The Best Movies to Stream This Week

Looking to settle in with a good movie? Me too. That’s why I’ve pored over the release schedules of major streaming services to bring you the best original and new-to-streaming movies you can watch right now.

This week’s highlights include Hulu’s Hip Hop and the White House, a documentary detailing the musical genre’s effect on politics (and vice versa), and a new stand-up special from Fern Brady who approaches comedy from a unique place. I’ve also included a couple of smaller films that might be flying under people’s radars but really shouldn’t be because they’re both incredibly innovative and amazing.

Hip-Hop and The White House

When president Obama strode into the White House Correspondent’s Dinner in 2013 to DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” it marked a seismic cultural shift, for both hip-hop and American politics. Narrated by Jeezy, Hip-Hop and the White House goes beyond Obama’s power move to explore the deeper history of hip-hop’s relationship to the nation’s power structures, charting hip hop’s evolution from a disreputable musical form politicians derided for cheap political points, to a cultural force that helps move elections. 

Where to stream: Hulu

Late Night with the Devil (2024)

Late Night with the Devil is the most clever, effective found-footage horror film I’ve seen in years. The story of a late-night talk show host’s encounter with the Lord of all Evil is told through footage that was supposedly broadcast live, nationwide on Halloween night in 1977. Late Night with the Devil‘s period details are so perfect and the performances so spot-on, you might believe that Jack Delroy (played by David Dastmalchian) was a real competitor to Johnny Carson, and that his show, Night Owls with Jack Delroy, really did try to boost ratings by airing an episode where all hell, literally, breaks loose. Funny, smart, and scary, Late Night with Devil is a must-stream.

Where to stream: Shudder

Hundreds of Beavers (2024)

If you’re in the mood for a comedy that’s different, and I mean really different, check out Hundreds of Beavers. Written by, directed by, and starring Milwaukee filmmaker Mike Cheslik, Beavers is a cinematic outsider’s fever dream that mashes up slapstick comedy from the 1930s, internet memes, Warner Bros. cartoons, and a furry convention. Before grabbing its streaming debut through sheer force of will, Hundreds of Beavers earned raves from audiences on festival circuit and a 95% positive rating from Rotten Tomatoes for its frantic pace and anything-for-a-laugh style.

Where to stream: Fandor

Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen

If you like stand-up comedy but you’re sick of the same old shizz, check out Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen. The Scottish standup, podcaster, and writer’s unique life story, personality, and neurodivergence guarantees unique and screamingly funny takes on sex, drinking, autism, feminism, and everything else.

Where to stream: Netflix

Last week’s picks

Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver

The climax of Zack Snyder’s epic science fiction story promises a breakneck pace, larger-than-a-galaxy action sequences, and heroic characters battling impossible odds with everything on the line. Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver continues the story of Kora and her surviving allies as they face off against Admiral Atticus Noble and the Imperium legion. With the collective force of the Realm gathered to destroy them, this rag-tag band of rebels mounts a last stand to free the villagers of Veldt. In other words, it’s rip-roaring space adventure.

Where to stream: Netflix

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

This HBO original documentary digs into the story of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, detailing not just the tragic explosion on April 19, but the massive FBI investigation that followed, and the seething underground of anti-government conspiracy theorists and hate-mongers who inspired Timothy McVeigh to commit mass murder.

Where to stream: Max

Men (2022)

The monster in this “elevated horror” film is men—not a particular group of men, but men in general. From this provocative premise, director Alex Garland builds a creepy, disturbing narrative that explores the cultural and historical roots of misogyny through the victimization of the film’s main character, Harper Marlowe (played by Jessie Buckley). In a stroke of genius, all the men in the movie (but one) are played by the incredibly talented Rory Kinnear, because men are all basically the same.

Where to stream: Max

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Mixing multiple genres is a notoriously difficult cinematic feat, but Lisa Frankenstein blends horror, dark comedy, gore, romance, and a coming-of-age story, sets it in the 1980s, and doesn’t seem to break a sweat. Written by Diablo Cody and directed by Zelda Williams, Lisa Frankenstein stars Kathryn Newton in the title role, a golden-age goth chick who falls in love with a corpse payed by Cole Sprouse. In keeping with the “Frankenstein” name, Lisa’s dead crush doesn’t remain in the grave for long, setting up an unlikely romance that’s funny, weird, gross, and surprisingly touching.

Where to stream: Peacock

Migration (2023)

Migration is a colorful kid flick from Illumination that tells the story of a family of ducks migrating from New England to Jamaica for the winter. Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks voice the parents of the Mallard family, who just want to guide their two children south safely, but, like a duck version of National Lampoon’s Vacation, everything on the journey goes comically wrong, especially when they end up in New York City. Migration is perfectly produced, mildly amusing, and fast-paced without being exhausting. The cast is excellent, with Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Keegan-Michael Key, and Carol Kane all voicing various wildlife. Plus, it’s over in less than 90 minutes. What more can you ask from a kids’ movie?

Where to stream: Peacock

Cruising (1980)

If you’re a classic cinema fan, check out William Friedkin’s Cruising, a hidden treasure on the Criteria Channel (while you’re there, check out literally any movie on the Criterion Channel). A thriller set in New York’s gay S&M scene in the 1970s, Cruising was notorious when it was released, and was rejected by audiences and critics alike. But the passage of time has revealed a gritty, intense, psychological thriller featuring a nuanced and enigmatic performance from Al Pacino as a cop who goes undercover to catch a serial killer and discovers things about himself instead.

Where to stream: Criterion Channel