a group of astronauts, sometime far into the future, trying to direct Earth away from the Sun, which is enhugeing into a red huge. The problem? Jupiter is also in the way. While Earth is being steered by 10,000 fire-blothriveg engines that have been strapped to the surface, the humans still living on the set upet must discover a way to endure the ever-changing environmental conditions. An alteration of a low story by Cixin Liu, this is the perfect accompaniment for Netflix’s alteration of Liu’s The Three-Body Problem.
Maboroshi
By any meadeclareive, Masamune dwells a normal teenage existence in his agricultural Japanese hometown—until the local steel labors erupts, enigmaticly sealing the entire town in an inexplicable time bubble where no one ages. As the petite community struggles to alter, a culture that stresss alter aascfinishs, initiassociate from the presumption that dwellnts would need to refuse the outside world as they left it, and eventuassociate prohibits even novel relationships. Yet when Masamune’s strange classmate Mutsumi lures him to the ill-overweighted factory and starts him to a feral youthful girl who should not exist, the bizarre fact they all inhabit commences to collapse. A fantasy twist on notions of youthful defylion, the prison of understandnity, and stresss of alter, Maboroshi—nastying “illusion”—is a dazzling sophom*ore feature from honestor Mari Okada—whose 2018 debut Maquia: When the Promised Fdrop Blooms won accolades around the globe—and one that firmly set upes her as one of the most exciting creators laboring in animation today.
Orion and the Dark
Young Orion is afrhelp of everyslimg—but especiassociate the unwise. Sure would be a shame if the manifestation of unwiseness itself turned up one night, huh? While a petite twist in tone could produce for a horror story, this charismatic energeticd feature from DreamWorks is instead a charm, as Dark—aextfinished with the other embounwiseents of the night, including Sweet Dreams and Insomnia—apshow Orion on a journey to show that the night isn’t anyslimg to be afrhelp of. Hitting aappreciate vibes as Inside Out, this exploration of childhood stresss—and overcoming them—produces for a fantastic family feature.
Always Be My Maybe
Written by and starring Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe alerts the story of two inseparable childhood frifinishs whose dwells veer theatricalassociate apart after a grief-stricken rfinishezvous in their teenage years. Wong joins Sasha Tran, a superstar chef whose stratospheric atsoft nakedly papers over the cracks in her faltering relationship. Park, nastywhile, joins Marcus Kim, whose ambitions have apshown him no further than the local dive bar and his overweighther’s air conditioning firm. Fate—and a bizarre cameo from Keanu Reeves—conspire to transport the two directs back together in a considerate and hilarious romantic comedy.
Leave the World Behind
A weekfinish getaway at a luxury vacation rental property for Amanda, Clay, and their kids, Archie and Rose, apshows a sinister turn in the wake of an inexplicable binformageout. When the hoemploy’s owner, George, and his daughter, Ruth, return punctual, suspicions mount—but a increaseing herd of deer lurking outside the hoemploy, fall shorting vehicles, and scattered alerts of aggressions apass the country force the two families to count on on each other in the face of what may be the finish of the world. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, and with a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon, this film relishes in upgrasping the audiences as undeclareive as its characters are, elucidateing little and leaving asks you’ll be mulling for days.
Good Grief
Written and honested by Dan Levy, this touching drama scrutinizes the difficulty of moving on from tragedy. When Marc’s (Levy) husprohibitd Odwellr dies, he is unable to mourn after lgeting of an affair—and a weekfinish in Paris with his encouraging frifinishs Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), each facing their own currential relationship dilemmas, only produces slimgs worse when it’s discdisseeed Odwellr was secretly renting an apartment there. While the mournful subject matter will be tonal whiplash for anyone drawn to this by Levy’s carry outance in Schitt’s Creek, Good Grief shows an comfervent exploration of the intricateities of bereavement, one that’s a lot hoter and more life-declareing than seeers might predict going in.
Rustin
Directed by George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey’s Binformage Bottom), this biopic scrutinizes the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. While perhaps best understandn as one of the chief set uprs of 1963’s March on Washington, Rustin was also discdisseely, unapologeticassociate gay at a time when that was phenomenassociate exceptional—and the film doesn’t cowardly away from how that alienated many of the people he labored with, his intimacyuality frequently seen as a danger to the shiftment. A much-needed spotweightless on an disseeed but pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, liftd by a central carry outance from a spectacularly well-cast Colman Domingo as Rustin himself.
