Holes (2003)

Based on Louis Sachar’s book of the same name, “Holes” is a staple film for an entire generation. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette and more, the story centers on Stanley Yelnats (LaBeouf) who is unfortunately part of a cursed family. Yes, literally. It doesn’t get too supernatural though; it’s just a great neo-Western. Plus, it’s been too long since “Dig It” by The D Tent Boys was in your head.

Wayne’s World (1992)

As far as “SNL” sketches go, “Wayne’s World” may just have the longest legacy at this point. Are we worthy? No. Are we grateful? For sure. Starring Mike Meyers — this actually marks his film debut — and Dana Carvey, this comedy earned love from both critics and fans, and right now you can watch it for free!

The Heat (2013)

Paul Feig has a pretty deep comedy catalogue, but “The Heat” is arguably one of his very best. It stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as law enforcement officials who get forced together on a case, despite their opposite personalities — Bullock is an uptight FBI agent, McCarthy is a rough-and-tumble cop. Yes, it’s a buddy-cop movie with two very funny ladies. It’s worth revisiting.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

“Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” is pretty much everything you could want from a Jason Statham action flick. Statham does his thing, every line delivery from Aubrey Plaza is pitch perfect, Josh Hartnett stars as a sweet semi-himbo, and Cary Elwes gets to be a little dastardly. If you’re looking for much else from an action movie, I don’t know what to tell you, your standards are too high.

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

Angela Bassett, Regina King and Whoopi Goldberg. Need we say more? As summer draws to a close, you can send it out properly by going to Jamaica with Stella and watching her fall in love again (having a blast while doing it). This movie is considered one of Bassett’s best, and you can see why pretty clearly when you watch it.

The Wiz (1978)

With “Wicked: For Good” on the way and “The Wizard of Oz” headed to The Sphere in Las Vegas, make sure you don’t leave out another excellent retelling of the story. Starring legends including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and more, the film takes full advantage of the voices it has in its cast. Ease on down the road while you wait for the next piece of “Wicked.”

Robots (2005)

It’s been 20 years since “Robots” hit theaters, and really, you may not remember it at all. So, we think it’s time to revisit. It’s got Robin Williams, it’s got peak Amanda Bynes and so many more in its cast, and it’s just kind of delightfully silly. It arguably should’ve gotten a sequel, and discussions did happen, but Blue Sky animation instead focused on its “Ice Age” franchise.

“Dazed and Confused”

Few films evoke high school memories as strongly as “Dazed and Confused,” Richard Linklater’s follow-up to his 1990 feature debut, “Slacker.” The film features a sprawling cast of high schoolers, filled with incoming freshmen, rising seniors and everything in between, as they coalesce on the final day of the school year. The movie may take place in 1970s Texas, featuring hazing rituals and pastimes that may seem alien to today’s current crop of high schoolers, yet the feelings depicted within Linklater’s lackadaisical story remain eternal.

“Dazed and Confused” is surely a funny film, with a number of riotous moments that hold up well. In many ways, it’s one of the ultimate hangout movies, an easy watch that also has immense depth. Linklater perfectly renders the high school experience: the want to be liked, the desire to fit in, the simultaneous feeling that you’ve never been more caged and you’ll never be more free, the frustration that those around you are losers but the losers seem to be having more fun. It’s a miraculous movie, and still one of Linklater’s best.

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”

In August, Netflix added an Amy Heckerling two-hander, adding the director’s debut (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) and her most popular feature (“Clueless“) to the service. It’s hard to imagine “Fast Times” as a debut. The film helped launch the careers of several notable stars, including Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker and a slew of others (such as Nicolas Cage, Anthony Edwards and Eric Stoltz in minor roles).

The comic elements of this high school coming-of-age story land well. Reinhold establishes himself as a comedy lead as Brad Hamilton, a high school senior bouncing from job to job and pondering whether he can do better as a “free man” away from his girlfriend of two years. Penn gives a lights out performance as Jeff Spicoli, an eternal stoner who unwittingly finds himself in a feud with history teacher Mr. Hand (played impeccably by Ray Walston). 40 years later, Spicoli remains an iconic performance on the level of comedy movie classics.

Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe (who based the film on a book he wrote while undercover as a high school student) add emotional weight to “Fast Times” through the central character of 15-year-old Stacy Hamilton (Brad’s younger sister, played by Leigh). Leigh commands her half of this film, playing a young woman looking for romance and sex with nuance and empathy. It’s a phenomenal performance, one that helps elevate “Fast Times” from just another high school comedy to being one of the all-time classics.

“Groundhog Day”

One of the best rom-coms of all time, “Groundhog Day” features Bill Murray as a man who refuses to change until he gets bored of everything else. Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin’s holiday-themed comedy sees weatherman Phil Connors (Murray) stuck in Punxsutawney, PA, reliving the same day on loop for years. It’s a brilliant premise for a comedy, one that has been, ironically, used over and over again.

Murray excels at playing Connors as both hopelessly selfish and believably changed. It is just as fun to see him playing God as it is rewarding to see him finally consider the people around him. Andie MacDowell, meanwhile, plays a strong opposite, showing someone who doesn’t need to be trapped in Hell to think a small town can be interesting and beautiful. For a movie based on repeating its scenes, you would think “Groundhog Day” wouldn’t make a rewarding rewatch, but this comedy could be played on loop without getting old.

“Midnight Run”

It sounds silly to imply that Robert De Niro doesn’t get enough credit as an actor — but when it comes to comedies, does Robert De Niro get enough credit as an actor? Anyone unfamiliar with his skills as a comedian need look no further than “Midnight Run.” Soon after Martin Brest made “Beverly Hills Cop,” he directed this buddy movie from screenwriter George Gallo. The film follows De Niro as Jack Walsh, a jaded bounty hunter who attempts to bring in Mafia accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin) while being pursued by various parties.

