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A teen and her little brother travel to meet their grandparents whose behavior soon takes a bizarre and scary turn. more

A teen and her little brother travel to meet their grandparents w ... More

Starring: Olivia DeJonge Ed Oxenbould Deanna Dunagan

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

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A teen and her little brother travel to meet their grandparents whose behavior soon takes a bizarre and scary turn.

Starring: Olivia DeJonge Ed Oxenbould Deanna Dunagan Peter McRobbie Kathryn Hahn

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M. Night Shyamalan had his heyday almost 20 years ago. He leapt out of the gate with such confidence he became a champion instantly. And then...something went awry. He became embarrassingly self-serious, his films drowning in pretension and strained allegories. His famous twists felt like a director attempting to re-create the triumph of " The Sixth Sense ," where the twist of the film was so successfully withheld from audiences that people went back to see the film again and again. But now, here comes " The Visit ," a film so purely entertaining that you almost forget how scary it is. With all its terror, "The Visit" is an extremely funny film. 

There are too many horror cliches to even list ("gotcha" scares, dark basements, frightened children, mysterious sounds at night, no cellphone reception), but the main cliche is that it is a "found footage" film, a style already wrung dry. But Shyamalan injects adrenaline into it, as well as a frank admission that, yes, it is a cliche, and yes, it is absurd that one would keep filming in moments of such terror, but he uses the main strength of found footage: we are trapped by the perspective of the person holding the camera. Withhold visual information, lull the audience into safety, then turn the camera, and OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT? 

"The Visit" starts quietly, with Mom ( Kathryn Hahn ) talking to the camera about running away from home when she was 19: her parents disapproved of her boyfriend. She had two kids with this man who recently left them all for someone new. Mom has a brave demeanor, and funny, too, referring to her kids as "brats" but with mama-bear affection. Her parents cut ties with her, but now they have reached out  from their snowy isolated farm and want to know their grandchildren. Mom packs the two kids off on a train for a visit.

Shyamalan breaks up the found footage with still shots of snowy ranks of trees, blazing sunsets, sunrise falling on a stack of logs. There are gigantic blood-red chapter markers: "TUESDAY MORNING", etc. These choices launch us into the overblown operatic horror style while commenting on it at the same time. It ratchets up the dread.

Becca ( Olivia DeJonge ) and Tyler ( Ed Oxenbould ) want to make a film about their mother's lost childhood home, a place they know well from all of her stories. Becca has done her homework about film-making, and instructs her younger brother about "frames" and "mise-en-scène." Tyler, an appealing gregarious kid, keeps stealing the camera to film the inside of his mouth and his improvised raps. Becca sternly reminds him to focus. 

The kids are happy to meet their grandparents. They are worried about the effect their grandparents' rejection had on their mother (similar to Cole's worry about his mother's unfinished business with her own parent in "The Sixth Sense"). Becca uses a fairy-tale word to explain what she wants their film to do — it will be an "elixir" to bring home to Mom. 

Nana ( Deanna Dunagan ), at first glance, is a Grandma out of a storybook, with a grey bun, an apron, and muffins coming out of the oven every hour. Pop Pop ( Peter McRobbie ) is a taciturn farmer who reminds the kids constantly that he and Nana are "old." 

But almost immediately, things get crazy. What is Pop Pop doing out in the barn all the time? Why does Nana ask Becca to clean the oven, insisting that she crawl all the way in ? What are those weird sounds at night from outside their bedroom door? They have a couple of Skype calls with Mom, and she reassures them their grandparents are "weird" but they're also old, and old people are sometimes cranky, sometimes paranoid. 

As the weirdness intensifies, Becca and Tyler's film evolves from an origin-story documentary to a mystery-solving investigation. They sneak the camera into the barn, underneath the house, they place it on a cabinet in the living room overnight, hoping to get a glimpse of what happens downstairs after they go to bed. What they see is more than they (and we) bargained for.

Dunagan and McRobbie play their roles with a melodramatic relish, entering into the fairy-tale world of the film. And the kids are great, funny and distinct. Tyler informs his sister that he wants to stop swearing so much, and instead will say the names of female pop singers. The joke is one that never gets old. He falls, and screams, "Sarah McLachlan!" When terrified, he whispers to himself, " Katy Perry ... " Tyler, filming his sister, asks her why she never looks in the mirror. "Your sweater is on backwards." As he grills her, he zooms in on her, keeping her face off-center, blurry grey-trunked trees filling most of the screen. The blur is the mystery around them. Cinematographer Maryse Alberti creates the illusion that the film is being made by kids, but also avoids the nauseating hand-held stuff that dogs the found-footage style.

When the twist comes, and you knew it was coming because Shyamalan is the director, it legitimately shocks. Maybe not as much as "The Sixth Sense" twist, but it is damn close. (The audience I saw it with gasped and some people screamed in terror.) There are references to " Halloween ", "Psycho" (Nana in a rocking chair seen from behind), and, of course, " Paranormal Activity "; the kids have seen a lot of movies, understand the tropes and try to recreate them themselves. 

"The Visit" represents Shyamalan cutting loose, lightening up, reveling in the improvisational behavior of the kids, their jokes, their bickering, their closeness. Horror is very close to comedy. Screams of terror often dissolve into hysterical laughter, and he uses that emotional dovetail, its tension and catharsis, in almost every scene. The film is ridiculous  on so many levels, the story playing out like the most monstrous version of Hansel & Gretel imaginable, and in that context, "ridiculous" is the highest possible praise.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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The Visit (2015)

Rated PG-13 disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language

Kathryn Hahn as Mother

Ed Oxenbould as Tyler Jamison

Benjamin Kanes as Dad

Peter McRobbie as Pop-Pop

Olivia DeJonge as Rebecca Jamison

Deanna Dunagan as Nana

• M. Night Shyamalan

Cinematography

• Maryse Alberti
• Luke Franco Ciarrocch

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What's wrong with Grandma?

The Big Picture

• In M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit , the main characters discover that the grandparents they are staying with are actually dangerous imposters.
• The twist is revealed when the children's mother realizes that the people claiming to be their grandparents are strangers who have assumed their identities.
• The climax of the film involves a tense and dangerous confrontation between the children and the imposters, resulting in the reveal of the true identities of the grandparents.

M. Night Shyamalan is considered a master at delivering drop-your-popcorn-level twisty conclusions to his haunting films. People still talk about the end of The Sixth Sense as perhaps one of the greatest twists in the history of modern cinema. The jaw-dropper at the end of Unbreakable ranks close to the top as well. But there is another pretty decent curveball that the director tosses up in a lesser-known movie that is currently streaming on Max. In 2016's The Visit (which is currently streaming on Max ) he plays on the hallowed relationship between children and their doting grandparents. How could Shyamalan toy with the innocence of this? It is an excellent film that deftly blends found footage with the director's signature slow-burning tension to leave audiences with yet another "WTF?" moment . Let's dig into what exactly happens at the end of his underrated movie, The Visit .

Two siblings become increasingly frightened by their grandparents' disturbing behavior while visiting them on vacation.

What is 'The Visit' About?

Young Becca Jamison ( Olivia DeJonge ) and little brother Tyler ( Ed Oxenbould ) are sent away by their divorced mother Loretta ( Kathryn Hahn ) to finally meet and spend some time with their grandparents , Frederick, or Pop Pop ( Peter McRobbie ), and Maria, better known as Nana ( Deanna Dunagan ). They have a nice rural estate away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it feels like this is going to be a heartwarming story of two generations of the Jamisons getting to know each other. It seems a bit odd that these two preteens have yet to meet their maternal grandparents, but Shyamalan explains that nicely in the first few scenes: Loretta has had a years-long falling out with her parents after leaving the family farm at the age of 19.

M. Night Shyamalan’s Eerie Found Footage Horror Movie Deserves Another Look

Loretta is still estranged from her parents but she wants her children to have a relationship with them — she only wants to go on a cruise with her new boyfriend and needs someone to watch the kids. So, the children have no idea what their Nana and Pop Pop actually look like. And you can feel something amiss from the very beginning of the film as the two precocious but excited kids set off to meet their grandparents. The entire film is told through the kids' (mainly Becca, an aspiring filmmaker) camcorder, as they have decided to document their trip. It's clear right away that Becca resents her father as a result of his abandonment, as she refuses to include any footage of her dad in her film.

Shyamalan Expertly Builds Tension in 'The Visit'

Upon the kids' arrival, Nana and Pop Pop seem like regular grandparents with regular questions like, "Do you like sports?" and "Why are your pants so low?" Nana tends to the chores like cooking and cleaning while Pop Pop handles the more rugged work outdoors like cutting wood. Naturally, Shyamalan tightens the screws immediately when the audience discovers that there is little to no cell phone reception, so he can isolate our four players into a single space. The Grandparents seem fairly easygoing but they have one strict rule — the kids must not come out of their bedroom after 9:30 pm. The very first night, Nana exhibits some bizarre behavior, walking aimlessly through the downstairs portion of the house and vomiting on the floor. However, the next morning she seems to be just fine.

Pop Pop explains to Becca and Tyler that she suffers from "sundowning" which is a very real diagnosis that usually affects the elderly . He tells them that at night Nana gets this feeling that something is in her body and just wants to get out. Pop Pop is clear and coherent, and yet again, we, along with our two young lead characters, assume the grandparents, while odd, are nothing to fear. A Zoom call with Loretta further assuages their fear by explaining away all the strange behavior as part of getting older. It's a back-and-forth that Shyamalan expertly navigates by pushing the audience only so far before reeling it back in with a logical explanation. But soon, things become inexplicably dire and dangerous.

"What's in the shed?" Tyler asks as he looks into the camera while contributing to Becca's documentary . "Is it dead bodies?" What he discovers is a pile of used, discarded adult diapers filled with Pop Pop's excrement. The smell sends Tyler reeling, and he falls out of the shed onto the snowy ground. This time, it's Nana who explains away Pop Pop's odd behavior. She tells her grandson that Pop Pop has incontinence and is so proud that he hides his waste in the shed. At this point, everything seems very odd to say the least, but there is nothing to suggest anything sinister is afoot . Not yet anyway. Even after he attacks a random stranger who he believes is watching him out on the streets on a trip into town, you still just think that maybe Pop Pop may just have a loose screw. However, the sense that these elderly people are something more than doting parents is intensified when Nana leaves Becca inside the oven for several seconds.

What Is the Twist at the End of 'The Visit'?

"Those aren't your grandparents?" Get the heck out of here! What?! Loretta finally sees the two people claiming to be her parents and tells Becca and Tyler via Skype that they aren't their beloved Nana and Pop Pop, but two complete strangers who have assumed their identities. Loretta immediately calls the police, but it will take hours for help to arrive at the remote farmhouse. Becca and Tyler are going to have to play along with these dangerous imposters. After the most tense and awkward game of Yahtzee in the history of board games, things get really, really ugly. Nana and Pop Pop haven't laid a hand on either of the kids in the movie so far. You can feel the slow and excruciating tension that Shyamalan is building . He knows that the audience is waiting for that "point of no return" moment when it is crystal clear that Becca and Tyler's lives are in danger. Becca manages to escape to the basement to discover the dead bodies of two elderly people murdered. Nana and Pop Pop are escaped mental patients from the nearby psychiatric hospital and have killed the real Jamison grandparents.

What Happens at the End of 'The Visit'?

Pop Pop realizes their cover is blown and becomes physical with Becca. He's upset that Becca is ruining Nana's perfect week as a grandmother. He tells her, "We're all dying today, Becca!" pushing her into a pitch-black upstairs room. Meanwhile, he grabs Tyler and takes him into the kitchen, and does one of the most foul and stomach-turning things ever in a Shyamalan film . He takes his used diaper and shoves it in the boy's face. He knows that Tyler is a germaphobe, and it is the most diabolical and traumatizing thing he could do to the boy. Becca is trapped upstairs with the sundowning Nana, fighting for her own life. After a struggle, Becca grasps a shard of glass from the broken mirror and is able to stab Nana multiple times in the gut.

She breaks the lock on the door and runs downstairs to help Tyler. She pulls "Pop Pop" off her traumatized younger brother. Suddenly, Tyler snaps out of his stupor and releases the pent-up anger of his football tackling lessons with his estranged father. He knocks Pop Pop to the ground and slams the refrigerator door on his head over and over . This is significant because earlier in the movie, Becca ribs Tyler about how he froze up during a big play in a youth football game, and this time he comes through to save Becca in the final kitchen scene conquering his biggest fears.

Loretta and the police arrive and the kids run frantically out of the house. The final scene has Loretta setting the record straight for the documentary about the traumatic moments surrounding her running away from home. 15 years before the events of the film, before Becca was born, Loretta fell out with her parents over her decision to marry her teacher. The argument led to Loretta and her parents getting physical with each other, and she left home that night and never responded to their attempts and pleas to reconnect. It's the most emotional scene in the film as Loretta is feeling a huge amount of guilt at never getting to say she was sorry for the strained relationship between her and her parents or getting to possibly hear an apology for the wrongs they also committed. Loretta tells Becca "Don't hold on to anger! You hear me?" The two then share a meaningful embrace. And the final shot is of the two kids with their dad on a birthday when they were much younger.

The Visit is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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The Visit (2015)

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The Visit streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "The Visit" streaming on Max, Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV Channel. It is also possible to buy "The Visit" on AMC on Demand, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store as download or rent it on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Spectrum On Demand online.

Where does The Visit rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 9:21:06 PM, 04/11/2024

The Visit is 2651 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 761 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Pay or Die but less popular than Sniper: Ghost Shooter.

A brother and sister are sent to their grandparents' remote Pennsylvania farm for a week, where they discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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2015, Mystery & thriller/Horror, 1h 34m

What to know

Critics Consensus

The Visit provides horror fans with a satisfying blend of thrills and laughs -- and also signals a welcome return to form for writer-director M. Night Shyamalan. Read critic reviews

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The visit videos, the visit   photos.

Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) say goodbye to their mother as they board a train and head deep into Pennsylvania farm country to meet their maternal grandparents for the first time. Welcomed by Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie), all seems well until the siblings start to notice increasingly strange behavior from the seemingly charming couple. Once the children discover a shocking secret, they begin to wonder if they'll ever make it home.

Rating: PG-13 (Some Nudity|Brief Language|Terror|Thematic Material|Violence)

Genre: Mystery & thriller, Horror

Original Language: English

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Producer: M. Night Shyamalan , Jason Blum , Marc Bienstock

Writer: M. Night Shyamalan

Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 2015  wide

Release Date (Streaming): May 17, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA): $65.1M

Runtime: 1h 34m

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Production Co: Blinding Edge Pictures, Blumhouse

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Cast & Crew

Olivia DeJonge

Ed Oxenbould

Deanna Dunagan

Peter McRobbie

Kathryn Hahn

Celia Keenan-Bolger

Samuel Stricklen

Patch Darragh

Jorge Cordova

Steve Annan

Man on the Street

Benjamin Kanes

Ocean James

Young Becca

Seamus Moroney

Young Tyler

M. Night Shyamalan

Screenwriter

Marc Bienstock

Steven Schneider

Executive Producer

Ashwin Rajan

Maryse Alberti

Cinematographer

Luke Franco Ciarrocchi

Film Editing

Naaman Marshall

Production Design

Scott G. Anderson

Art Director

Christine Wick

Set Decoration

Amy Westcott

Costume Design

Douglas Aibel

News & Interviews for The Visit

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Critic Reviews for The Visit

Audience reviews for the visit.

