For your quarantine streaming purposes, we have gathered some of the best movies available to stream on one of the big streaming networks. These movies below have been discussed in regards to the Oscars and are full-on theatrical projects that bring up great topics for discussion. Check them out below!
The Old Guard – Netflix
Netflix dips into superhero storytelling with this original film starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Based on Greg Rucka’s comic book of the same name, The Old Guard follows four centuries-old immortal mercenaries who have secretly protected the world from peril for their entire existence. But when they discover another immortal has “awakened” and identified them, they’ll have to fight for their freedom and their lives.
Uncut Gems – Netflix
Many consider Uncut Gems a significant Oscar snub; many think those people are wrong. The Safdie brothers’ stressful, pulse-pounding story about a gambling-addicted jeweler (Adam Sandler) in New York City is very much a love-it-or-hate-it kind of movie. Adam Sandler turns in one of his best performances ever as the jeweler Howard Ratner, who despite his charisma and savvy, just can’t seem to get out of his own way. When Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett (playing himself) takes an interest in one of Howard’s highest-ticket items, believing it to be a good luck charm, Ratner plans to make a killing. However, he can’t resist also gambling on Garnett and the Celtics to make the windfall that much greater, putting off mounting debts and obligations to do so.
The Assistant – Hulu
The Assistant is an ode to the account of working for a Hollywood executive in the vein of Harvey Weinstein. Jane (Julia Garner) is a recent college graduate and aspiring film producer. When she lands her dream job as a junior assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul, she believes she’s on the fast track. As she follows her banal daily routine of making coffee, ordering lunch, and taking messages, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious pattern of abuse that constantly threatens her position. Working as a Hollywood assistant is unrewarding enough, and the constant degradation goes too far.
Parasite – Hulu
If not for Parasite, Portrait of a Lady on Fire may very well have won the Palme d’Or. Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece, however, was the belle of awards season, winning the Palme d’Or and countless other awards on its way to four Oscar wins, including Best Picture and Best Director. Parasite is truly a masterful film, simultaneously a slow burn and constant car crash of conflict, keeping you on the edge of your seat. The destitute Kim family develops a symbiotic relationship with the wealthy Park family. As greed, discrimination, and manipulation seep into the arrangement, lines are blurred and lives are threatened.
The Lighthouse – Amazon Prime
Robert Eggers follows up his surprising horror hit The Witch with this equally haunting, atmospheric film about isolation and torment. Set on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s, the film follows two lighthouse keepers (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) as they try to maintain a lighthouse and their sanity before they’re relieved of duty. Dafoe and Pattinson make the most of the opportunity to carry the entire script while Eggers’ eerie, intentional direction makes this one alternately batty and unnerving.