Paramount
Last Updated: May 16th
While it may live in the shadow of other better-known streaming services, Hulu, once regarded simply as “that TV thing” has managed to maintain itself as a viable competitor in terms of offering a great variety of content online, including an impressive selection of quality movies, offering up everything from iconic classics to contemporary indie fare. Here’s a look at the 30 best movies on Hulu right now.
Related: The 30 Best Movies On HBO Now And HBO Go Right Now
Fences (2016)
Directed by and starring Denzel Washington, this period family drama was adapted from the play by the late August Wilson, who’d completed a screenplay prior to his death. Washington reprised his role of Troy Maxson, who he played on Broadway back in 2010. The film was released on Christmas of 2016, and was a huge critical success, and ended up nominated for four Academy Awards. Viola Davis took home the trophy that year for Best Supporting Actress.
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years (2016)
Set during the touring years of The Beatles’ career, from 1962-1966, director Ron Howard crafts an intimate portrayal of the world’s most popular band with the help of both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. Featuring 4K restorations of some of the band’s most memorable concerts, this documentary is a must for any film lover, Beatles fan or otherwise.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Director Martin Scorsese’s neo-noir chronicles one lonely cab driver’s slow descent into madness. A Vietnam vet with a bad case of insomnia, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job driving a taxi during the graveyard shift in pre-Guiliani New York City. After crossing paths with an underaged prostitute, Iris (Jodie Foster), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving her, and proves he’s willing to go to any lengths to do so. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to Stallone’s boxer epic Rocky.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)
Tina Fey stars as Kim Baker, a real-life low-profile journalist who takes an extended assignment covering the war in Afghanistan. Based on Baker’s novel The Taliban Shuffle, this lighthearted fact-inspired film chronicles her time embedded with the military, along with a host of other journalists from around the world.
Zodiac (2007)
Based on the 1986 book of the same name, Zodiac is a tense and atmospheric look at one of the nation’s most notorious unsolved crime sprees. Director David Fincher spent 18 months prior to filming doing research and investigation of the infamous Zodiac killings, which occurred in San Francisco in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robert Downey, Jr. in lead roles, with an all-star ensemble cast. It was beloved by critics and fans alike and appears on more top-ten lists from 2007 than any film aside from No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood.
A League Of Their Own (1992)
Director Penny Marshall’s 1992 film is a semi-true account of the All Girls Professional Baseball League, formed during WWII to keep baseball in the public eye while the men were fighting overseas. Marshall was inspired to make the film after watching a documentary on the league before casting Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and Madonna in the comedy/drama. It became a hit with both audiences and critics, though it’s perhaps best known for teaching us the all-important lesson that “there’s no crying in baseball.”
Colossal (2017)
A decidedly unusual twist on the giant monster movie, Nacho Vigolando’s Colossal follows Gloria (Anne Hathaway), an unemployed writer who moves back to her hometown after her boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) breaks up with her. After moving into her childhood home, Gloria’s heavy drinking starts to take a toll on her before she starts to realize that she may have a significant connection with a towering monster that spontaneously appears over Seoul, South Korea.
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to 1993’s Dazed and Confused follows a group of college baseball players in the fall of 1980, just before they start college. The film premiered at SXSW in 2016, and enjoyed praise across the board from critics during its limited release nationwide. Filmed in and around central Texas, the care-free, nostalgic tale is perfectly fit for Linklater’s relaxed style of filmmaking.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
A sort-of sequel (at least in spirit) to J.J. Abrams’ 2008 found-footage monster movie Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane takes place largely inside the confined space of a secured bunker ran by the mysterious Howard (John Goodman). Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the film follows a young woman named Gloria (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who’s driving through Louisiana when she hears reports of major blackouts on the radio. After wrecking her car, she wakes up to find herself inside Howard’s bunker, who refuses to let her out for fear of a fallout. Tensions steadily escalate between Gloria, Howard, and the bunker’s other resident, John (Emmit DeWitt), as they all begin to question each others’ true motivations.
The Host (2006)
Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s monster-run-amock movie was first inspired by reports of a fish with an S-shaped spine being caught in the Han River. For The Host, he made the creature significantly more menacing, as it eventually emerges from the Han River and causes immense havoc. Local snack bar vendor Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) tries to escape with his daughter, before realizing he’s escaped with the wrong girl. Soon, the U.S. military arrives and quarantines all those who’ve come into contact with the creature, making Park Gang-du’s attempts to rescuing his daughter from the creature’s lair significantly more difficult.