Super creepy. Nice twist at the end.

A disturbing and creepy premise. It'll keep you watching until the very end!

The Visit was a not Shyamalan's greatest work but it worked in its low budget way. The acting was horrendous and the plot was predictable, though the camerawork was at least steady to not make it so shaky.

Risible "return to form" (it's not), featuring two INCREDIBLY irritating performances/characters at the centre. The found footage/documentary style grates and is noticeable only for its complete lack of style, the attempts at comedy are woeful and there is no suspense or shocks. The "twist", supposedly hiding in plain sight, is exactly what one supposes it might be from the first 10 minutes.

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The Visit (2015) Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'The Visit' Online

Need to watch ' The Visit ' in the comfort of your own home? Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the M. Night Shyamalan-directed movie via subscription can be difficult, so we here at Moviefone want to do the work for you. Read on for a listing of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'The Visit' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch 'The Visit' right now, here are some particulars about the Blumhouse Productions, Blinding Edge Pictures, Universal Pictures, dentsu mystery flick. Released September 11th, 2015, 'The Visit' stars Olivia DeJonge , Ed Oxenbould , Deanna Dunagan , Peter McRobbie The PG-13 movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 34 min, and received a user score of 63 (out of 100) on TMDb, which compiled reviews from 4,515 top users. Curious to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "A brother and sister are sent to their grandparents' remote Pennsylvania farm for a week, where they discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing." 'The Visit' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Cinemax Amazon Channel, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, and AMC on Demand .

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The Ending Of The Visit Explained

Contains spoilers for  The Visit

M. Night Shyamalan is notorious for using dramatic twists towards the endings of his films, some of which are pulled off perfectly and add an extra layer of depth to a sprawling story (hello, Split ). Some of the director's other offerings simply keep the audience on their toes rather than having any extra subtext or hidden meaning. Shyamalan's 2015 found-footage horror-comedy  The Visit , which he wrote and directed, definitely fits in the latter category, aiming for style over substance.

The Visit follows 15-year-old Becca Jamison (Olivia DeJonge) and her 13-year-old brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) when they spend the week with their mother's estranged parents, who live in another town. Loretta (played by WandaVision 's Kathryn Hahn ) never explained to her children why she separated herself away from her parents, but clearly hopes the weekend could help bring the family back together.

Although The Visit occasionally toys with themes of abandonment and fear of the unknown, it wasn't particularly well-received by critics on its initial release, as many struggled with its bizarre comedic tone in the found-footage style. So, after Tyler and his camera record a number of disturbing occurrences like Nana (Deanna Dunagan) projectile-vomiting in the middle of the night and discovering "Pop Pop"'s (Peter McRobbie) mountain of used diapers, it soon becomes clear that something isn't right with the grandparents.

Here's the ending of  The Visit  explained.

The Visit's twist plays on expectations

Because Shyamalan sets up the idea of the separation between Loretta and her parents very early on — and doesn't show their faces before Becca and Tyler meet them — the film automatically creates a false sense of security. Even more so since the found-footage style restricts the use of typical exposition methods like flashbacks or other scenes which would indicate that Nana and Pop Pop aren't who they say they are. Audiences have no reason to expect that they're actually two escapees from a local psychiatric facility.

The pieces all come together once Becca discovers her  real grandparents' corpses in the basement, along with some uniforms from the psychiatric hospital. It confirms "Nana" and "Pop-Pop" escaped from the institution and murdered the Jamisons because they were a similar age, making it easy to hide their whereabouts from the authorities. And they would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids.)

However, after a video call from Loretta reveals that the pair aren't her parents, the children are forced to keep up appearances — but the unhinged duo start to taunt the siblings. Tyler in particular is forced to face his fear of germs as "Pop Pop" wipes dirty diapers in his face. The germophobia is something Shyamalan threads through Tyler's character throughout The Visit,  and the encounter with "Pop Pop" is a basic attempt of showing he's gone through some kind of trial-by-fire to get over his fears.

But the Jamison kids don't take things lying down: They fight back in vicious fashion — a subversion of yet another expectation that young teens might would wait for adults or law enforcement officers to arrive before doing away with their tormentors.

Its real message is about reconciliation

By the time Becca stabs "Nana" to death and Tyler has repeatedly slammed "Pop-Pop"'s head with the refrigerator door, their mother and the police do arrive to pick up the pieces. In a last-ditch attempt at adding an emotional undertone, Shyamalan reveals Loretta left home after a huge argument with her parents. She hit her mother, and her father hit her in return. But Loretta explains that reconciliation was always on the table if she had stopped being so stubborn and just reached out. One could take a domino-effect perspective and even say that Loretta's stubbornness about not reconnecting and her sustained distance from her parents put them in exactly the vulnerable position they needed to be for "Nana" and "Pop-Pop" to murder them. 

Loretta's confession actually mirrors something "Pop-Pop" told Tyler (before his run-in with the refrigerator door): that he and "Nana" wanted to spend one week as a normal family before dying. They should've thought about that before murdering a pair of innocent grandparents, but here we are. 

So, is The Visit  trying to say that if we don't keep our families together, they'll be replaced by imposters and terrify our children? Well, probably not. The Visit tries to deliver a message about breaking away from old habits, working through your fears, and stop being so stubborn over arguments that don't have any consequences in the long-run. Whether it actually sticks the landing on all of those points is still up for debate.

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• Documentary/Reality
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  PG-13 | thrillers | 1 HR 34 MIN | 2015

A teen and her little brother travel to meet their grandparents whose behavior soon takes a bizarre and scary turn. Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie and Kathryn Hahn star.

Watch The Visit

• 1 hr 34 min
• 6.2   (148,298)

The Visit is a 2015 horror-comedy movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan, featuring an impressive cast, including Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, and Deanna Dunagan. The film follows the story of siblings, Rebecca and Tyler, who are sent to their grandparents' farmhouse for a week, while their mother goes on a cruise with her boyfriend. The kids have never met their grandparents because their mother had a fallout with them about 15 years ago and has been estranged ever since.

Initially, the visit seems like a fun and exciting adventure for the siblings. However, as the days progress, strange things start happening in the farmhouse, and Rebecca and Tyler become convinced that their grandparents are not who they claim to be. The characters begin to uncover a terrifying secret about their grandparents' true nature.

Throughout the movie, The Visit manages to walk the line between comedy and terror flawlessly. The writing is excellent, with well-timed humorous scenes to lighten the atmosphere before launching back into atmospheric horror. The film also provides an intelligent commentary on the human condition and how we can suppress dark parts of our past.

The acting in the movie is top-notch. Olivia DeJonge plays Rebecca with an impressive depth, portraying the character as mature and responsible while also revealing the hidden fears and anxieties that plague her.

Ed Oxenbould is excellent in the role of Tyler, providing much-needed comic relief in tense situations while also delivering a well-crafted performance that adds depth to the character.

Deanna Dunagan, who plays the grandmother, delivers a chilling performance. She is undoubtedly the star of the movie, providing one of the most memorable horror performances in recent years.

In conclusion, The Visit is a terrifying, yet entertaining movie with a fantastic story, great acting, and clever writing. It manages to find the perfect balance between humor and horror, leaving audiences gripping their seats until the very end. The Visit is a must-watch for any horror movie fan. Watch The Visit Online for an unforgettable experience.

The Visit is a 2015 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.2 and a MetaScore of 55.

• Genres Horror Mystery Thriller
• Cast Olivia DeJonge Ed Oxenbould Deanna Dunagan
• Director M. Night Shyamalan
• Release Date 2015
• MPAA Rating PG-13
• Runtime 1 hr 34 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 6.2   (148,298)
• Metascore 55

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By Jason Bailey

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The Disney-owned Hulu streaming service is still, more than 15 years into its existence, thought of first as a repository for new television (and, for many cord-cutters, the “live TV” option of choice) and second as a library of indisputable TV classics, usually in their entirety. But savvy viewers can also find a rotating library of movies , both new releases and recent classics, rivaling the collections of many of its competitors — if they know where to look. We’re here to help.

We also have lists of the best movies and TV shows on Netflix, the best of both on Disney+ and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video .

‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023)

Sandra Hüller is electrifying as a novelist who becomes a suspect in her husband’s mysterious death in this riveting character drama from the writer and director Justine Triet. The Academy Award-winning screenplay lays out the narrative piecemeal, stubbornly refusing to tell us exactly what happened or how to feel about it; in doing so, Triet slyly toys with our assumptions and sympathies. We keep waiting for big revelations (one way or the other) that are pointedly not delivered, leaving us to read the behavior embedded in Hüller’s tricky, Oscar-nominated performance, which deftly conveys a boiling stew of (often contradictory) emotions. Watch it on Hulu

‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998)

When Joel and Ethan Coen followed up their 1996 Oscar-winning triumph, “Fargo,” with a broad comedy about a shambling stoner, a botched kidnapping and a case of mistaken identity, audiences and critics scratched their heads in bafflement. It was only when the film hit home video and cable that it began to find its cult audience, which tuned in to its idiosyncratic dialogue, copious catchphrases, memorable characters and unique comic rhythms. Jeff Bridges is perfect as Jeff Lebowski, an easy-breezy, good-time guy who is mistaken for “the Big Lebowski,” a millionaire with a missing trophy wife. John Goodman and Steve Buscemi are uproarious as his bowling buddies, a yin-yang combination of blowhard and wallflower. It is one of the Coens’ stranger movies (which is saying something), yet fully deserving of the dedication it has inspired. (The Coens’ similarly uproarious “ O Brother, Where Art Thou ” is also on Hulu.) Watch it on Hulu

‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ (2012)

The chef Jiro Ono’s 10-seat sushi-only Tokyo eatery is recognized worldwide and is less a restaurant than a temple. According to those who know and work with him, it’s an extension of his personality; he’s meticulous, detail-oriented, doggedly dedicated to his craft. But has that perfectionism made him (or the people around him) happy? David Gelb’s mouthwatering documentary poses that question and further explores the chef’s philosophies of life and work, while also painstakingly capturing the careful preparation of Ono’s culinary gifts and lovingly lingering on the results. Watch it on Hulu

‘Call Me By Your Name’ (2017)

Sometimes a movie can seem to mosey and meander, running on vibes and nostalgia, and then snap itself together with emotional force in its closing passages. That’s what happens in Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of this André Aciman’s novel (with a screenplay by the great James Ivory, of Merchant-Ivory productions). Timothée Chalamet is remarkable in the leading role of Elio, a withdrawn 17-year-old who falls in love for the first time with a visiting graduate student (Armie Hammer). The rural Italian locations are gorgeous — a “ ravishment of the senses ,” per our Manohla Dargis — and the supporting players are charming (particularly Michael Stuhlbarg as Elio’s understanding father). But most important, and impressive, is Guadagnino’s skill at capturing the sheer intoxication of one’s first flush of love and playful lust. (Fore more indie drama, stream “ Shoplifters ” or “ Master Gardener .”) Watch on Hulu

‘L.A. Confidential’ (1997)

James Ellroy’s sparse yet stylish crime novel became one of the best neo-noir thrillers of our time in the hands of the director and co-writer Curtis Hanson (“Wonder Boys”). Set in the razzle-dazzle of 1950s Los Angeles, this best picture Oscar nominee is, as Janet Maslin wrote in The Times, a “ tough, gorgeous, vastly entertaining throwback ,” featuring framed-up murders, dirty cops, shady tabloid reporters and crooked politicos. But this isn’t just a good yarn; Hanson understands (as Ellroy did before him) that this is a story about the roots of corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department, and beyond. Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe (both mostly unknown at the time) are the standouts as diametrically opposed police detectives — one brains, one brawn — who become unlikely partners. Watch it on Hulu

‘2 Days in New York’ (2012)

Julie Delpy, who plays the female lead in Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, created a chatty-couple series of her own with her 2007 treat “2 Days in Paris” and this sequel from 2012. In “New York,” she crafts an opposites-attract story for her brash, neurotic Frenchwoman Marion and Marion’s Brooklynite boyfriend (well played by a slightly restrained Chris Rock). We then watch as their precariously balanced relationship implodes under the stress of a visit from Marion’s family. It’s both a romantic comedy and a comedy of manners, in which the politeness of familial interactions is capsized by their subtext, and the relationship bends until it nearly breaks. Watch it on Hulu

‘Wonder Woman’ (2017)

Patty Jenkins’s big-screen take on the iconic superheroine “ briskly shakes off blockbuster branding imperatives ,” A.O. Scott wrote, “and allows itself to be something relatively rare in the modern superhero cosmos.” That rare something is fun , as Jenkins (mostly) eschews the grim approach and computer-generated-sludge aesthetic of many of her DC-interpreting brethren in favor of bright, colorful, witty popcorn entertainment. Gal Gadot charismatically deflects bullets and swings her Lasso of Truth as the Amazonian princess who saves humanity from evil during World War I; Chris Pine is pitch-perfect as a fighter pilot with whom she teams (and engages in a bit of screwball comedy-style repartee.) Watch it on Hulu

‘Bad Boys’ (1995)

In the heady mid-90s, Michael Bay was merely an ambitious young director of commercials and music videos making his feature debut with a buddy cop movie originally written for Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. Instead, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence filled the roles, co-starring as a pair of mismatched police detective, friends for life in spite of their pointed differences (one’s a slob, one’s a snob; one’s a family man, one’s a committed bachelor — and so on), with the common traits of catching crooks and cracking wise. Some fans prefer the unrestrained “Bay-hem” of “Bad Boys II,” from 2003, but the original is funnier and more coherent, and is boosted considerably by Téa Leoni’s charismatic supporting turn. (For more ’90s action, stream “ The Fifth Element .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Ocean’s Eleven’ (2001)

The Oscar-winning Steven Soderbergh brings together a jaw-dropping ensemble — including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac and Julia Roberts — for this sly, funny remake of the 1960 “Rat Pack” caper, injecting the new work with a “ seismic jolt of enthusiasm ,” as the critic Elvis Mitchell put it in The New York Times. Soderbergh keeps the basic story (a gang of con artists robs several Las Vegas casinos simultaneously) and the “all-star cast” hook. But he also updates the story to acknowledge Sin City’s family-friendly aesthetic of the early aughts and invests the heist with enough unexpected twists and turns to keep audiences guessing. (The snazzy follow-ups “ Ocean’s Twelve ” and “ Ocean’s Thirteen ” are also on Hulu.) Watch it on Hulu

‘All of Us Strangers’ (2023)

