Product Reviews

Netflix has plenty of movies to watch. Maybe too many. Sometimes finding the right film at the right time can seem like an impossible task. Let us help you. Below is a list of some of our favorites currently on the streaming service—from dramas to comedies to thrillers.

If you decide 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 lists of the best sci-fi movies, best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best flicks on Disney+.

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The Thursday Murder Club

In the picturesque retirement community of Coopers Chase, the Thursday Murder Club—former union leader Ron (Pierce Brosnan), psychiatrist Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), nurse Joyce (Celia Imrie) and de facto leader Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), a retired MI6 officer—meets each week to share their theories on cold cases. It’s all grim fun and games until one of Coopers Chase’s owners is murdered on their doorstep—right after opposing plans to redevelop the community as part of a luxury property deal. But as the club puts their not-so-amateur sleuthing skills to the test, they all emerge as suspects. Based on the series of novels by Richard Osman, and with a killer cast of British and Irish acting royalty, this is a cozy crime caper to die for.

Jaws

Yes, it’s infamously misrepresentative of the threat sharks pose (humans kill orders of magnitude more of them than they do of us), but Jaws is a classic for a reason. The pitch-perfect tension. The phenomenal cast. That nerve-shredding John Williams score. Jaws is definitely of its time in some respects, but Spielberg’s iconic thriller is also a timeless piece of filmmaking, and arguably the film that cemented his standing as one of the greatest directors of the 20th century. If you’ve seen it before, revisit it. If you’ve never experienced it, now’s your chance—especially as this horror staple is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. Altogether now: You’re gonna need a bigger boat!

Mononoke The Movie II: The Ashes of Rage

Set a month after the events of The Phantom in the Rain, the second in a planned trilogy finds the mysterious Medicine Seller returning to the Inner Chambers of the Imperial Palace in Edo-era Japan. While conditions for the emperor’s lower-ranking concubines have improved, prickly political machinations make things more dangerous than ever for the upper tier, including warring favorites Fuki and Botan—and that’s before a new supernatural terror raises its head. Another masterclass in tension and otherworldly horror, Mononoke maintains its stunning visual approach evoking watercolors on parchment, making for one of the most sumptuous and visually striking pieces of animation you’ll ever see.

Ziam

There’s a lot to recommend about Ziam, but the elevator pitch is just four words: Muay Thai versus zombies. The literal translation of the Thai title gives us four more: “Biting Mouth, Kicking Feet.” If that doesn’t make you want to watch this action-horror outing, seek help. Set in an already dystopian future where the climate crisis has melted the ice caps, former professional fighter Singh (Prin Suparat) is desperate to reunite with his girlfriend Rin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich), a doctor in his hometown of Chiang Dao. Cue one zombie outbreak courtesy of the shady VS Corporation, and soon Singh is punching, kicking, and elbowing his way through hordes of ravenous undead, trying to evacuate Rin and a young patient from her hospital—before it’s blown up to contain the infection! Think Ong Bak meets Dawn of the Dead meets The Raid, and throw in some of the most horrifying zombie designs in years, and Ziam makes for a schlocky but thrilling time.

Happy Gilmore 2

Thirty years after graduating from ice hockey washout to golfing glory, Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) is down on his luck again. After his wife died in a freak golf accident, he’s now a single dad of five, struggling to send his talented dancer daughter to a ballet school in Paris. His only hope to scrape together the money he needs is to get back into the game. The only thing standing in his way are old rivals and a nefarious CEO trying to revamp the entire sport for the worst. Despite being packed with nods to the original film, in both returning cast members and general tone—expect peak ’90s Sandler crassness in places—Happy Gilmore 2 is a raucously funny sports comedy that sees Sandler playing well above par again.

The Old Guard 2

It’s been a long five years since the original The Old Guard dropped on Netflix, adapting the graphic novels by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández into a budding franchise. Centered on a roving gang of immortals fronted by Charlize Theron as Andromache of Scythia—Andy to her friends—this long-gestating sequel expands on the lore, throwing her modern-day allies into a centuries-old grudge match against old flame Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô). Meanwhile the newest immortal Nile (KiKi Layne) comes face-to-face with the very first, Discord (Uma Thurman, absolutely vamping it in a villainous role and seemingly loving it). The Old Guard 2 sadly doesn’t reach the same exhilarating heights as the first film—at its worst, it’s choppily edited and lacks focus—but it’s an entertaining outing that further cements Theron as an action megastar.

