Movies To Stream While Quarantined (Part 5)

Charlie Wilson's War (Hulu)

Uh oh, I'm on my Aaron Sorkin bullshit again. This was one of the least recognized out of all the movies Sorkin has written, but you'll be able to tell it's his work nonetheless. His signature fast-paced, witty dialogue is unmistakable.

What makes this movie entertaining is not just the script, but the performances which are absolutely amazing. It stars Tom Hanks as Charlie Wilson, the US congressmen who decides to put forth his political power in order to help the people of Afghanistan get out from under the brutal occupation of the Soviet Union in the early 1980's. When he does, the consequences of his actions begin to branch much further than anticipated. Along with Tom Hanks, the cast is powered by legends like Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and John Slattery. It's a great drama for adults that has no problem keeping your attention.

The American President (Hulu)

Uh oh, here I go again with Aaron Sorkin. You should just take my word for it at this point when I say that he's the best screenplay writer in Hollywood.

With more witty dialogue, this gem follows Michael Douglas as US President Andrew Shepard during the end of his first term as he's up for re-election following the death of his wife. He begins to fall in love with a paid lobbyist and is immediately under attack by his political opponents. It's incredibly charming and sweet. A great watch if you want something light.

Bad Education (HBO)

A more recent addition to the streaming service, this HBO original movie is based on the true story of the largest public school embezzlement scandal in American History. Hugh Jackman shines as Frank Tassone, the superintendent of the school and head of the scheme. This is honestly the best performance Hugh Jackman has given since Prisoners. The first half of the movie gets you to love Frank, because on the surface he's everything you want out of a superintendent. He cares about the kids, knows all their names, and is a true icon in the community. However, he, along with a few others, are slaves to their own desires. The craziest part of this true story is that the embezzlement was uncovered via the high school's student newspaper.

This is a great drama with great performances and will constantly leave you googling, "did this really happen?" on your iPhone.

Hanna (HBO and Hulu)

Normies know Saoirse Ronan from Lady Bird, but to me, she's always been Hanna. Hanna flew under the radars when it came out in 2011. It is an action-thriller about a 16-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin as she is dispatched across Europe while being tracked by ruthless intelligence agents.

It's an unorthodox thriller with a very familiar overarching plot that manages to provide a great story about a girl who begins to question her own humanity as she realizes she's never had an actual childhood. With Eric Bana as Hanna's father amd Cate Blanchett as the ruthless operative that pursues Hanna, this is a great action movie for everyone.

Risky Business (Hulu)

Oh man, I love the 80's. While other 80's coming-of-age movies like Ferris Bueller and The Breakfast Club are more innocent, this one deviates from the formula and is anything but innocent. Tom Hanks stars as pretty much himself as a teenager whose parents leave for the weekend. The weekend turns into a wild adventure involving prostitutes and car chases. Aside from it's great script, it's simply a fun movie with such a sharp 80's tone to it that you'll find all sorts of nostalgia for an era that you never even lived through.

The Graduate (Hulu)

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me." You've heard the quote, but now you have to see the movie behind it.

A college graduate (Dustin Hoffman) is torn between his girlfriend and her mother. Pretty simple plot but it is brilliantly done. It's so much more than a comedy-drama about a graduate who is unsure about his feelings towards two separate women, a mother and a daughter. It is also a psychologically-driven look at our protagonist and how he sees the situation he's in. It also gives great commentary about society and how our protagonist is unsure of how he feels about it or his place in it. Along with its many layers, the film has a stellar soundtrack, stellar acting, which have all caused this film to age like fine wine.

Booksmart (Hulu)

The only thing that could make this movie more like the girl-version of Superbad was if Jonah Hill was in it....wait...his little sister is in it...then I stand corrected.

This movie was surprisingly funny and charming. It makes its case for being one of the better raunchy high school comedies and its two stars have a great career ahead of them. Similar to Superbad in literally every way, I honestly cannot tell if its ripping it off or not, but honestly I don't really care. It's funny and well-written and a fun watch if you want something light-hearted.

A Star is Born (HBO)

The plot of this movie is not new, since this is one of several adaptions of the same story about a broken musician who falls for a young unknown and helps her rise in the music industry. However, this movie stands out for its stellar soundtrack and modern spin. I know all the words to Shallow, I'll admit it. I also know all the words to Black Eyes. Honestly, if Bradley Cooper's character was a real artists, I could see myself going to at least one of his concerts.

And Lady Gaga...I mean wow...not only a great singer but an amazing actress too. A lot worked in this movie, including some extremely uncomfortable moments. Rather or not you like this kind of movie, you'll at least get a kick out of its awesome song selection.

X-Men: First Class (HBO)

Sony's X-Men series has been quite the roller coaster. It started relatively strong back in the early 2000's but lost its touch. This idea of looking at the X-Men during their youth in the cold war era offered a brand new lens to look at them through and it worked SO WELL.

Aside from Logan, this movie was the best X-Men movie we ever got. With the absolute dumpster fire that X-Men: Dark Phoenix was, it makes me yearn even more for a time when Sony actually knew what they were doing with one of the most iconic comicbook superheros.