The writer and director Andrew Haigh loosely adapted Taichi Yamada’s spare novel “Strangers” into this lyrical, elegiac and frequently erotic story of love, loss and letting go. Andrew Scott (“Fleabag”) is spectacular as a lonely screenwriter who embarks on a casual relationship with a younger, wilder neighbor (Paul Mescal) just as he’s beginning work on a script inspired by his youth — which comes to life in altogether unexpected ways. Haigh steers his story from straightforward realism into mythical recollection without losing control of his delicate tone, and the central relationship is delightfully tender and lived-in. Our critic Alissa Wilkinson advises viewers to “just feel your way through, letting it roll over you.” Watch it on Hulu

‘Veronica Mars’ (2004-2019)

The creator Rob Thomas ingeniously fused the conventions of hard-boiled private eye noir with high school drama for this clever, moody and frequently funny three-season marvel (subsequently revived for a 2014 movie and a recent fourth season ), which our critics deemed one of the best TV dramas this side of ‘The Sopranos.’ It also made a star out of Kristen Bell , who seamlessly veers from tough to vulnerable as the title character, a postmodern Nancy Drew who answers phones at her dad’s investigation agency and explores the seamy underbelly of her upper-class seaside resort town. The mysteries are top-notch (frequently intermingling season-long puzzlers with one-off cases of the week), but what makes “Mars” special is the relationships — particularly the complex, affectionate byplay between Bell’s thorny Veronica and her protective pop, played by the wonderful Enrico Colantoni. (For more high-quality coming-of-age television, try “ Reservation Dogs ” or “ PEN15 .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Grandma’ (2015)

Lily Tomlin’s first starring role in over a quarter of a century was tailor made for her: the straight-talking, foul-mouthed lesbian poetess academic Elle — a near-perfect vehicle for her unique screen presence, biting and bracing but never alienating. The narrative surrounding her seems slight, with the central mini-road trip taking place over a single day and the film running barely an hour and 15 minutes (not counting credits). But the writer-director Paul Weitz (“About A Boy”) turns this grandmother and granddaughter’s monetary mission into a journey through Elle’s past, with visits to acquaintances and lovers unearthing unexpected emotions, regrets and laughs along the way. It’s “ wry and insightful ,” a tart, character-driven comedy-drama. (“ Juno ” and “ Boys on the Side ” are similarly spiky comedy-dramas.) Watch it on Hulu

‘The Host’ (2006)

The Oscar-winning Bong Joon Ho gleefully picks up where “Godzilla” left off with this “ loopy, feverishly imaginative genre hybrid ,” riffing on urban monster-movie conventions (with generous doses of environmental activism and familial melodrama thrown in). His mutant sea creature is created by the carelessness of the local government and the American military, another sharp inquiry into who the real monsters are. Bong also takes a keen interest in the human dynamics at play, and how the dysfunctional family at the story’s center comes together for a common cause. Watch it on Hulu

‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ (2020)

The director and co-writer Armando Iannucci exhibits a light touch — even when dealing with matters of misery, poverty and death — in this merry adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens novel; Iannucci juices up the jokes, speeds up the pace and cheerfully indulges in colorblind casting. The result is a delightful mash-up of Dickens’s style and Iannucci’s own. Dev Patel is charming and charismatic in the title role; Hugh Laurie and Tilda Swinton shine in their juicy supporting roles; and Peter Capaldi is a pitch-perfect Micawber. It’s all refreshingly silly, delightfully high-spirited and gently layered with just enough pathos. Watch it on Hulu

‘Lost’ (2004-2010)

One of modern television’s most discussed and dissected, analyzed and agonized, loved and loathed programs is this six-season story of a group of plane-crash survivors, trapped on a mysterious and (presumably?) deserted island. This simple setup proved fertile soil for shocking twists and copious fan theories, as well as for an admirably all-rules-are-off sense of storytelling, regularly veering off into extended flashbacks, flash-forwards and even the occasional flash-sideways. Some of its loose ends are frustrating, and some of the answers are unsatisfying. But it’s nonetheless a bold experiment in longform storytelling, and one whose “Wait, WHAT?” cliffhangers make for essential binge-watching. (For more mystery, try “ Under the Banner of Heaven .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Pretty Woman’ (1990)

Richard Gere mounted an unexpected comeback and Julia Roberts established herself as America’s sweetheart in this smash rom-com riff on “Pygmalion” from the director Garry Marshall. Gere is a cold and calculating tycoon who meets a charming sex worker (Roberts) while in California on a business trip, so he hires her to be his escort for the week; hilarity and romantic complications ensue. The narrative is predictability defined, but it’s easily carried to success by the charisma and chemistry of its leads, as well as a stellar supporting cast including Laura San Giacomo, Jason Alexander, Larry Miller and Marshall’s good-luck charm Hector Elizondo. (Fans of ’90s rom-coms will also enjoy “ 10 Things I Hate About You .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Scarface’ (1983)

When the combustible elements of the actor Al Pacino, the director Brian De Palma and the screenwriter Oliver Stone combined back in 1983, explosions followed. Freely updating Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson’s 1932 bootleg-gangster classic for the coke-fueled era of early-80s Miami, “Scarface” gives us some of Pacino’s most operatic overacting (and that’s saying something), De Palma’s wildest filmmaking (ditto) and Stone’s most memorable dialogue (“Say hello to my little friend!”). Throw in Michelle Pfeiffer as the slinkiest mob moll since Virginia Mayo, and you’ve got a certified classic. Watch it on Hulu

‘Hysteria’ (2012)

You’ve probably seen plenty of Victorian-era serio-comic dramas, many featuring much of this prestige cast, which includes Hugh Dancy, Rupert Everett, Felicity Jones, Gemma Jones and Jonathan Pryce. But this is no starchy tale of class conflict or simmering romance; no, this is the story of how Dr. Mortimer Granville (Dancy), while pursuing treatments for “hysteria” (a onetime catchall medical term for troubles that affected women), invented the vibrator. The director Tanya Wexler and her stiff-upper-lip cast clearly get a kick out of their randy subject matter and adjust their playing accordingly, while Maggie Gyllenhaal delights as a proto-feminist who seizes on this development and the power it contains. Watch it on Hulu

‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ (1970-1977)

You can find the DNA of this sophisticated, influential seven-season classic in everything from “30 Rock” to “The Office” to “Sex and the City.” Moore sparkles as a newly single working woman making her way in the big city of Minneapolis, where she spends her days in a bustling TV newsroom and her nights trying to reassemble her personal life. Midway through its run, our critic wrote, “Consistently tight writing and good acting have made this situation comedy the best of its kind in the history of American television.” He wasn’t wrong. (Co-star Betty White’s classic “ The Golden Girls ” is also on Hulu.) Watch it on Hulu

‘Bernie’ (2012)

The true story of how a beloved East Texas mortician murdered a wealthy widow could’ve made for a probing character study (or, perhaps, a tacky Netflix true-crime docuseries). Instead, the director and co-writer Richard Linklater achieves a delicate and precise mixture of dark comedy and small-town portraiture, thanks in no small part to a cast that includes Jack Black (Linklater’s “School of Rock” star) as the mortician, Matthew McConaughey (Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” star) as the district attorney who prosecutes him and the great Shirley MacLaine as the victim, a characterization she puts somewhere between Ouiser from “Steel Magnolias” and Beelzebub. Our critic called it “ gaudily vibrant .” (Black also shines in “ High Fidelity ”; “ The Guard ” is a similarly shambling comedy-drama.) Watch it on Hulu

‘Stand by Me’ (1986)

Rob Reiner’s early directorial career is a mind-boggling display of adept genre-surfing, moving with ease from broad comedy (“This Is Spinal Tap”) to road movie (“The Sure Thing”) to fantasy (“The Princess Bride”) to rom-com (“When Harry Met Sally”) to suspense (“Misery”) to courtroom drama (“A Few Good Men”). In the middle of that astonishing run, he took a shot at coming-of-age dramas and proved he could do that, too . This modest but memorable adaptation of the Stephen King novella “The Body” digs into its time and place (a small town in Oregon, 1959), shows a remarkable ear for the way boys communicate and boasts top-notch leading performances by Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix. Watch in on Hulu

‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ (2017)

Vince Vaughn stars as a working-class guy whose ill-advised career shift into the drug mule business takes a particularly grisly turn in this “ painstakingly paced thriller ” from the writer and director S. Craig Zahler . As in his films “ Bone Tomahawk ” ( also on Hulu ) and “Dragged Across Concrete,” Zahler exhibits an attentiveness to procedural detail (both in the crime movie setup and the prison movie payoff) and a worldview of inherent, grim hopelessness. His matter-of-fact brutality gives way to a kind of Grand Guignol insanity in the homestretch. Yet the acting is grounded and the characters are fully realized, while his odd detours into momentary humanism give this “Brawl” a surprising sense of gravity. Watch it on Hulu

‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ (2023)

Daniel Goldhaber’s eco-thriller is one of the best films of the year thus far — a gripping combination of nihilistic manifesto and suspenseful genre picture. The tautly constructed narrative follows a group of geographically disparate but like-minded activists who team up to, well, you can guess from the title. Goldhaber, working with a script he wrote alongside Ariela Barer and Jordan Sjol (inspired by Andreas Malm’s nonfiction book of the same name), puts the pieces together with the intricacy and structural ingenuity of a heist movie, while relying on our familiarity with those tropes to subvert expectations and smuggle in a deadly serious message. Watch it on Hulu

‘Atlanta’ (2016-2022)

Donald Glover’s FX comedy-drama established itself as a true force in modern television — thoughtful, peculiar, cinematic, relentlessly entertaining. Glover (who also created the show, and frequently wrote and directed) stars as Earn, a small-timer with big dreams who takes the reins of his cousin’s nascent hip-hop career, with mixed results. The supporting cast is top-notch, with Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz as nuanced characters interpreted with fierce precision, but the show is most dazzling for its tonal improvisations; it feels like Glover and company can go anywhere, at any time, and the results are exhilarating. (Pamela Adlon’s acclaimed “ Better Things ,” also from FX, is a similarly personality-driven comedy-drama.) Watch it on Hulu

‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ (2019)

All of Quentin Tarantino’s films are, in their own way, valentines to the movies — steeped in the tropes and traditions of the films of his youth, and the ways that they influenced his perceptions of human behavior and the world around him. But this hangout movie and western riff is his most direct love letter, and specifically to the cinema of the late-1960s in which it’s set, spending a few days in the life of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a TV cowboy whose career is on the skids; his stuntman and right-hand Cliff Booth (an Oscar-winning Brad Pitt); and his neighbor Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who has a date with destiny that Tarantino carefully sets up and cleverly eludes. A.O. Scott praised its “ ambling, shaggy-dog structure and the easygoing rhythm of its scenes.” (For more Oscar winners, watch “ The Grand Budapest Hotel . ”) Watch it on Hulu

‘The Wonder Years’ (1988-1993)

Nostalgia tends to run in 20-year cycles, so filmmakers and television writers spent a good deal of the 1980s meditating on the 1960s — particularly the idealism of the Woodstock era, and how it faded away in the years that followed. This six-season family dramedy certainly trafficked in such wistfulness , but filtered it through a contemporary lens, as the adult iteration of its protagonist (voiced by Daniel Stern, played as a teen by Fred Savage) narrated his journey through middle and high school during this turbulent era. And the show is now seen through a prism of dual nostalgia, recalled with fondness by those who were themselves teenagers when it first aired, confirming that its stories of first love, teen awkwardness and familial rebellion aren’t confined to any specific era. (For more family-based comedy, check out “ Malcolm in the Middle ” or “ The Family Stone .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘The Bear’ (2022-present)

Hulu and FX’s surprise smash has been roundly praised (and rightly so) for its ticking-clock intensity, and the vividness with which it dramatizes the pressures and frustrations of kitchen work. The jittery, hand-held, rapid-fire scenes of the driven but broken Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his chefs hustling to prep for the lunch and dinner rushes at The Original Beef of Chicagoland “look and sound like a war story that happens to take place in a kitchen ,” James Poniewozik wrote last year. But that’s not what makes this show so special. It’s the deftness of the writing and the depth of the characters, with the showrunner Christopher Storer and his writers using the battles of the kitchen to sharpen the conflicts therein; equally impressive are the performances, particularly White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as his most frequent antagonist, and Ayo Edebiri as a sous-chef trying to make her own way. Watch it on Hulu

‘NYPD Blue’ (1993-2005)

The “Hill Street Blues” and “L.A. Law” groundbreaker Steven Bochco teamed up with the future “Deadwood” mastermind David Milch to create this hard-nosed ABC police procedural. Its combination of street language, adult themes and fleeting nudity made it the most controversial show of its season the year it debuted; “As it happens,” our critic wrote, “ it’s also the best, by far .” Dennis Franz stars as Detective Andy Sipowicz, whose battles with the bottle, the brass and his own bruised psyche became the beating heart of the series over its 12 seasons; his rotating cast of partners included David Caruso (in his breakthrough role), Jimmy Smits, Rick Schroder and Mark-Paul Gosselaar; James McDaniel, Amy Brenneman, Nicholas Turturro, Kim Delaney, Garcelle Beauvais and Esai Morales are among the robust supporting cast. Watch it on Hulu

‘Theater Camp’ (2023)

Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) and Amos (Ben Platt) are lifelong friends and campers-turned-counselors of the AdirondACTS theater camp, where they reunite every summer to teach a love of the stage (and pass along neuroses galore) to singing, dancing, acting children and teenagers. But when the owner-operator (Amy Sedaris, in a brief but unhinged turn) is sidelined with a medical emergency, they must put on their best show to date to save the camp they love. The subject matter, structure and mockumentary style conspicuously recall “Waiting for Guffman,” while not approaching that film’s heights of hilarity. But “Theater Camp” is more earnest and affectionate; Gordon and Platt co-wrote it with fellow camp veterans Nick Lieberman and Noah Galvin (Gordon and Lieberman directed), and their insider’s knowledge is present in every frame. And then it’s very funny, on top of that. (For more character-driven comedy-drama, check out “ Results ” or “ Fire Island .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Alien’ (1979)

The director Ridley Scott and the actress Sigourney Weaver had their mainstream breakthroughs with this hit, which ingeniously fused two of the most durable genres: the lost-in-space sci-fi thriller and the haunted-house horror chiller. Weaver is among the crew members of the commercial spaceship Nostromo, headed back home when a creature starts killing her colleagues. Jolting scares and skin-crawling moments ensue, to great effect. Our critic called it “ an old-fashioned scare movie ” and praised Scott’s “very stylish” direction. (For more sci-fi, stream “ The Creator .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ (2005-Present)

