10 Recommended Movies You Can Stream Now

Ex Machina (Netflix)

Translated from "Deus Ex Machina" which means "God by reason of the machine", this movie is a fascinating look into moral ambiguity of AI. You know those videos of the robot that looks like a human woman that makes you uncomfortable with its facial expressions? This movie is that same fear, but less off-putting. It's a haunting and brilliantly-told thriller about a young programmer who participates in an experiment put on by a reclusive CEO of a internet mega-corporation. The experiment is revealed to follow the programmer's interactions with the world's first true AI, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.

When the line between machine and human become blurred, things begin to take strange and horrifying turns. Give this a watch if you want a good sci-fi, then have uncomfortable conversations with Siri and Alexa about whether or not they like you afterwards.

Cloverfield (Netflix)

Back when the amateur-footage genre of movies wasn't taking the term amateur too literally, we got one of the best monster movies of the 2000's. This movie is told as a compilation of video footage from a group of friends who were out celebrating when a monster attacks New York City. The dynamic of the characters is great and though you never truly see the monster in full, it is a thrilling look at what normal people would do when a giant, Godzilla-like monster goes for a night on your town.

City of God (Netflix)

Now that Korean cinema's Parasite has convinced people to consider subtitles, consider Brazilian cinema. Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, City of God was the Parasite of the early 2000's. A Brazilian-film that is not for the faint of heart, it tells a story about several children raised in one of the many violent neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro as their experiences in the ever-changing landscape of their city shape some into criminals and others into poltroons. We are told this story through the perspective of Rocket, one of the boys who becomes a photographer who's only way out of this life is through the brutal honesty of his pictures (Holy shit, I am deep).

The movie is not something to passively watch and does require subtitles, however it is an important movie that everyone should watch at some point in their lives.

The Big Sick (Amazon Prime)

This might be one of the only romantic comedies to have earned an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, but it certainly earned it. The Big Sick stars Kumail Nanjiani and is loosely based on his experience meeting his wife. It follows him as he deals with the cultural differences of being Pakistani-American dating a white girl. It follows a simple formula at first: Kumail is a struggling comedian, he meets Emily, they fall in love, his family doesn't approve, but then Emily gets sick and falls into a coma and Kumail doesn't leave her side despite clashes with Emily's parents played by the brilliant Ray Romano and Holly Hunter.

This movie is a joy to watch and is perfect if you want a feel-good, yet hilarious time.

Super 8 (Amazon Prime, Hulu)

If you find yourself saying, "Wait, this is just Stranger Things and IT mixed together," then that's because it pretty much is, and it's not necessarily a bad thing.

The movie follows a group of stereotypical 80's kids (The main kid, the tomboyish girl, the fat kid, the nerd, etc.) as they accidentally witness a train-crash that results in some sort of creature escaping. Their super 80's town is then suddenly full of very 80's-like shady government people who are trying to cover the accident up. In a very 80's-like fashion, the 80's kids do a very 80's thing and outsmart the military to try and find the creature. The government back then were very prone to getting outsmarted by children it seems, but this movie is so damn enjoyable you'll love it just like you loved Stranger Things.

True Grit (Amazon Prime, Hulu)

One of my favorite and all-time classic westerns, True Grit is a Coen brothers movie through and through. It follows Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) after her father is killed as she hires the experienced US marshal named Rooster Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges, the only man Hollywood apparently trusts to play an old western lawman). Together, they accompany a Texas ranger (played by Matt Damon) on a classic quest for revenge.

Funny, emotional, and witty as hell, this movie is one of the most critically-acclaimed westerns ever made.

Captain Fantastic (Hulu)

This is a movie flew under everyone's radar, but is one of the most thought-provoking dramas I've seen, with one of the most fascinating family dynamics I've ever watched.

It follows a father (Viggo Mortensen's best role since Aragorn) as he raises his six children in the middle of a forest, secluded from the rest of the world. He raises them with a rigorous physical and intellectual education that makes even the 8-year-old more educated than your average college student. After the death of the mother, however, they are forced to leave their comfort zone and go into the real world. It truly shows displays the dynamic of knowledge versus experience.

Prisoners (HBO)

This movie is every parent's worst nightmare. One of the best thrillers of all time, the film follows two fathers (played by Hugh Jackman and Terrance Howard) and an unorthodox detective (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) in the immediate aftermath of discovering that their two young daughters have been abducted. We see as the two fathers slowly become more and more desperate to find their girls that they begin to take matters into their own hands, resorting to any means necessary.

It's haunting, scary, edge-of-your-seat type stuff that will keep you glued to that Roku TV until there very end when you finally breathe and decide to watch The Office for a bit while you decompress.

Casino Royale (HBO)

Plain and simple, this is the best James Bond movie. It's slick, it's stylish, it has the best Bond girl of all time, and will make you think that Vesper Martinis are really cool (they don't taste as good as the movie makes it out to be, stick to your vodka sprite). A terrorist financier has set up a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale to win money to finance terrorism, and it is up to bond to win the poker game to prevent that from happening.

Lot's of intense action, awesome fight scenes, and witty dialogue, yet the most unrealistic thing about this movie is the fact that Bond won a poker game by beating the villain's full house with a straight flush on the last hand.

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (HBO)

On god, Spongebob said, "You don't need a license to drive a sandwich," and the I still think it's overlooked for the all-time best movie quotes list. Top candidate for all-time Oscar snubs. I won't respond to any replies to this statement.