We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Paramount+ is hands down the best streaming service to watch classic films. Instead of catching up with new movies this month, the platform is bringing us the goods from years gone by.
The Jackass franchise is one of the biggest new additions as part of everything new on Paramount+ in July 2025 with seven movies from the film series dropping throughout the month If gross-out humor isn’t your thing, big-hitters like Chicago and Girl, Interrupted are also joining the ranks. Even Titanic is available to stream if you really want to give the tear ducts a good old workout.
If you’re looking for the crème de la crème, then I recommend you stream these three movies that have scored over 90% from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Even better… they couldn’t be more different from each other.
City of God (2003)
RT Score: 91%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 131 minutes
Director: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund
Arriving on: July 1
If La Haine met The Warriors and happened in a Brazilian favela, it would probably look something like City of God. Spanning three decades, it follows two young boys who become deeply involved in a local crime ring. Their environment grows increasingly dangerous over the years, culminating in a violent gang war with fatal consequences.
Pulling no punches, City of God is an unflinching look at what happens when vulnerable young people get caught up in gang violence It’s incredibly jarring to see kids running around with loaded guns, threatening to kill their enemies while putting others in compromising positions. It’s a movie that challenges us to reflect on seemingly intractable societal issues, and the extent to which all of us are responsible for them.
City of God isn’t a horror movie, but it might as well be. Just as engrossing as it is tragic, everyone is out for themselves in a similar way to the characters in 28 Years Later.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
RT Score: 94%
Age rating: R
Runtime: 169 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg
Arriving on: July 1
If you haven’t had a crying session while watching Saving Private Ryan, then I really can’t help you. This harrowing World War II drama follows a unit of American soldiers, led by Tom Hanks (and including a rather surprising cameo from Vin Diesel), who are sent behind enemy lines in the aftermath of D-Day to find and bring home Private Ryan (Matt Damon), whose two brothers have been killed in action, leaving him as his family’s only surviving son.
Like many historical dramas and Steven Spielberg movies, this classic film isn’t exactly an easy watch, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth watching. Saving Private Ryan won five awards during the 1999 Academy Awards, with its Oscars for Best Director and Cinematography reflecting the epic scale of its battle scenes and visceral depictions of soldiers at war.
It’s an all-around powerful and emotional experience – both for those caught up in the on-screen action and us as viewers.
Airplane! (1980)
RT Score: 97%
Age rating: PG
Runtime: 88 minutes
Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Arriving on: July 1
You probably wouldn’t think a disaster movie spoof would have a 97% critical Rotten Tomatoes rating, but Airplane! more than passes muster. Our on-screen hero/liability comes in the form of Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a former pilot who’s developed a fear of flying. When the crew and passengers of a flight he’s on get food poisoning, it’s a reluctant Ted to the rescue, with the ‘help’ of passenger Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen).
There’s nothing highbrow about Airplane!, and that’s a good thing. Ridiculously silly while also peppered with dark humour, Ted’s time in the sky is absolutely relentless. There’s no time to catch your breath – and you’ll be laughing so hard you’ll be begging for the oxygen masks to drop down.
Has the film aged well? Maybe not. Does it belong in the action-comedy movies Hall of Fame? Absolutely.
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jasmine.valentine@futurenet.com (Jasmine Valentine)
