My month of streaming
Another month has passed, which means I’ve once again spent ample time scouring the best streaming services for new titles to watch, as well as revisiting old favorites – and July has been interesting.
My month of streaming has been packed with everything from romance and dramas to horrors and thrillers and more, so it’s the most varied list since my March streaming roundup. I even watched a movie musical from 2024 that I thought I’d never watch, and that’s where I really surprised myself.
In addition to two iconic ’80s movies and an erotic drama starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, I’ve been pretty lucky this month when it comes to finding new movies – and now I can’t wait to see what will come my way in August.
Better Man (2024)
Directors: Michael Gracey
Age rating: R
Runtime: 135 minutes
Where to stream: Paramount+ (US); Prime Video (UK & AU)
When the trailer for Better Man first dropped, I didn’t quite understand its point of view. That added to my lack of Robbie Williams knowledge meant that I was perfectly fine with skipping its theatrical release, but when I watched it on Prime Video I was left in floods of tears.
Better Man is up there among some of the best movie musicals I’ve watched in recent years because of its unique take on the classic biopic, retelling the rise, fall, and comeback of British pop star Robbie Williams.
Told entirely from Williams’ perspective, Better Man follows the singer from his days as a young kid with sharp wit and a dream. Capturing his rise to fame with the band Take That right through to his successful solo career, Better Man is also a raw account of Williams’ struggle with addiction and the challenges with being one of the most famous artists of his time.
28 Days Later (2002)
Director: Danny Boyle
Age rating: R
Runtime: 113 minutes
Where to stream: Pluto TV (US); BBC iPlayer (UK); Foxtel Now (AU)
When Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic blockbuster returned this year for its third installment, you couldn’t escape it online. Naturally it urged me to watch the original for the first time, and though it’s not a movie I’d go for to fill my evening, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) is knocked off his bike and enters a coma, only to awake 28 days later to find that the city of London is completely empty. He discovers that a deadly virus has plagued the British population, which turns humans into uncontrollable psychopaths with a hunger to feast on others.
When Jim finds survivors still residing in the city, they band together to hatch an escape to a military base in Manchester that can protect them from the virus – but even more chaos erupts when they arrive.
We Live in Time (2024)
![WE LIVE IN TIME - Official Trailer [4K] - Starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh - YouTube](https://i0.wp.com/img.youtube.com/vi/bS0Clau5700/maxresdefault.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
Director: John Crowley
Age rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Where to stream: HBO Max (US); Netflix (UK)
I was very disappointed that I missed We Live In Time when it was released to cinemas, mainly because I’m pretty much on it whenever Florence Pugh leads a new movie. But thanks to Netflix UK, I finally caught up.
Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) meet in the most unconventional way – she accidentally runs him over with her car. From that moment, the two fall in love and begin their romantic journey together, until a difficult truth emerges that shakes up the life they’ve built.
This A24 movie challenges the traditional romance drama with its non-linear narrative, as it only shows the most poignant parts of its leading couple’s relationship. Take it from me, this one will leave you sobbing.
Barbarian (2022)
Director: Zach Cregger
Age rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US & UK)
A recent addition to Netflix’s library and one of the most memorable horror movies of the decade so far, Barbarian is equal parts twisted and unsettling, with sprinkles of comedic elements.
Young woman Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives in a sketchy Detroit neighborhood for a job interview, only to discover that her AirBnB is double booked and a man named Keith (Bill Skarsgård) is already staying there. Reluctant to stay at first, Tess warms to Keith and the two awkwardly break the ice, but that’s just the start of what will become an unforgettable stay as the two discover a decades-long secret that lies beneath the house.
Back to the Future (1985)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Age rating: PG
Runtime: 116 minutes
Where to stream: Hulu (US); Prime Video (UK); Paramount+, Stan, Foxtel Now, Binge (AU)
An ’80s classic, and all-round sci-fi epic.
The Back to the Future trilogy has recently been added to Prime Video in the UK, and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to revisit its iconic first installment – it’s been a good few years after all.
Set in a small California town in 1985, high schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is sent back in time to 1955 in a time traveling DeLorean invented by his whacky scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). When Marty encounters the younger version of his parents, he must do all he can to make the two fall in love or he will cease to exist.
Saltburn (2023)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Age rating: R
Runtime: 131 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video (US, UK & AU)
I rewatched one of the most divisive movies of the last few years, and if I’m being honest, I don’t hate it. Despite Barry Keoghan’s terrible Scouse accent, I think Saltburn is a beautifully shot movie with an interesting commentary – even if it does seem a little on-the-nose at times.
Set in the early-mid ’00s, vulnerable and shy student Oliver Quick (Keoghan) arrives at Oxford University to begin his studies. Coming from a working-class background, he struggles to fit in with the privileged students who look down on him – until he meets Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), an aristocratic student who befriends Oliver.
As the academic year draws to a close, Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his parents’ manor. When they arrive, Oliver gets a taste of the upper-class life and the reality of their culture differences kicks in – resulting in a summer that will never be forgotten.
28 Weeks Later (2007)
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Age rating: R
Runtime: 99 minutes
Where to stream: Disney+, Hulu (US); Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video (UK); Disney+, Netflix (AU)
After watching 28 Days Later it only felt right to keep up the momentum and check its sequel off my watchlist. While it didn’t quite match the grittiness that I liked so much in the first movie, I thought it was still a solid follow-up movie and was one of my favorites this month.
It’s been almost six months after a deadly virus was unleashed to the British population, and now that the infected have starved to death, the country is deemed virus free, and a US task force has set up a colony of survivors. In the safe zone, survivor Don (Robert Carlyle) is reunited with his two children, but when the kids break protocol they bring the virus into the safe zone and chaos breaks loose.
However, medical officer Scarlet (Rose Byrne) discovers that the children could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus, and devises a careful plan to ensure they survive so that they can be used to find a cure.
Secretary (2002)
Director: Steven Shainberg
Age rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video, Hoopla, Plex (US); Prime Video (UK)
After sitting in my watchlist for a few weeks I finally got around to watching Shainberg’s erotic drama Secretary which, if you haven’t seen it, is the intersection of 50 Shades of Grey (2015) and Babygirl (2024). Though it’s a little half-baked in parts, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s performance is captivating.
After she’s released from a mental hospital, timid and fragile young woman Lee (Gyllenhaal) returns to her dysfunctional family home. She decides to rebuild her life and start afresh, taking a job as a secretary at the firm of successful lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader).
She settles into her new role well, but the dial on their working relationship is cranked up when Grey’s sadistic attitude surfaces. Drawn to his stern and dominant demeanor, Lee bends to his requests and a sexual relationship is formed between them.
The Karate Kid (1984)
![THE KARATE KID [1984] - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube](https://i0.wp.com/img.youtube.com/vi/r_8Rw16uscg/maxresdefault.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Age rating: PG
Runtime: 127 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US & UK); Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Stan, Binge (AU)
When it comes to the best movies to come from the 1980s, Avildsen’s The Karate Kid is up there with Back to the Future – and no remake can match the craft and soul of its original.
High school student Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves to California from New Jersey with his mother to start a new life. When he arrives he has an encounter with a group of bullies, all of whom attend the Cobra Kai karate school and vow to make Daniel’s life miserable both in and out of school.
When Daniel meets his apartment building handyman Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita), he discovers that the calm, elderly man is a master at karate, who takes Daniel under his wing to prepare for a tournament against the students at Cobra Kai. During their training sessions, Miyagi teaches the young teenager that karate is more than strength and power, and their relationship blossoms into something beyond the bounds of master and student.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
