December 2025’s Best Streaming Titles: Fallout, Home Alone, Wake Up Dead Man, Stranger Things, Seven Samurai

Bloodsport is the film that put Jean-Claude Van Damme’s name on the map. Supposedly inspired by a true story (which is total baloney), Van Damme plays Frank Dux, an army captain who also happens to be a ninja, as he battles his way through the Kumite, an illegal martial arts competition. Make no mistake: Bloodsport is not a great movie, but it is an entertaining one, especially if you’re looking for some mindless martial arts mayhem (read my review).

Hackers is completely unrealistic in its depiction of computers and technology. And yet, it’s one of the best computer movies ever made because of its over-the-top sense of style and joyful, anarchistic idealism. (I highly recommend reading this oral history of the film’s genesis and production.) Yeah, I can nitpick and mock its depiction of hacking and how computer networks and interfaces work. But secretly, I totally wish all of that stuff really did work (and look) like it does in Hackers.

In the near future, Australia is a wasteland filled with roving motorcycle gangs. Law and order is maintained by the highway patrol, but just barely. Max Rockatansky is the patrol’s top officer, but when his family’s threatened by one of the gangs, he tosses aside the law for a rampage of revenge. Filmed in 1979 for a few hundred thousand dollars, Mad Max held the Guinness record for the world’s most profitable film — and helped reinvigorate Australia’s film industry. More importantly, though, it launched one of the most action-packed film franchises of all time.

Along with Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is proof that the best zombie movies are those that blend their undead gore with comedy. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as a ragtag group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse — oh, and Bill Murray in an inspired cameo — Zombieland is proof that you can find plenty to laugh about while watching the end of civilization.

Fallout’s first season was about as good as video game adaptations get, ably capturing the game’s twisted mid-century modern aesthetic and darker than black post-apocalyptic humor (read my review). Season two finds our plucky heroine teaming up with a zombie-like mutant to scour the radiated ruins of Las Vegas for her traitorous father. Needless to say, much bloodshed will ensue.

Michael B. Jordan reunites with director Ryan Coogler — the two previously worked together on Fruitvale Station, Creed, and of course, Black Panther — for this film about two brothers who move to the post-WWI Mississippi Delta to set up a juke joint. But their gangster background threatens to undo their efforts, as does something far darker and more horrific. Lauded as one of 2025’s best films, Sinners was widely acclaimed for Jordan’s dual performance, Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography, and its musical score (read my review).

Guillermo del Toro directed the second film in the Blade series, which finds Wesley Snipes’ vampire hunter teaming up with vampire royalty to fight a menace that threatens both vampire and human society. Blade 2 is a vast improvement over the first Blade movie, thanks to del Toro’s direction and visuals, a hint of body horror, and Donnie Yen’s martial arts choreography. The film also stars Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, and Norman Reedus.

Brad Pitt stars in Apple’s original film about a washed up Formula One racer who’s given a second chance to fame and glory alongside an upstart young driver. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, who dominated the box office with 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, F1 spares no expense to capture the visceral thrills of the race track. The film also stars Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon and a number of Formula One drivers and personnel also make appearances.

In Mamoru Hosoda’s sophomore film, 17-year-old Makoto Konno mysteriously gains the ability to travel in time. Naturally, she uses it to her advantage, like getting better grades in school and reliving fun experiences. However, when her temporal hijinks begin to affect the lives of those around her, Makoto must race against time to put things right. Upon its release in 2006, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time won “Animation of the Year” from the Japanese Academy Awards.

Directed by Richard Donner and produced by Steven Spielberg, The Goonies is about as good as a classic kids adventure film can get. When a group of social misfits on the verge of being kicked out of their homes discover a pirate treasure map, they see it as the perfect solution to their problems — if they can survive the elaborate booby traps and vicious criminals on their tail.

When a documentary crew sits down with celebrated actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, it starts off as a simple interview. But as Fujiwara reflects on her life and career, Millennium Actress director Satoshi Kon uses the medium of animation to blur the lines between reality and fiction. The resulting film is both mind-bending and deeply affecting — read my review — as Kon explores the nature of memory, the effects of loss, and the power of art.

When Mima Kirigoe announces that she’s leaving the pop group CHAM! to pursue an acting career, some of her fans are disappointed. But one fan takes it too far, stalking Mima and posting private details of her life online. That, combined with the stressful nature of her first acting role, begins to take its toll on Mima’s psyche until she’s no longer sure what’s real or who can be trusted. And then the murders start happening. Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut is a brilliant and haunting psychological thriller.

Hideaki Anno leapt at the chance to direct a Godzilla film, but given that this is the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion that we’re talking about, Shin Godzilla is very far from your typical Godzilla movie. To be sure, there are scenes of a giant monster reducing Tokyo to rubble. But inspired by the modern disasters like the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Shin Godzilla is a highly critical satire of both Japan’s government bureaucracy and its relationship with America.

When Kenji Koiso gets the opportunity to go on vacation with one his school’s cutest girls, he leaps at the chance — only to find himself in over his head when she introduces him as her fiancé. Things only get more complicated when a mysterious hacker begins wreaking havoc throughout Japan and frames Kenji. It’s up to Kenji and an unruly family that he barely knows to save the day in this delightful sci-fi comedy/drama from Mamoru Hosoda (read my review).

You know the rules. Don’t expose them to bright light. Never get them wet. And never, ever feed them after midnight. But if you do, then all hell is bound to break loose in this 1984 comedy horror by Joe Dante. Although Gremlins was a big success and spawned a sequel several years later, it was also criticized for its violence, which helped pave the way for the PG-13 rating.