The Karate Kid (1984)
Even after numerous sequels, an animated series and even a 2010 reboot, nothing can compare to the charm of the original Karate Kid. Starring Ralph Macchio as Danny LaRusso, a kid from New Jersey who relocates with his family to Los Angeles, he’s taken in by their building’s maintenance man, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Norita), who teaches Danny how to fight through the repetition of mundane tasks. The film’s popularity was massive, which caused a surge of interest in both karate and headbands, as well as introducing the phrase “sweep the leg” into everyday vernacular.
Melancholia (2011)
Merging high art and science fiction, director Lars Von Trier found inspiration for his story after suffering a depressive episode. Focused on two sisters with a strained relationship, they must now face the reality of a rogue planet set to collide with Earth. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where Kristen Dunst was given the Best Actress Award, and the following year the British Film Institute named it one of the greatest films of all time — a rare honor for any film made in the 21st century.
Arrival (2016)
A methodic, thoughtful approach to an alien invasion story, Arrival follows linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) as she struggles to figure out a way to communicate with two creatures that have inexplicably shown up in Montana. While Louise tries to buy more time in understanding the visitors, she butts heads with the military side of the operation who keep pressuring her for quick answers. After its release, it exceeded expectations at the box office, grossing more than $200 million worldwide. That year it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning one for Best Sound Editing.
Roxanne (1987)
A modern-day retelling of the classic tale of Cyrano De Bergerac, which was adapted by star Steve Martin. Set in the small town of Nelson, Washington, Martin stars as Charlie Bales, a local fire chief with an unusually large nose, but the heart of a poet. When an astronomy grad student, the titual Roxanne (Daryl Hannah), moves to town, he’s immediately smitten, but when she’s taken to the more conventionally handsome Chris (Rick Russovich), Charlie agrees to help him find the right words to express his feelings.
Filth (2014)
James McAvoy usually plays the good guy on-screen. He’s been a magnanimous professor at a school for gifted youngsters, a love-struck soldier during World War II, and a character in a children’s fairy tale, but Filth is McAvoy at his grimiest, dirtiest, most debased, and it’s fun as hell to watch. The list of the plot is simple: McAvoy plays a rogue Scottish detective who likes to drink, do drugs, and screw people (both literally and figuratively). He’s mental, but his outlandish actions are mostly ignored by his equally insane co-workers until something happens that exposes his double life.
Red Dawn (1984)
Set in Colorado, director/co-writer John Milius’ tells the story of a group of high school students who fight back against the Russian army, which has invaded their midwestern town. The film stars a number of notable teen actors, including Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey, and holds the distinction of being the first film with a PG-13 rating, as well as the one-time Guinness World Record holder for the most violent film ever released at the time. Wolverines!
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)
A charming, unconventional story about what it means to be a family, Hunt for the Wilderpeople follows a juvenile delinquent named Ricky (Julian Dennison), who is adopted by a couple living on a farm in a remote region of New Zealand. After Ricky fakes his suicide and escapes into the bush, his (reluctantly) adopted father Hec (Sam Neill) goes looking for him, and after a series of mishaps, the two are forced to survive in the woods together for months. It was released during SXSW in 2016 (you can read our review here), and after rave reviews from critics the world over, it’s gone on to become the highest-grossing film in New Zealand history.
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, this historical epic stars Peter O’Toole as real-life archeologist, diplomat, and writer T.E. Lawrence. Starting at Lawrence’s funeral, the film is told in two parts, covering his life through WWI and beyond. While some of the film’s accuracy at depicting both Lawrence and the events it chronicles, the film was a smashing success, and nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning seven — including Best Actor for O’Toole, Best Director for David Lean, and Best Picture.
Heathers (1988)
Helping to close out a decade of memorable teen films on a dark note, Heathers is a savagely funny deconstruction of the frivolousness of popular cliques that helped set the tone of many dark comedies that would follow in its wake. The plot involves a popular group of girls known as The Heathers who invite Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) to join them, guaranteeing that she would gain popularity by association. Eventually, Veronica finds herself teaming up with a dangerous sociopath (Christian Slater) in an attempt to break the Heathers’ tyrannical hold on the school.
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Based loosely on Peter George’s 1958 novel Red Alert, director Stanley Kubrick turned the source material into masterful political satire set against the backdrop of the Cold War. With the threat of a nuclear attack by the Russians imminent, the President (Peter Sellers, playing one of three roles) works to try and recall the bombers and race against the clock to prevent the apocalypse. Did I mention it’s a comedy? It currently sits third on the American Film Institute’s top 100 comedies of all time, and in 1989 the Library of Congress selected it for preservation by the National Film Registry.
