The 50 Best Movies on Netflix, WIRED’s Picks (January 2026)
SOURCE:Wired|BY:Matt Kamen, WIRED Staff
Good Night, and Good Luck: Live From Broadway, Frankenstein, and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery are just a few of the movies you should watch on Netflix this month.
Netflix has plenty of movies to watch. Maybe too many. Sometimes finding the right film at the right time can seem like an impossible task. Let us help you. Below is a list of some of our favorites currently on the streaming service—from dramas to comedies to thrillers.
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Good Night, and Good Luck: Live From Broadway
A live recording of George Clooney’s Broadway debut, this stage play adapts Clooney’s 2005 film of the same name, centered on CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow and his on-air battles with Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. It’s not a beat-for-beat re-creation though—beyond Clooney stepping into the lead role of Murrow, it extends the original movie’s examination of the role of media and journalism right up to the present day, for a powerful contrast of McCarthy’s spurious Communist witch hunts with present day politics. Darkly, depressingly resonant, but a powerful piece of theater that’s now accessible without the hefty ticket price.
Okja
Before winning Oscars and cementing his name in the Hollywood firmament with Parasite, Bong Joon-ho had something of a sideline in creature features. While 2006's The Host remains worth hunting down, this 2017 saga of genetic engineering and animal exploitation may be the director’s pinnacle of the genre. After helping raise an enhanced “super pig” in rural South Korea, young Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) is distraught when the American company behind its creation, Mirando, comes to take it back. Falling in with a group of Animal Liberation Front activists, Mija travels to Mirando’s headquarters in New York in a desperate effort to rescue her unlikely animal friend. Darkly satirical in places, Okja manages to explore themes of animal exploitation and environmental conservation without feeling preachy—and a dual-role from the ever-magnetic Tilda Swinton doesn’t hurt.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
The third installment in writer-director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series finds master detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) investigating “a perfectly impossible crime.” This time, it’s the death of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), whose firebrand preaching has alienated much of his small parish in upstate New York. All fingers point to junior priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor), a “young, dumb, and full of Christ” former boxer with a dark past. Of course, with Johnson’s skilled pen, nothing is clear-cut, especially when Wicks’ own flock—a murderer’s row of acting royalty, including Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, and Thomas Haden Church—all seem to have their own motives. Although it takes a somewhat darker, more ponderous tone than its predecessors, still packs in a wry sense of humor and makes for a fantastic third outing for what might end up being Craig’s definitive onscreen role. (Shake that, James Bond.)
First dropping on Netflix back in 2019, this BAFTA and Annie Award-winning animated masterpiece remains Netflix's finest festive outing. When spoiled Jesper Johansson is charged by his father, the powerful Postmaster General, with setting up a new post office in the isolated town of Smeerensburg, it seems impossible. With the community divided into two warring clans, the only thing residents send each other are frosty glares. Yet after crossing paths with surly woodsman Klaus, who has spent a lifetime carving toys, Jesper stumbles on a way to potentially bring the town together—and start a tradition in the process. While Christmas films teasing the origin of Santa are usually saccharine dives into schmaltzy sentimentality, Klaus offers a slightly darker take, from the murky, decrepit setting that evokes the unsettling vibes of A Series of Unfortunate Events to its version of the jolly gift-giver as an imposing, intimidating figure. Delivering plenty of heart along with its more mature tone, this almost otherworldly tale is a modern Christmas miracle.
Troll 2
Probably no one save for director Roar Uthaug (2018's Tomb Raider) had "Norwegian kaiju" down as an emerging genre, but this follow-up to 2022's original Troll makes a case for its improbable existence. Years after dealing with one rampaging titan unearthed from Norway's depths, paleontologist Nora Tidemann (Ine Marie Wilmann) is living in seclusion researching the creatures—until the government needs her advice on the hibernating "Megatroll" it has locked away. Soon, Nora—reunited with allies Andreas Isaksen (Kim Falck) and Major Kris Holm (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen)—is caught in another desperate race to prevent a trollpocalypse. This time though, there's an edge of Indiana Jones at work, with a madcap ancient conspiracy to decode alongside the troll-smashing action. Troll 2 is a bit more tongue-in-cheek than its predecessor, and ventures into so-bad-it's-good territory in places, but it knows exactly what it is and what it's offering: giant rock monsters beating the boulders off of each other. Don't overthink it and you'll have a smashing time.
Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things—The First Shadow
If you want to catch up on every facet of Stranger Things now that the fifth and final season is here, this fills in one gap that even binge-watching the entire show again won't: a behind-the-scenes documentary focused on production of the West End stage show The First Shadow. The film doesn't give the whole production away—though it's a prequel, set in 1959 and exploring how the sleepy town of Hawkins became ground zero for all things supernatural—but it's a fascinating look at the technical wizardry that went into bringing the show to life. It also explores how director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott, Netflix's The Crown) and legendary theater producer Sonia Friedman worked with the Duffer Brothers to root everything in the lore and history of the series, making this an important piece of the larger puzzle.
A House of Dynamite
If you knew an intercontinental ballistic missile was heading somewhere in middle America, potentially carrying a nuclear warhead, you'd probably hope that the US government and military would be on top of the situation. At the very least, you'd expect them to know who launched the strike, from where, and how to intercept it. In A House of Dynamite, the most terrifying thing is how much might not be known in such a nightmarish scenario, and how the very systems we think will protect us from nuclear war might not be up to the job. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and featuring a powerhouse cast including Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Tracy Letts, and Anthony Ramos, this triptych explores the same nightmarish 18 minutes after an unidentified missile is detected from three different perspectives, each chapter likely filling you with mounting existential dread. The film that pissed off the Pentagon, this political thriller is absolutely not for the faint-hearted.
Brick
When workaholic game developer Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer, Army of the Dead) and his partner Liv (Ruby O. Fee) break up, Liv finds it hard to walk away. Quite literally, as their apartment block has been mysteriously surrounded by an impenetrable barrier. Left with no choice but to smash through walls and ceilings to find a way out, teaming with other residents trapped inside as they do, the group desperately searches for an escape route—but the strange blockade and the building itself seems set on stopping them. Reminiscent at times of cult classic Cube, this German language sci-fi thriller (there's an English language dub, but it's truly terrible—stick with subtitles) is schlocky but satisfying entertainment.
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited take on Mary Shelley’s foundational work of science fiction is finally here—and it’s worth the wait. You all know the tale: Hubristic, obsessed Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) seeks to conquer death itself, but in animating his chimeric Creature (Jacob Elordi), he sows the seeds of his own demise. But del Toro's vision, awash with absolutely sumptuous set and costume design, and bolstered by a phenomenal expanded cast (notably Charles Dance as Victor's cruel father and Mia Goth in a dual role that adds a twisted perspective to Victor's motivations) brings the story to life like never before. It's instantly among del Toro's best works.
The Twits
Plenty of married couples bicker, but Mrs. Twit (Margo Martindale) and Mr. Twit (British comedian Johnny Vegas) hate each other. They only seem to stay together to bring their twisted theme park Twitlandia to life. But when their efforts go disastrously awry, it's left to orphans Beesha (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Bubsy (Ryan Lopez) and the mystical Muggle-Wumps to take down the wicked pair. Director Phil Johnston's (Ralph Breaks the Internet) take on Roald Dahl's dark children's tale is a world away from the original (and wisely jettisons some of the problematic elements of the source material), but despite keeping plenty of crass humor, it becomes surprisingly—if not subtly—political amidst the gross-out gags. One for younger viewers, but with enough wit to entertain older ones too.
The Blackening
When a group of Black college friends hold a reunion for Juneteenth, the vibe seems off. For starters, they’re meeting at a cabin in the woods, which is a little too close to horror movie territory. Such genre-savviness begins to pay off when they discover a suspicious board game in the basement and find themselves playing by a serial killer’s twisted rules—starting with determining the “Blackest” member of the group to sacrifice. With a cast of comedy greats including X Mayo, Jermaine Fowler, and Jay Pharoah, The Blackening is a self-aware and smartly satirical twist on horror movie conventions that brilliantly plays on its tongue-in-cheek tagline: “We can’t all die first.” Packing in just the right level of scares to avoid going full parody, this is perfect Halloween viewing.
The Running Man
In an America that has become a totalitarian police state, the corrupt government maintains power through propaganda and control of communication, making those it deems criminals fight for their freedom in a lethal game show that has replaced true justice. That’s in the dystopian “future” of 2017 though, where Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the latest victim of the system, forced to compete after being framed for a series of murders. Released in 1987, The Running Man finds Arnie at his cheesiest, delivering one-liners while killing outlandish goons with panache. While it loses a lot of the satire and cultural warnings of the original Stephen King novel, this action classic remains an entertaining watch, and well worth a look ahead of the upcoming remake, directed by Edgar Wright, which looks set to stick closer to the source material.
