Stream these 10 terrific films right now
Arrival, Moana and Captain America: Civil War are among the biggest and best movies of 2016. But there are plenty of films that may have slipped under your radar the past 12 months, featuring awards-caliber performances, true-life tales and spine-tingling
1CAPTAIN FANTASTIC This quirky family dramedy blindsided Oscar pundits when it earned an outstanding cast nomination from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to best actor nods for Viggo Mortensen from both SAG and the Golden Globes. But he’s a deserving contender for his sensitive performance as an unconventional dad who raises his kids as survivalists when their mother falls ill. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
2AMERICAN HONEY A Midwestern girl (Sasha Lane) hits the road with a roving band of magazine sellers (Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough) in Andrea Arnold’s raw coming-of-age masterpiece, which made off with the coveted Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
3KRISHA A recovering alcoholic (Krisha Fairchild) comes to her sister’s house for Thanksgiving to reconnect with her estranged family. But her uneasy façade is chipped away in 83 nerve-wracking minutes, haunting viewers with a devastating portrayal of addiction and its ripple effects. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime, Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
4O. J.: MADE IN AMERICA Thanks to a limited run in theaters, this almost eight-hour ESPN documentary is now widely predicted to be the Oscar frontrunner for best documentary. It’s no wonder, with its timely examination of the roles of class, race and celebrity in the life and murder trial of O.J. Simpson. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, WatchESPN
5BLUE JAY After riveting us in Amer
ican Horror Story and The People v. O.J. Simpson, it’s refreshing to see Sarah Paulson in a role she never gets to play: a romantic lead. Despite its predictable climactic twist, this indie dramedy feels fresh thanks to Paulson’s palpable chemistry with Mark Duplass, playing reunited exes. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube
6UNDER THE SHADOW In one of the best years for horror in recent memory, Babak Anvari’s Iranian thriller stands out. Deftly balancing family drama with atmospheric chills, this Tehranset story of a girl (Avin Manshadi) haunted by an evil spirit is 2016’s answer to The Babadook. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube
7WIENER- DOG
The premise is deceptively simple: A dog is passed between a string of oddball owners (Julie Delpy, Greta Gerwig, Danny DeVito and Ellen Burstyn) at different stages of life. What you may not expect is that it’s also one of the wittiest, bleakest and, frankly, weirdest comedies in years. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime, Amazon Video, Vudu
8INDIGNATION
First-time director James Schamus enthralls with this adaptation of Philip Roth’s
American Pastoral, featuring Logan Lerman’s performance a college student wrestling with religion and sexual repression. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
9TICKLED
A journalist stumbles on “competitive endurance tickling ” videos online, only to uncover their mysterious, sleazy origins. It’s a stranger-than-fiction documentary that’s equal parts fascinating and unsettling. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
10THE INNOCENTS In this unflinching Frenchlanguage drama, a young doctor (Lou de Laâge) is summoned to a Polish convent in 1945, where she discovers multiple nuns have been raped and impregnated by Soviet soldiers. It’s an important slice of overlooked history. WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime, Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube