February 2025’s Best Streaming Titles: Reacher, Say Anything, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Roman Holiday, Dune

Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning documentary delves into the nature of American gun violence in the light of horrific school shootings like the one at Colorado’s Columbine High School. Given that this is Michael Moore we’re talking about, Bowling for Columbine is often darkly humorous and awkwardly confrontational, but it raises some poignant questions that sadly, still remain unanswered to this day.

After hearing about the brutal murder of a Kansas family, acclaimed author Truman Capote becomes fascinated by the story, and insists on traveling to Kansas to document it for his next book (which would eventually become In Cold Blood). The late Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a bravura performance as Capote, portraying the author as a charming and talented man who is not above using manipulation to achieve his own selfish goals for fame.

Featuring cinema’s most infamous wood chipper scene, the Coen brothers’ Fargo is yet another twisted moral tale told with a sense of humor as black as the film’s wintry setting is white. When a hapless car salesman (played to perfection by William H. Macy) contracts with a couple of goons to hold his wife for ransom, he sets in a motion a twisted tragicomedy of errors that pulls in one of the Coens’ noblest and purest heroes, police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand).

Based on the Tony-winning play, and directed by Norman Jewison, Fiddler on the Roof follows the trials and tribulations of a Jewish family in Tsarist Russia. Village milkman Tevye (played with gusto by Topol) is doing his best to provide for his family, but he faces constant challenges in the form of rising pogroms and the Russian government’s interference. Meanwhile, his five daughters are challenging his precious traditions. Fiddler on the Roof has since come to be regarded as one of the finest movie musicals of all time, filled with heart, humor, and pathos.

Based on Daniel Clowes acclaimed comic, Ghost World is an acerbic film following two best friends — played by Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson — who’ve just graduated from high school and are trying to figure out what’s next in life. The film’s humor is as dry and bleak as the Sahara, and yet it’s hard not to feel compassion for its disaffected characters. The film also stars Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, and David Cross.

Considered one of 2023’s best films, Celine Song’s semi-autobiographical Past Lives follows two childhood friends who reconnect as adults, and explores how their lives have changes in the ensuing years. Past Lives was nominated for a “Best Picture” Oscar, but lost to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Jack Reacher returns for another season of roaming around the country and putting the smack down on bad guys who think they’re above the law. This time around, he’s tasked with saving an undercover DEA informant by going undercover himself. And surprise, surprise, he discovers some deadly connections to his own military past. The first three episodes of Reacher’s new season will begin streaming on February 20, with subsequent episodes released every Thursday until March 27.

As an ode to classic kung fu and ’70s exploitation movies, Kill Bill is arguably Quentin Tarantino’s most stylized and fantastical movie to date. If you’re in the mood for a blood-soaked, rip-roarin’ tale of revenge, then you’ve got your evening all lined up.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star as a suburban couple whose marriage is on the rocks. But given that they’re rival assassins tasked with killing each other, it’s going to take more than just a few sessions of couple’s therapy. Directed by Doug Liman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith was one of 2005’s highest grossing films thanks to its blend of action, humor, romance, and of course, Pitt and Jolie’s star power.

Say Anything features John Cusack in one of his signature roles as Lloyd Dobler, an underachiever who falls for his class’ valedictorian (Ione Skye) and begins an unorthodox relationship with her. But when her father rejects their relationship because of Lloyd’s social status, cue the melodrama. And the Peter Gabriel.

Ang Lee’s martial arts epic was a huge success when it appeared in 2000, winning numerous awards (including four Oscars) and becoming the most successful foreign film in American box office history. With its dramatic storyline, sweeping cinematography, evocative score, and graceful combat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon proved that martial arts films could be more than cheesy action comedies, and ushered in a wave of artsy martial arts films including Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and The Promise.