Countless television series tried and failed to take on the mantle of “Seinfeld,” but none did as successfully — or for as long — as “the gang” from Paddy’s Pub. The show began like a low-budget, indie riff on Jerry Seinfeld’s smash, with a similar three-guys-and-a-girl configuration and snarky, insular spirit. But the arrival of Danny DeVito in Season 2 opened up the show to wilder possibilities; it got stranger, and on occasion, nastier. But “It’s Always Sunny” has remained fresh, funny and pointed for 15 seasons and counting. Our critic wrote that the actors “are as in sync as an ensemble cast can get .” (Co-star Glenn Howerton is electrifying in the film “ Blackberry .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Sophie’s Choice’ (1982)

Meryl Streep won her second Oscar for this elegiac adaptation of the William Styron novel of the same name, directed by Alan J. Pakula (“All the President’s Men”). What begins as a folksy story of a would-be writer and his friendship with the couple upstairs grows into something far more traumatic, as the naïve, young Stingo (Peter MacNicol) discovers exactly what led Sophie (Streep), a Polish immigrant, to lose her two children before immigrating to the United States. Our critic wrote, “ It’s a film that casts a powerful, uninterrupted spell .” (For more Oscar-worthy acting, stream “ Captain Phillips ” or “ The Wrestler .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Archer’ (2009-2023)

When it began in 2009, this “ outrageously entertaining ” animated FX comedy from Adam Reed sounded like a one-joke premise, and not exactly a fresh one either: an extended spoof on James Bond-style spy stories, set at a secret intelligence agency during an indeterminate and anachronistic pseudo-Cold War period. And yet it took flight (11 seasons and counting) thanks to the show’s frisky writing, winking self-awareness, willingness to reboot itself entirely, and the skills of the uproarious voice cast, including Jessica Walters of “Arrested Development” as another unstable mother and the “Bob’s Burgers” star H. Jon Benjamin as the boozing, womanizing title character. (Fans of this absurd comedy may also enjoy “ Futurama ” and “ Absolutely Fabulous .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘The Nightingale’ (2019)

Jennifer Kent, the writer and director of the terrifying “The Babadook,” returned with this “ rigorous, relentless ” riff on revenge narratives and Hollywood westerns, refracted through the prism of white supremacy and violent patriarchy. Aisling Franciosi stars as an Irish woman in 19th-century Tasmania who embarks on a perhaps ill-advised crusade for justice after a brutal assault by a powerful commander. But such a summary makes “The Nightingale” sound like a straightforward story of good and evil; Kent complicates her characters at every turn and causes us to question which side we’re on. It’s a long, brutal, difficult picture, but an undeniably powerful one. Watch it on Hulu

‘Only Murders in the Building’ (2021-present)

In this jazzy, entertaining comic thriller, Steve Martin has his first continuing television role (he also created the series with John Hoffman), alongside his frequent collaborator Martin Short and the pop star Selena Gomez. They play a trio of disengaged neighbors in an Upper West Side co-op who are thrown together by their affection for true-crime podcasts; when a fellow resident turns up dead, they decide to create one themselves. It’s wildly funny, along with being a well-crafted mystery and a keenly observed character piece. All three leads shine (as do such well-utilized supporting players as Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane), though as our critic noted, Short “ steals every scene .” Watch it on Hulu

‘Spencer’ (2021)

Kristen Stewart picked up her first Academy Award nomination for her subtle yet affecting turn as Princess Diana in this atypical biographical fantasy from the director Pablo Larraín. Like his earlier “ Jackie ,” a character sketch of Jacqueline Kennedy told only through the lens of the days after her husband’s assassination, “Spencer” confines its time frame to a single holiday weekend near the end of Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, and its action to a remote mansion inhabited by both the royalty of the present and the ghosts of the past. A.O. Scott praised it as “ an allegory of powerlessness, revolt and liberation .” (Stewart is also in top form in “ Personal Shopper .” ) Watch it on Hulu

‘Community’ (2009-2015)

Loners at a subpar community college join in a study group to muddle through their joke of a Spanish class and end up forging unexpected bonds from their shared misery. It sounds like the setup for a crushingly typical TV sitcom, but “Community” is anything but; over its six tempestuous seasons, the creator, Dan Harmon, and his inventive writers, turned the classroom laugher into a “ bracingly funny ” and slyly surreal blend of sketch comedy, science fiction and metatelevision — while simultaneously creating the kind of complicated but sympathetic characters and delicate relationships it seemed too cool to indulge. (“Community” fans will also enjoy Harmon’s cult cartoon series “ Rick and Morty .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘McCartney 3, 2, 1’ (2021)

The life and music of Paul McCartney are not exactly unexplored territory, but this engaging docu-series finds a refreshing way to approach his unparalleled body of work. The focus is on process rather than biography, as he’s joined by the producer and music savant Rick Rubin to break down the nuts and bolts of McCartney’s most memorable songs, with the aid of the original masters (with which they’re able to isolate and discuss individual elements). If it sounds egg-headed, it is, and gloriously so; McCartney has been an icon for so long, it’s wonderful to instead see him simply as a musician, who creates not via divine intervention but hard work, experimentation and trial and error. Watch it on Hulu

‘Cheers’ (1982-1993)

Few television series run more than a decade without losing their flavor, their laughs, or their heart — but then again, few television series are as special as “Cheers.” Set in a Boston bar owned and tended by a former baseball star and recovering alcoholic (Ted Danson, in the role that understandably made him a star), “Cheers” took the conventions of the character-driven hangout sitcom and perfected them. Thanks to consistently razor-sharp writing and a flawless ensemble cast, the result was “ pure comedy that was sophisticated but not pretentious.” Running 275 episodes (without a clunker in the bunch), “Cheers” has gone on to charm subsequent generations of viewers, who have found it as comforting and reliable as … well, as a trip to the neighborhood watering hole. (The show’s long-running spinoff series “ Frasier ” is also on Hulu.) Watch it on Hulu

‘Petite Maman’ (2022)

Céline Sciamma, the writer and director of the heart-wrenching epic “ Portrait of a Lady on Fire ” ( also on Hulu ) follows up with a film far smaller in scope but just as emotionally devastating. Joséphine Sanz stars as Nelly, an independent and charming 8-year-old who is left to entertain herself as her parents pack up the remote home of her recently deceased grandmother. Wandering in the nearby woods, she befriends another young girl (played by Joséphine’s real-life twin sister, Gabrielle Sanz), and as they play together … actually, to reveal more than that is to rob this affecting story of its delicate power. It’s a short but spellbinding work from a master filmmaker. Watch it on Hulu

‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019-present)

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi adapted their hilarious 2015 mockumentary film into this FX sitcom, with “ perfectly fun ” results, finding the day-to-day lives (and irritations) of a group of Staten Island vampires to be a source for endless comic invention. Its quartet of undead housemates must wrestle with not only the logistics of bloodsucking but the general annoyance of roommates, and that incongruity gives the show its juice. Every member of the stellar ensemble shines, but special praise is due to Matt Berry, who finds just the right mixture of ornate theatricality and unapologetic horniness as the dandyish Laszlo. (For more comedy with an edge, try “ Difficult People ” and “ Key & Peele .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Abbott Elementary’ (2021-present)

Quinta Brunson’s new, yet already acclaimed, workplace comedy is more than a little reminiscent of “Parks and Recreation,” from its style (mockumentary) to its setting (a barely functioning government service) to its focal character (a cheerful optimist, also played by Brunson). But “Abbott Elementary” separates itself from such clear influences via the specificity of its storytelling; in detailing the true-to-life day-to-day woes of Philadelphia public schoolteachers, Brunson and her cast tap into a deeper well of resignation and desperation, while exploring the delightful character quirks that provide the show’s biggest laughs. (For more workplace comedy, check out “ Superstore ” and the original version of “ The Office . ”) Watch in on Hulu

‘The X-Files’ (1993-2002, 2016-2018)

Chris Carter’s sci-fi procedural has been through the creative wringer — cast changes, movie spinoffs, a two-season reboot — but it’s remained a steady presence not only on televisions, but in popular culture. The premise is simple enough: Two F.B.I. special agents, one (David Duchovny) a believer in the supernatural and the other (Gillian Anderson) a skeptic, are teamed up to investigate cases involving unexplained paranormal activities. The mythology and conspiracy theories of the show are rich, but they’re not what keep it together — it’s the explosive chemistry between its leads, who pack exasperation, intrigue and sexual tension into every interaction. (For more thrills and chills, try “ Castle Rock .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘The Great’ (2020-present)

Tony McNamara, who co-wrote the 2018 hit movie “The Favourite,” brings his bawdy and irreverent approach to historical costume dramas to this uproariously funny and unapologetically fictionalized take on the rise of Empress Catherine II, aka Catherine the Great. She’s played by Elle Fanning, who seems to have a fantastic time shaking off the shackles of the quiet waifs she typically plays to embrace Catherine’s calculated cool; “Favourite” co-star Nicholas Hoult is similarly, wickedly fun to watch. (Costume-drama fans may also enjoy the “ Sense and Sensibility ” mini-series.) Watch it on Hulu

‘King of the Hill’ (1997-2010)

When the “Beavis & Butt-Head” creator Mike Judge landed a half-hour animated series on the Fox network, most viewers and critics were expecting more of the same. No one could have predicted that Judge would deliver one of the most nuanced family sitcoms of its era. Judge voices the central character himself, a straight-laced patriarch of a Texas family struggling to maintain his values in a changing world. Judge is uproarious and Kathy Najimy is delightful as his wife, but the stand-out is Pamela Adlon — later of “Louie” and “Better Things” — as the Hills’ sweet and strange son, Bobby. (For more character-based comedy, try “ Schitt’s Creek ” and “ New Girl .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Freaks and Geeks’ (1999-2000)

A pre-“Knocked Up” Judd Apatow and a pre-“Bridesmaids” Paul Feig teamed up for this cult hit comedy-drama, which looks back at high school life circa 1980 through the eyes of Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini), a math wiz who falls in with the slacker “freaks,” and her brother Sam (John Frances Daly), a perpetually picked-on “geek.” High school nostalgia is nothing new, but Feig, Apatow and their writers approach those years with a verisimilitude that frequently feels like an open wound, finding the quiet truth in these comic situations, and only then going for the laugh, almost as an afterthought. Bonus: a cast of future stars in their early years, including Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps, Sam Levine, Ben Foster, Lizzy Caplan and Martin Starr. Watch it on Hulu

‘Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations’ (2005-2012)

This long-running showcase for the late, great celebrity chef, author and raconteur is a globe-trotting celebration of the cultures and cuisines of the world, a well-balanced mixture of destinations close (Maine, New Orleans, New York’s outer boroughs) and far (Vietnam, Russia, Egypt, Turkey), which Bourdain explores with both curiosity and bravado. He combines history, political commentary, observation and (of course) food appreciation into an undeniably appealing mix, often propelled by the sheer force of his personality . Bourdain’s willingness to go wherever the journey takes him gives his show an inspired unpredictability and infectious energy. Watch it on Hulu

‘Bob’s Burgers’ (2011-present)

Though separated by nearly two decades, “Bob’s Burgers” is something of a “Cheers” for the 21st century — television comfort food, centering on a neighborhood mainstay and the weirdos who float through its doors (though this show’s characters are allowed to veer into even stranger territory by the animated format). But it’s also a clever riff on the family sitcom, as the establishment’s proprietor is the patriarch of a decidedly oddball family; most surprisingly, it treats that family with genuine affection, peccadilloes and all. Our critic compared it to a go-to restaurant, “ reliably good , visit after visit.” Watch it on Hulu

‘30 Rock’ (2006-2013)

Tina Fey co-created and starred in this long-running NBC metasitcom, inspired by her own experiences as head writer for “Saturday Night Live.” It’s written and played with the wink and nudge of knowing showbiz gossip and inside jokes, delivered at lightning pace. She came into her own as a performer over the show’s seven seasons, with the help of an unbeatable ensemble cast: Jane Krakowski as the show’s uproariously vain star, Tracy Morgan as a gleefully hedonistic superstar brought in to boost ratings, Jack McBrayer as the delightfully naïve network page, and (especially) Alec Baldwin as the gruff and cynical network executive in charge of the program. (For more fast-paced comedy, try “ Broad City ” and “ Happy Endings .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003)

Few shows in television history sounded less promising than a series adaptation of an unloved, unsuccessful teen horror/comedy, launching midseason on a network no one had heard of. But from the ashes of the (vastly compromised, it’s said) 1992 feature film came Joss Whedon’s reimagined and recalibrated seven-season triumph, which slyly conflated the conventions of supernatural horror and high school life, and asked which was truly the fiery hellscape. Though a little bumpy early on — it took some time for Whedon and company to find their tone (and access to convincing special effects) — once “Buffy” finds its footing, it’s unstoppable. (Whedon’s short-lived but much-loved space opera “ Firefly ” is also available on Hulu.) Watch it on Hulu

‘M*A*S*H’ (1972-1983)

Robert Altman’s hit 1970 antiwar comedy didn’t seem like a slam-dunk for television adaptation, thanks to its raw style and bawdy humor. The series creator and TV comedy veteran Larry Gelbart sanded away most of those edges, yet found a way to ground the show in the horrors of war while keeping the laughs digestible. Much of that was because of the chemistry and camaraderie of the flawless cast — particularly Alan Alda’s brilliantly realized characterization of “Hawkeye” Pierce, the unflappable wiseguy who found, over the course of the show’s 11 seasons, that there were some things even he couldn’t manage to make light of. (If you’re looking for a more serious medical series, stream the ’90s fave “ ER .”) Watch it on Hulu

‘Friday Night Lights’ (2006-2011)

When this series adaptation of the 2004 feature film — itself an adaptation of Buzz Bissinger’s nonfiction book — debuted on NBC in 2006, our critic led her review with a succinct proclamation: “ Lord, is ‘Friday Night Lights’ good .” Over the five seasons that followed, this heart-rending drama, set in the world of small-town high school football (though not, in any traditional sense, solely about that world), taught lessons, complicated assumptions, and developed some of the indelible characters in modern television — chief among them Kyle Chandler as the idealistic and committed Coach Taylor and Connie Britton as his no-nonsense wife. (For more character-driven drama, try “ Justified .”) Watch it on Hulu

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The 61 Best Movies on Hulu Right Now (March 2024)

Put Poor Things in your eyeballs right now

The Oscars may be over, but that doesn't mean your Oscars viewing is over. One of the newest additions to our list of the best movies to watch on Hulu is the electric fantasy romance Poor Things , which was nominated for Best Picture, with star Emma Stone winning Best Actress for her performance. Also new to Hulu and worth your time is the rock 'n' roll documentary The Stones and Brian Jones , which looks at Brian Jones, the enigmatic founder of the Rolling Stones. 

This list isn't just about the absolute best movies of all time; it's about the best movies to watch on Hulu right now . That means this list will look a little different from the other ones out there, as we're focusing on Hulu originals, new arrivals to Hulu, and our own personal favorites. 

