As people have started to stay home I have gotten more than a few texts asking for suggestions on what to watch with all this extra time on our hands. So each week I will suggest six movies that you should see that are currently streaming on Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu. These might be films that came out in the last few years or older films you might have missed, but either way, these are films that are worth watching.
Netflix
Private Life
Staring Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, Gabrielle Reid
Written and Directed by Tamara Jenkins
Run Time: 2 hours 3 min
This is a story about an author who is undergoing multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant, putting her relationship with her husband on the edge. The performances will move you and its also worth checking out Jenkins other work. This was a film that you may have missed when it dropped on Netflix in October of 2018.
Mississippi Grind
Staring Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Yvonne Landry
Written and Directed by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Run Time 1 Hour and 43 Min
Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, Gerry ( Mendelsohn) teams up with a younger charismatic poker player, Curtis (Reynolds), in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip though the south with visions of winning back what’s been lost. This film finds Reynolds just before he became Deadpool and reminds us he can do so much more than make us laugh.
Amazon
The Florida Project
Staring Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe
Written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch, Directed by Sean Baker
Run Time 1 hour and 51 min
Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee (Prince) as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother (Vinaite), all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World. This was one of the best movies from a few years ago and it still is as beautiful as ever. It also has one of the most memorable endings.
The Handmaiden
Staring Min-hee Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Jin-woong Cho
Written by Sarah Waters, Ser-kyeong Jeong, Chan-wook Park, Directed by Chan wook-Park
Run Time 2 hours and 25 min
A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese Heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her. This movie is masterfully put together by Chan-wook Park with its twist and turns and a beauty you don’t see often in movies.
Hulu
Booksmart
Staring Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams
Written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman, Directed by Olivia Wilde
Run Time 1 hour and 42 min
On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try and cram four years of fun into one night. I have been screaming about the joy of this movie since it came out last May and it is the perfect film to lighten up the mood and have a good time with.
I, Tonya
Staring Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney
Written by Steven Rogers, Directed by Craig Gillespie
Run Time 1 hour and 59 min
Competitive ice skater Toyna Harding (Robbie) rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes. It seems so long ago when our world was filled with this scandal, but Rogers and Gillespie take us back in a way that is fun and entertaining. With some of the best fourth-wall breaking by Robbie and an all-time great ‘mom’ performance by Janney, this is a unique bio-pic that will stay with you.
