Well, a lot has happened in the world since I’ve last posted on here, and it looks like a lot will continue to happen for the foreseeable future. Even if there aren’t any new movies in theaters, I know that I’ll definitely be capitalizing on time at home to watch older movies that I haven’t seen, so I figured that I would post a list for you all of BenWatchesThings Approved movies available on streaming services. Keep in mind that the movies on streaming services change every month, but this is where streaming services’ libraries stand as of April 8th.
As for future BenWatchesThings content? I have some ideas, but here are some movies to enjoy in the meantime. Stay safe!
Additional movies: Top 50 Movies of the 2010s article
Netflix:
Inglorious Basterds: Tarantino at his very best. There’s a constant balance of dark comedy and unbearable tension in every scene, and it’s truly a feat to behold. Dare I say one of my favorite movies ever?
Ex Machina: A taut slow-burn thriller that gets under your skin and messes with your head. Pure sci-fi magic.
Green Room: Brutal, relentless, and incredible. Not for those with weak stomachs.
Magnolia: A three-hour epic of emotion that always wears its heart and ambition on its sleeve, and it leads to some truly amazing results. You’ve never seen anything like it.
The Witch: A modern-day horror masterpiece that takes its time as it plays you like a fiddle. Be sure to watch with subtitles to understand the heavy accents.
The Talented Mr. Ripley: Unsettling and tragic in all the right ways. Maybe my favorite Matt Damon performance?
Minority Report: Spielberg can pull off any genre, so naturally his take at a sci-fi action flick starring Tom Cruise is as thrilling as it is thoughtful.
Enemy: An atmospheric and psychological trip that will send you down an internet rabbit hole for days. Oh, and the last two shots are…well, you won’t forget them anytime soon.
The Social Network: Bar none, one of the best movies of the 21st century. This is an electric two hours where every line of dialogue feels as urgent a threat as a ticking time bomb, all while being painstakingly relevant.
Her: A beautiful movie about love, loneliness, and our relationship with technology. Every shot sears into your eyeballs.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Some of the best fight choreography ever put to screen, and also a great gateway into foreign-films.
Drive: Don’t go in expecting an action movie, but rather a thoughtful and stylish character study anchored by a terrific Ryan Gosling.
Steve Jobs: Not to be confused with the Ashton Kutcher movie Jobs, this movie takes the conventional format of most biopics, flips it on its head and instead is something pretty amazing.
A Ghost Story: This movie is a miracle. It’s probably a bit too out there for me to wholeheartedly recommend it to everybody, but if you have the patience to let the movie take you where it goes, you’re in for something truly special.
Groundhog Day: Just a really clever and heartwarming comedy.
Marriage Story: Emotionally devastating, but surprisingly hilarious and filled with nothing other than immense heart and sympathy for its two main characters. Every scene is a massive flex in acting, writing, and direction.
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse: Visually stunning and an amazing ode to why we love Spider-Man, this movie straight up dunks not only on most animated or superhero movies of the previous decade, but most movies, period.
Lethal Weapon: The buddy-cop movie that (basically) invented the buddy-cop movie.
Okja: It wouldn’t be a Bong Joon-ho movie without some bizarre mix of heart, comedy, and social commentary, and Okja wildly succeeds on all fronts.
Moonlight: This movie is so beautiful it’s actually kinda ridiculous. The character development is truly some of the best I’ve ever seen, and it’s a movie that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
Good Time: An absolutely wild shot of adrenaline into your veins that never eases up. Just so, so freaking good.
Snowpiercer: If you want an action movie with some meat on its bones and some things to say, look no further than this.
Train to Busan: I’m not the biggest fan of zombie movies, but I have to admit that this really impressed me. There’s a great emotional core at the movie’s center that adds another layer to all the carnage happening on-screen.
Raiders of the Lost Ark: I get that film is subjective and all, but if you don’t think this is one of the greatest action movies ever made, then, well…
Burning: You will feel queasy throughout this entire movie, and the best part is that you don’t even know why just because the atmosphere is so freaking great.
Step Brothers: Did you touch my drumset?
Rosemary’s Baby: One of the most horrifying movies ever made, all while relying on little other than a constant sense of paranoia throughout.
There Will Be Blood: Daniel Day-Lewis delivers an all-timer of a performance in what is regarded as one of the finest movies of the entire century.
The Spectacular Now: One of the great modern rom-coms.
Inception: A movie so complex and ambitious that it has no right to work, yet it’s a modern classic and one of the best heist movies ever.
Jerry Maguire: Tom Cruise giving the most Tom Cruise performance ever, all while in a movie that nails the rom-com formula. So, yeah, of course I love it.
The Shawshank Redemption: Get busy watching this movie or get busy missing out on one of the best movies of the 90s.
Hulu
Parasite: An absolute masterpiece of suspense, comedy, and social commentary. It’s hard to overstate just how incredible this movie is.
Eyes Wide Shut: It’s only fitting that Kubrick’s last movie is the most Kubrick thing ever made: bizarre, haunting, and impossible to take your eyes away from. Definitely not a movie to watch with the family.
28 Days Later: Now might not be the best time to watch a post-apocalypse movie, but if you’re in the mood for one then definitely check out this grounded depiction of zombies.
The French Connection: Decades later, this 70’s classic still has the best chase sequence of all time.
Annihilation: An absolute trip of a movie. Horrifying, gorgeous, and thought-provoking, this is truly everything I love about good sci-fi.
Booksmart: Is this basically Superbad? Yes. Should you care? No.
Bumblebee: Turns out that Transformers movies can be good when they’re not an incoherent mess of explosions, but instead a heartwarming and fun riff on movies like The Iron Giant.
Hunt For the Wilderpeople: Endlessly quirky, all while having a heart so big that it you can hear it beating in every scene.
Good Will Hunting: Wait, you haven’t seen this movie?
When Harry Met Sally: It’s unfair for a movie to be this charming, both in how cleverly it subverts rom-com tropes, but also how effortlessly it makes you fall in love with its characters.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout: I smile like a madman anytime I watch this movie. The action sequences are so beyond physical comprehension that I question whether Tom Cruise is actually human, because it’s clear enough that he’s crazy, and we’re all the luckier for it.
The Art of Self-Defense: Both hilarious and cruel, often at the same time. A must-watch for anybody with a dark or dry sense of humor.
Shoplifters: A heartbreaking and nuanced depiction of a poor family in Japan. I’m still not over the ending months later.
Swingers: One of the best ‘buddy movies’ ever. Also, probably my definitive go-to for a feel-good movie.
Amazon Prime
The Farewell: A movie about cancer that will pull on your heartstrings just as much as it will make you laugh.
The Lighthouse: A descent into rabid madness that makes your quarantine cabin fever look like child’s play. It’s kind of hilarious too?
Mission: Impossible – Fallout: I smile like a madman anytime I watch this movie. The action sequences are so beyond physical comprehension that I question whether Tom Cruise is actually human, because it’s clear enough that he’s crazy, and we’re all the luckier for it.
Hereditary: A horror movie where family drama is just as horrifying as supernatural elements. Oh, and it’s also the best horror movie of the 2010s.
The Big Sick: Man, rom-coms sure are a great thing.
Eighth Grade: Painfully awkward, yet that’s all part of the fun in this portrayal of adolescence that’s both timeless and also tied to the internet age.
Zodiac: A near three-hour crime drama that morphs into something far different and far more special than the mystery you’re expecting. Expect to go down an internet rabbit hole for days after watching this.
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