Brick

When workaholic game developer Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer, Army of the Dead) and his partner Liv (Ruby O. Fee) break up, Liv finds it hard to walk away. Quite literally, as their apartment block has been mysteriously surrounded by an impenetrable wall. Left with no choice but to smash through walls and ceilings to find a way out, teaming with other residents trapped inside as they do, the group desperately searches for an escape route—but the strange barrier and the building itself seems set on stopping them. Reminiscent at times of cult classic Cube, this German-language sci-fi thriller (there’s an English language dub, but it’s truly terrible—stick with subtitles) is schlocky but satisfying entertainment.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Twenty years after their last feature-length outing, not-so-intrepid inventor Wallace and his long-suffering canine companion Gromit are back. When criminal penguin Feathers McGraw—last seen in the classic The Wrong Trousers—learns of Wallace’s easily-hackable robotic garden gnome Norbot, the nefarious villain hatches a plan for revenge, one that tears the heroes’ friendship apart and leads to the greatest chase scene tranquil Yorkshire has ever seen. Irrepressibly charming and relentlessly daft, this stop-motion-animated comedy from the geniuses at Aardman—the studio behind Chicken Run—is a pure delight.

KPop Demon Hunters

Three-part harmony group Huntr/x are at the top of their game. Not only are they the world’s best-loved girl group, but in their secret side role as Earth’s defenders against demonic forces, they’re about to permanently seal away an ancient evil. Unfortunately, lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho) is hiding something from bandmates Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), and her dark secret may tear them apart right as they face their strongest foes—an evil boyband fronted by the devilishly handsome Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop). Blending the pastel-pop of Jem and the Holograms, the monster-slaying action of Buffy, and enough K-pop earworms to make Blackpink blink, Kpop Demon Hunters is a perfect summer movie for kids and families, a brilliantly animated adventure that’s as fresh and memorable as its energetic musical numbers.

Always Be My Maybe

Written by and starring Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe tells the story of two inseparable childhood friends whose lives veer dramatically apart after a grief-stricken rendezvous in their teenage years. Wong plays Sasha Tran, a superstar chef whose stratospheric career barely papers over the cracks in her faltering relationship. Park, meanwhile, plays Marcus Kim, whose ambitions have taken him no further than the local dive bar and his father’s air conditioning firm. Fate—and a bizarre cameo from Keanu Reeves—conspire to bring the two leads back together in a film that at long last lifts Asian Americans outside of Hollywood’s clichéd casting and into a thoughtful and hilarious romantic comedy.

Our Times

In 1966, husband and wife physicists Nora (Lucero) and Héctor (Benny Ibarra) are equal partners at the University of Mexico, even though their colleagues see Nora as little more than Héctor’s lab assistant. Then they crack the secret of time travel, catapulting themselves forward to 2025—and strand themselves here. While both marvel at the leaps humanity has made in half a century, Nora is delighted to be reunited with her former protégé Julia (Ofelia Medina), now dean of the university. But as Héctor finds himself desperate to return to the comfort and prestige he enjoyed in the past, the pair’s relationship begins to fall apart. More rom-com than sci-fi, this is time-travel with a bittersweet touch.

Barbarian

When Tess (Georgina Campbell) finds her Airbnb in a sketchy neighborhood double-booked with Keith (Bill Skarsgård), you will probably think you know where Barbarian is headed. You don’t—and you should brace yourself for everything that follows. Written and directed by Zach Cregger (in a seismic departure from his comedy background), Barbarian constantly shifts, playing with—and regularly subverting—viewer expectations of horror movie clichés at every turn. Smartly written, brilliantly shot, and psychologically disturbing on multiple levels, Barbarian is a genuinely terrifying entry in the modern horror canon.