Mantis
Set in the same universe as Kill Bok-soon, this Korean action extravaganza shifts focus to contract killer Lee Han-ul (Yim Si-wan), better known as Mantis, who returns from a vacation—even assassins need a break—to find the violent world in which he operates in chaos. The shadowy organization MK ENT has fallen, leaving no one to enforce the honor rules that once governed the profession, but more importantly, creating a power vacuum to be filled. As Mantis aims to take control and restore order, his complicated relationship with ally/rival(/love interest?) Shin Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young) threatens to make everything a thousand times worse. While it takes a lighter tone than Kill Bok-soon, leaning more on comedy than action, Mantis serves up phenomenal fight choreography and sizzling chemistry between its leads, making for a solid spinoff.
Devo
Listen up, you spuds—Devo were more than a bunch of kooks wearing energy dome hats. The accidentally iconic band were pioneers of New Wave music, practically invented the concept of the music video, and did it all while sending polite society into a panic. Directed by master documentarian Chris Smith, this insightful film charts the rise of the band, from their formation in the wake of the Kent State shootings of 1970 through to becoming one of the most overtly political rock groups in history—even as their commentary on the devolution of mass culture was often lost on their listeners.
The Thursday Murder Club
In the picturesque retirement community of Coopers Chase, the Thursday Murder Club—former union leader Ron (Pierce Brosnan), psychiatrist Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), nurse Joyce (Celia Imrie) and de facto leader Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), a retired MI6 officer—meets each week to share their theories on cold cases. It’s all grim fun and games until one of Coopers Chase’s owners is murdered on their doorstep—right after opposing plans to redevelop the community as part of a luxury property deal. But as the club puts their not-so-amateur sleuthing skills to the test, they all emerge as suspects. Based on the series of novels by Richard Osman, and with a killer cast of British and Irish acting royalty, this is a cozy crime caper to die for.
Mononoke the Movie II: The Ashes of Rage
Set a month after the events of The Phantom in the Rain, the second in a planned trilogy finds the mysterious Medicine Seller returning to the Inner Chambers of the Imperial Palace in Edo-era Japan. While conditions for the emperor’s lower-ranking concubines have improved, prickly political machinations make things more dangerous than ever for the upper tier, including warring favorites Fuki and Botan—and that’s before a new supernatural terror raises its head. Another masterclass in tension and otherworldly horror, Mononoke maintains its stunning visual approach evoking watercolors on parchment, making for one of the most sumptuous and visually striking pieces of animation you’ll ever see.
Ziam
There’s a lot to recommend about Ziam, but the elevator pitch is just four words: Muay Thai versus zombies. The literal translation of the Thai title gives us four more: “Biting Mouth, Kicking Feet.” If that doesn’t make you want to watch this action-horror outing, seek help. Set in an already dystopian future where the climate crisis has melted the ice caps, former professional fighter Singh (Prin Suparat) is desperate to reunite with his girlfriend Rin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich), a doctor in his hometown of Chiang Dao. Cue one zombie outbreak courtesy of the shady VS Corporation, and soon Singh is punching, kicking, and elbowing his way through hordes of ravenous undead, trying to evacuate Rin and a young patient from her hospital—before it’s blown up to contain the infection! Think Ong Bak meets Dawn of the Dead meets The Raid, and throw in some of the most horrifying zombie designs in years, and Ziam makes for a schlocky but thrilling time.
KPop Demon Hunters
Three-part harmony group Huntr/x are at the top of their game. Not only are they the world's best-loved girl group, but in their secret side role as Earth's defenders against demonic forces, they're about to permanently seal away an ancient evil. Unfortunately, lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho) is hiding something from bandmates Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), and her dark secret may tear them apart right as they face their strongest foes—an evil boyband fronted by the devilishly handsome Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop). Blending the pastel-pop of Jem and the Holograms, the monster-slaying action of Buffy, and enough K-pop earworms to make Blackpink blink, Kpop Demon Hunters is a perfect summer movie for kids and families, a brilliantly animated adventure that's as fresh and memorable as its energetic musical numbers.