“Midnight Run” is buddy comedy filmmaking at its best, a tight, effective script with a slew of engaging character actors and hilarious sequences. De Niro and Grodin have off-the-charts chemistry in their painfully slow evolution from adversaries to begrudging allies to eventual friends. It may not be a drama, but this is a hall of fame performance from De Niro.

“One of Them Days”

As the concept of the cinematic comedy hangs on for dear life, 2025 provided the genre a reprieve. This year saw several outrageously funny films rock theaters, with cringe-out instantly classics like Tim Robinson and Andrew DeYoung’s “Friendship” and joke-a-minute throwbacks like Liam Neeson and Akiva Schaffer’s “The Naked Gun.” Way back in January, Keke Palmer, SZA and Lawrence Lamont’s “One of Them Days” started the year off on the strongest foot imaginable.

“One of Them Days” follows roommates Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) as they try to make it through the day from hell. When the pair discovers that their rent payment was misused on the way to their landlord, they have mere hours to come up with the $1,500 they need to keep their apartment. This takes them on an odyssey throughout South L.A., one involving blood banks, vindictive gang leaders and a Terminator-like quest for vengeance. Palmer continues to leap off the screen with the infectious energy she demonstrated in projects like “Nope,” while SZA delivers a phenomenal comic performance in her cinematic debut.

“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”

If “The Naked Gun” had you rolling the theater aisles, be sure to check out Akiva Schaffer’s other directorial efforts, including and especially “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” The mocumentary, starring the Lonely Island trio of Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg, tells the story of fictional popstar Conner4Real (Samberg) as his career reaches a new low.

Listening to the soundtrack alone would be an enjoyable experience, featuring extended versions of the songs in the film. Highlights include Samberg bragging about his own humility and fighting for gay rights while repeatedly underscoring that he, himself, is straight.

The film itself plays in much the same way as Schaffer’s “Naked Gun” reboot, with every few seconds bringing a new joke that’s genius, absurd or some mixture of the two. If you’ve ever even passively laughed at a Lonely Island gag, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” will be well worth the watch.

“Shiva Baby”

“Shiva Baby” has the honor of being the only film on this list that could also be described as a horror movie. There are no jump scares or murderers or anything like that. The film simply catches tension by placing viewers in a nightmare scenario: a gathering you don’t want to be at with people you don’t want to see asking questions you don’t have answers for.

Emma Seligman’s feature directorial debut (adapting her short film of the same name) introduced many audiences to Rachel Sennott, who has since gone in to become a comedy star in films like “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “Saturday Night” and Seligman’s “Bottoms.” Sennott stars as Danielle, a 20-something with no professional prospects who goes with her parents to a shiva observance with their family and friends. Also in attendance are Danielle’s ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) and current sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari), along with his wife (Dianna Agron) and child.

In “Shiva Baby,” Seligman created a perfect artifact of anxiety, ratcheting tension and discomfort through her mercifully short (yet somehow eternal) 78-minute feature. She and Sennott are a match made in heaven, with the comic performer knowing exactly how to capture every awful aspect of being at a family gathering in your early 20s. “Shiva Baby” is one of the strongest debuts of the 2020s, and an absolute hell of a comedy.

The Haunting of Hill House

Mike Flanagan’s first horror series for Netflix also shot him into a new level of recognition. “The Haunting of Hill House” – adapting Shirley Jackson’s novel – tells the bleak story of a family ruined by their short time in a new home they moved into.

The story serves as a puzzle with it taking place across two time periods – in the past when the family moved to the house, and in the present with everyone scattered to the wind and picking up the pieces years after living through what happened – and asked viewers to figure out what was true among a variety of unreliable narrators. “Hill House’s” exploration into grief and how different individuals process their trauma differently hits much harder than it had any right to.

The Midnight Club

Mike Flanagan has become a near-household name in the horror genre and his first foray into teen horror may scratch the “Wednesday” itch if his series “The Haunting of Hill House” is a bit too intense. The series takes place at a mysterious manor that serves as a hospice home for terminally ill kids. The titular club consists of eight kids who meet each night to tell horror stories and grapple with their mortality.

The Umbrella Academy

Few Netflix shows have nailed the misfits banding together to save the world trope better than “The Umbrella Academy.” The series follows a group of has-been heroes that grew up fighting crime with an assortment of powers, only to become estranged until a death in their found family brings them back together. What follows is four seasons of bats–t storytelling that works more often than it doesn’t.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy – the next in a long line of Slayers tasked with protecting humanity from all manner of supernatural entities, be they vampires or others. Juggling that, she also has to deal with high school (and later, adult) woes. The show was ahead of the curve in many of the topics and themes it explored, and it changed how TV stories were told with its masterful blend of episodic and serialized storytelling. With a new revamp around the corner, there is no better time to check out the original.

What We Do In The Shadows

Go all in on outcast and misfit humor with FX’s hit “What We Do In The Shadows.” The show chronicles the misadventures of a handful of vampires just trying to get through their day living in the modern world. The series hails from Taika Waititi so expect his brand of humor when you settle in and enjoy one of the funniest shows to drop in the last decade.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Like “Wednesday,” “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is a dark coming-of- age story that follows Archie Comics character Sabrina the Teenage Witch as she comes to terms with being both part witch and part mortal. The theme of outcasts is strong in “Wednesday” and Sabrina and her friends would likely fit right in at Nevermore Academy.

Locke and Key

Another teen coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist, “Locke and Key” adapts a graphic novel by Joe Hill – the oldest son of Stephen King. After their father dies, a mother and three children move to his family home, which is much more than meets the eye. Magical and reality-bending keys liter the property and start finding their way into each of their hands. What follows is classic good vs. evil as the family fights to keep the keys from forces that would use them for the wrong reasons.