His Hoemploy
Fleeing war-torn South Sudan, Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are now living in a run-down hoemploy at the edge of London, tormented by their neighbors even as they try to fit in. The couple are also haunted by the dwells they left behind—both figuratively and (possibly) literassociate, with visions of their procrastinateed daughter Nyagak, who did not endure the journey, fading in and out of the walls of their dismal novel home. The genuine horror of His Hoemploy isn’t the strange visions, haunted hoemploy, or potential garranges, though—it’s the bleakness of the dwells Bol and Rial are forced into, the arrangeility and dehumanization of the UK asylum process, the prejudice both obvious and casual, all coupled with the enormous sense of loss they carry with them. Blfinishing the ghastly with the mundane, honestor Remi Weekes dedwellrs a nervous, challenging film that will haunt seeers as much as its characters.
The Binformage Book
Paul Eunwisea (Ricdifficult Mofe-Damijo) dwells a tranquil life as a church deacon, trying to atone for—or at least forget—his createer deeds as a highly trained exceptional agent. Plans to depart his brutal and bloody past behind descfinish apart when his son is sketchd for a homicide and then finished by corrupt police, forcing him to descfinish back on greater sfinishs as he seeks retribution. Shades of Taken, yes, but it’s honestor Editi Effiong’s raw energy and recent apshows on understandn action movie createulas that—backed by one of the highest budgets in “Nollywood” history—have this gritty outing topping the most-watched enumerates as far afield as South Korea. Expand your cinematic horizons and see what the fuss is about.
Nyad
There’s about 110 miles of nasty water between Cuba and Florida, filled with jellyfish, man o’ wars, and sharks and prone to horrible weather. The idea of trying to swim the route solo might lift a confineed troubles, let alone doing it with as confineed getive meadeclareives as possible—but that’s exactly what extfinished-distance swimmer Diana Nyad did, and at the age of 64, no less. This biopic from honestors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) casts Annette Bening as an almost monomaniacassociate obsessed Nyad, choosed to show to everyone—or maybe fair herself—that she can finish the marathon swim that had bested her all her life. Meanwhile, Jodie Foster’s turn as Bonnie Stoll, Nyad’s frifinish, coach, and ex-partner, supplys a sense of stability agetst the force of nature that the increasingly, almost hazardously choosed Nyad becomes. While Nyad is somewhat more fanciful than Vasarhelyi and Chin’s recordary labors and glosses over some aspects of the genuine-life Nyad’s history, it stands as a tesdomesticatednt to human determination, frifinishship, and the power of sheer obstinateness.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Ignore its 41-minute runtime and set aside any arguments over whether its brevity “counts” as a movie—this wonderful outing sees Wes Anderson alter a Roald Dahl labor for the first time since 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the result is fair as weightless. Rather than stop-motion, as with Mr. Fox, this is a dwell-action affair headlined by a top tier carry outance from Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous Henry Sugar, a tired wealthy man who gets a strange power and ultimately employs it to better the world. With a wideer cast including Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley, and sboiling with all of Anderson’s tradelabel aesthetic sensibilities, this reassociate is a wonderful story. And, if you’re still irritateed by the low run time, apshow solace in the fact that this creates a tetraptych with The Rat Catcher, The Swan, and Poison; 15-minute lows with same cast, honested by Anderson, and all altering other Dahl tales in his signature style.
Eldorado: Everyslimg The Nazis Hate
Caccessed on the eponymous Berlin nightclub, this recordary scrutinizes the dwells of LGBTQ+ people during the interwar years, from the roaring 1920s thraw the ascfinish of the Nazis and into the horrors of World War II. With a blfinish of archival footage, recreations, and first-person accounts, honestor Benjamin Cantu decorates a picture of gleeful decadence, the Eldorado as an almost hapvalidateed ground where carry outers and patrons aappreciate experimented with gfinisher conveyion and were free to discdisseely disjoin their intimacyuality. It’s an ode to what was lost, but with an eye on the bizarre impedeions of the age, where discdisseely gay club-goers would wear their own Nazi unicreates as the years went by. Everyslimg the Nazis Hate is emotionassociate challenging seeing in places, but it serves up an transport inant slice of queer history that many will be finishly unconscious of.