Bong Joon-ho’s The Host works on multiple levels (read my review). As a monster movie, it’s filled with thrills as a horrific creature stalks and threatens the people living alongside South Korea’s Han River. But it also works as a political satire, making pointed critiques of South Korean politics and society as well as the American military. And to top it all off, it’s hilarious… if you like your humor dark and absurd. Upon its release in 2006, The Host became a box office sensation in South Korea and received widespread acclaim around the world, even from North Korea (due to its criticism of the United States).

Keanu Reeves officially became an action movie star in this thriller about a SWAT officer (Reeves) trying to stop a mad bomber (Dennis Hopper) threatening the Los Angeles. When the bomber’s latest ploy is a bus that will explode if it slows down below 50 miles/hour, Reeves must find a way to stop him and save the passengers. Thanks to its strong performances, taut set pieces, and thrilling twists, Speed was one of 1994’s most successful movies, commercially and critically, and its status has only grown over time (read my review).

Martin Scorsese’s dark tale about a mentally unstable cab driver who slowly succumbs to insanity as he drives through New York City’s slimy underbelly is one of the all-time great films, thanks to an iconic performance by Robert De Niro, Scorsese’s assured direction, and Bernard Herrmann’s harrowing soundtrack (his final composition before he died).

Bong Joon-ho’s darkly comedic thriller about two South Korean families, one rich and one poor, who become inextricably linked together, was one of the most acclaimed films of 2019. Not only was it the first non-English film to win “Best Picture” at the Oscars, but it also won for best director, original screenplay, and foreign language film. Beyond America, it was the first South Korean film to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, which it won unanimously.

The first season of the rebooted Rurouni Kenshin series arrives on Netflix. Set in feudal Japan, the series follows the adventures of a former samurai who seeks to atone for his bloody past, only for the past to catch up and threaten his peaceful life and those of his newfound comrades.

In this political thriller, a former president is tasked with tracking down the people behind a cyber attack that left thousands dead. But as his investigations continue, he’s forced to take extreme and controversial measures even as his own faculties come under suspicion. The Netflix original series stars Robert DeNiro, Angela Bassett, Matthew Modine, Joan Allen, and Jesse Plemons.

Based on Masamichi Kawabe’s Oni Goroshi manga, Demon City follows a hitman who seeks to avenge his wife and daughter against an organization of masked criminals. Demon City was written and directed by Seiji Tanaka, whose previous film, Melancholic, was widely acclaimed at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Long before he was Finn in Star Wars, John Boyega burst on the scene in Attack the Block as Moses, the leader a London street gang who find themselves facing off against deadly alien invaders. Attack the Block was the directorial debut of Joe Cornish, and with the aid of Boyega, Nick Frost, and Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, Broadchurch), he delivered a rollicking film that blends sci-fi, action, horror, and comedy with some pointed social commentary on racism and poverty (read my review).

Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, Cinema Paradiso is a movie that celebrates cinema itself (read my review). After learning that his childhood mentor has died, a jaded filmmaker reflects on the role and influence of movies in his life, which the movie reveals in a series of flashbacks. Upon its release in 1988, Cinema Paradiso quickly became a critical and commercial success, winning numerous awards (including an Oscar for “Best Foreign Language Film”) and helping to resurrect Italy’s film industry.

This is one of those movies that I’ll pull up every now and then just because it’s so solidly made and entertaining (read my review). Based on the best-selling Tom Clancy novel about an experimental Russian submarine, and starring Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery, The Hunt for Red October is classic Cold War action/intrigue that is eminently watchable. (But what else would you expect from director John McTiernan?)

When a young princess (Audrey Hepburn) escapes her strict routine in order to explore Rome, she crosses paths with an American journalist (Gregory Peck) who sees her as the scoop of a lifetime. But as the two spend time together, sparks inevitably fly, leading them to a fateful decision. When people think of “classic” Hollywood movies, William Wyler’s Roman Holiday is at the top of the list, and for good reason. Easily one of the most charming movies ever made (read my review), it’s an utter delight, with Hepburn and Peck delivering wonderful performances and joyous chemistry against a gorgeous Rome backdrop.