“10 Things I Hate About You”

only Adapting William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” in a 1990s schoolyard setting, the Julia Stiles/Heath Ledger-starring “10 Things I Hate About You” is a gold standard for teenage rom coms. Only four years in the wake of “Clueless” — a megahit modern-day update of Jane Austen’s “Emma” — it would be easy for a movie like this to feel like derivative old news.

Yet the film carries an infectious energy from moment one, mixing bursts of Shakespeare-like language with more modern parlance (“The mewling, rampalian wretch herself. Stay cool, bro” comes to mind). From director Gil Junger and writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, “10 Things I Hate About You” holds up 26 years later as a thoroughly enjoyable and well-crafted teen movie that frequently feels like lightning in a bottle.

“District 9”

“District 9” being a feature directorial debut feels impossible. Former VFX artist Neill Blomkamp smashed onto the scene in 2009 with his science fiction phenomenon, a much longer adaptation of his own six-minute short film “Alive in Joburg.” Blomkamp expands upon the already interesting ideas presented in this short, fleshing them out into a full-length feature unencumbered by the same temporal or monetary limitations. The documentary techniques and cinema verite style employed by Blomkamp and cinematographer Trent Opaloch further immerses viewers in the world of “District 9,” one that feels fully realized wherever the extraterrestrial Prawns are concerned.

“John Wick: Chapter 4”

Every movie in the “John Wick” series (sans “Ballerina”) joined Hulu on Aug. 15, allowing fans to stream one of the defining action stories of the 21st century. Each of the films, starring Keanu Reeves as the titular Boogeyman-like assassin, carry their weight, showing a franchise evolution from a nearly straight-to-DVD revenge story to a sprawling, set piece-heavy epic of a finale (for now). You won’t make a mistake by queuing up any of these movies.

But “John Wick: Chapter 4” stands far ahead of the rest of the pack. The film boasts some of the finest action sequences of all time, playing up the physical comedy found across the franchise (the last act in particular plays like a bloody, hour-long dance). Chad Stahelski fine tunes every already admirable aspect of the series to create a stunning conclusion, one where Reeves delivers his best performance as the character to date. A brief scene involving John Wick in a church is one of the actor’s finest moments.

“John Wick: Chapter 4” widens the aperture in an already sprawling underworld, introducing a new cast of characters that feels both enormous and focused. One of the film’s strongest aspects is the introduction of Donnie Yen as Caine, a blind assassin and friend of Wick’s who is sent to kill his former ally. Caine provides a strong foil to Wick, someone who has yet to escape the underworld and struggles to avoid the death of a loved one — essentially, he’s playing a version of John from before the franchise started. In this dichotomy, Stahelski and writers Shay Hatten and Michael Finch find a way to layer a compelling narrative about friendship and loyalty without sacrificing a beat in their massive action epic.

“The Monkey”

Less than a year after the release of “Longlegs,” Osgood Perkins followed his dark and dreary serial killer film with a horror movie with a strikingly more comic tone. “The Monkey” adapts Stephen King’s short story of the same name about a wind-up primate whose cymbals clash as a warning of impending doom (in Perkins’ movie, copyright issues caused the monkey to become a drummer instead). Perkins and star actor Theo James, who plays twin brothers in the film, steer hard into the silliness and absurdity of the story while playing it entirely straight.

What results is an uproarious horror flick both handsomely directed and frequently hilarious. With each progressive death, the gimmick of the monkey only gets funnier, with James’ dual characters treating the wind-up simian as death incarnate. It’s a film both gory and goofy, boasting the same craft as “Longlegs” while seeing Perkins operate in a different register. 2025 is packed with King adaptations, and “The Monkey” started them off on the right paw.

“Pretty Woman”

In August, Hulu added Garry Marshall’s romantic comedy “Pretty Woman,” starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Roberts received a much-deserved Oscar nomination for the role, delivering a performance that wholly elevates the material. Her chemistry with Gere is off the charts, making them an iconic pair in the ’90s rom-com landscape. These two hold the film afloat with unimpeachable performances that help elevate “Pretty Woman” into one of the most recognizable entries in the genre.

“Raising Arizona”

In the Coen brothers’ second feature, Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter play an odd couple. H.I. McDunnough is a former criminal (they’ve got a name for people like him, a parole board chairman tells Hi, and that name is called “recidivism”). His wife, Ed, is a former police officer. The pair falls in love through a series of meet cute bookings and endeavors to have a child; however, they soon learn that Ed can’t have children, and Hi’s criminal past makes adoption an uphill battle (Ed’s police service, it turns out, does not overrule Hi’s offenses). When the couple learns of wealthy furniture magnate Nathan Arizona’s surprise quintuplets, they decide to do his family a favor by taking a baby off their hands.

If “Raising Arizona” aspired only to be a broad comedy, it would likely work fine, fueled by cartoony set pieces and beyond over-the-top accents. Yet the Coen brothers inject the film with the same patience and cinematic artistry as can be found in any of their character-driven dramas. The central conflict between Hi and Ed is a compelling one, depicting two people who want desperately to be parents and do the right thing, but who are not fully prepared for either. They want to do “everything decent and normal from here on out.”

But Hi, a recidivist in Reagan’s America, can’t quite figure out how to make that happen. He wants to be a father without passing too much of himself onto his son. “I fear that if I stay, I would only bring bad trouble on the heads of you and Nathan Jr.” he writes to Ed late in the film. “I feel the thunder gathering even now. If I leave, hopefully it will leave with me.” It’s both an emotional and a hilarious performance from Cage, building to a gut punch of a final scene.

