Best Movies to Stream This Week

Matthew McConaughey stars in this 2011 thriller about a lawyer who struggles with revelations about a disreputable client of his. The movie was enjoyed by 84% of critics and 82% of audience members on Rotten Tomatoes.

This movie about a man’s online relationship has received generally positive reviews from both critics and audience members, with Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus stating “its timely premise and tightly wound mystery make for a gripping documentary.” In addition to now being available on Netflix, the movie can be viewed via the HBO Now Amazon Channel.

“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” directed by Stanley Kramer and written by William Rose, is about a family whose liberal bona fides are tested when their daughter announces she is engaged to an African American man (Sidney Poitier). Released during the civil rights era, the movie was a hit even in the South, where several states still banned interracial marriage. The movie, now on Amazon Prime Video, was the ninth pairing of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Heburn who played the parents, and it was Tracy’s final film. He died shortly after the movie was finished. The movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and Hepburn won for Best Actress.

“Emma,” based on the novel by Jane Austen, was originally released this past March and is now available for rent on Amazon Video. The movie, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Witch,” “Thoroughbreds”), has an 86% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes with Detroit News’ Adam Graham writing that “it takes a while for ‘Emma.’ to find its groove but once it gets there it’s a delight.”

“Cooley High” is a comedy-drama that examines inner-city high school life on Chicago’s North Side in the 1960s through the experiences of an aspiring movie screenwriter and a high school basketball star. The film stars Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and enjoys an 83% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 89% among audience.

Florence Pugh plays a woman sold into a loveless marriage in 19th century England. Her torrid love affair with a worker on her estate leads to violent consequences. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes lavished praise on Pugh, calling her performance “mesmerizing — and unforgiving.”

“Despicable Me” is the enchanting story of a supervillain (voiced by Steve Carell) who plots to steal the Moon, only to be beguiled by three orphan girls. Now showing on Netflix, the film became a runaway animated hit, grossing more than $543 million worldwide, and launched a franchise. “Despicable Me” has an 81% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes and holds an 82% approval score among audiences.

Critics favorite “The Heiresses,” now available on HBO, is about heiresses from two wealthy families in Paraguay who face financial ruin. One is imprisoned for fraud while the other provides a driving service for rich older women, forcing her to see the world from a different perspective. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes awarded the film that was written and directed by Marcelo Martinessi a 97% Freshness score.

Directed by Dan O’Bannon — best known for writing “Alien” — “The Return of the Living Dead” pits a group of punk rockers against hordes of the undead. The horror-comedy currently has a 92% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and would likely appeal to fans of zombie films.

This subversive and amusing documentary is about the bad effects of overindulging in fast food. Filmmaker and star Morgan Spurlock’s diatribe, made on a budget of $65,000, grossed more than $20 million. The film, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, Features, can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. It has a 92% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 72% of audiences liked the movie.

Steven Spielberg’s story about an English boy learning to survive during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WWII can be streamed on Hulu. The film stars Christian Bale as the youth in one of his first movie roles. “Empire of the Sun,” based on J.G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel, has a score of 75% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes but enjoys greater appeal among audiences, with a 90% score.

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s latest offering is now available to rent on Amazon Video. With a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant, the movie has been hailed as a return to form for Ritchie. It has high ratings from users on both IMDb (8.0 out of 10) and Rotten Tomatoes (84% positive).

“Black Book” tells the story of a Jewish singer who gains access to the Gestapo headquarters in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Directed by Paul Verhoeven (“Robocop,” “Starship Troopers”), the movie runs for 2 hours and 25 minutes. This length hasn’t dissuaded viewers, with 87% giving the film positive review on Rotten Tomatoes.

Produced by a number of animators who left Walt Disney studio in the early 1980s, “The Secret of NIMH” is a children’s film that deals with somewhat mature themes. It tells the story of a widowed rat who teams with a group of highly intelligent ex-lab rats in order to protect her home and children. The movie currently has a 96% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jack O’Connell plays a British soldier separated from his unit while patrolling the streets of sectarian-torn Belfast during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The soldier must survive the night amid the chaos. Critics Consensus of “71” on Rotten Tomatoes says, “Powerfully directed and acted, ’71’ stays true to its fact-based origins while remaining as gripping as any solidly crafted action thriller.” The thriller is now on Amazon Prime Video.

The well-trod film subgenre is infused with humor in “Zombieland.” The film, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Woody Harrelson. The three, who are among the last remaining humans, are trying to cross an America overrun by the undead. Lisa Rosman of Us Weekly liked the gorefest’s “quick pace and witty writing,” adding “it’s a nonstop, snarky ride.”

Director Stanley Nelson’s acclaimed documentary of the innovative trumpet player and bandleader as told through photos and archival footage can be streamed on Amazon Video. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes hails “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool,” saying the film “burnishes the legacy of a brilliant artist.”

After a star ship appears over South Africa, the alien race within is housed in District 9, a restricted area where they are mistreated and malnourished. The Peter Jackson-directed futuristic science fiction thriller now on Amazon Prime Video holds a 90% Freshness score among Rotten Tomatoes critics and an 82% score among audiences.

Milos Forman’s exuberant Age of Aquarius musical is about a young man from Oklahoma who has been drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. On his way to join the Army, he becomes involved with a community of hippies in New York City. The film is fondly remembered for its dance scenes that were choreographed by Twyla Tharp and for its songs sung by Ellen Foley, Ronnie Dyson, and Melba Moore, among other artists. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 86% rating and audiences gave it an 88% rating.

Director Ladj Ly’s debut feature “Les Misérables,” a gritty portrayal of the Parisian underworld, won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. It was also nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. It is solely available for streaming on Amazon Prime at this time.

Critics hailed the direction of the John Sayles’ helmed story about a young girl staying with her grandparents in Donegal, Ireland, who believes a wild child on the island of Roan Inish is her long-lost little brother. Now available on Amazon Prime Video, “The Secret of Roan Inish” has a 95% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 87% like the family film.

An all-star British-American cast is topped off by Ian McKellen in the title role of Shakespeare’s murderous 15th-century monarch as reimagined in 1930s England as fascism looms. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave “Richard III” a 94% Freshness score, and 85% of audiences liked director Richard Loncraine’s depiction of one of Shakespeare’s greatest villains. “Richard III” can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

This mysterious film about two lighthouse keepers isolated on an island in New England won over 90% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes thanks in large part to the lead performances by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. Originally released in 2019, the movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and can be rented or purchased on Amazon Video.

The Oscar-winning musical drama starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is now available on Amazon Video. The two charming leads help make the movie a success, with a 90% Freshness rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It can also be streamed on HBO Now.

“The Train” is a WWII thriller about a French railway worker-turned Resistance fighter who has to stop the Germans from removing priceless works of art from Paris ahead of the Allies liberation of the French capital. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave “The Train” a Freshness score of 92%, and 89% of audiences enjoyed the movie. The movie, which can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, reunited director John Frankenheimer with Burt Lancaster after they had collaborated on the films “Birdman of Alcatraz” and the Cold War nailbiter “Seven Days in May.”