Our Times
In 1966, husband and wife physicists Nora (Lucero) and Héctor (Benny Ibarra) are equal partners at the University of Mexico, even though their colleagues see Nora as little more than Héctor's lab assistant. Then they crack the secret of time travel, catapulting themselves forward to 2025—and strand themselves here. While both marvel at the leaps humanity has made in half a century, Nora is delighted to be reunited with her former protégé Julia (Ofelia Medina), now dean of the university. But as Héctor finds himself desperate to return to the comfort and prestige he enjoyed in the past, the pair's relationship begins to fall apart. More rom-com than sci-fi, this is time-travel with a bittersweet touch.
Lost in Starlight
Dr. Nan-young Joo is desperate to follow in her late astronaut mother's footsteps and make it all the way to Mars. Jay is a slacker part-timer, loosely aspiring to be a musician. In this Korean animated movie from director Han Ji-won, they become a pair of literally star-crossed lovers, linked by a love of music. While the sci-fi aspect of it all makes for some spectacular visuals, from the futuristic-but-plausible view of Seoul in 2051, to truly cosmic, almost psychedelic, sequences as Nan-young ventures into space, the story's heart lies in the quieter, meaningful moments between its leads. Absolutely exquisite.
Kill Boksoon
To her friends, Gil Bok-soon (Jeon Do-yeon) is a successful events executive and dedicated single mother to her daughter Jae-yeong (Kim Si-a). In reality, she's the star performer at MK Ent—an assassination bureau, where her almost superhuman ability to predict every step in a critical situation has earned her a 100 percent success rate and a legendary reputation. The only problem: She's considering retiring at the end of her contract, a decision that opens her to threats from disgruntled enemies and ambitious colleagues alike. While its title and premise not-so-subtly evokes Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, director Byun Sung-hyun takes this Korean action epic to giddy heights with some of the most impressive fights committed to screen since, well, Kill Bill.
Bullet Train Explosion
Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is conductor of the Hayabusa 60 shinkansen, zooming from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo. A perfectly normal job—until a terrorist reveals a bomb onboard, which will explode if the train slows below 100 kmph. As authorities race to stop the attacker and rescue the passengers, Kazuya is forced to keep everyone onboard safe. What's that? It's just Speed on a Japanese train? Nah, Speed was just the original 1975 The Bullet Train on an American bus—and this modern-day version is equal parts remake and sequel to that Sonny Chiba-starring classic. It's more than an entertaining action thriller, though—director Shinji Higuchi relishes the opportunity to poke fun at point-scoring politicians crippled by bureaucratic process in responding to the crisis (no surprise to anyone who's seen 2016's Shin Godzilla, which he codirected with Hideaki Anno). High-speed, literally explosive action, with a satirical edge, Bullet Train Explosion is a blast (sorry).
The Imaginary
This gorgeously animated take on the concept of imaginary friends is a whimsical fable full of stunning visuals and big ideas. Adapted from the book by A. F. Harrold, The Imaginary follows young Amanda and her best friend Rudger—brought into being by her own mind—as they share countless adventures. But as Amanda ages, Rudger faces the fate of all Imaginaries: fading away as their humans forget them. The latest film from director Yoshiyuki Momose (Mary and the Witch’s Flower) and Studio Ponoc—spiritual successor to the mighty Studio Ghibli—this is a stunning ode to the power of imagination and friendship.
Dead Talents Society
When keeping the living terrified is the economy of the afterlife, death becomes a literal capitalist hellhole. Dead Talents Society sees warring "ghostresses" Catherine (Sandrine Pinna) and her former protégé Jessica (Eleven Yao) battling for glamour and prestige in the great beyond by innovating new ways of scaring mortals, while a newcomer known only as Rookie (Gingle Wang) struggles to make her mark with any scares at all—and risks fading away entirely if she can't earn her undead keep. A sharply satirical horror comedy poking fun at everything from reality TV to hustle culture, this Taiwanese outing from writer-director John Hsu beats Beetlejuice at its own game.
Leave the World Behind
A weekend getaway at a luxury vacation rental property for Amanda and Clay and their kids, Archie and Rose, takes a sinister turn in the wake of an inexplicable blackout. When the house's owner, George, and his daughter Ruth return early, suspicions mount—but a growing herd of deer lurking outside the house, failing vehicles, and scattered reports of attacks across the US force the two families to rely on each other in the face of what may be the end of the world. Adapted from the novel of same name by Rumaan Alam, and with a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, and Kevin Bacon, this relishes in keeping the audiences as uncertain as its characters, explaining little, and leaving questions you'll be mulling for days.