“Ready or Not”

“Ready or Not” is one of the surprise horror films of the 2010s, making a meal out of what sounds like a truly forgettable premise: what if there was a horror movie about hide and seek? Radio Silence filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (the team behind 2022’s “Scream” and “Scream VI”) somehow find gold in this premise, delivering a hilarious thrill ride about a new bride (Samara Weaving) trying to survive a children’s game with her cultish in-laws on her wedding night. Weaving makes a meal out of this intensely physical performance, immediately crowning herself as a scream queen for a new generation — literally. Her guttural, vibrato-heavy yell in the film’s final act needs to be heard to be believed.

10. “Bring Her Back”

The sophomore feature from YouTube creators-turned-feature-filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou is a more somber, disturbing affair, trading in “Talk to Me’s” dark jubilation for a kind of rueful bleakness. Sally Hawkins, in a tour de force performance that might remind you of Toni Collette in “Hereditary,” plays a woman who adopts two young children – one of whom is partially blind. She already has a foster kid too, who is acting … peculiar. What is going on in this house and what does it have to do with a scratchy tape Hawkins keeps watching? These are some of the mysteries nestled within “Bring Her Back.”

While some found the slow burn nature of the narrative a bit too deliberate, you’ll be rewarded for sticking with “Bring Her Back,” which leads to a blood-soaked downer of an ending as remarkable as anything in their inaugural outing. (Somehow, you’ll never look at tables the same way again.) Give “Bring Her Back” time and it might just become the cult favorite that “Talk to Me” was out of the gate.

9. “Together”

A horror movie about the terror of codependence, “Together” stars the real-life husband and wife duo of Dave Franco and Alison Brie, as a young couple who leave the city and head to the country, only to get involved in something far spookier. One of the rare breakouts from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Neon won the rights to the movie after interest from everyone from A24 to Searchlight Pictures. And it’s easy to see why – the combination of uncomfortable relationship intimacy and supernatural body horror is genuinely irresistible. Franco and Brie give committed performances and while the lore behind their commingling gets a little fuzzy (it involves a magic well and some cults, just to be clear), it’s their relationship, in all its ups and downs, that leads you through. It’s got some of the most scream-out-loud moments this year, that’s for sure. Deep breath.

8. “Companion”

One of the more underrated horror movies of the year, “Companion” snuck into theaters early in 2025 and is still one of the year’s very best. Written and directed by newcomer Drew Hancock and produced by “Weapons” filmmaker Zach Cregger, “Companion” is set in the near future and follows several couples as they spend a weekend away at a country house. This is a fairly typical set-up, especially for a low-budget genre movie, but “Companion” goes in a startlingly different way – one that was, regrettably, spoiled by early marketing materials – namely that Iris (Sophie Thatcher) is Josh’s (Jack Quaid) robot girlfriend. Where the movie goes from there is similarly unpredictable, with a very game cast (including Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén and Rupert Friend) fully committing to the bit.

Hancock is a smart writer and an even better director, assembling the movie as a series of suspense set pieces, punctuated by timely relationship commentary and, of course, discussion around the dangers of technology and AI. In short, it’s the perfect horror movie for now. It should have been huge.

7. “Final Destination Bloodlines”

What a wonderful surprise. Who would have guessed that there was still so much gas left in the “Final Destination” tank – or that the sixth (!) film would be the second-best in the franchise? From the very beginning, you can tell “Final Destination Bloodlines” is going to be special. Instead of the typical modern disaster, the setup was something in the past – a late 1960s Space Needle-type restaurant that goes up in flames. We then flash forward to today, as the contours of the story start to take shape. Instead of a group of survivors, who are forced to avoid Rube Goldberg-style death traps, it’s an entire family tree. It’s a stroke of genius and makes for a much more fulfilling, emotionally resonant movie, as they bicker and fight before getting sucked into a tree shredder (or whatever).

Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein know how to stage these scenes brilliantly but they also understand that you have to care about the characters for their horrible deaths to mean anything. It also has perhaps the best ending of any of the movies – both jubilant and downbeat. There’s a reason the movie was a surprise smash, making nearly $300 million worldwide – it’s just that good.

6. “The Monkey”

Osgood Perkins made last year’s word-of-mouth horror hit “Longlegs,” a serial killer thriller with occult overtones. And he followed it up with something in the complete opposite direction – a Stephen King adaptation so wacky and blood-soaked that it feels like a movie that you would rent and watch at a slumber party, with all of your buds laughing and screaming at every exploding body and dismembered corpse. Theo James plays the adult version of twins who receive a monkey toy from their father; when they wind it up and the monkey hits its drums, somebody dies in some horrifying way. Years later, one of the twins goes on a quest with his young son to find and destroy the monkey before it causes anymore damage.

Perkins said that he was inspired by 1980s classics like “Gremlins” and “Creepshow” (another King favorite) and it really does have the kind of freewheeling energy that exemplified those earlier films. It’s funny, it’s scary, it’s out of control. And it speaks to the kind of artistic elasticity of Perkins, as he has quickly proven himself to be one of the most exciting and electric genre filmmakers working today. And his next movie comes out in November!

5. “Presence”

Of course, a horror movie directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp would be built around an ingenious concept, on both a technical and narrative level. “Presence” is a ghost story told from the perspective of the ghost. The entire movie is told from the entity’s point-of-view, as it careens around a nondescript house that wouldn’t be out of place in the same neighborhood that “Poltergeist” took place. We watch the drama in the house unfold, between various family members, and start to piece together who the ghost could be and what it is trying to accomplish with this haunting.

The performances, led by Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan as the parents and Callina Liang as the teenage daughter that the entity seems particularly obsessed with, are tender and nuanced and give so much life to a story that could have otherwise been overwhelmed with death. And the shtick of the floating camera never feels like a gimmick, it’s key to the understanding of the story and to understand these characters in the way that we do. At 85 minutes, too, the movie never overstays its welcome. “Presence” is a gift.