One of the all-time great romantic comedies, When Harry Met Sally follows its titular couple over the course of several years as they grow up, get careers, fall in and out of love, and make terrible mistakes. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan give classic performances as the two leads, a pair of unlikely friends in a “will they or won’t they” relationship. The film also stars Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby, and was written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner.

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.

There are certain movies that, if I ever come across them playing on the TV, I will stop everything I’m doing and watch them. Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element is one such movie, with its sci-fi tale about a great evil that can only be stopped by a young woman. Packed to the gills with stunning visuals and set design, as well as an intriguing mythology all its own and a manic sense of energy, The Fifth Element is a blast to watch.

In this harrowing neo-noir, the city of Boston is galvanized when a young girl is abducted. At the center of it is small-time private investigator Patrick Kenzie, whose quest to find the girl takes him from the city’s seediest neighborhoods to its loftiest halls of power. With its taut pacing, ominous atmosphere, and solid performances from Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, and Amy Ryan (who received an Oscar nomination for her performance as the young girl’s unstable mom), you’d never tell that Gone Baby Gone was Ben Affleck’s directorial debut.

In this wonderfully executed heist movie by Spike Lee, an unorthodox hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington) finds himself squaring off against an equally unorthodox thief (Clive Owen) in a bank robbery where nothing is what it seems. The film’s star-studded cast also includes Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Vampires may be second-tier Carpenter material, but it’s still full of good ol’ fashioned B movie fun. James Woods is perfect as the gruff, cynical leader of a team of Vatican-sponsored vampire hunters. But when his team is slaughtered by a powerful vampire master, he must team up with a naïve young priest to prevent the vampire from acquiring a powerful relic.

This three-hour live special highlights the iconic comedy series’ illustrious history, and will feature a large assortment of guests, cast members, and musical acts who’ve performed on the show over the course of the last five decades.

One of 2023’s most acclaimed movies, The Holdovers is set during Christmas break at a prestigious all-male boarding school. When the school’s least popular teacher is forced to chaperone a handful of unruly students who have nowhere else to go. Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa in his film debut, was widely praised by critics for its performances and ’70s aesthetic.

Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel — or at least, his adaptation of the novel’s first half — is a triumph on nearly every level (read my review). Filled with awe-inspiring visuals and solid performances from its impressive cast, Dune chronicles the efforts of the Atreides family as they settle on the desert planet of Arrakis, and must survive not only the planet’s brutal climate but also treacherous political conspiracies. One of the best sci-fi films in recent memory, Dune was also one of 2021’s biggest commercial and critical successes.

Based on the true story of Dieter Dengler, a U.S. Navy pilot who was shot down over Vietnam, Rescue Dawn is a harrowing film about survival in the midst of war (read my review). Christian Bale stars as Dengler, with supporting performances from Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, and François Chau. Prior to making Rescue Dawn, director Werner Herzog made Little Dieter Needs to Fly, a 1997 documentary about Dengler’s life and wartime experiences.

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).

In this ’90s cult classic, a local beat poet afraid of commitment (Mike Myers) falls head over heels for pretty young butcher (Nancy Travis). Hijinks and hilarity ensue, however, when his friends and family begin to suspect that she’s a serial killer. The film also stars Anthony LaPaglia, Amanda Plummer, Charles Grodin, Alan Arkin, and Phil Hartman.

Everyone knows about Woodstock. Fewer people know about the Harlem Cultural Festival, which occurred the same year. Although it featured some of the greatest Black musicians of all time, including Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly and the Family Stone, the months-long festival has remained relatively unknown. Directed by The Roots’ Questlove, Summer of Soul seeks to spread awareness of this important cultural event.

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.”

2014’s Paddington was an absolute delight of a film, following a young marmalade-loving bear’s adventures in London, and his unlikely adoption by a family there. And dare I say that Paddington 2 is an even bigger delight, filled with heart and laughs as our titular ursine hero is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and sent to jail — where his upbeat spirit begins changing his fellow inmates for the better. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Hugh Grant’s scene-stealing performance as a washed up actor whose ego far exceeds his talent.