As we all sit at home practicing social distancing and self-quarantining because of COVID-19, streaming has become one of the main ways that we keep ourselves busy while we are cooped up at home.  Luckily, we have a number of streaming services to choose from, all of which are coming in really hot with the content this month.  Netflix is coming with especially good content in April, but Amazon, Hulu, and Disney+ are all adding some great stuff for us to watch.  Here are my picks for the best movies coming to streaming in April.

 

 

NETFLIX

Full list of everything coming to Netflix in April can be found here

 

 

 

 

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (Sergio Leone, 1966)

• Sergio Leon’s classic is essential viewing for film lovers and Western enthusiasts.

 

 

HAIL, CAESAR! (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2016)

• A hilarious Coen Brother gem featuring a terrific ensemble cast.

 

 

THE KILLING OF A SCARED DEER (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2017)

• A sick, twisted, disturbing film from the great Yorgos Lanthimos.

 

 

THE LETHAL WEAPON SERIES (Richard Donner, 1987/1989/1992/1998)

• Led by the dynamic duo of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, the Lethal Weapon series is one of the great action franchises ever made.

 

 

THE MATRIX TRILOGY (Lilly and Lana Wachowski, 1999/2003)

• Though the sequels don’t match the greatness of the first one (a tough task when the first one changed cinema forever), nobody makes movies like the Wachowski’s and The Matrix Trilogy is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

 

 

MOLLY’S GAME (Aaron Sorkin, 2017)

• Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut features masterful performances by Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Michael Cera and Sorkin’s usual snappy dialog.

 

 

ROAD TO PERDITION (Sam Mendes, 2002)

• The best movie of Sam Mendes’ career is a moody gangster flick featuring that last great on-screen performance from Paul Newman and Tom Hanks like you’ve never seen him before.

 

 

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher, 2010)

• My personal pick for the best movie of the 2010’s, David Fincher’s masterpiece has aged like fine wine.  Everything from the performances to Fincher’s direction, to Aaron Sorkin’s ingenious, crackling script are perfect.  This is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.

 

 

SOUL PLANE (Jessy Terrero, 2004)

• It’s complete nonsense and filled with shenanigans and crude humor, but I love this movie even though I know I shouldn’t.

 

 

TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

• This Martin Scorsese masterpiece proved why he and Robert DeNiro are one of cinema’s greatest director/actor duos.

 

 

 

 

AMAZON PRIME

Full list of everything coming to Amazon Prime in April can be found here

 

 

 

 

HOTEL ARTEMIS (Drew Pearce, 2018)

• A fun little action thriller that would play as a perfect double feature with Bad Times at the El Royale.

 

 

I AM LEGEND (Francis Lawrence, 2007)

• Depending your mood, I Am Legend, a movie about the last man alive after a global pandemic, is either the best movie to watch during this COVID-19 virus or the worst.  It is, however, a really great film and feature the best performance of Will Smith’s career.

 

 

JAMES BOND [Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, & Brosnan] (Various Directors, Various Years)

• About a year and a half ago, I made it my mission to watch all the James Bond movies.  Why?  Partly because I’m a maniac, partly because I think it’s essential cinema and they had been a blindspot for me.  I succeeded in my mission and overall, I really like these movies.  Some get rough, but some are quite great.  Amazon is putting 21 of the 25 James Bond films on streaming (the only ones not streaming are the Craig-led Bonds), some of them even with 4k resolution which is exciting.  Here’s a quick guide to these movies (I’ll dive more into this on a later list):
  • CONNERY: Best Film – From Russia With Love
  • LAZENBY: Only made one film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and it’s one of the most unique and best of the franchise.
  • MOORE: Best Film – A View to a Kill (but his movies get really rough).
  • DALTON: Best Film – License to Kill
  • BROSNAN: Best Film – Goldeneye 

These are cool movies and with all the time we have on our hands, give them a whirl.

 

 

LES MISÉRABLES (Ladj Ly, 2019)

• No, this isn’t the musical about Jean Veljean.  Ladj Ly’s 2019 Les Misérables is a captivating crime drama about police tensions with the people of the impoverished suburb of Montfermeil.

 

 

THE LIGHTHOUSE (Robert Eggers, 2019)

• Like I Am Legend, The Lighthouse could be the best or worst movie to watch during this COVID-19 social distancing.  Robert Eggers second feature looks at two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, both outstanding) as they try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.  Gorgeously shot in black and white, this is a delirious look at madness and one I can’t wait to revisit.

 

 

 

HULU

Full list of everything coming to Hulu in April can be found here

 

 

 

 

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (Gurinder Chadha, 2003)

• An inspiring sports film with a lovely pair of performances from Kiera Knightly and Parminder Nagra.

 

 

BLAZING SADDLES (Mel Brooks, 1974)

• Blazing Saddles is one of the greatest comedies ever made and if you haven’t seen it, you need to change that immediately.

 

 

KILL BILL VOL. 1 & VOL. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003/2004)

• Quentin Tarantino’s two-part kung-fu western is one of the director’s great achievements and features a career turn from Uma Thurman.

 

 

PARASITE (Bong Joon-Ho, 2019)

• In a movie year that gave us finales to the Avengers and Star Wars, Bong Joon-Ho’s masterpiece ended up being THE movie of 2019.  The 2019 Best Picture winner is a movie unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and one you will want to watch again as soon as it is over.

 

 

SPIDER-MAN (Sam Raimi, 2002)

• The game-changing comic book film that ushered in the modern comic book movie era, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is an absolute blast, filled with exciting action sequences, a great story, and terrific performances, including Tobey Maguire as the best Spider-Man to ever grace the silver screen.

 

 

 

DISNEY+

Full list of everything coming to Disney+ in April can be found here

 

 

 

NATIONAL TREASURE (Jon Turteltaub, 2004)

• The National Treasure movies are a lot of fun and play like B-grade Indian Jones films for U.S. history buffs.  But really, the greatness of this movie is Nicholas Cage and his uttering of his now-iconic line, “I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.”  Just incredible.

 

 

ONWARD (Dan Scanlon, 2020)

• Pixar’s latest film hits streaming early thanks to COVID-19 and it’s a film that both kids and adults will enjoy.  It’s a fun, exciting, beautifully animated film with nice themes and a good emotional punch at the end.  It’s Pixar 101 and it’s fun stuff (full review here).

 

 

THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch, 1999)

• Did you know that director David Lynch, the insane mastermind behind Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Twin Peaks, once made a G-rated Disney movie about a man who drives a tractor across the country to mend his relationship with his brother?  Well he did and it’s a lovely movie that you call can watch in April.

 

 

 

 

 

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