4. “Heart Eyes”

Undeniably the most underrated horror movie of the year, “Heart Eyes” works because its dicey gambit of being a romantic comedy as much as it is a slasher film, is treated seriously and totally works. The Heart Eyes Killer is an infamous masked serial killer who targets lovers on Valentine’s Day. And this year the killer is hunting Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding, mistaking them as a committed couple when, in fact, they’ve only just met. They’re forced to survive a very long night as the killer stalks them, while also falling in love. It’s a meet-cute that turns into a stay-alive. Both leads are adorable and know exactly the tone that director Josh Ruben and writers Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy are going for, paying homage to “Friday the 13^th Part VI – Jason Lives” as much as “When Harry Met Sally.” And the Heart Eyes Killer is a distinct, iconic figure, with the heart-eyes mask and array of gadgets.

Beautifully shot by Stephen Murphy and featuring an ace supporting cast that includes Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster, Michaela Watkins and Gigi Zumbado, “Heart Eyes” should have been an oversized hit when it was released this Valentine’s Day. There should have been an announcement about another sequel already. But here we are, waiting for streaming numbers or other metrics to tip the scales. “Heart Eyes” should stalk – and swoon – another day.

3. “28 Years Later”

A legacy sequence to a movie that still feels cutting edge, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland returned to the post-apocalyptic wasteland for “28 Years Later,” their first team-up since “Sunshine.” In the world of “28 Years Later,” Britain is a quarantine zone. (“28 Weeks Later,” made with little involvement from Boyle and Garland, has been deleted from the sacred timeline, so that movie’s coda with zombies entering Paris, is no more.) Those indelible images of Cillian Murphy wandering around an abandoned London have been replaced by a small island village off the coast of Great Britain, where a young father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is dealing with his precocious son (Alfie Williams) and ailing wife (Jodie Comer). When father and son embark on a mission to the mainland, the movie mutates, first into something resembling a folk horror tale and then into something sweeter and more unexpected, as the son brings his mother to the mainland in search of a doctor (Ralph Fiennes).

Taking inspiration from Ken Loach’s 1969 coming-of-age film “Kes” and embroidered by a one-of-a-kind score by Scottish hip hop act Young Fathers, “28 Years Later” has a sensation all its own – if you don’t sob through the first act, you might be a heartless zombie. At least the sequel, written by Garland and directed by Nia DaCosta, is just around the corner, arriving in theaters in January 2026.

2. “Weapons”

Zach Cregger’s follow-up to “Barbarian” is an ambitious epic, mixing tones and styles with gleeful abandon. Part of the fun of “Weapons” is in the way that it slowly reveals its sinister secrets, so we will be brief and opaque when it comes to our description of the movie. But we can say this – in the town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, a group of kids get up at 2:17 a.m. and leave their homes. Julia Garner plays the teacher of the class of kids, Josh Brolin is one of the fathers and Alden Ehrenreich is the local cop investigating the disappearances, with a bulk of the story taking place a month after the kids went missing. And that’s really all you need to know! The way that the narrative unfolds, following various characters as they go through this experience, and the way that Cregger mixes dread and comedy, is absolutely galvanizing. And the movie’s thematic undercurrents, about how a community processes grief and explains away violence, makes everything that much more powerful. It’s a must-see and one of the year’s very best movies.

1. “Sinners”

Leave it to Ryan Coogler, who had amassed an unlimited reservoir of goodwill following his “Creed” and “Black Panther” movies, and who decided to utilize that goodwill on a hugely expensive, beautifully photographed passion project – a musical vampire movie, stuffed with symbolism and historic context, that is also one of the most fitfully entertaining movies of the past few years. In “Sinners” Michael B. Jordan plays the Smokestack Twins, bootlegging brothers who rode with Al Capone for a time but who have returned, in the early 1930s, to their backwater Mississippi town. Their plan is to open a rowdy juke joint. This is an entrepreneurial act, for sure, but also looks to enrich their community by giving the folks working the plantations and the cotton fields somewhere to go after work and be free. Of course that freedom is threatened when a vampire (Jack O’Connell) shows up and looks to turn the revelers into blood-sucking children of the night.

“Sinners” is piled high with themes and ideas, with Coogler exploring everything from the importance of Black business ownership to the (literally) transcendent power of the blues, to vampirism as a cultural force as much as it is a supernatural one. And the fact that all of this stuff doesn’t clash with one another, instead building beautifully to something melancholic and unforgettable, is one of the many magic tricks of “Sinners.” Coogler made a stone-cold masterpiece that defies easy categorization and demands further excavation. Complete with one of the great scores of the year (by Coogler’s frequent collaborator Ludwig Göransson), this is one for the ages.

Contestant Ryan Benson Recalls Having Urine in His Blood Due to Strict Diet

“Biggest Loser” Season 1 winner Ryan Benson recalls going to drastic lengths to win the competition series, even intensifying his already strict diet during the last week of the season.

“In the end, it worked out great ’cause I won, but I was doing what most doctors would say were super unhealthy things,” Benson said during the documentary. “The last 10 days I didn’t put any food in my body. I was doing the master cleanse, just drinking lemon juice and maple syrup, cayenne pepper, all these tricks that are super unhealthy just to cut weight. At the final weigh-in, we had to do a urine test and they said, ‘Ryan, there’s blood in your urine,’ which obviously means you’re sooo dehydrated.”

After he won, he remembers Jillian Michaels allegedly telling him, “You just made me a millionaire.”