25th Hour (2002) (on Showtime)
Edward Norton stars as Monty Brogan, a man who’s forced to take stock of his life in his last 24 hours before he begins a seven-year prison sentence for dealing drugs. Set in post-9/11 New York, director Spike Lee felt it was important to not simply ignore the tragedy, but rather “incorporate it into the story.” The screenplay was based on the novel of the same name, both of which were written by David Benioff, who you might know as one of the showrunners for a little HBO program called Game of Thrones.
Let The Right One In (2008)
Director Tomas Alfredson shrugged off the conventions of vampire movies when he crafted a disarmingly charming tale that focuses on the unusual friendship that develops between a bullied young boy, Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and a vampire girl Eli (Lina Leandersson). Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (who also penned the screenplay) the film received near-universal acclaim, winning multiple awards across the globe. It was remade in 2010 as Let Me In, which managed to be considered a successful endeavor that stayed true to the original while differentiating itself enough to stand on its own.
Winter’s Bone (2010)
A film noir set in the Ozarks of Missouri, Winter’s Bone was the breakthrough role for Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old who looks after her family since her father disappeared. With the looming threat of losing her home, Ree goes in search of her missing father, drawing her into a world of distrust and violence. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and though it didn’t take any Oscars home, it did win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Akira (1988)
Loosely based on the ground-breaking manga of the same name, Akira is considered a landmark in Japanese animation, as well as one of the best animated films ever produced. Set in a dystopian future in 2019, a teenager named Tetsuo gains tremendous telekinetic powers after a motorcycle crash, eventually going mad with power before bringing the military-industrial complex to its knees. A live action adaptation has been in the works in some form since 2002, but remains in development purgatory for the time being.
Super (2010)
Before James Gunn helmed Guardians of the Galaxy he directed a much different type of superhero movie, 2010’s Super. Super stars Rainn Wilson (The Office) as your average fed-up guy who decides to don a costume and clean up his town — only things don’t end up going terribly well. Unfortunately, the movie ended up sidelined by another “average guy becomes a hero” movie released around the same time, Matthew Vaughan’s adaptation of Kick-Ass, but stands on its own as a sharp superhero parody as well as a stark portrayal of loneliness.
13 Assassins (2010)
Controversial director Takashi Miike’s remake of a 1963 film starts as a slow burn and builds to one of the longest, most elaborate sword battles you’ll ever see, complete with weaponized burning bulls. When the psychotic half-brother of the Shogun edges ever closer to assuming too much power in 1840s Japan, a group of samurai band together to assassinate him, shirking their honor for the good of the people. Despite being slightly based on true events, 13 Assassins retains Miike’s trademark uncompromising and slightly stylized brutality, but this is certainly more accessible than some of his well-known works like Ichi The Killer. Like the dying-out warriors of the time, they don’t make samurai films like this anymore.
Rocky (1976) (on Showtime)
Rocky Balboa, a little known, small-time boxer, is offered a shot at taking on the heavy-weight champion Apollo Creed for a shot at the title. Rocky takes what could have been a familiar underdog story and became a symbol of inspiration, largely thanks to Sylvester Stallone’s vision and performance. While the sequels lost a little of the message, the original will never lose the title of “classic.”
Battle Royale (2000) (on Showtime)
A film that would later spark comparisons from Hunger Games, Battle Royale pits Japanese teenagers against each other under the order of a totalitarian society. After receiving explosive collars and varying weapons, the students start killing and they don’t stop until only one survives. The violence drew controversy across the world and even caused the film to be banned in several countries. But it’s an entertaining gorefest notable for its depiction of how each student deals differently when put in such a ridiculous life-or-death situation.
The Square (2017)
This Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film follows Christian, an art curator whose life starts to unravel after he’s robbed and a new controversial piece opens at his exhibit. Co-starring Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and an aggressive man-ape artist, the movie shifts seamlessly from an awkward and bitingly funny satire to a dramatic examination of life. Despite a running time of 150 minutes, it never seems to lag, jumping from extremely tense moments to eccentric characters while being undercut with haunting music. Like a work of modern art, it’s very much left open to interpretation.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
A group of high schoolers is traumatized, terrorized, and killed by a child murderer who hunts them in their dreams. As the bodies pile up, they’re forced to stay awake to stay alive and find a way to stop the finger-knives freak. By 1984, the slasher franchises we’ve come to know were already full in force, but Freddy Krueger was still uniquely scary because he hunted in his victims’ minds. The film opened up the door for a long list of sequels and a lackluster remake, which surprisingly might not have been the case had Nightmare stuck to director Wes Craven’s original and intended happy ending.
Recent Changes Through May 2018:
Removed: Creed
Added: The Square, 13 Assassins, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Battle Royale, Rocky, Filth
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