Looking to settle in with a good movie? Me too. That's why I've pored over release schedules to bring you the best original and new-to-streaming movies you can watch on Netflix, Prime, Max, Hulu, and other streaming platforms.
The can't-miss-it movies of the week are director Zack Snyder's new edits of his Rebel Moon movies. Adding an extra hour or two to a feature film completely changes its meaning, so this is a good excuse to revisit these two epic science fiction flick. Another suggestion: a Superman film festival. Prime is offering all the Christopher Reeve's Superman movies as well as the 2006 re-boot.
Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts
If you can't get enough of Zach Snyders' Rebel Moon movies, the director's cuts might finally slake your endless thirst for Snyder-y space opera. The combined runtime of Rebel Moon Part One: Director’s Cut and Rebel Moon Part Two: Director’s Cut is six hours and 17 minutes—that's almost two hours of added footage. Expect extra violence, extra sex, and extra-Snyder with these R-rated new edits of the sci-fi epics.
Where to stream: Netflix
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Spongebob Squarepants is an American institution, the pop culture hero we both deserve and need. In this full-length original feature, everyone in Bikini Botton is scooped out of the ocean onto dry land, leaving Spongebob and Sandy Cheeks to travel to Texas to put things to right. Saving Bikini Bottom is the kind of kids' movie that everyone likes, so gather the fam.
Where to stream: Netflix
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
In 1964, actress Elizabeth Taylor recorded over 40 hours of interviews; this HBO original documentary dug 'em up and is playing The Lost Tapes for the first time. These intimate recording go deep into the vagaries and contradictions of stardom and the forces that influenced Taylor's complicated life as an actress, an activist, and the most beautiful woman in the world.
Where to stream: Max
Superman 1, 2, 3, 4 and Superman Returns
If a new Batman series isn't enough super-heroics for you, in August, Prime is offering the original four Christopher Reeves Superman movies as well as the 2006 series reboot Superman Returns. This is the perfect opportunity to grab some super-popcorn, sit on your super-couch and have an old fashioned super-film festival.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Imitation of Life (1959)
Featuring both Lana Turner and Mahalia Jackson, Douglas Sirk's study of the lifelong friendship between a white woman and a black woman is a fearless (for 1959) examination of race, class, alienation, gender and more, told through lush visuals and Sirk's patented ironic-melodrama style. If you haven't seen it, you really should watch Imitation of Life; they really don't make movies like this anymore.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Last week's picks
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)
In case you haven't heard of him, Tom Cruise is a national treasure and the world’s greatest movie star who does his own stunts even though he’s 112 years old. In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Cruise turns his charisma up to 15 million gigawatts in his recurring role of Ethan Hunt, agent of the Impossible Mission Force. The plot has something to do with an evil mastermind trying to take over the world with artificial intelligence or something, but it really doesn’t matter. Mission Impossible movies live or die based on the quality and quantity of their over-the-top action set-pieces, and Dead Reckoning over-delivers. It takes action to such ludicrous, even critics like it—the movie has a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Continental Split
Many know and love Tubi for its price ("free") and massive stinkpile of movies and shows no one asked for. But did you know there are Tubi originals? Like Continental Split, a disaster movie with a massive premise—a fault-line literally splits the United States in two—but a minuscule budget with which to realize it. But against all odds, Continental Split is actually kind of good. The effects are laughably cheesy (but in a fun way), the acting is decent, and there's even a stab at metaphorically connecting the physical split in the earth to political and social fault lines in our culture. If you like goofy disaster movies and you don't care about the effects looking "real" or whatever, this is the movie for you. Also good If you're too broke for Netflix.
Where to stream: Tubi
Knox Goes Away (2024)
If you saw Michael Keaton in 1983's Mr. Mom, you probably didn't imagine that its seemingly lightweight star would still be active in the 21st century and his thing would be making complex, dark films like Knox Goes Away. Keaton directed and stars as the title character, a hitman who's stricken with dementia, trying to help his estranged son who's committed a murder. So it's weird, intriguing, and not quite like any other movie.
Where to stream: Max
Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net
Cirque du Soleil, the circus that costs $100 to visit, had a rough time during the pandemic lockdown—it’s a cool show and all, but is cool acrobatics worth contracting Covid? Without a Net documents the struggles of Cirque's crew and performers as they dust off the trapeze and harnesses and work toward a post-vaccine grand re-opening in Las Vegas. With that famous the-show-must-go-on ethic driving it, the world’s most high-class circus journeys back from the brink in an inspiring story.
Where to stream: Hulu
Abigail (2024)
I don't know why, but we find ballerinas scary, and horror movies about ballerinas tend to be awesome. There's 2010's Black Swan, Suspiria (both the 1977 and 2018 versions), 1949's The Red Shoes, and now Abigail, a moody horror flick about a little undead girl who loves sucking blood as much as she loves arabesques and jetés. While it's inferior to the ballet-core classics listed above, it's still got an 82% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is totally worth the watch.
Where to stream: Peacock