Troll
This gleefully entertaining giant monster movie abandons tearing up Tokyo or New York in favor of director Roar Uthaug’s (2018's Tomb Raider) native Norway, with a titanic troll stomping its way toward Oslo after being roused by a drilling operation. Although the plot and characters will be familiar to any fan of kaiju cinema, the striking Nordic visuals and the titular menace’s ability to blend in with the landscape, allows for some impressively original twists along the way. Although Troll could have easily descended into near-parody, Uthaug steers clear of smug self-awareness and instead delivers, and with a sequel arriving in December, now is the perfect time to revisit one of the freshest takes on the genre in years.
Y Tu Mamá También
It's uncommon to find much in the way of classic films on Netflix—the algorithm must ever be fed by the churn of the new—so the availability of Alfonso Cuarón's brilliant 2001 coming-of-age movie is a real delight. Set in Mexico in 1999, Y Tu Mamá También (“And your mother, too”) follows rich kid Tenoch (Diego Luna) and his working-class friend Julio (Gael García Bernal) on a road trip with Luisa (Maribel Verdú), the wife of Tenoch’s cousin. It's a journey that sees the young men—still boys, really—competing for attention from the beautiful older woman, trapping themselves in lies and trying to get by on unearned confidence, all while claiming to be heading to a picture-perfect beach that they made up. As for why the much more mature and experienced Luisa would go along with them in the first place? Pack tissues. While the film courted controversy for its frank depiction of sex and drugs (it's not one for family film night), it remains a masterpiece; a raucous and all-too-real examination of young friendships and fragile masculinity.
Parasite
Director Bong Joon-ho's searing 2019 thriller is the first non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and it's abundantly clear why. Its bleak exploration of economic disparity and condemnation of capitalistic excess is focused on its South Korea setting, but it resonates with global audiences. Parasite follows the struggling Kim family as they each infiltrate the lives of the wealthy Parks, posing as household servants to live a life of proximate luxury before their deception spirals wildly out of control. Somehow, it's also darkly comedic, mocking the obliviousness of the rich classes, both to their own privileges and to the desperation of the poor. Throughout, it's exquisitely shot and expertly paced, with Bong deftly increasing the tension with every scene until everything approaches a seemingly inevitable conclusion—and then still manages to twist and subvert audience expectations. A spectacular piece of filmmaking that deserves the hype, this examination of class and inequality feels more relevant than ever.
Carry-On
Is a movie set at Christmas in itself a Christmas movie? That debate has surged around Die Hard for decades. Now Carry-On asks the same question. A zippy thriller from House of Wax and Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra, this sees TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) caught in the Christmas Eve shift from hell when he’s blackmailed by a mercenary known only as the Traveler (Jason Bateman) into allowing a deadly package through security. Cue a lethal game of cat-and-mouse as Ethan tries to stop the Traveler—all with the life of Ethan’s girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) in the balance. It’s pulpy and schlocky in places, but this throwback action outing can’t help but entertain.
Joy
In vitro fertilization may seem like a relatively mundane medical procedure nowadays, one that's brought hope and family to countless people struggling to conceive, but when the procedure was developed by a trio of British scientists and medics in the 1960s and '70s, it was hugely controversial. That makes for powerful material for this dramatization, charting the work of nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton), and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), even as they're demonized by the public, the UK government, and even—perhaps especially—the church. McKenzie in particular is brilliant as Purdy, torn by her own conflict of faith at being involved in the life-changing work, which also involved providing safe abortion care to women who needed it, and struggling to deal with the ostracizing she faces from her family and community as a result. A powerful and provocative drama, even now.
Woman of the Hour
A serial killer is cast as a bachelor on a dating game show, allowing him to size up his next potential victim right in front of the audience watching at home. That'd be a twisted setup for a slasher flick—but what's horrifying about Woman of the Hour is that it's based on the real-life case of Rodney Alcala, who was a contestant on The Dating Game in 1978 while in the midst of a string of murders. This dramatization isn't centered on the killer, though. In her directorial debut, Anna Kendrick focuses instead on Sheryl (played by Kendrick, based on the real life Cheryl Bradshaw), the one unfortunate enough to be matched with Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), and the women who reported or suspected the killer, only to be routinely ignored by authorities. A taut thriller that makes clear the real horror lies in how easily Acala eluded attention for so long.
Will & Harper
Will Ferrell likely needs no introduction, but as former head writer of Saturday Night Live, Harper Steele is more accustomed to life behind the camera. Joining the hit show in the same week back in 1995, the pair struck up a decades-long friendship—so when Harper wrote to tell Ferrell she was transitioning to live as a woman, it was a big change for them both. It also formed the basis for this beautiful, heartwarming, and often laugh-out-loud funny road trip documentary following the duo as they cross the US in an old Jeep Grand Wagoneer, reconnecting and learning what their friendship looks like now. It's awkward viewing at times—some of Ferrell's questions blur the line between bawdy and simply rude—but it's a raw and authentic journey for them both. Beyond the personal touches, Will & Harper is a timely view of what America looks like for a trans person right now, making it possibly one of the most important documentaries Netflix has produced.
His Three Daughters
As their father approaches the end of his life, sisters Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), Katie (Carrie Coon), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) are forced to reconnect while waiting for the inevitable. Bleak stuff, but also grounds for masterful performances from the lead trio, with Rachel having taken on the bulk of care for months, Katie casting imperious demands despite avoiding the situation, and new-agey Christina trying to keep the peace—despite being at a breaking point herself. This is almost a locked-room piece, the apartment trapping the women, forcing them to come to terms with not only their father's death but their own relationships with each other, all while Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) haunts them even before his passing. Death may loom over director Azazel Jacobs’ drama, but His Three Daughters ultimately proves oddly life-affirming.
Grave of the Fireflies
When Seita and his young sister Setsuko are orphaned in the wake of the fire-bombing of Kobe during the final days of World War II, the siblings are forced into terrible circumstances to survive. Stuck between abusive extended family and the sheer desperation of scavenging around the ruins of their destroyed hometown, it's a bleak existence—and also the basis for one of Studio Ghibli's finest works. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies is unapologetically harrowing in its exploration of how war and nationalism chew up the most vulnerable, yet peppered with moments of unwavering love as Seita attempts to protect Setsuko's innocence. This searing wartime drama is sobering but essential viewing, a film that's more than earned its ranking in the upper echelons of the Best Studio Ghibli films.
Rebel Ridge
When corrupt cops run ex-Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) off the road for cycling while Black, they also seize the money he had been planning to use to post his cousin’s bail. Despite the injustice, Terry tries to do everything by the book but finds almost every aspect of the legal system against him. Out of patience, and fueled by immensely justified anger, he sets about tearing out the rot from the small town, aided only by court clerk Summer (AnnaSophia Robb). Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier could have made Rebel Ridge merely a modern day First Blood, but while there’s plenty of visceral, bone-breaking fight scenes, it’s the film’s righteously angry look at the baked-in failings of the American legal system that gives this its bite—all while cementing Pierre as an action star to watch.
Under Paris
This so-serious-it's-ludicrous French creature feature sees Bérénice Bejo as marine specialist Sophia Assalas, who is hunting down a mako shark that has not only spontaneously mutated to survive in the freshwater Seine but is also about to give birth to a host of baby man-eating sharks. Worse still? Paris is about to hold a triathlon, with the swim portion set to become an all-you-can-eat buffet! Look, not everything on this list needs to be high art—sometimes, you just need to see a mutant shark straight up chomping on people while increasingly desperate humans start blowing stuff up. Press Play, turn brain off, enjoy.
Godzilla Minus One
Despite the presence of the eponymous kaiju, Godzilla Minus One is a film rooted in the humanity of its protagonists, deserter kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), a survivor of the bombings of Tokyo. Thrown together as an ersatz family as they raise an orphaned baby, their attempts to build a new life turn chaotic when the irradiated reptile descends on the city just as it's beginning to recover. Director Takashi Yamazaki's reimagining of Japan's premier kaiju netted the King of Monsters its first-ever Oscar, picking up a statue for Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards, but this is a film that exceeds mere spectacle—it's a searing examination of life after war, and how a nation grapples with being on the losing side.