When Kevin McCallister’s family accidentally leaves him behind when flying to Paris for Christmas, he’s thrilled to have the entire house to himself. His vacation is threatened, however, by a pair of thieves who have their eyes on the McCallister abode. Unfortunately for them, young Kevin is preternaturally skilled in the art of booby traps. Home Alone was a massive success when it premiered in 1990, and turned Macaulay Culkin into a child star. The film also stars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the thieves as well as John Heard, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy.

The casting of Jack Black as the voice of Po, a panda who dreams of being a martial arts legend, was clearly a stroke of genius. Set in an version of medieval China populated with anthropomorphized animals, Kung Fu Panda is a thoroughly entertaining action/comedy for the whole family that also packs some delightful depth beneath the martial arts hijinks. (And for what it’s worth, I contend that Tai Lung’s prison escape is one of the great cinematic action scenes of all time.)

I was a college freshman when Pulp Fiction arrived in theaters, and it was everywhere. Tarantino’s twisty, twisted morality play about hitmen, gangsters, drug addicts, boxers, and a mysterious briefcase blew everyone away with its snappy dialog, retro aesthetic, and celebrated performances (including John Travolta in a career-resurrecting performance). The diner conversation between Jules and Vincent is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time (read my review).

Tom Hanks won a “Best Actor” Oscar in 1995 for his portayal of the titular character, a simple man with low intelligence whose various life experiences end up shaping American culture without him ever realizing it. Utilizing cutting edge (at the time) visual effects, Forrest Gump places the character in the Vietnam War, on stage with John Lennon, and in the Oval Office with Nixon. The film also stars Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, and a young Haley Joel Osment.

The illustrious Benoit Blanc has never met a murder he can’t solve. But his latest case, involving a dead priest, may prove too much even for Blanc’s prodigious detective talents. Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return for another Knives Out mystery, with Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, and many more along for the ride.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things soldiers on with Volume Two, as Eleven, Mike, and the Hawkins gang take on Vecna and Upside Down for one final showdown.

Stranger Things comes to a conclusion with “The Rightside Up,” the two-hour-long series finale.

Before Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale came along, the Caped Crusader hadn’t fared too well on the silver screen. True, Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman was enjoyable in a campy way, thanks to an ultra-gothic aesthetic, Jack Nicholson’s over-the-top Joker, and a funky Prince soundtrack. But it wasn’t until Nolan’s Batman Begins that the world’s greatest detective truly came into his own.

A live-action Barbie film had been in development hell for decades, but it wasn’t until Margot Robbie signed on as a producer that the film really got going. Robbie — who also stars in the title role as the iconic fashion doll — ultimately helped recruit director Greta Gerwig, and the resulting film is both a delightful celebration of Barbie fashion and accessories and a not-so-subtle exploration of gender roles (read my review). The film also stars Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, and Ryan Gosling, who nearly steals the movie as Ken.

Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The City of Lost Children is a bizarre and visually stunning fairy tale set in a seaside town filled with dream-obsessed mad scientists, cyborg cultists, circus strongmen, and trained fleas — and that just barely scratches the surface of this beguiling film. Featuring costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier and music by Angelo Badalamenti, The City of Lost Children is a truly unique film and a classic of steampunk cinema.

Written and directed by David Lowery, The Green Knight offers up a very unique spin on Arthurian mythos. When the mysterious Green Knight challenges the Round Table to a bizarre contest, the only one who responds is the brash and immature Sir Gawain (Dev Patel). When ensues is a bizarre fantasy that challenges the notions of chivalry as Gawain journeys through an increasingly bizarre England to respond to the Green Knight’s call.

For their feature film debut, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele — of Key & Peele fame — star in this tale of a man who will do anything to get his beloved kitten back, even if that means infiltrating a violent gang or taking on some legendary assassins. As you might expect from Key and Peele, Keanu is hilarious, turning plenty of gangster movie tropes on their head with the help of a cast that includes Tiffany Haddish, Method Man, Luis Guzmán, Will Forte, and of course, Keanu Reeves.

The Double Deuce is the rowdiest bar around, filled with violence and corruption, and it’s going to take a special man to bring things under control. Enter Dalton, whose as quick with a roundhouse kick as he is a nugget of Zen wisdom. Forget about Dirty Dancing. Road House is Patrick Swayze’s most iconic performance, and I’m pretty sure Andy Dwyer would agree with me (read my review).

One of the all-time great sci-fi action movies, The Terminator stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role he was born to play: an unstoppable killing machine from the future. His mission? Killing the mother of the child who will grow up to lead humanity in the war against the machines. With its ground-breaking special effects and intense storyline, The Terminator has influenced countless films, and has even been added to the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

When two neighbors in a bustling apartment complex discover that their spouses are having an affair, they’re initially at a loss. But as they spend more time together and try to understand their spouses’ infidelity, they begin to fall in love, as well, challenging their own notions of love and fidelity. Perfectly capturing the look of ’60s-era Hong Kong, and featuring amazing performances by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking films you’re ever likely to see (read my review).

A lot of films have been called “the greatest film of all time,” but Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has a far more legitimate claim to that status than most films. When a village beset by bandits sets out to hire some samurai for protection, they set in motion a sprawling epic filled with plenty of action, but also deeply human emotion and pathos. Since its release in 1954, Seven Samurai’s influence has become incalculable, thanks to Kurosawa’s unparalleled direction as well as timeless performances from the likes of Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune (read my review).