January 2026’s Best Streaming Titles: The Blues Brothers, Indiana Jones, Heat, Depeche Mode, Star Trek

When Jake and Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) learn that their old orphanage needs $5,000 to keep going, they decide to track down the members of their old blues band and put on a show to raise the money. Along the way, they’ll demolish a shopping mall, enrage a country band, take on some Nazis, and cause massive vehicular chaos across the state of Illinois. Easily one of the best Saturday Night Live films, The Blues Brothers is a true cult classic.

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.

Who knew that a movie franchise inspired by a spy TV series from the ’60s and ’70s would become our best modern action movie franchise? Led by Tom Cruise, the Mission: Impossible films deliver time and again with elaborate and mind-blowing action set pieces. Case in point: Ghost Protocol features Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) in pursuit of terrorists trying to start a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia.

More than forty years after its release, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark remains one of the greatest action/adventure movies of all time, and introduced one of cinema’s most iconic heroes: Indiana Jones, globe-trotting Nazi-punching archaeologist extraordinaire. Heavily inspired by the serials of the ’40s and ’50s, Indy’s movie debut finds him traversing the globe to find the titular biblical artifact before Hitler’s forces do. Raiders of the Lost Ark is filled with thrilling action set pieces and culminates in a truly unforgettable showdown between the forces of good and evil (read my review).

When a reclusive director announces that his next film will be a superhero movie titled Wonder Man, all of Hollywood’s a-buzz. And countless actors line up for a chance to star in it, including Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery, who famously impersonated The Mandarin in Iron Man 3. The latest Marvel series is all set up to skewer Tinsel Town, but I suspect some actual superpowered heroics will eventually come into play.

Mel Brook’s satire of the Western film is a comedy classic — though its treatment of racism (and flatulence) may be jarring for modern audiences. When a new sheriff rides into the small town of Rock Ridge, its citizens are shocked to learn that he’s Black. However, he may just be their best hope when a greedy lawyer wants to destroy their town to make way for a new railroad.

As an adaptation of the long-running Hellblazer comic, Constantine ticked off fans by casting Keanu Reeves as the cynical British sorcerer/occult expert/con-man John Constantine and transplanting him to California. But once you get past that (not to mention the film’s muddled plot and theology), Constantine can still be a fun Hollywood-level “B” movie. The plot: when Constantine agrees to help a detective (Rachel Weisz) solve the mystery of her sister’s suicide, they’re both drawn into the long-running conflict between Heaven and Hell. Cue the special effects, gross demons, and Reeves’ inimitable watchability.

On paper, John Wick’s premise is pretty silly: a retired assassin returns to a life of violence to avenge his dead puppy in spectacularly bloody fashion. But of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the film boasts some of the best action filmmaking of the last ten years and a sense of style that’s only enhanced by Keanu Reeve’s dedication and intensity. John Wick spawned three sequels, each more outrageous than the last, and a truly fascinating mythology.

I still remember the first time I saw Spaceballs. I was in junior high at the time, and I had no idea what the movie was, but the moment I saw the “We brake for nobody” bumper sticker on Spaceball One, I knew my life would never be the same. One of the most quotable movies of all time — e.g., “I am your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate.” — Spaceballs is a true comedy classic.

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).

Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, this two-part documentary explores the life and career of Mel Brooks, the legendary writer, director, and producer behind such beloved comedy classics and satires as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, History of the World, Part I, and Spaceballs.

James Cameron is best known for the Terminator and Avatar movies, but of all his movies, I’ve probably watched The Abyss the most. This movie about deep sea workers who find themselves trapped at the bottom of the ocean between the military and an amazing discovery is filled with groundbreaking special effects, amazing attention to detail, intense disaster sequences, and some excellent performances from an ensemble cast. It’s also infamous for its grueling production, which found cast and crew coming to blows and suffering mental breakdowns from the stress.

Empire Records is the coolest record store in town, but it’s in danger of being sold and going corporate. The store’s ragtag staff must hatch a crazy scheme to save their store while also celebrating Rex Manning Day. The film was a critical and commercial failure when it was released in 1995, but has since become something of a cult favorite. And its soundtrack is peak ’90s, with songs from Cracker, The Cranberries, Gin Blossoms, The Innocence Mission, and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

When it was released in 1995, Heat was widely promoted as the first film in which Al Pacino and Robert De Niro appear on-screen together. And while that’s cool, that overlooked the fact that Heat is a scorching (npi) crime thriller about a gang of elite thieves (led by De Niro) and the police officers (led by Pacino) trying to stop them. Directed with panache by Michael Mann, the film oozes style and atmosphere, and features one of the best shootouts in movie history. In 2022, Mann announced that a sequel was in the works.