Contestants Call the “Temptation” Challenge Cruel

One of the smaller challenges contestants had to participate in during the competition was a “Temptation” challenge. During the event, contestants were brought into a room where they were welcomed by several plates of junk food. They were given two options: eat enough food and gain a certain amount of calories to win a prize, which one could be going home to see your family, or refuse the food and continue as they were. Regardless of the option they chose, they still would be weighed and would need to lose pounds by the end of the week.

“That’s mean. We go through enough shit,” Joelle Gwynn said. “We’re trying to do better.”

From producers’ ends, it merely showed that everything is a choice.

“What is a temptation? A temptation is real life,” producer J.D. Roth said. “I can’t say that 100% of the temptations we got right. But I can say that life is full of temptations.”

Producers Wanted Contestants to Get Sick

While explaining the depths and lengths producers would go to make entertaining television, “Biggest Loser” coach Bob Harper shared that producers were excited at the idea that contestants could get sick if they worked out too hard.

“Producers loved that s—t; they were like, ‘We want ’em to puke. We want the madness of it all,” Harper explained.”

Executive producers said it simply made for a better show.

“One big Kumbaya doesn’t make great television, I’ll tell you that,” David Broome.

Contestant Says She Almost Died After First Challenge

Season 8 contestant Tracey Yukich said she developed a potentially deadly condition called Rhabdomyolysis after the first challenge of “Biggest Loser.” At the time, contestants were instructed to run a mile and cross a finish line in order to make the cut for the show. While she was running, her body gave out on her and she collapsed.

“Rhabdomyolysis is your body saying, ‘I’m going to shut down on you,'” Yukich explained. “It started with my liver, then it went to my kidneys and then it goes to your heart. And that’s where I almost died.”

She decided to continue on, saying it the moment “was her drive.”

I just cheated death,” Yukich said. “Completely cheated it, didn’t die. It’s on.”

“Biggest Loser” Allegedly Didn’t Include or Inform Medical Advisors About Every Challenge

During the show, Dr. Robert Huizenga was tasked with overseeing the contestant’s health and wellbeing. But during more grueling challenges, he says producers and coaches would sometimes leave him out.

“The show could’ve done a better job,” Huizenga said. “They didn’t alert me of the challenge. I mean, I should be at every one of the challenges.”

Dr. Huizenga said that he threatened to quit the show every season over the show’s negligence, mentioning that trainers would try to make participants consume as low as 800 calories a day.

“Every season I pretty much said I was going to quit unless I got to talk to the trainers,” Huizenga said. “So they would force them to come in and I would give my little half an hour speech and maybe some things changed, not as much as I would like.”

Harper said the meal plans and exercise regimen were the coaches’ realm.

“No one was going to tell us what to do when it came to diet and exercise. It was our meal plans, it was our exercise program,” Harper said.

Joelle Gwynn Says She Was Verbally “Abused” by Trainer Bob Harper

During one of the workouts, the contestants were instructed to run on a treadmill nonstop for 30 seconds. The effort was a struggle for Gwynn, who repeatedly stopped running about 10 seconds shy of the 30-second mark. After failed attempts, Harper became irate and cussed Gwynn out.

“I’ve never seen someone get abused like that. It was very, very, very embarrassing,” Gwynn said. “It brought me back home. I’m there because I would get sh-t like that and eat. So you cursing me out doesn’t help me. I do not care for Bob Harper. F-ck you, Bob Harper. You’re little dog, too.”

From Harper’s point of view, he wanted Gwynn to make a commitment.

Contestants Were Given Non-Approved Caffeine Pills

During the show, contestants were supposed to only lose weight through diet and exercise. However, some contestants say there given caffeine pills to boost their energy and stamina.

“At some point I was given stackers, and a stacker was like a caffeine pill,” Danny Cahill shared. “You’re allowed one of these a day, but they were approved by the trainer. I took it cause I decided that caffeine would probably help me in a workout.”

Dr. Huizenga said caffeine pills were against the rules of the show, which trainer Michaels admitted to doing without a doctor’s permission.

“Caffiene, a weight loss pill, was absolutely against everything in the show,” Huizenga said. “No caffeine pills, no caffeine. I banned coffee ’cause people were abusing it. It was in the show rules, and the patients signed off to that and the trainers signed off to that, and all the producers signed off to that. If a trainer tells you something different and you elected to do that, that’s on you.”

Several Contestants Either Gained Their Weight Back, Developed Eating Disorders or Were Injured Because of the Show

Many of the contestants during interviews said that after the show ended, they were able to keep the weight for awhile. However, as years passed the intense workout, diet and rapid weight loss all eventually countered the progress they had made.

Cahill shared that he gained all his weight back over the course of seven years, Season 2 contestant Suzanne Mendonca said she developed an eating disorder, which consisted of her not eating, and Gwynn said the activities on the show led her to having a bruised coccyx bone from the first and hip pain.

Bob Harper Says Jillian Michaels Is the Only Person Who Didn’t Check on Him After Suffering a Heart Attack

In 2017, news broke that Harper had suffered a “widowmaker” heart attack that left him clinically dead on a gym floor. During the documentary, he said most of the “Biggest Loser” team reached out to him, except for fellow coach Michaels.

“After I had my heart attack, she’s the one person I never heard from, so that to me spoke volumes,” Harper said.

“Sinners” (2025)

Duh. Of course Ryan Coogler’s history-making vampire flick “Sinners” is No. 1 on this list. Hell, it was the No. 1 movie everyone wanted to see when it hit theaters in back in April. The bloody tale follows two twin brothers who return to their hometown in Mississippi where they attempt to open a juke joint business. But things take a dark turn when a few spooky visitors come to join the party.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” (2025)

HBO Max is packing a major punch by having both “Sinners” and the latest chapter in the “Final Destination” universe in its library. This time around, death follows a college student who’s been cursed with a horrific recurring nightmare. In an effort to find answers, he returns home to seek out the one person who may know how stop his inevitable death.