Lost in Starlight

Dr. Nan-young Joo is desperate to follow in her late astronaut mother’s footsteps and make it all the way to Mars. Jay is a slacker part-timer, loosely aspiring to be a musician. In this Korean animated movie from director Han Ji-won, they become a pair of literally star-crossed lovers, linked by a love of music. While the sci-fi aspect of it all makes for some spectacular visuals, from the futuristic-but-plausible view of Seoul in 2051, to truly cosmic, almost psychedelic, sequences as Nan-young ventures into space, the story’s heart lies in the quieter, meaningful moments between its leads. Absolutely exquisite.

Kill Boksoon

To her friends, Gil Bok-soon (Jeon Do-yeon) is a successful events executive and dedicated single mother to her daughter Jae-yeong (Kim Si-a). In reality, she’s the star performer at MK Ent—an assassination bureau, where her almost superhuman ability to predict every step in a critical situation has earned her a 100 percent success rate and a legendary reputation. The only problem: She’s considering retiring at the end of her contract, a decision that opens her to threats from disgruntled enemies and ambitious colleagues alike. While its title and premise not-so-subtly evokes Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, director Byun Sung-hyun takes this Korean action epic to giddy heights with some of the most impressive fights committed to screen since, well, Kill Bill.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

When Mary Smith moves to her great aunt’s estate in rural England, she finds herself unspeakably bored—until she finds a rare flower that blooms only once every seven years, coveted by witches for its magical properties. Soon, she’s transported to Endor College, an academy for witches hidden in the clouds—but the warm welcome she receives from the fanciful faculty hides sinister secrets, and a dark ambition on the part of headmistress Madam Mumblechook that puts Mary’s only friend, Peter, in danger. Adapted from Mary Stewart’s novel The Little Broomstick and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty, When Marnie Was There), Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a wonderful piece of family viewing, thrilling for kids with enough complexity for older viewers, and gorgeously animated from start to finish.

Bullet Train Explosion

Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is conductor of the Hayabusa 60 shinkansen, zooming from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo. A perfectly normal job—until a terrorist reveals a bomb onboard, which will explode if the train slows below 100 kmph. As authorities race to stop the attacker and rescue the passengers, Kazuya is forced to keep everyone onboard safe. What’s that? It’s just Speed on a Japanese train? Nah, Speed was just the original 1975 The Bullet Train on an American bus—and this modern-day version is equal parts remake and sequel to that Sonny Chiba-starring classic. It’s more than an entertaining action thriller, though—director Shinji Higuchi relishes the opportunity to poke fun at point-scoring politicians crippled by bureaucratic process in responding to the crisis (no surprise to anyone who’s seen 2016’s Shin Godzilla, which he codirected with Hideaki Anno). High-speed, literally explosive action, with a satirical edge, Bullet Train Explosion is a blast (sorry).

Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things the First Shadow

If there’s a Stranger Things–shaped hole in your life thanks to the approximate 4,738-year wait between seasons, this behind-the-scenes documentary focused on production of the West End stage show The First Shadow might go some way to filling it. While the film doesn’t give the whole production away—itself a prequel, set in 1959 and exploring how the sleepy town of Hawkins became ground zero for all things spooky—it’s a fascinating look at the technical wizardry that went into bringing the show to life and how director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott, Netflix’s The Crown) and legendary theater producer Sonia Friedman worked with the Duffer Brothers to root everything in the lore and history of the series.

The Imaginary

This gorgeously animated take on the concept of imaginary friends is a whimsical fable full of stunning visuals and big ideas. Adapted from the book by A. F. Harrold, The Imaginary follows young Amanda and her best friend Rudger—brought into being by her own mind—as they share countless adventures. But as Amanda ages, Rudger faces the fate of all Imaginaries: fading away as their humans forget them. The latest film from director Yoshiyuki Momose (Mary and the Witch’s Flower) and Studio Ponoc—spiritual successor to the mighty Studio Ghibli—this is a stunning ode to the power of imagination and friendship.

Dead Talents Society

When keeping the living terrified is the economy of the afterlife, death becomes a literal capitalist hellhole. Dead Talents Society sees warring “ghostresses” Catherine (Sandrine Pinna) and her former protégé Jessica (Eleven Yao) battling for glamour and prestige in the great beyond by innovating new ways of scaring mortals, while a newcomer known only as Rookie (Gingle Wang) struggles to make her mark with any scares at all—and risks fading away entirely if she can’t earn her undead keep. A sharply satirical horror comedy poking fun at everything from reality TV to hustle culture, this Taiwanese outing from writer-director John Hsu beats Beetlejuice at its own game.

Leave the World Behind

A weekend getaway at a luxury vacation rental property for Amanda and Clay and their kids, Archie and Rose, takes a sinister turn in the wake of an inexplicable blackout. When the house’s owner, George, and his daughter Ruth return early, suspicions mount—but a growing herd of deer lurking outside the house, failing vehicles, and scattered reports of attacks across the US force the two families to rely on each other in the face of what may be the end of the world. Adapted from the novel of same name by Rumaan Alam, and with a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon, this relishes in keeping the audiences as uncertain as its characters, explaining little, and leaving questions you’ll be mulling for days.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moore) growth as Spider-Man continues in this phenomenal sequel to the Academy Award–winning Into the Spider-Verse—but this time, the web-slinger’s neighborhood is a lot bigger and a lot less friendly. Introduced to a multiversal “Spider Society” led by the imposing Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Miles finds he’s the only Spider-Man not invited—and that an unavoidable tragedy lies in his future. Even more visually ambitious than its predecessor, with each alternate reality—and the heroes that call them home, including Gwen Stacey Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya)—brought to life with distinctive design and animation styles, Across the Spider-Verse is an almost unspeakably ambitious outing. It’s also one that balances sheer spectacle with darker, more emotional conflicts for Miles, offering neither him nor viewers any easy answers. A film so brilliant that the wait for the upcoming third installment, Beyond the Spider-Verse, becomes increasingly painful with every passing day.

Troll

This gleefully entertaining giant monster movie abandons tearing up Tokyo or New York in favor of director Roar Uthaug’s (2018’s Tomb Raider) native Norway, with a titanic troll stomping its way toward Oslo after being roused by a drilling operation. Although the plot and characters will be familiar to any fan of kaiju cinema, the striking Nordic visuals and the titular menace’s ability to blend in with the landscape, allows for some impressively original twists along the way. Although Troll could have easily descended into near-parody, Uthaug steers clear of smug self-awareness and instead delivers, and with a sequel arriving later in 2025, now is the perfect time to revisit one of the freshest takes on the genre in years.

Y Tu Mamá También

It’s uncommon to find much in the way of classic films on Netflix—the algorithm must ever be fed by the churn of the new—so the availability of Alfonso Cuarón’s brilliant 2001 coming-of-age movie is a real delight. Set in Mexico in 1999, Y Tu Mamá También (“And your mother, too”) follows rich kid Tenoch (Diego Luna) and his working-class friend Julio (Gael García Bernal) on a road trip with Luisa (Maribel Verdú), the wife of Tenoch’s cousin. It’s a journey that sees the young men—still boys, really—competing for attention from the beautiful older woman, trapping themselves in lies and trying to get by on unearned confidence, all while claiming to be heading to a picture-perfect beach that they made up. As for why the much more mature and experienced Luisa would go along with them in the first place? Pack tissues. While the film courted controversy for its frank depiction of sex and drugs (it’s not one for family film night), it remains a masterpiece; a raucous and all-too-real examination of young friendships and fragile masculinity.

Parasite

Director Bong Joon-ho’s searing 2019 thriller is the first non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and it’s abundantly clear why. Its bleak exploration of economic disparity and condemnation of capitalistic excess is focused on its South Korea setting, but it resonates with global audiences. Parasite follows the struggling Kim family as they each infiltrate the lives of the wealthy Parks, posing as household servants to live a life of proximate luxury before their deception spirals wildly out of control. Somehow, it’s also darkly comedic, mocking the obliviousness of the rich classes, both to their own privileges and to the desperation of the poor. Throughout, it’s exquisitely shot and expertly paced, with Bong deftly increasing the tension with every scene until everything approaches a seemingly inevitable conclusion—and then still manages to twist and subvert audience expectations. A spectacular piece of filmmaking that deserves the hype, this examination of class and inequality feels more relevant than ever.