When a world-famous illusionist (Edward Norton) arrives in 19th century Vienna, he dazzles everyone with amazing feats of magic — such as conjuring spirits of the dead. But when his attempts to reunite with the love of his youth threatens a royal conspiracy, he begins to weave the ultimate illusion. The Illusionist is a lovely period piece boasting solid performances (especially from Norton and Paul Giamatti), and while the plot’s twists and turns can be a bit obvious, they’re still pretty enjoyable.

When Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer leads his elite military rescue team into the South American jungle, their mission quickly gets complicated when it becomes clear that something’s hunting them. Something that’s not from this world. Predator is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic ’80s film roles, and it still totally holds up thanks to some charismatic performances, Stan Winston’s awesome creature effects, and John McTiernan’s taut direction.

The original Dune may be a train wreck, but it’s a fascinating train wreck. Just start with the fact that it was directed by the one and only David Lynch, who was so disappointed by the final film that he’s completely disowned it. However, parts of it still hold up pretty well (Kyle MacLachlan’s performance, the production design) and the film has since developed a considerable cult following.

Guillermo del Toro has proven himself with fantastical arthouse fare like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone. However, his adaptation of Mike Mignola’s acclaimed Hellboy comic is proof that the director is skilled at more straightforward action stuff, as well (read my review). Well, maybe “straightforward.” In Hellboy, a demonic-looking superhero and a clandestine government agency square off against Nazi occultists who want to summon extra-dimensional horrors that will bring about the end of the world.

Make no mistake, Johnny Mnemonic is not a good movie. Adapted from the William Gibson short story, it stars a pre-Matrix Keanu Reeves as an information courier who carries secret information in his brain and must escape the clutches of a villainous mega-corporation. Confession: I’m a sucker for ’90s-era cyberpunk and computer movies. They’re totally ridiculous, and yet, at the same time, there’s something charming about how dystopic they thought the future would be. (Surprise twist: It could be argued that today is far more dystopic than any imagined cyberpunk future.)

Fernando Frías’s documentary captures Depeche Mode’s performances in Mexico City during their 2023 world tour. At the same time, it also weaves in archival materials and interviews that explore the Mexican culture’s unique views of death and the country’s relationship with the legendary synth-pop group.

Although she’s in high school, Veronica Mars is a highly skilled investigator, thanks to skills she’s picked up from her father, a private investigator. She’ll need all of her skills when she sets out to solve the murder of her best friend, and starts to expose the seamy underbelly of her picturesque California town. Veronica Mars ran for three seasons on the UPN and CW networks, and received widespread acclaim for its clever stories, dark sense of humor, and ensemble cast led by Kristen Bell as the titular character.

When Lili Ichijoin arrives at London’s Saint Thomas Art Academy, she’s ready to pursue her dreams of becoming a skilled artist. And then she meets Kit, the school’s top student who also happens to be a noble. Will the two fall in love? Will there be loads of melodrama and misunderstandings? Well, given that Love Through a Prism comes from the creator of Boys Over Flowers, the ultra-popular romance manga, what do you think?

Joe Carnahan directs Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, and martial arts cinema icon Scott Adkins in this action thriller about a group of Miami cops who discover a stash of cash. Naturally, things quickly go downhill as the group spirals into paranoia and distrust. The Rip made my list of 2026’s most anticipated movies.

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star in this romantic comedy about a man who falls for a woman with amnesia, and strives to win her heart despite her memory issues. 50 First Dates also stars Rob Schneider, Dan Aykroyd, Maya Rudolph, and Sean Astin in a hilarious turn as a steroid-abusing bodybuilder. The film was a commercial success in 2004 and spawned remakes in India, Japan, Iran, and Mexico.