“Heretic” (2024)

This creepy thriller starring Hugh Grant came as pleasant but terrifying surprise when it came out in November 2024. Grant plays a seemingly nice older man who welcomes two Mormon missionaries into his home. What they don’t know is that he wants to play a cruel and sinister game before they leave.

“It” (2017)

Before morphing into Count Orlok in “Nosferatu,” Bill Skarsgård kept us up at night after he played the iconic, creepy clown Pennywise in Andy Muschietti’s remake of “It.” As you know the story, seven kids get the scare of their lives when an ancient killer clown reappears 27 years later to kill his next round of children. The group of kids must lean on one another and overcome their worst fears if they want to survive.

Oh, and “It: Chapter Two” and the original “It” miniseries are also on HBO Max as well. Enjoy.

“Get Out” (2017)

Again, Max isn’t playin’ around when it comes to their selection of scary. Yes, they even have Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking film “Get Out.”

When Jordan’s Peele’s psychological horror film hit theaters in 2017, it took audiences by storm with its twisted themes that spotlighted the exploitation of Black people and Black culture. When Chris’s (Daniel Kaluuya) girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) invites him to a weekend getaway to her family’s home so he can meet her parents, a series of strange events start to occur that lead ultimately lead him to discovering the dark truth behind her family’s accommodating behavior.

“Scream” (1996)

“Scream” has held its own as one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time. It’s not shocker HBO Max has it included in its horror movie pack. The slasher film follows Sidney Prescott, a teenager whose still mourning the death of her mother who was killed a year ago. She then suddenly becomes the target of a mask-wearing murderer who’s haunting her town.

“Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

Where would the world, or the film “Joe Dirt,” be if we didn’t have the wild line “it rubs the lotion on its skin?” Hannibal Lecter goes down as one of the most terrifying horror film villains, and one of the few in film history that eats their prey … with fava beans and nice Chianti.

Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, an FBI student, who’s been tasked with interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who’s also a murderous cannibal. He’s currently serving life in prison, but Clarice thinks he might be able to share some information about a case.

“The Silence of the Lambs” is one of only a handful of films to win all the major Oscars – Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay.

“Barbarian” (2022)

Of course Zach Cregger’s feature directorial debut makes it first on the list. Just like with “Weapons,” Cregger seamlessly weaves comedy into the story without it overtaking the the film’s horror foundation. “Barbarian” is centered on a young woman who meets a stranger after the two of them book the same rental home. Reluctantly, she decides to spend the night, but she soon learns that the house is home to another more terrifying resident.

Where to watch: Netflix, fuboTV, YouTube TV

“Parasite” (2019)

“Parasite” is one of those films where you have no idea what the hell you’re about to get into until you start watching — just like with “Weapons.” In addition, “Parasite” offers its viewers some comedic flair while still keeping you on the edge of your seat with thrills. Bong Joon-ho’s Korean-language film — which won the Oscars for Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay — follows the Kims, a financially-broken family who sees the light at the end of the tunnel when their son starts working for an affluent family, the Parks. Eventually, each member finds a way to feed off the rich by secretly living in the same house.

Where to watch: Netflix, HBO Max, Kanopy

“Get Out” (2017)

Just like with “Weapons,” in “Get Out” you enter the film’s world with the idea that this is just a normal, everyday story … that is, until someone puts you to sleep with a cup of tea and uses a stick to turn you into an unconscious killer.

When Jordan’s Peele’s psychological horror film hit theaters in 2017, it took audiences by storm with its twisted themes that spotlighted the exploitation of Black people and Black culture. When Chris’s (Daniel Kaluuya) girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) invites him to a weekend getaway to her family’s home so he can meet her parents, a series of strange events start to occur that lead ultimately lead him to discovering the dark truth behind her family’s accommodating behavior. Peele won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the film.

Where to watch: HBO Max

“Pulp Fiction” (1994)

Yup, that’s right, “Pulp Fiction” is on the list. While it’s not necessarily a horror film, Quentin Tarantino’s seminal film keeps you on your toes through a thrilling ride of whacky characters and some bloody scenes. And, like “Weapons,” it weaves together several characters and their backgrounds into one epic, campy story. In this action-packed, quirky tale the lives of two hitmen, their gangster boss, a struggling boxer, a master fixer and others are sewn together to take viewers on one wild adventure. Tarantino won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar (notice a trend?)

Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+, Hoopla, fuboTV

“Serial Mom” (1994)

Speaking of campy, let’s get into the next movie to watch if you loved “Weapons,” “Serial Mom.” This film makes the cut mainly because of its slasher vibes, dark comedy and its theatrically scary plot. It’s just a whacky good time watching the strange activity that’s coming from just a few doors down.

Living as a happy housewife and a mother of two in the middle of suburbia, Beverly’s (Kathleen Turner) long list of kills began after her son’s teacher criticized him. And her response was to do what else? Run him over.

Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple, YouTube

“Magnolia” (1999)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s classic “Magnolia” weaves various stories of disparate characters together in unexpected and epic ways, and its chapter-based storyline was a direct influence on “Weapons.” Plus, both films feature a cold open that’s narrated by a person who gives a brief explanation of what’s about to occur. As we mentioned with “Get Out” and “Weapons,” “Magnolia” also has elements of magical realism sprinkled into the film.

Where to watch: Rent on Amazon, Apple or Fandango at Home

“Gone Girl” (2014)

“Gone Girl” and “Weapons” are both mystery thrillers, and as you continue to watch, you’re constantly asking yourself, “What the hell is really going on?” Just when you think you know, boom, you’re wrong. Both films force the viewer to put on their thinking caps to figure out the whereabouts of missing people, and both Amy Dunne (“Gone Girl”) and Gladys Lilly (Amy Madigan) use deception and psychological manipulation to trick their communities.

