Mailbag Special: 25 Movies You Should Stream Now

Contagion 2011

Amanda's recommended primer on how a limited vaccine actually gets triaged.

Top Gun: Maverick 2022

The most-longed-for tentpole; nobody expects it to hit PVOD 17 days after it opens.

Dune 2021

Sean's most-anticipated of the delayed slate, with tempered expectations.

Let Him Go 2020

Universal's just-released test of the shortened window.

Freaky 2020

Out that weekend under the same AMC/Universal 17-day-to-PVOD deal.

Wonder Woman 1984 2020

Still on the calendar for Christmas; the hosts flatly predict it moves off 2020.

Wonder Woman 2017

The 2017 original both hosts loved, which makes the delay sting.

Mank 2020

Unanimous answer from both hosts.

Tenet 2020

Would have been fun in a theater; its soft box office is why the rest of the slate keeps slipping.

Da 5 Bloods 2020

Amanda wanted the epic scale of the Vietnam journey on a big screen.

Soul 2020

Sean had just seen the Pixar film the night before; another theater regret.

Kajillionaire 2020

One of the ones Amanda finally caught up on.

Shithouse 2020

Cooper Raiff's intimate debut; Amanda calls it a case where the small-screen viewing helped.

Martin Eden 2019

Italian adaptation of the Jack London novel; likely best-international-feature contender.

Totally Under Control 2020

Alex Gibney's COVID-19 documentary, made under quarantine; features Rick Bright.

The Dark and the Wicked 2020

A genuinely upsetting horror film from Bryan Bertino; a hard no for Amanda.

The Strangers 2008

Bertino's earlier film, which Sean calls one of the most upsetting movies of the century.

You Cannot Kill David Arquette 2020

Documentary on Arquette's pro-wrestling comeback, blurring real and kayfabe.

Possessor 2020

Brandon Cronenberg's film; Sean interviewed him earlier that week.

His House 2020

Horror and international-feature contender streaming on Netflix.

Banana Split 2018

Written by and starring Hannah Marks; a limited 2018 release now on Netflix.

What the Constitution Means to Me 2020

Heidi Schreck's filmed play; Sean pairs it with Hamilton.

Hamilton 2020

The filmed stage production Sean uses as a double-feature match.

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds 2020

Werner Herzog's meteorite documentary, then arriving on Apple TV+.

David Byrne's American Utopia 2020

Spike Lee's concert film; both hosts' top pick here, on HBO Max.

The Third Man 1949

The one Sean saved his thoughts on.

Modern Times 1936

Entry point to early Chaplin.

The Gold Rush 1925

The Kid 1921

The Rules of the Game 1939

Renoir; shown early in film school.

Grand Illusion 1937

The other useful Renoir.

The General 1926

The Buster Keaton pick.

Psycho 1960

'60s, but shot black-and-white as a deliberate choice.

It Happened One Night 1934

The earliest example of the screwball rom-com the hosts love.

Bringing Up Baby 1938

Amanda's add: early and formative for the genre.

Casablanca 1942

The just-watch-it classic.

Double Indemnity 1944

Billy Wilder.

All About Eve 1950

Bicycle Thieves 1948

The Italian neorealist drama.

Sunset Boulevard 1950

Pretty much any Wilder before 1955.

Shane 1953

A picture of the early-'50s western.

Seven Samurai 1954

Covered in the show's Mifune episode.

12 Angry Men 1957

Breathless 1960

Godard; a picture of the Nouvelle Vague.

Paths of Glory 1957

Kubrick; to Sean, the end of an era of black-and-white filmmaking.

A Hard Day's Night 1964

Amanda's add: black-and-white after it no longer had to be.

Roma 2018

The modern forebear; without its awards campaign, no Mank.

Selah and the Spades 2020

Amanda's pick; the intimacy suited a smaller screen.

On the Rocks 2020

Benefited from lockdown and its glowing New York.

Palm Springs 2020

On both lists; a balm at home even if theaters would have been fun.

Driveways 2019

Brian Dennehy's final performance; played better in an intimate setting.

Tommaso 2019

Abel Ferrara's semi-autobiographical film with Willem Dafoe.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 2020

The counterexample: Sorkin's speeches landed harder at the drive-in.

Jerry Maguire 1996

Amanda's first R-rated in theaters, seen beside her mother.

Scream 1996

Sean's; the meta horror that made horror matter to him.

Inside Out 2015

Amanda's gift to Sean and her case for what animation can do.

Spirited Away 2001

Sean's bet to win Amanda over to Miyazaki.

Marie Antoinette 2006

Written off by some as not rewatchable; endlessly rewatchable to Amanda.

Manchester by the Sea 2016

Sean's near-answer: great, but too painful to revisit.

A Few Good Men 1992

Sean's actual repeat comfort watch.

The Climb 2019

Their long-take dramedy about a toxic friendship, born from a short film and sold at Sundance.

News of the World 2020

Covino's Paul Greengrass western opposite Tom Hanks.

Give Me Liberty 2019

Kirill Mikhanovsky's film, which floored Covino with its pacing.

Midnight Run 1988

Marvin's last-great watch.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019

Covino's other recent standout, from their Cannes cohort.

Ema 2019

Pablo Larraín's film, which Marvin caught at Sundance.

The Big Lebowski 1998

A shared touchstone and quotable favorite.

My Cousin Vinny 1992

Among Covino's gun-to-my-head favorites.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991

Another of the big, ridiculous movies he loves.

Cesar and Rosalie 1972

The Claude Sautet film he cites for its emotionality.