Last updated March 21; newer additions are at the top

The Stones and Brian Jones  (2023)

For fans of: Early Rolling Stones, rock docs

Brian Jones, The Stones and Brian Jones

Year:  2023 Director:  Nick Broomfield Stars:  Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and others Genre:  Documentary, Music Rating:  n/a Metacritic score:   75

Kurt & Courtney director Nick Broomfield looks back at the dawn of rock 'n' roll with this documentary about Brian Jones, the founder of the Rolling Stones, and the band that would eventually move on without him. Jones started the Rolling Stones in 1962 before seeing his influence on the band fade away as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took creative control, leading to his ouster in 1969. He died less than a month later, but his footprint on the British rock scene remains as strong as ever. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Poor Things  (2023)

For fans of: Weirdness, movies that could have won Best Picture if not for Oppenheimer

Emma Stone, Poor Things

Year:  2023 Director:  Yorgos Lanthimos Stars:  Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, and Vicki Pepperdine Genre:  Drama, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy Rating:  R Metacritic score:   88

Yorgos Lanthimos ' endearingly odd fantasy/romance/drama/comedy film and Best Picture nominee hit subscription streaming just in time for your Oscars cram. Though it didn't win Best Picture,  Emma Stone  won Best Actress for playing a previously deceased woman who is brought back to life and thirsts for worldliness and self-discovery. Best Supporting Actor nominee  Mark Ruffalo  plays the man she runs off with for a global adventure. It's a good one. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Suncoast (2024)

For fans of:  Indie movies, Aughts nostalgia, based-on-a-true story films

Nico Parker,  Suncoast

Year:  2024 Director:  Laura Chinn Stars:  Laura Linney, Nico Parker, Woody Harrelson Genre:  Drama Rating:  R Metacritic score:   61

This semi-autobiographical film from writer/director Laura Chinn is a coming-of-age tale with a compelling set of wrinkles — the girl at the center of the story has a brother who is terminally ill, and the movie takes place during the final days of Terri Schiavo's life in 2005. The broad strokes of this one can get a bit trope-y, but it's the emotional honesty from Chinn, and young star Nico Parker , that will hit viewers square in the heart. Suncoast  — which also stars Woody Harrelson and Laura Linney — is quite a first movie from Chinn. - Phil Owen [ Trailer ]

Self Reliance  (2023)

For fans of:  Deadly games of comedy, Jake Johnson

Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick, Self Reliance

Year:  2023 Director:  Jake Johnson Stars: Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Andy Samberg Genre:  Comedy, thriller Rating:  R Metacritic score:   59

In a move that was true to the spirit of the title,  Jake Johnson  wrote, directed, and stars in  Self Reliance . The  New Girl  actor's feature film directorial debut follows a man who's offered a chance to win $1 million if he can survive a deadly reality TV competition. The loophole is that he can only be killed when he's alone, setting him off on a quest for constant companionship. Reviews for the movie  have been pretty solid ; it sounds like good company. - Kelly Connolly   [ Trailer ]

Beyond Utopia  (2023)

For fans of:  Political documentaries

Beyond Utopia

Year:  2023 Director:  Madeleine Gavin Genre:  Documentary Rating:  PG-13 Metacritic score:   84

This acclaimed documentary from director Madeleine Gavin follows families trying to escape North Korea after living a life of hardship and lies brought upon them by the North Korean government. Using rare footage of life inside North Korea, Beyond Utopia captures the harrowing and life-threatening journey toward freedom, aided by South Korean pastor Seungeun Kim, who has helped over a thousand North Koreans defect. While the human stories are captivating, it's worth noting that some critics found the movie failed to detail America's involvement in making North Korea what it is today. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

The Creator (2023)

For fans of:  Isaac Asimov, the singularity

John David Washington, The Creator

Year:  2023 Director:  Gareth Edwards Stars:  John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Madeleine Yuna Voyles Genre:  Sci-Fi, Action, Drama Rating:  PG-13 Metacritic score:   63

Rogue One director Gareth Edwards tackles a future in which artificial intelligence isn't just writing college students' term papers, it's in all-out war against the human race after a bot launches a nuclear attack on Los Angeles. Years later, a special agent ( John David Washington ) goes on a mission to hunt down the mysterious "creator," the mastermind behind a new weapon that will help AI win the war. And then things get complicated! It's a solid action-based sci-fi film with better visuals than story, so have the popcorn handy. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Theater Camp (2023)

For fans of:   Wet Hot American Summer , mockumentaries, show tunes

Ben Platt and Molly Gordon, Theater Camp

Year:  2023 Director:  Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman Stars:  Jimmy Tatro, Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Ayo Edebiri, Noah Galvin, Patti Harrison Genre:  Comedy Rating:  PG-13 Metacritic score:   70

Among all the great things about Theater Camp , it gives American Vandal 's Jimmy Tatro the starring film role he deserves. He plays Troy, the clueless tech bro son of a theater camp director who is suddenly put in charge of the camp's operations for one tumultuous summer, much to the frustration of drama instructors Amos ( Ben Platt ) and Rebecca-Diane ( Molly Gordon ). As Troy tries to keep the camp financially afloat, Amos and Rebecca-Diane work on staging their annual original musical amid their own personal drama. - Allison Picurro [ Trailer ]

No One Will Save You (2023)

For fans of:   Home Alone , but with aliens

Kaitlyn Dever, No One Will Save You

Year:  2023 Director:  Brian Duffield Stars:  Kaitlyn Dever Genre:  Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller Rating:  PG-13 Metacritic score:   64

No One Will Save You , a nearly wordless thriller from  Brian Duffield  ( Love and Monsters ,  The Babysitter ), stars  Kaitlyn Dever as a creative but lonely young woman named Brynn, whose alienation turns literal when extraterrestrials invade her childhood home one night. In order to confront her intruders, Brynn will have to face her past. Beam this one up; it's a lot of fun. - Kelly Connolly [ Trailer ]

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023)

For fans of: Environmental thrillers

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Year:  2023 Director:  Daniel Goldhaber Stars:  Lukas Gage, Marcus Scribner, Kristine Forseth Genre:  Drama, Thriller Rating:  R Metacritic score:  n/a

Hulu is still one of the strongest streamers for great under-the-radar movies, and this 2023 film from Neon might be one of the best you'll see all year.  How to Blow Up a Pipeline  follows a group of youngsters who band together to take out a controversial oil pipeline, tiptoeing the line between environmental activism and domestic terrorism. It was a hit among critics, who lauded it as a taut thriller with eco-friendly themes, and it features a cast that includes  The White Lotus '  Lukas Gage ,  black-ish 's  Marcus Scribner , and  The Society 's  Kristine Forseth . - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Infinity Pool (2023)

For fans of: The twisted minds of the Cronenberg family, Alexander Skarsgård

Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård, Infinity Pool

Year:  2023 Director:  Brandon Cronenberg Stars:  Alexander Skarsgård, Cleopatra Coleman, Mia Goth Genre:  Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller, Horror Rating:  R Metacritic score:   72

If the name "Cronenberg" didn't tip you off, you should know that  Infinity Pool is a bizarre and often disturbing film. (The director, Brandon Cronenberg, is the son of the king of body horror, David Cronenberg.) It follows a vacationing married couple, played by Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman, who, after an accident, begin to discover the dark, twisted secrets hidden beyond the walls of their resort. It's difficult to say much without spoiling everything, but this is certainly a movie that will stick with you long after it ends. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]

Rye Lane (2023)

For fans of: Breezy rom-coms, London

David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane

Year:  2023 Director:  Raine Allen Miller Stars:  Vivian Oparah, David Jonsson Genre:  Comedy, Romance Rating:  R Metacritic score:   83

This cute rom-com film set in the London neighborhoods of Peckham and Brixton has a tried-and-true setup — two people reeling from bad breakups have a chance encounter with each other, and you know the rest — but it's presented in a dazzling, magnetic way thanks to director Raine Allen Miller. Yas ( Vivian Oparah ) and Dom ( Industry 's  David Jonsson ) are twentysomethings who use their new friendship to deal with their exes over the course of a day, and who knows, maybe they will fall for each other. Who knows!?!? - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

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Triangle of Sadness (2022)

For fans of: Eating the rich, literal toilet humor

Triangle of Sadness

Year:  2022 Director:  Ruben Östlund Stars:  Harry Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Dolly de Leon Genre:  Comedy, Drama Rating:  R Metacritic score:   63

Ruben Östlund's latest film won the Palme d'Or in 2022, Best Picture at the European Film Awards, and was nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards. But it also has a  63 score on Metacritic . It's one of  those  movies, a satirical look at and takedown of the rich and famous on a cruise ship, and for some the satire and black humor don't hit. Others love it though, and as one of the year's most polarizing Best Picture nominees, it's a mandatory watch.  -Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Bruiser (2023)

For fans of: Coming-of-age stories, learning how to be a man, gut punches

Shamier Anderson and Jalyn Hall, Bruiser

Year:  2023 Director:  Miles Warren Stars:  Jalyn Hall, Shamier Anderson, Trevante Rhodes Genre:  Drama Rating:  TV-MA Metacritic score:   81

First-time feature director Miles Warren arrives with the confidence of a veteran filmmaker with this family drama about a 14-year-old ( Jalyn Hall ) caught between his father ( Shamier Anderson ) and a mysterious drifter ( Trevante Rhodes ). It's a story about fatherhood and parenting, coming-of-age, and defending yourself. It's also one of the best things Onyx Collective, a subdivision of Disney focusing on Black stories, has produced.  -Tim Surette [ Trailer ]     

Fire of Love  (2022)

For fans of: Magma, French New Wave, love stories

Fire of Love

Year:  2022 Director:  Sara Dosa Stars:  Maurice Krafft, Katia Krafft Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   83

This stunning film was nominated for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Awards, and for good reason. Fire of Love introduces audiences to Maurice and Katia Krafft, a pair of charismatic French volcanologists who bucked the stuffy stereotypes of scientists from the 1970s to early 1990s. Director Sara Dosa also innovates with a stylish collage of the Kraffts' massive library of film footage, multimedia animations, groovy music, and entrancing editing. But what makes Fire of Love better than the sum of its parts is the fascinating love triangle between Maurice and Katia, who were married, and the explosive volcanoes that drew them in. It's a nature documentary, a profile of a couple who found love against all odds, and an art film in one splendid package.  -Tim Surette [ Trailer ]     

Riotsville, U.S.A. (2022)

For fans of:  Learning about America's dark history

Riotsville, U.S.A.

Year: 2022 Director:  Sarah Pettengill Stars:  Charlene Modeste Genre: Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   83

History repeats itself — or maybe it just never ends — in  Riotsville, U.S.A . This  well-reviewed  2022 documentary looks back on the social justice movement of the late 1960s and traces how America's police forces militarized in response. Its focus is on fake towns built by the Army, which were used to train police and the military to violently subdue protests. Director Sarah Pettengill uses archival footage and pointed narration to tell a story that has obvious parallels in the present. - Kelly Connolly   [ Trailer ]

Stars at Noon (2022)

For fans of:  Beautiful, sweaty people

Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn, Stars at Noon

Year: 2022 Director:  Claire Denis Stars:  Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Benny Safdie, John C. Reilly Genre: Drama, Thriller, Romance Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   67

Claire Denis ' latest film was a big hit at Cannes, and now it's on Hulu for you to form your own opinion about. A modern adaptation of Denis Johnson's 1984 novel, it stars Margaret Qualley as an American journalist stranded in Nicaragua and Joe Alwyn as the British guy she meets and immediately falls for, only to discover he's in deep with — wait for it — the CIA. It's a woozy, sweaty, and sexy romantic thriller elevated by a dynamic performance from Qualley. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]      

Crimes of the Future (2022)

For fans of:  David Cronenberg's twisted mind, Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux, Crimes of the Future

Year: 2022 Director:  David Cronenberg Stars:  Kristen Stewart, Léa Seydoux, Viggo Mortensen, Scott Speedman Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Horror Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   67

David Cronenberg 's name is synonymous with stomach-churning body horror, and his latest film is a return to the genre he helped pioneer. Set in an alternate future, Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux star as a performance artist couple who make their money staging live surgeries in which they remove extra organs from the body for rapt audiences. They catch the attention of a government organization that keeps track of new organs, as well as a peculiar cult of people who are experimenting with their own form of biological performance art. It's a big old Cronenbergian blend of ideas that's guaranteed to make your squirm. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]      

On the Count of Three  (2021)

For fans of:  Dark, dark, dark buddy comedies

Christopher Abbott and Jerrod Carmichael, On the Count of Three

Year: 2021 Director:  Jerrod Carmichael Stars:  Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, Henry Winkler, JB Smoove Genre: Drama, Comedy Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   85

Jerrod Carmichael directs this dark buddy dramedy about two best friends – one played by Carmichael, the other by Christopher Abbott – who hatch a joint suicide pact. Before they kill themselves, though, they spend their last day alive taking care of unfinished business and engaging in shameless debauchery. It's difficult to recommend a movie with such upsetting subject material, but Carmichael's singular voice makes this one worth it. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]      

Prey (2022)

For fans of:   Predator movies

The Predator and Amber Midthunder, Prey

Year: 2022 Director:  Dan Trachtenberg Stars:  Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller, Horror Rating:  R Metacritic score:   69

Hulu went ahead and revived the Predator franchise, and this time it's a prequel.  Prey  is set in the Comanche Nation in the 1700s, and finds the Predator coming to Earth, where he faces off against a young warrior ( Amber Midthunder ) trying to protect her tribe. It has all the brawling and killing you want from a Predator movie, and as Jordan Hoffman said in his review for TV Guide , its setting feels refreshing. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer   |  Review ]      

Ultrasound (2022)

For fans of:  Total mind f-cks, small-budget films

Breeda Wool and Vincent Kartheiser, Ultrasound

Year: 2021 Director:  Rob Schroeder Stars:  Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Bob Stephenson Genre: Sci-fi, thriller Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   55

This 2021 low-budget indie film from first-time director Rob Schroeder isn't a great movie, but it is the type of challenging sci-fi thriller that hardcore movie buffs will love to try to decipher. (Hence the 55 Metacritic score, it's a niche film targeted at fans of movies like Primer .) It starts with a man ( Mad Men 's Vincent Kartheiser) who is invited into a stranger's house after his car breaks down and is asked to have sex with the stranger's wife, and then turns into something really weird. It's entirely unpredictable and may even need a second watch to fully make sense of everything. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Aftershock (2022)

For fans of:  Learning about medical crises

Year: 2022 Director:  Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   89

This documentary from directors Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee puts the focus on the healthcare crisis that disproportionately affects Black women, who face rising maternal death rates after childbirth. The film follows the families of two women, Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac, as they bring attention to this largely ignored issue. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

For fans of:  Emma Thompson getting her groove back, sex positivity

Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

Year: 2022 Director: Sophie Hyde Stars:  Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance Rating:  R Metacritic score:   78

Emma Thompson is one of our all-time greats, period. She has the unique ability to light up just about anything she's in, a talent on full display in this charming dramedy about a retired widow who decides, for the first time in her life, to seek out good sex, leading her to hire and form an unexpected bond with a sex worker ( Daryl McCormack ). Thompson and McCormack have enough chemistry to make this very dialogue-heavy movie feel sweet and easily watchable. - Allison Picurro [ Trailer   | Review ]

The Worst Person in the World (2022)

For fans of:  Young people who are just trying to figure it out, man

Renata Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World

Year: 2021 Director: Joachim Trier Stars:  Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   90

One of the most well-liked and well-reviewed films of last year (it was nominated for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars), The Worst Person in the World is not actually all that romantic or all that much of a comedy, despite often being classified as a rom-com. It's more of a character study about one aimless woman ( Renate Reinsve ) in her twenties, following her over the course of several years as she drifts in and out of relationships and jobs — think Frances Ha , but Norwegian. - Allison Picurro [ Trailer ]

Fire Island (2022)

For fans of: Pride and Prejudice , Marisa Tomei

Margaret Cho, Tomás Matos, Bowen Yang, Joel Kim Booster, and Matt Rogers, Fire Island

Year: 2022 Director: Andrew Ahn Stars:  Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, Margaret Cho, Matt Rogers Genre: Comedy, Romance Rating:  R Metacritic score:   72

Joel Kim Booster writes and stars in this hilarious, heartbreaking, and horny adaptation of Pride and Prejudice , which reimagines one of Jane Austen's most famous novels as a gay romantic comedy set on New York's Fire Island. Booster stars as Noah, the Elizabeth Bennett role, and Bowen Yang plays his best friend Howie, the Jane Bennett; the film hits all the Austenian beats regarding class and social status, but Booster's observations about being gay and Asian American gives a well-trodden story its updated perspective. It's likely the only movie you'll see that has jokes about Quibi, My Cousin Vinny , and Yolanda Hadid. - Allison Picurro [ Trailer ]

The Last Tourist (2022)

For fans of: Saving the environment, guilt, beautiful shots of places you can't go

The Last Tourist

Year: 2022 Director: Tyson Sadler Genre: Documentary Rating:  NR

This documentary about the tourism industry and how it's destroying the world will have you rethinking that trip to a developing nation where you were planning to justify your Instagram posts from on top of an elephant by contributing a few dollars to the local economy. The movie is a hit among critics, who laud  The Last Tourist  for its important message and beautiful shots of these international lands. And yes, those picturesque vistas will make you want to go there, but please don't. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Try Harder! (2021)

For fans of: Watching others succeed, high school drama

Try Harder!

