You really need to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show in person, with a bunch of people who’ve seen it hundreds of times, can recite every line, and bring props, such as toast to throw in the air when a toast is proposed onscreen. But during the pandemic, you might have to settle for watching it at home.
The 1975 film is the famous one, but The Rocky Horror Picture Show was remade in 2016 with Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Tim Curry as narrator. That film is now on Hulu, so grab water pistols, rice, toilet paper, newspapers and other props and re-create the theater fun at home. Here’s our full list of what’s coming to the streaming service in October.
Generations of struggle
Also new to Hulu this week: The heartbreaking documentary Jacinta (2021), which follows a young woman who’s in the same jail as her mother, both recovering from drug addiction. Director Jessica Earnshaw follows Jacinta, her mother Rosemary, and Jacinta’s daughter Caylynn over three years, unwinding the tangled family history that’s led Jacinta to follow her mother’s path.
Bond’s back catalog
Daniel Craig plays James Bond for the final time in No Time to Die, which opens Friday in the US. If you’re waiting to see it, you can catch up on some older Bond flicks, as a bunch recently arrived on Hulu.
Start at the beginning with Dr. No (1962), starring Sean Connery in the first Bond film. This has possibly the best Bond girl moment ever, when Ursula Andress, playing Honey Ryder, rises out of the Caribbean wearing a white bikini and with a huge diving knife.
Move on to Goldfinger (1964), many Bond fans’ favorite film of the series, where Connery returns and Bond baddie Auric Goldfinger plots to contaminate Fort Knox. Look, we didn’t say these films were all that logical.
Other Bond films now on Hulu include From Russia With Love (1964), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and Licence to Kill (1989). Serve up your shaken-not-stirred martinis and enjoy the flicks from the comfort of your couch.
Murder, love, literary genius
There aren’t a lot of original or fresh movies coming to Hulu this week, so this might be time to check out some films that came to the service recently.
Gemini (2018) stars Zoë Kravitz as movie star Heather Anderson, with Lola Kirke as her personal assistant Jill. Things start to get mysterious and murderous in the high life of Hollywood, and John Cho (of Harold and Kumar and Star Trek fame) shows up as a police detective who’s determined to get to the truth.
Love, Simon (2018) is a romantic comedy-drama about a gay teen, directed by prolific TV director-producer Greg Berlanti. It’s based on the 2015 young-adult novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli.
“Like the chorus of a latter-day Taylor Swift song, (Love, Simon) will lift you up, goddammit, and good luck trying to stop it,” wrote Vulture critic Emily Yoshida.
In another recent Hulu arrival, Keira Knightley plays the beloved French novelist Colette in the 2018 film of the same name. New York Observer critic Rex Reed calls Colette, “the most important woman writer in the history of French literature” and says the film “is the best and most lavishly appointed, gorgeously photographed period movie in years.”
In addition to the movies above, you can check out our list of best Hulu original films.
Read more: The 38 best TV shows to watch on Hulu | Everything you need to know to sign up to Hulu
Best Hulu original movies
Documentary
Hulu
It was only a matter of time before a documentary chronicling the remarkable story of teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg came around. I Am Greta is an intimate look at Thunberg’s one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish parliament. We also see a little of her life as a shy student with Asperger’s. The rare footage is in the sure hands of Swedish director Nathan Grossman, following Thunberg’s galvanizing impact from those steps to the rest of the world.
Hulu
On the surface, this extraordinary documentary from Bing Liu is a love letter to skateboarding. But scratch a little deeper and you’ll find Minding the Gap’s vast depths. A rich and thoughtful tale of young people growing up in 21st century America, it explores domestic trauma, systemic racism and classism. It resonates beyond the skate park.
Comedy
Plan B (2021)
Hulu
This road trip comedy covers familiar territory, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles star as odd best friends: one a straitlaced student, the other a slacker who helps the former track down a Plan B pill in conservative small-town South Dakota — within 24 hours of a regrettable first sexual encounter. Following in the footsteps of the fast-paced and fresh Booksmart, Plan B is a witty, bawdy ride that holds nothing back.
Hulu
Palm Springs slots right into the charming indie movie category: Its fresh sci-fi premise acts as a gateway to exploring deeper ideas. Cristin Miloti and Andy Samberg star as Sarah and Nyles, two strangers who meet at a wedding and get up to all sorts, including stumbling into a Groundhog Day time loop. Their only chance of escape seems to be tied to having personal breakthroughs. Very much sticking the landing, Palm Springs should be on your list of viewing destinations.
Hulu
Big Time Adolescence is a coming-of-age movie told with an emphasis on the messiness of growing up. Pete Davidson plays a slacker who befriends 16-year-old Mo. His influence sees Mo try new things, from alcohol to impressing girls at parties. Lessons, as you can expect, are learned. A smart ensemble, including Jon Cryer, is the cherry on the cake bringing together this heartfelt gem.
Romance
Hulu
If you like your Christmas movies with a dash of substance, then Happiest Season is one of the best new gems to slide onto your holiday viewing shelf. Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis star as loving couple Abby and Harper, who encounter a single spanner in their relationship: Harper hasn’t come out to her conservative family yet. Delivering all the warmth of a Hallmark card with none of the cheesiness, and bolstered by a stellar supporting cast including Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie and Dan Levy, Happiest Season is a smart, modern Christmas movie with emotional punch.
Drama
Nomadland (2020)
Cortesía de TIFF
Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland swept up awards at film festivals and unsurprisingly won best picture, best director and best actress at the Oscars. Zhao’s a true workhorse, directing, editing and writing this contemplative and fascinating drama about a woman (Frances McDormand) who leaves her home to travel around the American West. Get this: Members of the supporting cast are real-life nomads playing fictionalized versions of themselves. See this extraordinary piece of filmmaking from the director who’ll bring her unique lens to Marvel’s Eternals later this year.
Thriller
Hulu
Sarah Paulson’s had a big year, starring in Mrs. America, Ratched and now Run, a thriller from Aneesh Chaganty (check out his excellent directorial debut Searching). In Run, Paulson plays Diane Sherman, a mother looking after her daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen), who uses a wheelchair. But their mother-daughter relationship is more disturbing than it seems. Be captivated by the suspense, mystery and horror as Diane takes helicopter parenting to a new level.
Horror
Hulu
As the great Fleabag once said, “Hair is everything.” Bad Hair might just take that to the next level. The horror satire set in the ’80s follows a young woman who reluctantly agrees to get a weave — but changing her image to please the image-obsessed music industry has its consequences. Absurdly funny and disturbing at the same time, Bad Hair unravels an entertaining fable that reflects on modern life.
Hulu
Zombies, the Australian outback and a school bus of happy-go-lucky children are a mix you can expect to end badly. Little Monsters follows kindergarten teacher Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o) on her gargantuan task: Keep her charges safe and oblivious to the flesh (and echidna) eating monsters. If she pulls it off, she’ll be teacher of the year. With a scene-stealing Josh Gad in tow, Little Monsters is ridiculous fun using a fresh brain to tackle the genre.
Movies coming in 2021 and 2022 from Netflix, Marvel, HBO and more
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