Carry-On

Is a movie set at Christmas in itself a Christmas movie? That debate has surged around Die Hard for decades. Now Carry-On asks the same question. A zippy thriller from House of Wax and Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra, this sees TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) caught in the Christmas Eve shift from hell when he’s blackmailed by a mercenary known only as the Traveler (Jason Bateman) into allowing a deadly package through security. Cue a lethal game of cat-and-mouse as Ethan tries to stop the Traveler—all with the life of Ethan’s girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) in the balance. It’s pulpy and schlocky in places, but this throwback action outing can’t help but entertain.

Joy

In vitro fertilization may seem like a relatively mundane medical procedure nowadays, one that’s brought hope and family to countless people struggling to conceive, but when the procedure was developed by a trio of British scientists and medics in the 1960s and ’70s, it was hugely controversial. That makes for powerful material for this dramatization, charting the work of nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton), and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), even as they’re demonized by the public, the UK government, and even—perhaps especially—the church. McKenzie in particular is brilliant as Purdy, torn by her own conflict of faith at being involved in the life-changing work, which also involved providing safe abortion care to women who needed it, and struggling to deal with the ostracizing she faces from her family and community as a result. A powerful and provocative drama, even now.

Woman of the Hour

A serial killer is cast as a bachelor on a dating game show, allowing him to size up his next potential victim right in front of the audience watching at home. That’d be a twisted setup for a slasher flick—but what’s horrifying about Woman of the Hour is that it’s based on the real-life case of Rodney Alcala, who was a contestant on The Dating Game in 1978 while in the midst of a string of murders. This dramatization isn’t centered on the killer, though. In her directorial debut, Anna Kendrick focuses instead on Sheryl (played by Kendrick, based on the real life Cheryl Bradshaw), the one unfortunate enough to be matched with Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), and the women who reported or suspected the killer, only to be routinely ignored by authorities. A taut thriller that makes clear the real horror lies in how easily Acala eluded attention for so long.

Will & Harper

Will Ferrell likely needs no introduction, but as former head writer of Saturday Night Live, Harper Steele is more accustomed to life behind the camera. Joining the hit show in the same week back in 1995, the pair struck up a decades-long friendship—so when Harper wrote to tell Ferrell she was transitioning to live as a woman, it was a big change for them both. It also formed the basis for this beautiful, heartwarming, and often laugh-out-loud funny road trip documentary following the duo as they cross the US in an old Jeep Grand Wagoneer, reconnecting and learning what their friendship looks like now. It’s awkward viewing at times—some of Ferrell’s questions blur the line between bawdy and simply rude—but it’s a raw and authentic journey for them both. Beyond the personal touches, Will & Harper is a timely view of what America looks like for a trans person right now, making it possibly one of the most important documentaries Netflix has produced.

His Three Daughters

As their father approaches the end of his life, sisters Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), Katie (Carrie Coon), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) are forced to reconnect while waiting for the inevitable. Bleak stuff, but also grounds for masterful performances from the lead trio, with Rachel having taken on the bulk of care for months, Katie casting imperious demands despite avoiding the situation, and new-agey Christina trying to keep the peace—despite being at a breaking point herself. This is almost a locked-room piece, the apartment trapping the women, forcing them to come to terms with not only their father’s death but their own relationships with each other, all while Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) haunts them even before his passing. Death may loom over director Azazel Jacobs’ drama, but His Three Daughters ultimately proves oddly life-affirming.

Grave of the Fireflies

When Seita and his young sister Setsuko are orphaned in the wake of the fire-bombing of Kobe during the final days of World War II, the siblings are forced into terrible circumstances to survive. Stuck between abusive extended family and the sheer desperation of scavenging around the ruins of their destroyed hometown, it’s a bleak existence—and also the basis for one of Studio Ghibli’s finest works. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies is unapologetically harrowing in its exploration of how war and nationalism chew up the most vulnerable, yet peppered with moments of unwavering love as Seita attempts to protect Setsuko’s innocence. This searing wartime drama is sobering but essential viewing, a film that’s more than earned its ranking in the upper echelons of the Best Studio Ghibli films.