Suzume
Suzume Iwato (voiced by Nanoka Hara in Japanese, Nichole Sakura in English) lives with her aunt on Japan's southern island, having lost her mother in the Tōhoku earthquake of 2011. When a handsome young stranger named Souta (Hokuto Matsumura, Josh Keaton) asks her for directions to some local ruins, she follows him out of curiosity but disturbs a living keystone, accidentally unleashing an ancient power that threatens to destroy the entire country. Drawn into Souta's world, the pair chase the keystone, now in the form of a cat, across Japan in a desperate bid to reseal the destructive entity—a quest that would be easier if Souta hadn't been transformed into a child's wooden chair. The latest film from Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with You), Suzume is a breathtakingly animated slice of magical realism with a surrealist edge—but beyond the spectacle, it's a heart-warming tale of community and humanity, each stop on the unlikely pair's journey a snapshot of people and families coming together in the wake of tragedy.
Rustin
Directed by George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), this biopic explores the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. While perhaps best known as one of the chief organizers of 1963's March on Washington, Rustin was also openly, unapologetically gay at a time when that was phenomenally rare—and the film doesn't shy away from how that alienated many of the people he worked with, his sexuality often seen as a threat to the movement. A much-needed spotlight on an overlooked but pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, elevated by a central performance from a spectacularly well-cast Colman Domingo as Rustin himself.
His House
Fleeing war-torn South Sudan, Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are now living in a run-down house at the edge of London, harassed by their neighbors even as they try to fit in. The couple are also haunted by the lives they left behind—both figuratively and (possibly) literally, with visions of their late daughter Nyagak, who did not survive the journey, fading in and out of the walls of their dismal new home. The real horror of His House isn't the strange visions, haunted house, or potential ghosts, though—it’s the bleakness of the lives Bol and Rial are forced into, the hostility and dehumanization of the UK asylum process, the racism both overt and casual, all coupled with the enormous sense of loss they carry with them. Blending the macabre with the mundane, director Remi Weekes delivers a tense, challenging film that will haunt viewers as much as its characters.
Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate
Centered on the eponymous Berlin nightclub, this documentary explores the lives of LGBTQ+ people during the interwar years, from the roaring 1920s through the rise of the Nazis and into the horrors of World War II. With a blend of archival footage, recreations, and first-person accounts, director Benjamin Cantu paints a picture of gleeful decadence, the Eldorado as an almost hallowed ground where performers and patrons alike experimented with gender expression and were free to openly display their sexuality. It's an ode to what was lost, but with an eye on the bizarre contradictions of the age, where openly gay club-goers would wear their own Nazi uniforms as the years went by. Everything the Nazis Hate is emotionally challenging viewing in places, but it serves up an important slice of queer history that many will be completely unaware of.
They Cloned Tyrone
Drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) got shot to death last night. So why has he just woken up in bed as if nothing happened? That existential question leads Fontaine and two unlikely allies—prostitute Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) and pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx)—to uncovering a vast conspiracy centered on a Black-majority town called The Glen, where people are kept mollified by hypnotic rap music, dumbed down with drug-laced fried chicken and grape juice, and preached into obedience at church. But who’s using the town as a petri dish, and why is there a cloning lab buried underground? This lethally sharp satire from writer and debut director Juel Taylor masterfully blends genres, from the use of visual motifs and dated clichés from 1970s Blaxploitation cinema to its frequent steps into sci-fi territory and laugh-out-loud comedy. But it’s the powerhouse performances from its central cast that mark this as one to watch.
Nimona
Shapeshifter Nimona can become anything she wants, a gift that causes people to fear and shun her. If society is going to treat her like a villain, she's going to be one, so she decides to become the sidekick of the hated black knight, Ballister Blackheart. Unfortunately for the aspiring menace, Blackheart isn't quite the monster he's made out to be, and he instead tries to rein in Nimona's more murderous tendencies as he seeks to clear his name of a crime he didn't commit—and face down his old friend Ambrosius Goldenloin in the process. Adapted from N. D. Stevenson's groundbreaking graphic novel, Nimona is more than just another fanciful fantasy—it's a tale of outsiders and exiles, people trying to do right even when their community rejects them, and the joy of finding their own little band along the way. After an almost decade-long journey to the screen, this dazzlingly animated movie has become an instant classic.
Cargo
In a world already ravaged by a zombie-like plague, Andy Rose (Martin Freeman) only wants to keep his family safe, sticking to Australia’s rural back roads to avoid infection. After his wife is tragically bitten, and infects him in turn, Andy is desperate to find a safe haven for his infant daughter, Rosie. With a mere 48 hours until he succumbs himself, Andy finds an ally in Thoomi (Simone Landers), an Aboriginal girl looking to protect her own rabid father. But with threats from paranoid survivalists and Aboriginal communities hunting the infected, it may already be too late. A unique twist on the zombie apocalypse, Cargo abandons the familiar urban landscapes of the genre for the breathtaking wilds of Australia and offers a slower, character-led approach to the end of the world.