In David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” Nick (Ben Affleck) becomes the No. 1 suspect in his wife Amy’s (Rosamund Pike) disappearance, after she suddenly goes missing. As police struggle to put the pieces together, and the relentless media presses for more information, Nick and Amy’s picture-perfect marriage starts to unravel.

Where to watch: MGM+

“Alien: Earth” (Hulu/Disney+)

The first two episodes of “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley’s ambitious new addition to the “Alien” franchise, “Alien: Earth,” dropped on FX, Hulu and Disney+ this week. The remaining episodes of the series’ first season are set to debut weekly Tuesday nights moving forward, and if they all turn out to be as thrilling, visually mesmerizing and thematically audacious as its opening two installments, then you are not going to want to miss them. 

There were some high expectations facing “Alien: Earth” prior to its premiere, but the series seems well-positioned to meet them. That makes it one of this year’s biggest must-see shows.

“Butterfly” (Prime Video)

If you’re in the mood for a straightforward action thriller, then you may want to give “Butterly” a chance. The new thriller from Amazon’s Prime Video follows a former U.S. intelligence agent (Daniel Dae Kim) living in South Korea whose past actions come back to haunt him when he finds himself pursed by none other than his daughter Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), a deadly espionage operative who grew up believing he was dead.

Written by “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” writer Arash Amel and based on his own graphic novel, “Butterfly” is an action-packed spy thriller with an edge of familial melodrama and which offers the exact kind of breezy, escapist entertainment that has become harder to find in today’s Prestige TV age. Additionally, all six of its episodes dropped Wednesday on Prime Video, which means you can decide how much of it you watch this weekend.

“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” (2025)

Months after it premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” is finally available to buy and rent on demand this week. The documentary from first-time director Shoshannah Stern explores — through 1-on-1 interviews and archival footage — the life and industry-altering career of longtime activist and Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin. 

Featuring interviews with not only Matlin herself, but also other Hollywood figures like Aaron Sorkin and her fellow, Academy Award-winning “CODA” co-star Troy Kotsur, the documentary examines how Matlin’s career has helped open doors for other performers with disabilities. It’s an emotional, affecting look at an artist whose work has meant a lot to a lot of people, and it would be well worth your time to check it out this weekend.

“Fixed” (Netflix)

“Samurai Jack” creator Genndy Tartakovsky is back this week with “Fixed.” His latest film is a raunchy adult animated comedy about a dog who realizes he is going to be neutered the next day and decides to give himself one last, wild night out on the town with his friends. The film, streaming now on Netflix, is not like anything else Tartakovsky has made before.

Over the years, though, Tartakovsky has repeatedly proven himself as a creator whose work often deserves — and demands — to be seen. Like many of his past films and TV shows, “Fixed” boasts its own, distinct art style as well, which should give Tartakovsky’s fans whatever extra confidence they might have needed to follow the filmmaker down this new, surprisingly crude rabbit hole.

“Night Always Comes” (Netflix)

Just a few weeks after she gave a star turn in Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Vanessa Kirby stars this week in “Night Always Comes.” Directed by “The Crown” and “Andor” director Benjamin Caron, the Netflix film follows a desperate woman (Kirby) who is forced to go to increasingly dangerous lengths over the course of one long night in order to secure a better future for herself and her disabled brother (Zack Gottsagen). 

Featuring an impressive ensemble cast that also counts Jennifer Jason Leigh, Randall Park, Julia Fox and Michael Kelly among its stars, “Night Always Comes” is a grimy, gritty thriller with a clear, sharp thematic edge. It is different than anything else hitting streaming this week, and its cast alone is reason enough to check it out.

“The Rainmaker” (USA/Peacock)

Based on a 1995 John Grishman novel, USA’s “The Rainmaker” follows a young lawyer (Milo Callaghan) whose forced transition to a small-time legal firm is disrupted when he finds himself going up in court against his former, white-collar employer (John Slattery) when he takes on a case involving a wrongful death. The series’ first episode premieres Friday on USA and will be available to stream on Peacock on Saturday. Its subsequent episodes will follow the same release schedule.

The show has all the potential to be your new, go-to TV procedural. That said, the real test for “The Rainmaker” will be whether or not it can match the same, effortless watchability of the Francis Ford Coppola-directed film adaptation of Grisham’s novel that was released back in 1997. If it can, then “The Rainmaker” will be appointment television for any viewers on the market for some good old-fashioned, legal TV drama vibes. Either way, you’d be wise to give its first episode a shot this weekend.

“Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” (Apple TV+)

This week does not have many new streaming options suitable for the whole family. Apple TV+ is, however, set to premiere “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical,” a new animated Peanuts adventure, on Friday. The special follows Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of their friends as they journey to summer camp only to discover that the camp itself is on the verge of closing.

Realizing that they and many other, younger kids may never get to experience what the camp has to offer again, they decide to band together for a fundraising festival to save it. Featuring original songs by Ben Folds and Jeff Morrow, “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” looks exactly how any new Peanuts special should: clever and funny, yes, but also tender and open-hearted.

“Superman” (2025)

That’s right. “Superman,” one of the biggest movies of 2025, hits VOD this Friday. In honor of “Peacemaker” Season 2’s premiere next week, “Superman” is arriving on streaming earlier than anyone expected (i.e., just a little over a month after its theatrical debut). That means you will be able to watch writer-director James Gunn’s first film entry in his and Peter Safran’s ambitious new DC Universe from the comfort of your own home this weekend.

The blockbuster received mostly positive reviews from both critics and comic book fans alike when it hit theaters in July, and for good reason. It is a colorful and imaginative pop adventure that breathes new life not only into the existing Superman mythos, but also the entire superhero genre as a whole.