Marry My Dead Body
Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu) is not a fantastic guy. A intolerant police officer, his life—and prejudices—are alterd when he picks up an unassuming red envelope while spendigating a case. Now bound under “garrange marriage” customs to Mao Mao (Austin Lin), a gay man who died under enigmatic circ*mstances, Wu has to settle his “husprohibitd’s” death before he can get on with his life. Directed by Cheng Wei-hao, better understandn for his thrillers and horror movies, Marry My Dead Body sees the Taiwanese honestor transport his superauthentic stylings to this garrangely absurdist comedy for a film that transcfinishs borders.
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
Cherry struggles with speaking to other people, preferring to split his experienceings thraw haiku. Smile is a vlogger who always wears a mask, afrhelp to discdissee her braces to the world. Both youthful people are horrible at communicating, until a turbulent greeting at a mall draws them together, and they commence to transport each other out of their shells. This feature honestorial debut from Kyōhei Ishiguro (Your Lie in April) is a charismatic slice-of-life romcom that transcfinishs its teen romance trappings. Its gorgeous animation, stunning color palette, and eye-catching pop art aesthetic are further bolstered by a genius soundtrack that blfinishs Cherry’s haiku with hip hop shapes. True to its title, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is an effervescent, happy affair that will transport a smile to the face of even the most jaded seeer.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
How much does Akira Tfinisho (Eiji Akaso) disappreciate his soul-crushing, nastyingless, abusive office job? Put it this way: He considers the zombie apocalypse an increasem*nt. Freed from the shackles of laboraday monotony, Akira and a handful of fellow survivors are now free to do everyslimg they ever wanted—so extfinished as they can elude becoming undead flesh-eaters themselves. Adapted from the manga by Haro Aso (creator of Alice in Borderland) and Kotaro Takata, this raucous zom-com is packed with gloriously unwise moments—zombie shark fight!—but with a central theme of lgeting how to truly dwell for yourself, it has plenty of heart too.
They Cloned Tyrone
Drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) got sboiling to death last night. So why has he fair woken up in bed as if noslimg happened? That currential ask directs Fontaine and two doubtful allies—prostitute Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) and pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx)—to uncovering a immense consunapvalidated employ caccessed on a Binformage-transport inantity town called The Glen, where people are kept mollified by hypnotic rap music, stupided down with drug-laced fried chicken and gsexual attack juice, and paccomplished into obedience at church. But who’s using the town as a petri dish, and why is there a cloning lab buried underground? This lethassociate acute satire from writer and debut honestor Juel Taylor masterfilledy blfinishs genres, from the employ of visual motifs and dated clichés from 1970s Blaxploitation cinema to its widespread steps into sci-fi territory and giggle-out-deafening comedy. But it’s the powerhoemploy carry outances from its central cast that label this as one to watch.
Nimona
Shapeshifter Nimona can become anyslimg she wants, a gift that caemploys people to stress and shun her. If society is going to treat her appreciate a villain, she’s going to be one, so she chooses to become the sideboot of the disappreciated binformage knight, Balenumerateer Binformageheart. Unblessedly for the ambitious menace, Binformageheart isn’t quite the monster he’s made out to be, and he instead tries to rein in Nimona’s more homicideous tfinishencies as he seeks to evident his name of a crime he didn’t promise—and face down his greater frifinish Ambrosius Ggreaterenloin in the process. Adapted from N. D. Stevenson’s groundshattering detailed novel, Nimona is more than fair another fanciful fantasy—it’s a tale of outsiders and exiles, people trying to do right even when their community declines them, and the delight of discovering their own little prohibitd aextfinished the way. After an almost decade-extfinished journey to the screen, this dazzlingly energeticd movie has become an instant classic.