Rebel Ridge

When corrupt cops run ex-Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) off the road for cycling while Black, they also seize the money he had been planning to use to post his cousin’s bail. Despite the injustice, Terry tries to do everything by the book but finds almost every aspect of the legal system against him. Out of patience, and fueled by immensely justified anger, he sets about tearing out the rot from the small town, aided only by court clerk Summer (AnnaSophia Robb). Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier could have made Rebel Ridge merely a modern day First Blood, but while there’s plenty of visceral, bone-breaking fight scenes, it’s the film’s righteously angry look at the baked-in failings of the American legal system that gives this its bite—all while cementing Pierre as an action star to watch.

Under Paris

This so-serious-it’s-ludicrous French creature feature sees Bérénice Bejo as marine specialist Sophia Assalas, who is hunting down a mako shark that has not only spontaneously mutated to survive in the freshwater Seine but is also about to give birth to a host of baby man-eating sharks. Worse still? Paris is about to hold a triathlon, with the swim portion set to become an all-you-can-eat buffet! Look, not everything on this list needs to be high art—sometimes, you just need to see a mutant shark straight up chomping on people while increasingly desperate humans start blowing stuff up. Press Play, turn brain off, enjoy.

Hit Man

Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a mild-mannered professor of philosophy—and a contract killer. Well, not quite. He just poses as one, working with the New Orleans Police Department to trap people looking to hire a hit man. It’s a role he’s surprisingly good at, but when Madison (Adria Arjona) looks to have her abusive husband “dealt” with, Gary begins to fall for her—and the consequences could be fatal for real. In another creator’s hands, Hit Man might have been either overly grim or simply insubstantial (it’s loosely based on a true story), but director Richard Linklater leverages his signature uses of sparkling dialog and brilliantly realized characters to deliver a smart action-comedy that explores the roles people play in society as much as it serves up mistaken-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 bombings of Tokyo. Thrown together as an ersatz family as they raise an orphaned baby, their attempts to build a new life turn chaotic when the irradiated reptile descends on the city just as it’s beginning 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 exceeds mere spectacle—it’s a searing examination of life after war, and how a nation grapples with being on the losing side.

Suzume

Suzume Iwato (voiced by Nanoka Hara in Japanese, Nichole Sakura in English) lives with her aunt on Japan’s southern island, having lost her mother in the Tōhoku earthquake of 2011. When a handsome young stranger named Souta (Hokuto Matsumura, Josh Keaton) asks her for directions to some local ruins, she follows him out of curiosity but disturbs a living keystone, accidentally unleashing an ancient power that threatens to destroy the entire country. Drawn into Souta’s world, the pair chase the keystone, now in the form of a cat, across Japan in a desperate bid to reseal the destructive entity—a quest that would be easier if Souta hadn’t been transformed into a child’s wooden chair. The latest film from Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with You), Suzume is a breathtakingly animated slice of magical realism with a surrealist edge—but beyond the spectacle, it’s a heart-warming tale of community and humanity, each stop on the unlikely pair’s journey a snapshot of people and families coming together in the wake of tragedy.

Rustin

Directed by George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), this biopic explores the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. While perhaps best known as one of the chief organizers of 1963’s March on Washington, Rustin was also openly, unapologetically gay at a time when that was phenomenally rare—and the film doesn’t shy away from how that alienated many of the people he worked with, his sexuality often seen as a threat to the movement. A much-needed spotlight on an overlooked but pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, elevated by a central performance from a spectacularly well-cast Colman Domingo as Rustin himself.