Call Me Chihiro
An idyllic slice-of-life movie with a twist, Call Me Chihiro follows a former sex worker—the eponymous Chihiro, played by Kasumi Arimura—after she moves to a seaside town to work in a bento restaurant. This isn’t a tale of a woman on the run or trying to escape her past—Chihiro is refreshingly forthright and unapologetic, and her warmth and openness soon begin to change the lives of her neighbors. Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, this is an intimate, heartfelt character drama that alternates between moments of aching loneliness and sheer joy, packed with emotional beats that remind viewers of the importance of even the smallest connections.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc in this brilliant follow-up to 2019’s phenomenal whodunnit, Knives Out. Writer-director Rian Johnson crafts a fiendishly sharp new case for “the Last of the Gentlemen Sleuths,” taking Blanc to a Greek island getaway for a reclusive tech billionaire and his collection of friends and hangers-on, where a planned murder mystery weekend takes a deadly turn. While totally accessible for newcomers, fans of the first film will also be rewarded with some deeper character development for Blanc, a role that’s shaping up to be as iconic for Craig as 007. As cleverly written and meticulously constructed as its predecessor, and featuring the kind of all-star cast—Edward Norton! Janelle Monáe! Kathryn Hahn! Leslie Odom Jr.! Jessica Henwick! Madelyn Cline! Kate Hudson! Dave Bautista!—that cinema dreams are made of, Glass Onion might be the best thing Netflix has dropped all year.
The Wonder
Florence Pugh dazzles in this not-quite-horror film from Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio. Set in 1862, English nurse Lib Wright (Pugh) is sent to Ireland to observe Anna O’Donnell, a girl who claims to have not eaten in four months, subsisting instead on “manna from heaven.” Still grieving the loss of her own child, Lib is torn between investigating the medical impossibility and growing concern for Anna herself. Amid obstacles in the form of Anna’s deeply religious family and a local community that distrusts her, Lib’s watch descends into a tense, terrifying experience. Based on a book of the same name by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is a beautiful yet bleakly shot period piece that explores the all-too-mortal horrors that unquestioning religious fervor and family secrets can wreak.
RRR
One of India’s biggest films of all time, RRR (or Rise, Roar, Revolt) redefines the notion of cinematic spectacle. Set in 1920, the historical epic follows real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitrama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) but fictionalizes their lives and actions. Although they come from very different walks of life, their similarities draw them together as they face down sadistic governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and his cruel wife, Catherine (Alison Doody). No mere period fluff, RRR is a bold, exciting, and often explosive piece of filmmaking that elevates its heroes to near-mythological status. Director S. S. Rajamouli deploys brilliantly shot action scenes—and an exquisitely choreographed dance number—that grab viewers’ attention and refuse to let go. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Indian cinema or just looking for an action flick beyond the Hollywood norm, RRR is not to be missed.
I Lost My Body
An award winner at Cannes in 2019, this tale of burgeoning young love, obsession, and autonomous body parts is every bit as weird as you might expect for a French adult animated film. Director Jérémy Clapin charts the life of Naoufel, a Moroccan immigrant in modern-day France who falls for the distant Gabrielle, and Naoufel’s severed hand, which makes its way across the city to try to reconnect. With intersecting timelines and complex discussions about fate, I Lost My Body is often mind-bending yet always captivating, and Clapin employs brilliantly detailed animation and phenomenal color choices throughout. Worth watching in both the original French and the solid English dub featuring Dev Patel and Alia Shawkat, this one dares you to make sense of it all.
Don’t Look Up
Frustrated by the world’s collective inaction on existential threats like climate change? Maybe don’t watch Don’t Look Up, director Adam McKay’s satirical black comedy. When two low-level astronomers discover a planet-killing comet on a collision course with Earth, they try to warn the authorities—only to be met with a collective “meh.” Matters only get worse when they attempt to leak the news themselves and have to navigate vapid TV hosts, celebrities looking for a signature cause, and an indifferent public. A bleakly funny indictment of our times, bolstered by a star-studded cast fronted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up is, somewhat depressingly, one of the best portraits of humanity since Idiocracy.