Year: 2021 Director: Debbie Lum Genre: Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score: 75

If you'd like to get in on the anxiety high school seniors are facing as they await the decisions of the colleges they applied to, this documentary will do the trick. The film examines how much college admissions have changed over the years, with students now expected to have 5.0 GPAs, be a member of no less than 17 clubs, and run a 4-minute mile. Slightly exaggerated, but the competition has never been fiercer, even to get into some second-choice school like Vassar. Thankfully, director Debbie Lum handles the absurdity of it all with a playful sense of humor. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Sundown   (2021)

For fans of: Middle-aged man ennui, Mexico, jerks

Tim Roth, Sundown

Year: 2022 Director: Michael Franco Stars: Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios Genre: Drama Rating: R Metacritic score: 70

Tim Roth is the embodiment of indifference in this mellow drama about a wealthy British man vacationing in Acapulco with his siblings when they're suddenly called back for a family tragedy. Only he doesn't go back, pretending he forgot his passport back at the hotel. Then he just stays in Mexico while everyone else deals with all the responsibility! Roth is excellent as a man who has completely given up in this film that's low on plot but high on masculine malaise and shots of drinking beer on the beach. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Death on the Nile  (2022)

For fans of: Big boats, old-fashioned mystery and adventure, all-star casts

Gal Gadot, Death on the Nile

Year:  2022 Director:  Kenneth Branagh Stars:  Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Jennifer Saunders, Rose Leslie Genre:  Mystery, Adventure Rating:  PG-13 Metacritic score:   52

Cruises aren't a good idea right now, but you can still get the feelings of big-boat adventures — large terraces overlooking the water, grand ballrooms, floating reverie, MURDER — with Death on the Nile , Kenneth Branaugh's adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous 1937 novel. The mystery film is a whodunnit with a who's who cast, which includes Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Armie Hammer, and Branaugh (who does double duty as director). It's an imperfect film, no doubt, but it has an old-fashioned sensibility to it that makes it a great escape from life's doldrums. - Tim Surette  [ Trailer ]       

Deep Water   (2022)

For fans of: Erotic thrillers, the flash-in-the-pan coupling known as "BenAna"

Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck, Deep Water

Director: Adrian Lyne Stars:  Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas   Genre:  Drama, Mystery, Thriller Rating:  R Metacritic score:  52

This is the first film from director Adrian Lyne ( Fatal Attraction ), one of the central figures of the erotic thriller subgenre, in 20 years. His last one was 2002's Unfaithful , which came out right at the end of the erotic thriller's period of commercial viability. Now that streaming is creating a demand for erotic thrillers again, Lyne is back like he never went away. Deep Water stars Ana de Armas and Gone Girl mode Ben Affleck , who started a relationship when the movie was shooting in 2019 and have since broken up, as a married couple who play twisted psychosexual mind games with each other, and then people around them start turning up dead. Uh oh! Deep Water was supposed to get a theatrical release in 2020, but now it's going directly to Hulu with less fanfare than it deserves — though straight-to-streaming may end up being the best thing for it. It's a trashy good time. -Liam Mathews [ Trailer | Review ]

Hell Hath No Fury (2021)

For fans of: WWII heist flicks, tension

Nina Bergman, Hell Hath No Fury

Director: Jesse V. Johnson Stars: Nina Bergman, Daniel Bernhardt, Timothy V. Murphy Genre: Action, War, Crime Rating:  R

This is one of those low-budget movies that are worth the bargain bin price. Action filmmaker and stuntman Jesse V. Johnson, a frequent collaborator with underground British action star Scott Adkins, helms this WWII thriller about Nazis, resistance fighters, and American soldiers hunting down rumors of buried Nazi gold in a French cemetery. It's set almost entirely in the cemetery, and centers on a French woman (Nina Bergman) accused of being a Nazi sympathizer who might know more about the gold than anyone else. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it's a gritty, violent, and tense film that's an impressive bit of atmosphere building. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Flee  (2021)

For fans of: Documentaries, animation, international film, LGBTQ+ stories of perseverance

Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen Genre: Documentary, Animation, Biography Rating: PG-13 Metacritic score: 91

Be more efficient with your Oscar nominee watch by checking out Flee , a triple threat that's nominated for Best Documentary, Best Animated Feature, and Best International Feature. The gorgeous film was a top pick on many critics' Best of 2021 lists and focuses on Amin Nawabi, who tells the story of his journey to Denmark as a child refugee from Afghanistan and the secret he kept hidden for 20 years. It's an astounding piece of art. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Fresh  (2022)

For fans of: Never dating again

Sebastian Stan, Fresh

Director:  Mimi Cave Stars:  Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan  Genre:  Thriller, Comedy Rating:  R Metacritic score:  67

It's not really a spoiler to say that this movie starts out as a romantic comedy and then turns into a horror movie a half-hour in, because that's the whole thing of it. I just won't tell you what happens, other than to say Sebastian Stan gets his Patrick Bateman on. Fresh is the debut film from promising director Mimi Cave, and it stars Normal People 's Daisy Edgar-Jones as a young woman who's sick of online dating. She meets a charming man in a grocery store, and after they quickly hit it off, she agrees to go away with him to a remote cabin for a weekend. You can guess how it goes. The cinematographer is Midsommar 's Pawel Pogorzelski, who's very good at shooting visually striking, gruesome horror. -Liam Mathews [ Trailer ] 

No Exit  (2022)

For fans of:  Paranoia, weather, parentless children

Havana Rose Liu, No Exit

Director:  Damien Power Stars:  Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, Dennis Haysbert, David Rysdahl, Dale Dickey Genre:  Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror Rating:  R Metacritic score: 54

In this day and age of pandemic paranoia where trust in strangers is at an all-time low, we probably don't need a movie about being stuck in a room with four people, one of whom is a suspected kidnapper, to get our suspicions elevated. But here we are with No Exit , a Hulu-exclusive movie about a troubled young woman who finds herself waiting out a snowstorm with four strangers. That's already an inconvenience, but things go really bad when she discovers a kidnapped child in one of their cars. Early reviews are mixed, but this feels like the kind of film made for audiences looking for a thrill rather than for movie critics.  - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Titane  (2021)

For fans of: Insanity with a sweet center, cars, mayhem 

Agathe Rousselle, Titane

Director:  Julia Ducournau Stars:  Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, a dope Cadillac Genre:  Body horror, Drama Rating:  R Metacritic score: 75

Given its everything , I have no idea how Titane became the winner of the 2021 Palme d'Or, the top prize at the Cannes International Film Festival. But I'm glad it did because Titane is absolutely amazing in the most primal sense of the word. The French-Belgian film defies genre but spends lots of time in almost all of them — horror, science-fiction, drama, comedy — as it follows a model with a titanium plate in her head that she got after a car crash when she was young at car shows. From there, Titane is a riveting and savage ride as shocking as it is unpredictable (you'll never think of airport bathroom sinks the same way again). And just when you think it's gone entirely off the rails, it becomes an emotional and thought-provoking film about character relationships. Love it or hate it, no reaction would surprise me from this truly original and daring film. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

The Feast  (2021)

For fans of: Slow-burn horror movies, movies in languages you don't expect             

Annes Elwy, The Feast

Director:  Lee Haven Jones Stars:  Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones Genre:  Horror Rating:  Not rated Metacritic score: 68

You may have never seen a Welsh-language horror movie before, but Hulu can make your first one a good one. The Feast , which made a splash on the film festival circuit, is an ecologically minded folk horror slow-burner that takes its sweet time getting going, but is well worth it when it gets there. It's about a strange, quiet young woman named Cadi ( Annes Elwy ) who's hired to be a cater-waitress at a dinner party of the home of an exploitative politician and his stuck-up wife. They've forgotten their connection to the land, and Cadi is going to remind them, in very gruesome and disturbing fashion. - Liam Mathews [ Trailer ]

Charli XCX: Alone Together  (2021)

For fans of: Reliving the pandemic, fan-artist collaborations, good music

Charli XCX: Alone Together

Director:  Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler Stars:  Charli XCX Genre:  Music, Documentary Rating:  Unrated Metacritic score: 71

It might be a little too soon to relive early quarantine days, but it's different when you do it through the eyes of one of our greatest (and somehow still underrated) pop stars — in this case, Charli XCX . Told largely through self-taped footage, Alone Together follows the inception, creation, and release of one of the more unique projects to come out of the pandemic: Charli's near-perfect 2020 album How I'm Feeling Now . It's a fascinating look at a truly collaborative process between an artist and her fans, showing how songs were written with their help over Instagram Live, and also presents a raw account of Charli's struggles with anxiety. This is definitely a documentary primarily for the diehard fans, but even a casual listener can enjoy bearing witness to such a cool creative process. -Allison Picurro [ Trailer ]

Nightmare Alley  (2021)

For fans of: The circus, sideshow freaks and cons, an A-list cast and A-list sets

Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley

Director:  Guillermo del Toro Stars:  Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn Genre:  Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime Rating:  R Metacritic score: 70

Someone somewhere is still eating popcorn they bought while watching Nightmare Alley in the theaters on its mid-December premiere night, and yet the movie is already on Hulu. That's not a knock on the quality of Nightmare Alley , the traveling circus film noir from Guillermo del Toro; it's more an indication of the speed of streaming. Bradley Cooper stars as a carnival worker in the 1930s and 1940s who learns to grift the rich and famous from other circus folk, and he's joined by a stellar cast that includes Cate Blanchett , Rooney Mara , Toni Collette , Willem Dafoe , Richard Jenkins , Ron Perlman , and David Strathairn . Under del Toro's eye, Nightmare Alley is a sight to behold, a time warp to the shady traveling sideshows and elegant art deco ballrooms of the era when everyone was working some sort of scheme.  -Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Bergman Island   (2021)

For fans of: Dissolving marriages, filmmaking, Ingmar Bergman, vacationing in gorgeous Sweden

Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps, Bergman Island

Director:  Mia Hansen-Løve Stars:  Tim Roth, Vicky Krieps, Mia Wasikowska Genre:  Drama Rating:  R Metacritic score:   81

A filmmaking couple, played by Tim Roth and Vicky Krieps , head to the Swedish island of Fårö, the home of legendary director Ingmar Bergman, to root around for inspiration. But as they spend more time on the quaint island and their opinions of Bergman diverge, their marriage slowly falls apart. The film is like two indie movies in one, with a movie-within-a-movie playing in the middle as a visualization of the screenplay the wife is working on, and it all floats along gorgeously with the natural beauty of Fårö.  -Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

I'm Your Man  (2021)

For fans of: Black Mirror 's "Be Right Back," Dan Stevens speaking German

Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert, I'm Your Man

Director:  Maria Schrader Stars:  Dan Stevens, Maren Eggert Genre:  Sci-Fi, Comedy, Romance Rating:  Not Rated Metacritic score:   78

This Best International Feature Film selection from Germany for the 2022 Academy Awards was this science-fiction rom-com starring Dan Stevens ( Legion ) as a robot built to be the perfect boyfriend. He does the rumba. Do you need any other reason to watch this? (In German, with English subtitles.)  -Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Pig   (2021)

For fans of:  Nicolas Cage as a great actor, deep sadness 

Nicolas Cage, Pig

Director:  Michael Sarnoski Stars:  Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff Genre:  Drama Rating:  R Metacritic score:   82

"We don't get a lot of things to really care about." If that line resonates with you, you'll want to see the indie drama  Pig . Nicolas Cage stars as a onetime prominent chef from Portland who left society to go live in the woods with his beloved truffle-hunting pig. When his pig is stolen, he has to return to the city to look for one of the few things he really cares about. It's a similar premise to  John Wick,  with assassin action replaced by tragicomic character study. It's a top-tier Nicolas Cage performance, and probably his most subtle in at least 20 years.  -Liam Mathews [ Trailer ]  

Mandibles   (2020)

For fans of:  The Farrelly Brothers, French comedy, absurdity

Director:  Quentin Dupieux Stars:  David Marsais, Grégoire Ludig, Adèle Exarchopoulos, India Hair Genre:  Fantasy, Comedy Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   74

If you've ever wondered what a silly stoner comedy would be like en français , wonder no more. Mandibles , from bugged out writer-director Quentin Dupieux, is about two dumb slacker pals who find themselves in possession of a gigantic housefly. They initially plan to train the fly to rob people for them, but instead they just end up meandering around the South of France with their bristly companion having moronic misadventures. It's a flyweight buddy comedy with a refreshing sense of creativity – you never know what's going to happen next – that generated a lot of buzz on the film festival circuit. All right, that's enough bug puns. Just watch it. -Liam Mathews [ Trailer ]

For Madmen Only (2020)

For fans of:  Improv comedy, pretty much every comedian working today

For Madmen Only

Director:  Heather Ross Stars:  Ike Barinholtz, Janet Coleman, Josh Fadem, Mike Gold, Robert Dassie Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   n/a