His House

Fleeing war-torn South Sudan, Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are now living in a run-down house at the edge of London, harassed by their neighbors even as they try to fit in. The couple are also haunted by the lives they left behind—both figuratively and (possibly) literally, with visions of their late daughter Nyagak, who did not survive the journey, fading in and out of the walls of their dismal new home. The real horror of His House isn’t the strange visions, haunted house, or potential ghosts, though—it’s the bleakness of the lives Bol and Rial are forced into, the hostility and dehumanization of the UK asylum process, the racism both overt and casual, all coupled with the enormous sense of loss they carry with them. Blending the macabre with the mundane, director Remi Weekes delivers a tense, challenging film that will haunt viewers as much as its characters.

The Black Book

Paul Edima (Richard Mofe-Damijo) lives a peaceful life as a church deacon, trying to atone for—or at least forget—his former deeds as a highly trained special agent. Plans to leave his violent and bloody past behind fall apart when his son is framed for a murder and then killed by corrupt police, forcing him to fall back on old skills as he seeks vengeance. Shades of Taken, yes, but it’s director Editi Effiong’s raw energy and fresh takes on familiar action movie formulas that—backed by one of the highest budgets in “Nollywood” history—have this gritty outing topping the most-watched lists as far afield as South Korea. Expand your cinematic horizons and see what the fuss is about.

Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate

Centered on the eponymous Berlin nightclub, this documentary explores the lives of LGBTQ+ people during the interwar years, from the roaring 1920s through the rise of the Nazis and into the horrors of World War II. With a blend of archival footage, recreations, and first-person accounts, director Benjamin Cantu paints a picture of gleeful decadence, the Eldorado as an almost hallowed ground where performers and patrons alike experimented with gender expression and were free to openly display their sexuality. It’s an ode to what was lost, but with an eye on the bizarre contradictions of the age, where openly gay club-goers would wear their own Nazi uniforms as the years went by. Everything the Nazis Hate is emotionally challenging viewing in places, but it serves up an important slice of queer history that many will be completely unaware of.

Marry My Dead Body

Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu) is not a great guy. A homophobic police officer, his life—and prejudices—are changed when he picks up an unassuming red envelope while investigating a case. Now bound under “ghost marriage” customs to Mao Mao (Austin Lin), a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances, Wu has to solve his “husband’s” death before he can get on with his life. Directed by Cheng Wei-hao, better known for his thrillers and horror movies, Marry My Dead Body sees the Taiwanese director bring his supernatural stylings to this ghostly absurdist comedy for a film that transcends borders.

They Cloned Tyrone

Drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) got shot to death last night. So why has he just woken up in bed as if nothing happened? That existential question leads Fontaine and two unlikely allies—prostitute Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) and pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx)—to uncovering a vast conspiracy centered on a Black-majority town called The Glen, where people are kept mollified by hypnotic rap music, dumbed down with drug-laced fried chicken and grape juice, and preached into obedience at church. But who’s using the town as a petri dish, and why is there a cloning lab buried underground? This lethally sharp satire from writer and debut director Juel Taylor masterfully blends genres, from the use of visual motifs and dated clichés from 1970s Blaxploitation cinema to its frequent steps into sci-fi territory and laugh-out-loud comedy. But it’s the powerhouse performances from its central cast that mark this as one to watch.

Nimona

Shapeshifter Nimona can become anything she wants, a gift that causes people to fear and shun her. If society is going to treat her like a villain, she’s going to be one, so she decides to become the sidekick of the hated black knight, Ballister Blackheart. Unfortunately for the aspiring menace, Blackheart isn’t quite the monster he’s made out to be, and he instead tries to rein in Nimona’s more murderous tendencies as he seeks to clear his name of a crime he didn’t commit—and face down his old friend Ambrosius Goldenloin in the process. Adapted from N. D. Stevenson’s groundbreaking graphic novel, Nimona is more than just another fanciful fantasy—it’s a tale of outsiders and exiles, people trying to do right even when their community rejects them, and the joy of finding their own little band along the way. After an almost decade-long journey to the screen, this dazzlingly animated movie has become an instant classic.

