March 2024’s Best Streaming Titles: Battle Royale, Taylor Swift, Ocean’s Eleven, 3 Body Problem

Although Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy could be considered the gold standard of live action Batman adaptations, Tim Burton’s take on the Caped Crusader is not without its merits. It’s gaudy, gothic, and hyper-stylized; boasts some scenery chewing of the finest sort courtesy of Jack Nicholson’s Joker; and has a funky Prince soundtrack to boot.

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.

I know I seemed a bit harsh on J. J. Abrams in my review of The Rise of Skywalker, but if you want an example of where his nostalgia-driven approach to filmmaking does work, then check out Super 8. An obvious love letter to classic Spielberg films — it was even produced by Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment — Super 8 is nevertheless a fun sci-fi action romp as a group of teenage filmmakers find themselves caught between an alien life form and the military trying to capture it.

After they’re falsely accused of murdering the leader of the city’s most powerful gang, the Warriors must make the long journey back to their home base while fending off the rest of New York’s gangs. This simple premise makes for one of the great cult movies, as the Warriors make their way through a nightmarish, dystopic New York as imagined by director Walter Hill (The Driver, Streets of Fire).

Waterworld is famous for being one of the huge Hollywood debacles. Released in 1995, it was the most expensive movie ever made — its budget ballooned to $175 million due to production costs and damage from a hurricane — and its domestic run was just a fraction of that. But Waterworld was nothing if not ambitious in its depiction of a post-apocalyptic Earth where the polar ice caps have melted and humanity has been reduced to floating communes.

The original Road House, starring Patrick Swayze, is an undisputed ’80s classic. The upcoming remake, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Williams, and Conor McGregor, sticks to the original’s concept, but moves it into the world of MMA. Gyllenhaal plays a down-on-his-luck UFC fighter who’s hired to work at a Florida roadhouse, only to become embroiled in scheme involving shady land developers.

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).

The world’s biggest pop star, with the highest grossing concert tour of all time, brings the biggest concert film of all time to Disney+. Featuring several songs that weren’t in the theatrical release, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour captures Swift and her entourage as they perform at California’s SoFi Stadium over the course of three nights. Disney reportedly paid more than $75 million for the streaming rights, beating out Netflix and Universal.

Running for five seasons during the early-to-mid ’90s, X-Men: The Animated Series was a massive success and a highlight of Saturday mornings. Mixing original storylines with X-Men classics, like “Days of Future Past” and “The Phoenix Saga,” the series boasted some surprisingly thought-provoking episodes along with plenty of mutant action. X-Men ’97 picks up where the original series left off, with Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and the rest of X-Men must battle new enemies while still mourning the loss of Professor X.

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.

Over the years, news of a Blade Runner sequel has always been met with trepidation and skepticism. However, Blade Runner 2049 was about as perfect a sequel as fans could’ve hoped for. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 may not reach the original’s mythic-ness, but it’s certainly of a piece thanks to its contemplative pacing, gorgeous effects and world-building, and a storyline that builds on the original’s themes.

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.

Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic is based on the true story of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), a mob associate who eventually became an FBI informant. The film follows Hill’s introduction to the mob life, and his rise and fall in the gang through the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. The film was nominated for multiple Oscars, eventually winning “Best Supporting Actor” for Joe Pesci’s performance as the unhinged Tommy DeVito.

In Jonathan Glazer’s acclaimed gangster film, a retired criminal is compelled to perform one last job. Filled with solid performances — especially Ben Kingsley as the sociopathic, obscenity-spitting Don Logan — and Glazer’s assured direction, not to mention a pitch-perfect streak of dark humor, Sexy Beast is widely regarded as one of the best films of the early ’00s.

Directed by the enigmatic Terrence Malick and starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life is a luminous and visually stunning treatise on God, mortality, heaven, grace, and the power of fathers to shape their childrens’ lives for better or worse. Jumping between the 1960s and 2010 — with a notable segue that depicts the creation of the universe and the age of the dinosaurs — The Tree of Life is about as ambitious and transcendent as cinema gets.

After mercenary Wade Wilson volunteers for an experimental treatment, he’s left horribly disfigured but also with the ability to instantly heal any injuries that he receives, no matter how awful. Donning a red costume, Wilson becomes the anti-hero Deadpool, intent on getting revenge on those who ruined his life. With its never-ending snark and R-rated violence, Deadpool is the role that Ryan Reynolds was born to play.

In the final days of the Vietnam War, a group of Army soldiers are recruited for a top secret mission to explore a mysterious island. As you might expect from the movie title, they soon discover far more than they bargained for. Obviously inspired by Apocalypse Now, Kong: Skull Island turns out to be a pretty fun movie thanks to some crazy monster action, some inspired visuals, and a solid cast highlighted by some delightful John C. Reilly kookiness (read my review).

Ocean’s Eleven is about as slick as heist movies come, as Danny Ocean (George Clooney at his most charming) assembles a team to knock over three Las Vegas casinos in one night. Directed with all assurance by Steven Soderbergh, Ocean’s Eleven is just a joy to watch, as the twists keep coming and the stakes keep getting higher.

HBO’s latest prestige title stars Kate Winslet as the chancellor of a fictional European country on the verge of collapse. And as she sinks further into paranoia, her regime threatens to unravel around her. The Regime also stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton, and Hugh Grant.

Gareth Edwards’ take on the venerable Big G seems less focused on big monster smackdowns and more on building suspense and atmosphere. When I first saw it, I was a bit underwhelmed, because the whole reason you watch a Godzilla movie is for the kaiju battles. But I found the film much better and more engrossing than I remembered on a recent viewing. If nothing else, it might help erase any lingering memories of Roland Emmerich’s 1998 film.

Adam Sandler is best known for his wild comedies, including such classics as Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Wedding Singer. But he’s also starred in a number of more serious and dramatic films, such as Punch-Drunk Love, Uncut Gems, and Hustle. Based on Jaroslav Kalfař’s novel Spaceman of Bohemia, Spaceman looks to be more of the former, with Sandler playing an astronaut stranded in space desperate to save his failing marriage. Which might be possible after he meets a strange alien creature.

In this spin-off from Guy Ritchie’s 2019 film of the same name, a young man inherits a vast estate from his father only to learn that it’s connected to a vast drug operation. The Gentlemen stars Theo James, Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Serafinowicz, Vinnie Jones, and Ray Winstone.

Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown stars in this Netflix original that puts a spin on the classic “damsel in distress” trope. Brown stars as a young woman who is sacrificed by her Prince Charming to the dragon that’s terrorizing the kingdom. However, she has no intention of accepting her fate. Damsel also stars Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, Ray Winstone, and Robin Wright.

Netflix’s adaptation of Liu Cixin’s acclaimed novel is shaping up to be one of 2024’s most anticipated titles. When the world’s scientists start getting mysteriously killed, the subsequent investigation uncovers a conspiracy that reaches all the way back to China’s Cultural Revolution in the ’60s, and could have massive ramifications for humanity. The series stars Rosalind Chao, Benedict Wong, Liam Cunningham, and Jonathan Pryce.

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.