You may not know the name Del Close, but you're definitely a fan of his work. Close was instrumental in establishing improv comedy, and is credited by many top comedians — Bob Odenkirk, Tina Fey, John Belushi, to name a few — as their mentor, with his knowledge being passed down to today's generation. The documentary For Madmen Only digs into Close's legacy, including his legendary stories and mental illness. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Maybe This Year (2021)

For fans of:  Football (like, to an insane degree), booing Santa Claus, throwing batteries, passion

Maybe This Year

Director:  Kyle Thrash Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:  n/a

Director Kyle Thrash follows fans of the Philadelphia Eagles during the team's 2017 Super Bowl run in this character documentary. What's the big deal about that? Have you seen fans of Philadelphia sports teams? They're a unique type of insane. They throw batteries at opposing players . They boo Santa Claus ! Maybe This Year (sometimes called Maybe Next Year ) isn't so much about football as it is a look at fandom from the perspective of one of the most die-hard fanbases in the world, like the guy who spent his life savings making a makeshift Eagles bar in his home or the self-proclaimed shy woman who calls into sports radio and screams. And you know it has a happy ending. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Jacinta   (2020)

For fans of:  Painful but important documentaries, stories of addictions, mother and daughter bonds

Director:  Jessica Earnshaw Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   n/a

This documentary isn't an easy watch, but it is an essential watch. Director Jessica Earnshaw trains her cameras on three generations of a family, with the focus on young mother Jacinta, a heroin addict who is in and out of jail and desperate to reconnect with her young daughter. But Jacinta's addiction, born from her mother's behavior, might be too powerful for her to ever have a normal relationship with her child. There's a lot of pain on screen here (as well as lessons to be learned), but a bittersweet ending at least avoids the worst possible scenario. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Summer of Soul   (2021)

For fans of:  The best musical acts of the '60s, reclaiming history

B.B. King, Summer of Soul 

Director:  Ahmir-Khalib Thompson Stars:  B.B. King, Jesse Jackson, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder Genre:  Documentary, Music Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   96

The same year Woodstock was held and grabbed all the headlines as the only thing that happened in music in 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival took place, with performances by Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, and more. Footage of the festival never saw the light of day until the release of this film, which marks the directorial debut of musician Questlove. If you need more reason to watch it, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) has been universally acclaimed and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary category at Sundance. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Shadow in the Cloud  (2020)

For fans of:  Bonkers genre mash-ups, Chloë Grace Moretz

Chloë Grace Moretz, Shadow in the Cloud

Director:  Roseanne Liang Stars:  Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson Genre:  Action, Horror, War Rating:  R Metacritic score:   66

This movie isn't for everyone, but if Chloë Grace Moretz fist-fighting a bat-like creature is for you, then this is definitely your kind of movie. It's a WWII movie, a creature feature, and a female action flick all in one, as Moretz stars as a woman with secrets who catches a lift from a WWII combat plane. In addition to firing at Japanese fighter planes, the crew ends up tangling with a monster and they're picked off one-by-one until Moretz has to save the day. These aren't spoilers, these are just facts you know are coming. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Changing the Game   (2019)

For fans of:  Trans rights, emotional sports stories

Changing the Game

Director:  Mike Barnett Stars:  Andraya Yearwood, Mack Beggs, Ngozi Nnaji, Ngozi Yarwood, Sarah Rose Huckman, Terry Miller Genre:  Documentary, Sports Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   77

One of the most talked about issues in sports today is the role of transgender athletes. The award-winning documentary Changing the Game  takes a humane, honest look at the subject from the point of view of three transgender teen athletes fighting for their right to compete. The centerpiece is trans man Mack Beggs, who was given two options by his home state of Texas: wrestle as his assigned sex (female) or quit. He chose to wrestle. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

The Biggest Little Farm   (2018)

For fans of:  Cute animals, feeling hopeful for once, saving the world

The Biggest Little Farm

Director:  John Chester Stars:  John Chester, Matthew Pilachowski, Molly Chester Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   73

The thought of watching a white couple from Los Angeles give up city life to start an organic farm sounds like a hard pass. But in the documentary The Biggest Little Farm , self-righteousness and hipster woke culture isn't the star; nature, in all her splendid beauty, is. This stunning documentary manages to capture the power of life with incredible footage of flora and fauna. It also captures the positive impact that humans can have, for a change, as the director, John Chester, and his wife, Molly, transform neglected acreage into a thriving ecosystem where literally every animal big and small plays an important part. Even though there are some basic facts of life on full display here — animals will die — it's a great watch for the whole family. This is one of those rare films you'll leave feeling that you can make a difference. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Parasite   (2019)

For fans of:  Class conflict, conning the rich

Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Song Kang-ho, and Jang Hye-jin,  Parasite

Director:  Bong Joon-ho Stars:  Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin Genre:  Drama, Thriller, Comedy Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   96

Parasite , the 2020 winner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, is on Hulu, so you are really running out of excuses if you haven't seen it. Though technically not at all about any parasites, it's the parasitic metaphor that really strikes hard as a low-income family slowly infiltrates a wealthy family, living off them like ticks on a dog. But both sides have deep, dark secrets that come to light by the movie's totally bonkers ending. The movie's message isn't the only thing to watch for; Bong's immaculate direction and cinematography are bolstered by a truly incredible performance by its ensemble cast. Don't be that person who hasn't seen Parasite . - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021)

For fans of:  Startups shutting down, cults, bad business

Adam Neumann, WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn

Director:  Jed Rothstein Stars:  Adam Neumann Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   61

This Hulu original documentary is best watched by knowing as little as possible about WeWork, the real estate company that provided work stations for startups and became a Wall Street juggernaut before its founder, Adam Neumann, essentially drove the company off a cliff. That's because it probably won't tell you anything you don't already know, if you've followed the story, but even with that, it's still astonishing to see how events unfolded as Neumann essentially built a cult and had a desire to change the world with some pretty far-out ideas, like WeGrow, a private communal school built on the same foundations of WeWork. This is a dangerous lesson in capitalism. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Minding the Gap   (2018)

For fans of:  Skateboarding, the bittersweet passage of time

Minding the Gap

Director:  Bing Liu Stars:  Kiere Johnson, Zack Mulligan Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   90

If you like your documentaries with a side of a punch in the gut, Minding the Gap will suffice! The Oscar-nominated film, from first-time director Bing Liu, follows Liu as he reconnects with two of his old skateboarding buddies while the twentysomething young men all deal with the struggles of growing up after childhoods of abuse and neglect. Archival footage is both exuberant and emotional as the trio escapes troubles through skateboarding and details the problems at home, while new footage shows how their lives have changed (or not changed) through unplanned fatherhood, new family issues, and more all-too-common obstacles. - Tim Surette [ Trailer ]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire   (2019)

For fans of:  French affairs, the way Saoirse Ronan says "Women" in Little Women

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Director:  Céline Sciamma Stars:  Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel Genre:  Drama, History, Romance Rating:  R Metacritic score:   95

The most romantic movie of 2019, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a simmering love story designed to devastate and delight. Céline Sciamma directs the film, which is set in 18th century France and revolves around the affair that develops between an artist and her subject, a young aristocratic woman who is about to be married off. The chemistry between the leads, Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel , is a pleasure to watch in action, made all the more upsetting because of the pervasive knowledge that there's a hard expiration date on their relationship. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]

Palm Springs   (2020)

For fans of:   Groundhog Day , wedding shenanigans

Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg,  Palm Springs

Director:  Max Barbakow Stars:  Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Camila Mendes, June Squibb, Peter Gallagher, Tyler Hoechlin Genre:  Mystery, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance Rating:  R Metacritic score:   83

The less you know about Palm Springs going into it, the better, but it's probably no secret at this point that this delightful comedy features Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as a pair of wedding goers who find themselves trapped in a time loop. Their performances are at once goofy and grounded, and there are plenty of surprises packed into every precious minute of this wild, incredibly fun rom-com with touches of sci-fi. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Nomadland   (2020)

For fans of:  Camper vans, using a bucket as a bathroom

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Director:  Chloé Zhao Stars:  Frances McDormand, David Strathairn Genre:  Drama Rating:  R Metacritic score:   93

You have Hulu, so you may as well watch the 2021 Oscar winner for Best Picture. Frances McDormand stars in this adaptation of the 2017 book about a nomad who works odd jobs and lives out of a van as part of a lifestyle choice, bringing light to an expanding community of people breaking the mold of how we're supposed to live. Many of those people are in the film as major characters, adding an immersive sense of authenticity. Part of that authenticity? The feeling you get wondering if you should ditch your house and hit the road to fully appreciate everything life and nature has to offer. Nomadland is a unique achievement that deserved every award it got. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Together Together   (2021)

For fans of:  Unlikely friendships, modern parenthood

Patti Harrison and Ed Helms, Together Together

Director:  Nikole Beckwith Stars:  Patti Harrison, Ed Helms Genre:  Comedy Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   70

I keep telling people to seek out this sweet indie, which had a theatrical release before movie theaters really opened up, and now everyone can watch it for free*! (*Well, with a Hulu subscription.) Ed Helms stars as a man who wants a baby, and Patti "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" Harrison plays the woman he's chosen to be his surrogate, and it's one of those movies where nothing really happens, but also everything happens. Helms and Harrison are great as two people who don't really know what to do with or how to relate to each other, but who have been thrown together for the better part of a year due to their circumstances. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I hope it does the same for you. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]

Another Round   (2020)

For fans of:  Mads Mikkelsen, Danish drinking culture

Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round

Director:  Thomas Vinterberg Stars:  Mads Mikkelsen, Cassius Aasav Browning, Helene Reingaard Neumann, Lars Ranthe Genre:  Drama Rating:  Not Rated Metacritic score:   79

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg , Another Round follows four high school teachers all in the throes of mid-life crises who, desperate to find a reason to keep going on, decide to test out a psychiatrist's theory that maintaining a certain blood alcohol content each day makes humans more content. It's a darkly funny and deeply sad film about aging and friendship and the struggle to find fulfillment in life. The 2021 Oscar winner for Best International Film is best known for its luminous final scene, which features its star, Mads Mikkelsen , performing an exuberant dance number to a thumping Euro pop track. - Allison Picurro   [ Trailer ]

Supernova   (2020)

For fans of:  Tragic love stories, Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci

Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, Supernova

Director:  Harry Macqueen Stars:  Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci Genre:  Drama, Romance Rating:  R Metacritic score:   73

This isn't one of those totally sad movies or one of those totally happy movies, even though it will make you both extremely happy and sad. It's one of those 'tweeners about the beauty of love and life in the face of tragedy, and I'm already crying. The bittersweet story about a couple ( Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci ) spending some of their last days together as one of them is afflicted with early-onset dementia is a weeper, but carrying you through it will be Firth and Tucci's excellent performances.  [ Trailer ]

Three Identical Strangers   (2018)

For fans of:  Family secrets, getting your damn mind blown

Three Identical Strangers

Director:  Tim Wardle Stars:  Adrian Lichter, Andrew Lovesey, David Kellman Genre:  Documentary Rating:  PG-13 Metacritic score:   81

Every documentary that has used some variation of the selling point "a story so crazy it has to be true" needs to step aside. The truth in Three Identical Strangers is so bizarre and goes in so many directions you'd never expect that you'll want to put a pillow on the floor for your jaw. The film follows the story of identical triplets — three gregarious New York boys — separated at birth who meet in their teenage years and become media sensations, but gets really insane when it dives into the circumstances of why they were separated. If I told you any more, I'd ruin it for you. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

Possessor  (2020)

For fans of:  Mind trips, like seriously

Director:  Brandon Cronenberg Stars:  Andrea Riseborough, Sean Bean, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Park Genre:  Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror Rating:  Not Rated Metacritic score:   72

I tend to stay away from movies with trailers that proclaim "from the visionary mind of [insert writer/director here]," because it's like, get over yourself, dude, but Brandon "son of David" Cronenberg's latest film is a doozy. The sci-fi film follows an assassin ( Andrea Riseborough ) who executes hits by taking control of other people's bodies using implanted chip tech. Seems easy, right? It is, until she has trouble with her latest target (the always dying in a movie or show Sean Bean ) when the body ( Christopher Abbott ) she takes over decides he's not ready to give up total control. Like his dad, Brandon isn't afraid to go cuckoo bananers with practical effects and hallucinatory montages. This is an art house freak-out film that deserves cult status. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

The Mole Agent (2020)

For fans of:  Elderly spies, pure emotion

The Mole Agent

Director:  Maite Alberdi Genre:  Documentary Rating:  NR Metacritic score:   69

The charming Chilean documentary The Mole Agent was nominated for an Oscar in 2020, and it's easy to see why. When a man in his 80s answers an ad from a family who believes their matriarch is being mistreated in a nursing home, he goes in undercover to report what he sees. But what he finds is a unique connection to its residents. Grab a hanky, this one will make your heart explode. - Tim Surette   [ Trailer ]

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• What to Watch

The best movies leaving Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Max at the end of March 2024

Chthonic horrors, cyberpunk thrillers, and brutal martial artists

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April is nearly here and spring has sprung, which means it’s time to comb through the best movies leaving streaming services at the end of this month and plan accordingly.

This month’s lineup is an eclectic assortment of classics, crowd-pleasers, and cerebral gems. Jonathan Glazer’s 2000 debut, Sexy Beast starring Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, is a top priority; you must watch that if you haven’t already. Other picks include the sci-fi horror film Underwater, starring Love Lies Bleeding ’s Kristen Stewart, Kathryn Bigelow’s elusive cyberpunk thriller Strange Days , a classic martial arts action film starring the inimitable Sonny Chiba, and more.

Whatever you’re looking for, there are options for you, with the added urgency of “you won’t be able to watch this here next month.”

Here are the best movies you should watch before they leave streaming this March.

Editor’s pick

Director: Jonathan Glazer Cast: Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane Leaving Criterion Channel: March 31

Earlier this month, Jonathan Glazer took home the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film for The Zone of Interest , his first Oscar win in his 30-plus-year career. Glazer has only directed four features in that time, each one more cerebral and astounding than the last. His first film, Sexy Beast , is arguably his most “commercial” effort to date — and even that qualifier feels like a stretch: It’s a black comedy crime drama that plays out with the nail-biting tension of a horror thriller.

The film centers on Gary “Gal” Dove (Ray Winstone), a career criminal happily whiling away his retirement in Costa del Sol with his wife and friends. Gal is suddenly plagued by a visit from Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), a former associate who has come to recruit him for a upcoming heist. Don is a foul-mouthed, emotionally manipulative sociopath who delights in incessantly berating those around him and bending people to his whim, so when Gal refuses his offer, Don makes it his mission to make Gal’s life a living hell until the job is done.