Just to be clear, Ridley Scott’s Black Rain has nothing to do with Shohei Imamura’s Black Rain. The latter deals with the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The former is a gritty cop drama in which a disgraced cop (Michael Douglas) takes on the yakuza to break up a counterfeiting ring, and encounters all sorts of cross-cultural friction when his American style of policing offends his Japanese hosts. The film also stars legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura.

What happens when a brash, hotshot attorney crosses paths with a down-on-his-luck father trying to make ends meet? Chaos and suspense, in this modern morality tale by director Roger Michell. Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson star as the two men, each from vastly different backgrounds and levels of privilege, who find themselves resorting to increasingly desperate measures to outsmart and outmaneuver each other.

It’s always a risk when talking about The Crow; the tragic on-set death of Brandon Lee has become so interwoven with the movie’s mythos that enjoying it can seem disrespectful. But the fact is that The Crow remains a singular movie of the ’90s, as stylized and goth-y as can be, with intense action and a brooding soundtrack featuring a host of alt-rock superstars (read my review). Lee is absolutely perfect as the titular character, a musician brought back to life to avenge the death of his fiancé, which only adds to the movie’s poignancy.

Jerry Shaw is a college dropout who just wants to get by. But his humdrum life is upended when he comes home to find his apartment filled with illegal weapons and he’s arrested by the FBI. Helped only by a mysterious voice on the phone, he must piece together the conspiracy that has captured his life, and threatens the lives of countless innocents. Eagle Eye received a critical drubbing back in 2008, but I still think it’s a fun, if totally ludicrous, thriller that’s a decent way to spend a Friday night.

In Equilibrium, a totalitarian government has outlawed emotions in order to prevent humanity from succumbing to its worst impulses. It’s a corny premise, but Christian Bale brings gravitas to his “tortured lawman” role and the movie’s efficient plot, slick style, and modest scale makes it a fun dystopic ride. Special credit goes to the movie’s martial arts-influenced approach to gun fights, aka “gun kata,” which adds an interesting wrinkle to the many action sequences.

Based on Andy Weir’s best-selling novel, The Martian chronicles the efforts of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) to survive on Mars after he’s presumed dead and left behind. But even as Watney struggles to stay alive, his NASA comrades and fellow astronauts are mounting a massive rescue effort. Released in 2015, The Martian received numerous awards and accolades, and was nominated for “Best Picture” and “Best Actor” at the Academy Awards (read my review).

Set in the 32nd century following Discovery’s final season, the latest Star Trek series follows the first group of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they seek to become officers and make names for themselves. Holly Hunter stars as their teacher while Paul Giamatti plays the series’ primary antagonist. Also, Robert Picardo reprises his role as the holographic Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager.

I confess, I wasn’t as taken with Hail, Caesar! as I have been with other Coen Brother films. But even a lesser Coen Brother film is still more creative than most films. Set during Hollywood’s golden age, the film follows a studio exec who must find his missing leading man while managing the stresses inherent to a major motion picture production. The film boasts an impressive cast, including Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, and Channing Tatum, but Alden Ehrenreich steals the show as a singing cowboy actor.

Based on Cressida Cowell’s popular children’s books, How to Train Your Dragon is set in a world where Vikings live under constant threat of dragon attack. But when the chieftain’s young son befriends the most fearsome dragon of all, he discovers the truth about dragonkind — a truth that he must use to save both his village and his newfound friend from a common enemy. A massive success when it was released in 2010, How to Train Your Dragon was followed by two sequels and inspired multiple TV series and video games.

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.

On its surface, RoboCop seems like a pretty straightforward action/sci-fi movie: dedicated cop gets gunned down by vicious thugs and is reborn as an unstoppable cybernetic enforcer. But this being a Paul Verhoeven movie, it’s no surprise that RoboCop also packs a darkly satirical edge that skewers corporate greed.

A box office failure during its theatrical run back in 1994, The Shawshank Redemption subsequently enjoyed massive success in both the home video market and on cable TV. Written and directed by Frank Darabont, the film is arguably the best Stephen King adaptation — it’s based on his Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption novella — and stars Tim Robbins as an unjustly imprisoned man who uses his wits and skills to survive and even thrive in a brutal prison.

When Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes a job as the winter caretaker for a remote hotel, he looks forward to writing his new book. But malevolent forces in the hotel have other plans, and soon, Jack begins sliding into a madness that threatens the lives of his wife and son. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the 1977 Stephen King novel contains some of the creepiest and most indelible images in all of film history.