Cargo

In a world already ravaged by a zombie-like plague, Andy Rose (Martin Freeman) only wants to keep his family safe, sticking to Australia’s rural back roads to avoid infection. After his wife is tragically bitten, and infects him in turn, Andy is desperate to find a safe haven for his infant daughter, Rosie. With a mere 48 hours until he succumbs himself, Andy finds an ally in Thoomi (Simone Landers), an Aboriginal girl looking to protect her own rabid father. But with threats from paranoid survivalists and Aboriginal communities hunting the infected, it may already be too late. A unique twist on the zombie apocalypse, Cargo abandons the familiar urban landscapes of the genre for the breathtaking wilds of Australia and offers a slower, character-led approach to the end of the world.

Call Me Chihiro

An idyllic slice-of-life movie with a twist, Call Me Chihiro follows a former sex worker—the eponymous Chihiro, played by Kasumi Arimura—after she moves to a seaside town to work in a bento restaurant. This isn’t a tale of a woman on the run or trying to escape her past—Chihiro is refreshingly forthright and unapologetic, and her warmth and openness soon begin to change the lives of her neighbors. Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, this is an intimate, heartfelt character drama that alternates between moments of aching loneliness and sheer joy, packed with emotional beats that remind viewers of the importance of even the smallest connections.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc in this brilliant follow-up to 2019’s phenomenal whodunnit, Knives Out. Writer-director Rian Johnson crafts a fiendishly sharp new case for “the Last of the Gentlemen Sleuths,” taking Blanc to a Greek island getaway for a reclusive tech billionaire and his collection of friends and hangers-on, where a planned murder mystery weekend takes a deadly turn. While totally accessible for newcomers, fans of the first film will also be rewarded with some deeper character development for Blanc, a role that’s shaping up to be as iconic for Craig as 007. As cleverly written and meticulously constructed as its predecessor, and featuring the kind 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 thing Netflix has dropped all year.

The Wonder

Florence Pugh dazzles in this not-quite-horror film from Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio. Set in 1862, English nurse Lib Wright (Pugh) is sent to Ireland to observe 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 investigating the medical impossibility and growing concern for Anna herself. Amid obstacles in the form of Anna’s deeply religious family and a local community that distrusts her, Lib’s watch descends into a tense, terrifying experience. Based on a book of the same name by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is a beautiful yet bleakly shot period piece that explores the all-too-mortal horrors that unquestioning religious fervor and family secrets can wreak.

RRR

One of India’s biggest films of all time, RRR (or Rise, Roar, Revolt) redefines the notion of cinematic spectacle. Set in 1920, the historical epic follows real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitrama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) but fictionalizes their lives and actions. Although they come from very different walks of life, their similarities draw them together as they face down sadistic governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and his cruel wife, Catherine (Alison Doody). No mere period fluff, RRR is a bold, exciting, and often explosive piece of filmmaking that elevates its heroes to near-mythological status. Director S. S. Rajamouli deploys brilliantly shot action scenes—and an exquisitely choreographed dance number—that grab viewers’ attention and refuse to let go. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Indian cinema or just looking for an action flick beyond the Hollywood norm, RRR is not to be missed.

I Lost My Body

An award winner at Cannes in 2019, this tale of burgeoning young love, obsession, and autonomous body parts is every bit as weird as you might expect for a French adult animated film. Director Jérémy Clapin charts the life of Naoufel, a Moroccan immigrant in modern-day France who falls for the distant Gabrielle, and Naoufel’s severed hand, which makes its way across the city to try to reconnect. With intersecting timelines and complex discussions about fate, I Lost My Body is often mind-bending yet always captivating, and Clapin employs brilliantly detailed animation and phenomenal color choices throughout. Worth watching in both the original French and the solid English dub featuring Dev Patel and Alia Shawkat, this one dares you to make sense of it all.

Don’t Look Up

Frustrated by the world’s collective inaction on existential threats like climate change? Maybe don’t watch Don’t Look Up, director Adam McKay’s satirical black comedy. When two low-level astronomers discover a planet-killing comet on a collision course with Earth, they try to warn the authorities—only to be met with a collective “meh.” Matters only get worse when they attempt to leak the news themselves and have to navigate vapid TV hosts, celebrities looking for a signature cause, and an indifferent public. A bleakly funny 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.

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