And so another year comes to a close, and with it, this current format. Starting in 2024, I’m hoping to get even more curatorial, focusing on just the best stuff, as well as titles that aren’t among the same two dozen or so that pass from streamer to streamer.
FILMS
Top Picks
May December – Netflix 12/1
Maestro – Netflix 12/20
Once upon a Time in Hollywood – Hulu 12/25
The first two are strong awards contenders from Netflix. Although both have flaws that keep them from greatness, both feature tremendous performances and terrific music. The former follows an actress (Natalie Portman) as she insinuates herself in the life of an older woman (Julianne Moore) and her much younger husband (Charles Melton). The latter is the life story of Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper), focusing on his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
And you’ve probably seen Once upon a Time in Hollywood by now, or at least the many memes its spawned. But while it’s only four years old, it’s cemented itself as a modern classic. See for yourself, even if you’re not a huge Tarantino fan.
Other Recommendations
10 Cloverfield Lane – Paramount+ 12/1
The Addams Family (1991) – Paramount+ 12/1
Airplane! – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
Angel Heart – Paramount+ 12/1
Bend It Like Beckham – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
Black Swan – Netflix 12/1
The Bourne Trilogy – Hulu 12/1
Braveheart – Paramount+ 12/1
Boyz N the Hood – Netflix 12/1
Caddyshack – Paramount+ 12/1
Cloverfield – Paramount+ 12/1
Crawl – Paramount+ 12/1
The Dead Zone – Paramount+ and Prime Video 12/1
Death Proof – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
District 9 – Hulu 12/1
Face/Off – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
The Fugitive – Paramount+ 12/1
High-Rise – Hulu 12/1
The Hours – Paramount+ 12/1
The Hunt for Red October – Max 12/1
Hustlers – Hulu 12/1
In the Heat of the Night – Prime Video 12/1
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Disney+ 12/1
The Informant! – Max 12/1
The Iron Giant – Paramount+ 12/1
Jackass Number Two – Paramount+ 12/1
Judas and the Black Messiah – Paramount+ 12/1
Jumanji – Peacock 12/1
Juno – Hulu 12/1
L.A. Confidential – Netflix 12/1
Mad Max: Fury Road – Max 12/1
Man on the Moon – Peacock 12/1
The Matrix Trilogy – Hulu 12/1
Megamind – Paramount+ 12/1
Mother! – Paramount+ 12/1
Naked Lunch – Max 12/1
National Treasure – Hulu 12/1
Notes on a Scandal – Max 12/1
Paddington 2 – Hulu 12/1
Pitch Perfect – Peacock 12/1
Planet Terror – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
Red Dawn (1984) – Max 12/1
Rosemary’s Baby – Paramount+ 12/1
The Shawshank Redemption – Paramount+ 12/1
The Shining – Paramount+ 12/1
Skyfall – Max 12/1
The Souvenir – Max 12/1
The Suicide Squad – Netflix 12/1
Support the Girls – Prime Video 12/1
Taken – Netflix 12/1
Tangerine – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
That Thing You Do! – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
The Thing (1982) – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/1
Tombstone – Hulu 12/1
Trainspotting – Paramount+ 12/1
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas – Paramount+ 12/1
The Virgin Suicides – Paramount+ 12/1
War of the Worlds (2005) – Paramount+ 12/1
Witness – Paramount+ 12/1
Wonder Woman – Netflix 12/1
Crazy Rich Asians – Hulu 12/6
The Matrix Resurrections – Hulu 12/10
Asteroid City – Prime Video 12/12
Beau Is Afraid – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/21
No Escape (2015) – Paramount+ with Showtime 12/26
NEW SHOWS & SPECIALS
Top Pick
Reacher (Season 2) – Prime Video 12/15
This action-packed show was one of last year’s most pleasant surprises. This delayed second season adapts Lee Child’s Bad Luck and Trouble and promises even more bone-crunching enjoyment from the massive Alan Ritchson as the titular investigator.
Other Recommendations
Stavros Halkias: Fat Rascal – Netflix 12/5
The Crown (Season 6, Part 2) – Netflix 12/14
Trevor Noah: Where Was I – Netflix 12/19
OLD SHOWS
Top Pick
7th Heaven (Complete Series) – Prime Video 12/1
Does this show hold up? Absolutely not. Did I watch almost every episode until I entered high school? Yes, I did. Really, this recommendation is more for the incredible recaps done by Rob Anderson on Instagram and TikTok.