Set in the early ’70s as the Cold War is heating up, this adaptation of John le Carré’s classic spy novel follows a group of spies trying to find the traitor in their midst. Although Tomas Alfredson’s movie can get convoluted with all of the twists and betrayals, it’s eminently watchable thanks to an all-star cast that includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Hurt, to name but a few (read my review).

One of the very best sci-fi films in recent years, Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival is a thought-provoking film unlike any alien invasion film you’ve seen. When strange alien ships appear around the globe, the military asks a linguist (Amy Adams) to help decipher the alien’s strange language. But as she begins to understand it, the language starts affecting her in mysterious ways. Arrival’s slow pace may frustrate some, but Villeneuve’s direction is masterful, the cinematography is gorgeous, the concepts are fascinating, and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s soundtrack is incredible (read my review).

In a dystopic future, the totalitarian Japanese government takes a drastic step to end juvenile delinquency. Each year, a random middle school class is taken to a remote island and forced to hunt each other down until one survivor remains. Based on Koushun Takami’s novel, Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale was immediately controversial upon release and even banned in several countries. But the film also became a cult classic thanks to its powerful performances, shocking violence, dark humor, and brutal indictment of adult tyranny (read my review).

All Max Durocher wants to do is earn enough money as a cab driver to launch his own limo business. But his plans get thrown into a blender when he meets Vincent, a slick hitman who forces Max to drive him around Los Angeles to complete a series of jobs. Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise star in this slick Michael Mann-directed thriller that’s filled with action and style.

In Equilibrium, a totalitarian government has outlawed emotions in order to prevent humanity from succumbing to its worst impulses. It’s a corny premise, but Christian Bale brings gravitas to his “tortured lawman” role and the movie’s efficient plot, slick style, and modest scale makes it a fun dystopic ride. Special credit goes to the movie’s martial arts-influenced approach to gun fights, aka “gun kata,” which adds an interesting wrinkle to the many action sequences.

Sing (Stephen Chow) has one dream in life: to become a member of the feared Axe Gang. But when he encounters a group of reclusive and unlikely martial artists, he’s slowly begins to realize that he could be something more. But not without plenty of hijinks — this is a Stephen Chow movie, after all. Coming on the heels of Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle went even further into CGI-fuelled leaps of martial arts slapstick. While Shaolin Soccer is the better film overall, Kung Fu Hustle still has plenty of hilarious delights all its own.

A troubled yet brilliant mathematician uses chaos theory and supercomputers to understand how the stock market works. In the process, he’s drawn into the world of Jewish mystics seeking after the true name of God. Darren Aronofsky’s Pi is compelling on multiple levels thanks to its intriguing plot and themes, surreal visuals (aided by the film’s black-and-white cinematography), and pulsing electronic soundtrack.

Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey takes the Predator franchise back to the 18th century, and pits a young Comanche hunter (Amber Midthunder) against the fearsome alien hunter. The result is an excellent sc-fi actioner rooted in Native American history and culture, which helps ground the action and provides a unique perspective often lacking from the genre. It also proves that after nearly four decades, the Predator franchise can still surprise and thrill us (read my review).

When her boyfriend screws up a delivery for a local gangster, Lola has just 20 minutes to find the 100,000 Deutschmarks necessary to save his life. But as the film progresses, it shows the various ways that Lola’s Quixotic quest might unfold, for better or worse. With its kinetic non-linear plot, pulsing soundtrack, and striking lead performance from Franka Potente — who would later star in the Bourne movies — Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run was one of 1998’s most celebrated films.

Considered by some to be the greatest concert film of all time, Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense captures David Byrne and the rest of Talking Heads at the height of their powers. Over the course nearly 90 minutes, the new wave icons perform their biggest hits, including “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House,” and “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).”

Derek Zoolander used to be the world’s top model, but when he’s replaced by younger, cooler model, he hits rock bottom — and lands in the middle of a conspiracy to assassinate a foreign leader who threatens the fashion industry’s reliance on child labor. Written and directed by Ben Stiller, who also stars as the titular supermodel, this satire of the fashion industry features cameos from numerous fashion legends including Tyson Beckford, Tom Ford, Fabio, Tommy Hilfiger, Heidi Klum, and Karl Lagerfeld.