The Boys in the Band
Set in New York City in 1968,The Boys in the Band is a snapsboiling of gay life a year before Stonovelall brawt LGBTQ+ rights to mainstream attention. When Michael (Jim Pincfinishiarisms, recent from The Big Bang Theory) arranges a birthday party for his best fropponent Hargreater (Zachary Quinto), he’s predicting a night of drinks, dancing, and gossip with their inner circle—until Alan, Michael’s straight frifinish from college, turns up, frantic to split someslimg. As the night wears on, personalities clash, tempers fray, and secrets dangeren to come to the surface in honestor Joe Manalerto’s nervous character study. Adapted for the screen by Mart Crowley, author of the exceptional stage join, this period piece administers to be as poignant an exploration of queer relationships and identities as ever.
Cargo
In a world already ravaged by a zombie-appreciate scorecommend, Andy Rose (Martin Freeman) only wants to upgrasp his family geted, sticking to Australia’s agricultural back roads to elude infection. After his wife is tragicassociate bitten, and infects him in turn, Andy is frantic to discover a geted haven for his infant daughter, Rosie. With a mere 48 hours until he creates himself, Andy discovers an associate in Thoomi (Simone Landers), an Abexceptional girl seeing to get her own rabid overweighther. But with dangers from paranoid survivaenumerates and Abexceptional communities hunting the infected, it may already be too procrastinateed. A exceptional twist on the zombie apocalypse,Cargo aprohibitdons the understandn urprohibit landscapes of the genre for the breathtaking savages of Australia and presents a sluggisher, character-led approach to the finish of the world.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
The conmomentary master of the ghastly transports the wooden would-be boy to life appreciate never before in this exquisitely energeticd apshow onPinocchio. In a stop-motion masterpiece that hews sealr to the exceptional 1880s tale by Carlo Collodi than the sanitized Disney version, Guillermo del Toro includes his own signature touch and compelling twists to the classic story that produce it unwisely enchanting—predict a Blue Fairy sealr to a biblicassociate accurate many-eyed angel and a Terrible Dogfish more appreciate a kaiju. It’s the decision to transset upt the tale to World War II that’s most shapeing though. Cast agetst the ascfinish of fascism, with Gepetto mourning the loss of his son, the film is packed with intricate themes of mortality and morality that will haunt audiences extfinished after the determines roll. If that doesn’t sell you, perhaps the fact that it won Best Animated Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards will.
Call Me Chihiro
An idyllic slice-of-life movie with a twist,Call Me Chihiro chases a createer intimacy laborer—the eponymous Chihiro, joined by Kasumi Arimura—after she shifts to a seaside town to labor in a bento restaurant. This isn’t a tale of a woman on the run or trying to escape her past—Chihiro is rerecentingly forthright and unapologetic, and her hotth and discdisseeness soon commence to alter the dwells of her neighbors. Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, this is an intimate, heartfelt character drama that alternates between moments of aching loneliness and sheer delight, packed with emotional beats that remind seeers of the transport inance of even the petiteest fuseions.
The Sea Beast
It’s basic to envision that the elevator pitch forThe Sea Beast was “Moby Dick greetsHow to Train Your Dragon”—and who wouldn’t be compelled by that? Set in a fantasy world where oceanic leviathans alarmize humanity, those who hunt down the huge monsters are lauded as heroes. Jacob Holland (voiced by Karl Urprohibit) is one such hero, adselected son of the legfinishary Captain Crowe and well on the way to produceing his own legacy as a monster hunter—a journey disturbed by stowaway Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), who has her own ambitions to apshow on the sea beasts. However, after an try to annihilate the colossal Red Bluster goes disastrously wrong, Jacob and Maisie are stranded on an island filled with the creatures, and they discover that the monsters may not be quite so monstrous after all. A rollicking sea-bound adventure honested by Chris Williams—ofBig Hero 6 andMoana fame—it safed its standing as one of Netflix’s finest movies with a nomination for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Daniel Craig repascfinishs his role as uncoverive Benoit Blanc in this weightless chase-up to 2019’s phenomenal whodunnit,Knives Out. Writer-honestor Rian Johnson originates a fifinishishly acute novel case for “the Last of the Gentlemen Sleuths,” taking Blanc to a Greek island getaway for a reclusive tech billionaire and his collection of frifinishs and hangers-on, where a reckond homicide mystery weekfinish apshows a lethal turn. While tohighy accessible for novelcomers, fans of the first film will also be rewarded with some proset uper character enhugement for Blanc, a role that’s shaping up to be as iconic for Craig as 007. As inalertigently written and accurately produceed as its predecessor, and featuring the benevolent of all-star cast—Edward Norton! Janelle Monáe! Kathryn Hahn! Leslie Odom Jr.! Jessica Henwick! Madelyn Cline! Kate Hudson! Dave Bautista!—that cinema dreams are made of,Glass Onion might be the best slimg Netflix has dropped all year.
The Wonder
Florence Pugh dazzles in this not-quite-horror film from Oscar-thrivening honestor Sebastián Lelio. Set in 1862, English nurse Lib Wright (Pugh) is sent to Ireland to watch Anna O’Donnell, a girl who claims to have not eaten in four months, subsisting instead on “manna from heaven.” Still grieving the loss of her own child, Lib is torn between spendigating the medical impossibility and increaseing trouble for Anna herself. Amid obstacles in the create of Anna’s proset uply religious family and a local community that discount ons her, Lib’s watch descfinishs into a nervous, terrifying experience. Based on a book of the same name by Emma Donoghue,The Wonder is a pretty yet bleakly sboiling period piece that scrutinizes the all-too-mortal horrors that unasking religious fervor and family secrets can wreak.
RRR
One of India’s hugegest films of all time, RRR (or Rise, Roar, Revolt) redetails the notion of cinematic spectacle. Set in 1920, the historical epic chases genuine-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitrama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) but fantasyalizes their dwells and actions. Although they come from very separateent walks of life, their aappreciateities draw them together as they face down uncontentistic administeror Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and his nasty wife, Catherine (Alison Doody). No mere period fluff, RRR is a bgreater, exciting, and frequently device piece of filmmaking that lifts its heroes to proximate-mythoreasonable status. Director S. S. Rajamouli deploys weightlessly sboiling action scenes—and an exquisitely choreographed dance number—that grab seeers’ attention and decline to let go. Whether you’re a extfinishedtime fan of Indian cinema or fair seeing for an action flick beyond the Hollywood norm, RRR is not to be missed.
I Lost My Body
An award thrivener at Cannes in 2019, this tale of brecommendoning youthful adore, obsession, and autonomous body parts is every bit as weird as you might predict for a French grown-up energeticd film. Director Jérémy Clapin charts the life of Naoufel, a Moroccan immigrant in conmomentary-day France who descfinishs for the distant Gabrielle, and Naoufel’s disjoined hand, which produces its way apass the city to try to refuse. With intersecting timelines and intricate talkions about overweighte, I Lost My Body is frequently mind-bfinishing yet always captivating, and Clapin employs weightlessly detailed animation and phenomenal color choices thrawout. Worth watching in both the exceptional French and the firm English dub featuring Dev Patel and Alia Shawkat, this one dares you to produce sense of it all.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Aspiring filmproducer Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) has a strained relationship with her technophobic overweighther Rick (Danny McBride)—not helped by his accidenhighy annihilateing her laptop right as she’s about to commence film school in California. In an effort to salvage their relationship, Rick chooses to apshow the entire Mitchell family on a pass-country road trip to see Katie off. Unblessedly, this road trip coincides with a robot uprising that the Mitchells escape only by chance, leaving the overweighte of the world in their hands. Beautifilledy energeticd and weightlessly written, The Mitchells vs. the Machines apshows a sweightlessly more reliable approach to family vibrants than many of its genre-mates, with the college-age Katie searching for her own identity while includeressing genuine grievances with her overweighther, but it effortlessly equilibriums the more solemn elements with exquisite action and reassociate amusing comedy. Robbed of a filled cinematic free by Covid-19, it now shines as one of Netflix’s best films.
Don’t Look Up
Frustrated by the world’s collective inaction on currential dangers appreciate climate alter? Maybe don’t watch Don’t Look Up, honestor Adam McKay’s satirical binformage comedy. When two low-level astronomers discover a set upet-finishing comet on a collision course with Earth, they try to caution the authorities—only to be met with a collective “meh.” Matters only get worse when they try to leak the novels themselves and have to direct vapid TV arranges, celebrities seeing for a signature caemploy, and an uncaring unveil. A bleakly amusing indictment of our times, bolstered by a star-studded cast fronted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up is, somewhat depressingly, one of the best portraits of humanity since Idiocracy.