Glazer’s stellar direction and Ivan Bird’s dreamlike cinematography are what set Sexy Beast apart from other crime movies of its era. So does Kingsley’s scene-stealing performance as a malevolent agent of chaos, who blows in like a bad omen to wreak emotional and physical havoc on anyone and anything unfortunate enough to be close to him. That’s not even mentioning the score, which includes contributions from U.K. trip-hop outfit Unkle, who Glazer previously collaborated with on the music video for their 1998 single “Rabbit in Your Headlights.” Sexy Beast is an exhilarating, thorny, and terrifying case study in emotional manipulation that also happens to be a superb heist movie, and you should absolutely make it your priority to see it if you haven’t already. —Toussaint Egan

Movies to watch on Netflix

The street fighter.

Director: Shigehiro Ozawa Cast: Sonny Chiba, Yutaka Nakajima, Goichi Yamada Leaving Netflix: March 31

One of the most influential action movies ever made, The Street Fighter is a gloriously violent display of Sonny Chiba’s unique star power, as he rips and tears his way through a bunch of gangsters and lowlifes. Decades later, Chiba’s son Mackenyu ( One Piece ) is carrying that legacy forward... albeit in a slightly less violent fashion.

The first movie to receive an X rating in the U.S. because of violence, The Street Fighter not only inspired the title of the fighting game series, it also introduced the idea of X-ray fatalities, directly influencing Mortal Kombat . If you’re a fighting game fan and you’ve never seen The Street Fighter , this is your chance to fix that. — Pete Volk

Movies to watch on Hulu

Director: William Eubank Cast: Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie Leaving Hulu: March 31

Underwater is a lean genre project with B-movie flair and solid execution. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

Kristen Stewart stars as the mechanical engineer of a research and drilling facility at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. When disaster strikes and part of the facility is destroyed, she joins the remaining survivors in their attempt to make it out alive. With a strong cast (with the exception of T.J. Miller, who is graciously killed very early in the movie), solid direction by William Eubank (who just directed the solid action thriller Land of Bad ), and a tight script from Brian Duffield ( No One Will Save You ), Underwater is a fun popcorn sci-fi thriller. And with Love Lies Bleeding now out in theaters, why not check out an underrated Kristen Stewart project? — PV

Movies to watch on Max

Strange days.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis Leaving Max: March 31

Strange Days is a cult classic whose reputation is defined in no small part by how difficult it has been to watch on streaming. Max added the movie to its platform in January 2023, but not all good things last.

Set in a futuristic Los Angeles just two days before the end of the 20th century, Strange Days follows Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes), a black-market broker dealing in an illicit technology that allows the user to record their own memories and physical sensations and experience them after the fact. When Lenny comes across a recording that threatens to implicate the LAPD in a high-profile murder, he’s forced to turn to his old friend Lornette “Mace” Mason (Angela Bassett) in order to uncover the origins behind the recording while staying one step ahead of a mysterious killer that wants him dead.

Conceived by producer James Cameron and inspired by the 1992 LA riots that erupted in the wake of the infamous Rodney King trial, Strange Days is a pitch-black sci-fi thriller that touches on institutional racism, voyeurism, societal collapse, and sexual violence, the latter of which is focused primarily on women and Black people. It’s a hard watch — but nevertheless a worthwhile one that rewards its audience with a trio of terrific performances and a strikingly original vision of a bygone alternate future. —TE

Movies to watch on Prime Video

The swordsman.

Director: Jae-Hoon Choi Cast: Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyeon-so Leaving Prime: March 31

There’s no shortage of terrific Korean action movies . If you’re specifically looking for one that’s a stylish, emotional historical drama with fast and frenzied swordplay, I would highly recommend The Swordsman . Set in the aftermath of the Joseon dynasty, the movie follows the story of Tae-yul, the former bodyguard of King Gwanghaegun, who lives in seclusion with his daughter, Tae-ok.

Taey-yul has been afflicted with a condition that threatens to rob him of his sight, and in order to cure it, he’ll need special herbs afforded only to the most well-connected of families. Desperate to help her father, Tae-ok accepts an offer to serve a wealthy family in exchange for the medicine, but when she is inadvertently kidnapped as part of a larger conflict, Tae-yul is forced to come out of hiding to come to her rescue.

Joe Taslim of The Raid and Warrior fame shines as Gurutai, a sneering slave trader and Qing emissary who serves as the film’s primary antagonist. The action itself is terrific, but what really elevates The Swordsman as a whole is Tae-yul grappling with his rapidly diminishing eyesight and the unfolding tragedy of his backstory conveyed through flashbacks. At an hour and a half, it’s a perfect action film to pop on and watch over the weekend. —TE

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Alien: Romulus

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

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If you have to watch one Hulu movie in April 2024, stream this one

Posted: April 3, 2024 | Last updated: April 3, 2024

It’s the last great John Grisham movie

During the ’90s, lawyer-turned-novelist John Grisham was undefeated with legal thrillers that made the leap to the big screen. The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, and A Time to Kill were among the adaptations that became box office hits and established Grisham in Hollywood. Runaway Jury arrived at the tail end of that legendary run, and Grisham hasn’t had the same cinematic track record since.

Runaway Jury was underrated compared to the other Grisham adaptations despite its fantastic cast. But that makes it ideal to be rediscovered again now the film is on Hulu.

Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman are at the top of their game

Runaway Jury was the penultimate film in Gene Hackman’s career, and it gave him one of his best villainous characters. Hackman plays Rankin Fitch, a jury consultant whose legal philosophy is that almost every court case is decided before the trial during jury selection. Fitch knows which jurors he can manipulate and which ones will need to be blackmailed or coerced into seeing things his way. Fitch is so slimy that he makes Hackman’s Lex Luthor seem virtuous by comparison.

Speaking of virtue, Dustin Hoffman’s Wendell Rohr is no Superman, but he’s brave enough to take a case that attempts to hold a gun manufacturer liable for a mass shooting. It’s an uphill battle all the way, but Hoffman imbues Rohr with empathy for the victims and an undercurrent of fury towards the gun makers. Rohr really believes in the case and he’s largely an admirable character, even though Hackman kind of steals the entire movie from Hoffman.

John Cusack and Rachel Weisz bring the intensity

John Cusack tends to be better known for his comedy or rom-com films like Say Anything, High Fidelity, and Being John Malkovich. But when it comes to drama, Cusack is a little underrated. Runaway Jury gives Cusack a chance to shine as Nick Easter, a man inside the jury who hatches a scheme with his girlfriend, Marlee (Rachel Weisz), to swing the verdict towards one side.

Through Marlee, Rohr and Fitch are offered the opportunity to deliver the outcome they want in return for a $10 million payoff. Because Marlee is the one on the outside, she is actually in danger when Fitch’s associates start pushing back. Thankfully, Marlee proves to be fierce in her own right, especially during a harrowing encounter with one of Fitch’s thugs.

It’s a cat-and-mouse game with high stakes

Neither Fitch nor Rohr is eager to give in to Nick and Marlee’s ultimatum, but Fitch does everything he can to take the power away from them. Fitch’s attempts to find dirt on Nick come up empty, and Marlee demonstrates that she won’t roll over either.

That’s why the later stages of the film become cat-and-mouse games between the two sides, as Nick and Marlee pursue their agenda while Fitch’s men try to understand who they are and what they really want.

The ending is very satisfying

Without spoiling the resolution, we can say that Runaway Jury successfully brings its story to a conclusion and presents a definitive outcome. It even feels justified, given what the film reveals about the losing side and how far they were willing to go for their desired verdict. A strong ending always makes a story more complete, and that’s the final reason why you should watch Runaway Jury on Hulu this month.

Watch Runaway Jury on Hulu.

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Fairy Gone Season 1 Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Hulu and Crunchyroll

By Ritika Singh

Fairy Gone Season 1 is a Japanese anime show that revolves around an ex-soldiers who come up with a new battle strategy of using powerful fairies in the aftermath of a destructive war. However, trouble ensues when the fairy soldiers turn rogue taking advantage of the post-war situation. The first season of the show premiered on April 8, 2019.

Here’s how you can watch and stream Fairy Gone Season 1 via streaming services such as Hulu and Crunchyroll .

Is Fairy Gone Season 1 available to watch via streaming?

Yes, Fairy Gone Season 1 is available to watch via streaming on Hulu and Crunchyroll.

The first episode of the anime opens on a thrilling note as two long-lost best friends Marlya and Veronica are separated after the war. The two are re-united as they visit the auction for a page from Black Fairy Tome and engage in a fierce battle. It is up to these duo to stop the sales of artificial fairies by the brutal mafia gangsters.

The voice cast includes Kana Ichinose, Ayaka Fukuhara, Tomoaki Maeno, Ayaka Suwa, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yoshiki Nakajima, and others.

Watch Fairy Gone Season 1 streaming via Hulu

Fairy Gone Season 1 is available to watch on Hulu.  Owned by The Walt Disney Company, Hulu was launched in 2007. It offers an extensive collection of action-packed series and movies.

You can watch via Hulu by following these steps:

• Go to Hulu.com/welcome
• Select ‘Start Your Free Trial’
• $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year (With Ads)
• $17.99 per month (No Ads)

Hulu (With Ads) is the cheapest option, providing users access to Hulu’s streaming library with commercials. Hulu (No Ads) is the service’s premium option, providing access to its library without any advertisements. There are also several bundles available with Hulu that pair the service with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, along with Live TV plans that also include many live TV channels.

Watch Fairy Gone Season 1 streaming via Crunchyroll

Fairy Gone Season 1  is  available to watch on Crunchyroll.  Crunchyroll is a popular streaming service specializing in anime and manga. Apart from this, the streaming platform often offers live-action Asian dramas.

You can watch via Crunchyroll by following these steps:

• Go to CrunchyRoll.com
• $7.99 per month (Fan)
• $9.99 per month (Mega Fan)
• $14.99 per month (Ultimate Fan)
• Enter your personal information and select ‘Create Account’

The Crunchyroll Fan plan lets users stream the service’s entire library ad-free, watch new episodes shortly after they air in Japan, and read digital manga.

The Mega Fan plan offers the same service but also lets users stream on up to four devices at a time, allows offline viewing, and provides a $15 discount off $100+ purchases in the Crunchyroll Store every three months.

The Ultimate Fan plan offers all of the above on up to six devices at once, $25 off Crunchyroll Store purchases over $100 every three months, free shipping on all purchases, and an exclusive “swag bag” after 12 months of subscribing.

NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing.

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Emmys: Lead Actress (Drama) — Could Emma Stone Become the Third Actress to Win Oscar and Emmy the Same Year?

Variety  Awards Circuit  section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars,  Emmys , Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by  Variety  senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

OSCARS  |  EMMYS  |  GRAMMYS  |  TONYS

2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Commentary (Updated: April 11, 2024) : Emma Stone is on track to potentially become the first individual not named Helen to clinch both an Oscar and an Emmy in the same calendar year.

Fresh from securing her second best actress Oscar for her role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi comedy “Poor Things,” Stone’s standout performance in Showtime’s “The Curse,” opposite Nathan Fielder, positions her to emulate the achievements of Helen Hunt and Helen Mirren, the only women to have won both prestigious film and TV awards within the same calendar year. However, Stone faces stiff competition, notably from “The Morning Show” stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who, despite their strong performances on the Apple series, have never been jointly nominated or won.

Imelda Staunton, previously overlooked for “The Crown,” returns in its concluding season with strong prospects, possibly contributing to a triumphant night for the royal drama.

Additionally, the TV Academy might lean towards new talents like Carrie Coon, whose exceptional performance in “The Leftovers” went unrecognized , now shining in “The Gilded Age,” and Maya Erskine, whose delightful presence in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is undeniable.

Read:  Variety’s  Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in the major categories.

And the Predicted Nominees Are

Next in Line

Also in Contention

Eligible performances (lead drama actress).

**The list below is not complete and have been confirmed as officially submitted. All information is subject to change. Grouped by network that airs each series.

• Angela Bassett — “9-1-1” (ABC)
• Danai Gurira — “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” (AMC)
• Alisha Boe — “The Buccaneers” (Apple TV+)
• Kristine Froseth — “The Buccaneers” (Apple TV+)
• Noomi Rapace — “Constellation” (Apple TV+)
• Anna Sawai — “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” (Apple TV+)
• Juliette Binoche — “The New Look” (Apple TV+)
• Rebecca Ferguson — “Silo” (Apple TV+)
• Carrie Preston — “Elsbeth” (CBS)
• Queen Latifah — “The Equalizer” (CBS)
• Rosario Dawson — “Ahsoka” (Disney+)
• Angela Bassett — “ 9-1-1 ” (Fox)
• Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — “Justified: City Primeval” (FX)
• Sinclair Daniel — “The Other Black Girl” (Hulu)
• Carrie Coon — “The Gilded Age” (Max)
• Melissa Benoist — “The Girls on the Bus” (Max)
• Shanola Hampton — “Found” (NBC)
• Mariska Hargitay — “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC)
• Jess Hong — “3 Body Problem” (Netflix)
• Imelda Staunton — “ The Crown ” (Netflix)
• Zoe Saldaña — “Special Ops: Lioness” (Paramount+)
• Sonequa Martin-Green — “Star Trek: Discovery” (Paramount+)
• Roma Downey — “The Baxters” (Prime Video)
• Ella Purnell — “Fallout” (Prime Video)
• Maya Erskine — “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (Prime Video)
• Lili Taylor — “Outer Range” (Prime Video)
• Rosamund Pike — “The Wheel of Time” (Prime Video)
• “With Love” (Prime Video)
• “Billions” Showtime)
• “The Curse” (Showtime)
• Ruth Wilson — “The Woman in the Wall” (Showtime)
• Caitríona Balfe — “Outlander” (Starz)
• Jennifer Tilly — “ Chucky ” (Syfy)

More Information

2023 category winner : Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy — “Succession” (HBO) — Season 4

2024 Emmy Awards Calendar and Timeline (all dates are subject to change)

• Eligibility period: June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
• Feb. 29: Submissions open
• May 9: Deadline for programs that identify as Primetime programming to upload all entry materials.
• June 13: Nominations-round voting begins
• June 24: Nominations-round voting ends at 10:00 p.m. PT
• June 28 – July 8: Voting for peer group-specific top ten rounds panels (if applicable)
• July 17: Primetime Emmy nominations are announced.
• July 24: Deadline for errors and omissions to the nominations.
• August 5: Find-round videos available for viewing.
• August 15: Final-round voting begins.
• August 26: Final-round voting ends at 10:00 p.m. PST.
• Sept. 7-8: Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Governors Gala
• Sunday, Sept. 15: 76th Primetime Emmy Awards to air on ABC.

Emmy Awards Predictions

Other awards predictions, about the primetime emmy awards.

The Primetime Emmy Awards, commonly known as the Emmys, are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Established in 1949, these celebrate outstanding achievements in American primetime television. The Emmys are categorized into three divisions: the Primetime Emmy Awards for performance and production excellence, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards recognizing achievements in artistry and craftsmanship, and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards, which honor significant engineering and technological advancements. The eligibility period typically extends from June 1 to May 31 each year. The Television Academy, which hosts the Emmys, consists of over 20,000 members across 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans and executives.

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