Butter the popcorn.
Ah weekends in iso… they’re lots of fun aren’t they?
While the cinemas are still closed around the state, we thankfully have an endless supply of films at our disposal.
To avoid getting into the ‘what to watch’ wormhole, we’ve curated the 15 of the best films you can stream on Stan right now.
Fast And Furious: The Complete Collection
This one’s for the F&F fans! Stan have dropped the entire catalogue of Fast and Furious films – there’s eight in case you’ve lost count – so buckle up for nonstop action and mind-blowing speed this weekend. From the original flicks with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (RIP), right through to that latest films that see Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham joining the crew, these eight turbo-charged thrill rides place you behind the wheel of the most explosive film franchise in history! There’s literally hours’ worth of binging here and, despite the haters, it’s oh so worth it.
Logan Lucky
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Logan Lucky follows brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) who set out to execute an elaborate robbery with their sister during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, all in the hopes of reversing a family curse. Of course, things get even more complicated as the crew has to dodge a relentless FBI agent. It’s a pretty entertaining flick, and will hook you from the very first scene. There’s also a decent amount of laughs so that’s always a win.
John Wick
It’s Keanu Reeves… enough said.
Seriously though, if you haven’t seen it, it is 110% worth the watch if you’re into action-thriller movies. The premise of the film is an ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him… now go watch.
Parasite
The winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Parasite is definitely a must watch at least once in your lifetime. When a member of a family of South Korean grifters gets a job tutoring the daughter of a well-off family, it’s doesn’t take him long at all to start getting the rest of his family hired as well. But no sooner have they fully latched onto the wealthy Park family than they discover things aren’t entirely what they seem around the house… Director Bong Joon-ho has created a constantly twisting thriller that’s also laugh-out-loud funny, a film where the stakes are constantly escalating while also working as a spot-on metaphor for the way modern society has no bottom to the layers of exploitation – and the dangers that come when those exploited have nothing to lose. It’s smart, it’s sharp, and it was one of the best films of 2019. FYI – the dialogue is in Korean and the film has English subtitles.
A Simple Favour
Twisty, twisted, and above all simply fun, A Simple Favor casts a stylish mommy noir spell with solid performances from Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and Henry Golding. In a nutshell, it’s a black comedy that revolves around a small town mommy vlogger who tries to figure out the truth behind the mysterious and sudden disappearance of her glamorous best friend. With twists and betrayals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge, you’ll be on the edge of your seat for the entire ride. Enjoy.
Jurassic Park Series
Who doesn’t love dinosaurs? While the Jurassic World movies are top-notch, not much compares to the thrill of Spielberg’s 1993 classic and now you can binge all three original flicks – Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Joe Johnston’s Jurassic Park III. Jurassic World is even on there too if you really feel like committing. Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking filmmaking, these epic films are sheer movie-making magic which were 65 million years in the making. We’re not even going to try and justify these any further. Just watch them.
The Kindergarten Teacher
This one is a powerful movie about a teacher (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who becomes obsessed with one of her students, whom she believes to be a child prodigy. So much so that she goes to unreasonable lengths to protect his talent. Israeli writer-director Sara Colangelo’s US remake of her own 2014 film shifts the focus from the student to the teacher, creating a memorable look at a woman’s attempts to find meaning in her life – even when that meaning is at a distance. Gyllenhaal gives a compelling performance here as an increasingly desperate woman; her situation may be extreme, but her plight is all too relatable. Be warned though, this isn’t a movie that you can watch while strolling through Instagram – it requires you undivided attention and you’ll thank us for it later.
Good Will Hunting
With strong performances from a young Matt Damon and the late Robin Williams, this is an absolute classic. Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, and that’s when Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). That’s all we’re going to say. You won’t regret indulging in this entertaining, emotionally rich drama.
Bridesmaids
It doesn’t matter who you are and what movies you usually like, this one is one of the best comedies we’ve seen – hands down. From the producers of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bridesmaids is a female-driven comedy that refuses to be boxed in. Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie’s life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love. Prepare to be laughing the entire way through.
The Intouchables
If you’re a fan of movies based on true stories, this heartwarming French film is a winner. Based on a friendship between a handicap millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), The Intouchables depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common. It’s an irreverent and uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility, and upon release, it broke box office records in its native France and across Europe.
The Machinist
This is a brilliant psychological thriller and if you’re all about movies with twists and turns, then this is for you. Essentially it follows a factory worker (Christian Bale) struggling with insomnia so severe that his condition has taken its toll on his weight and his mental health. Experiences unusual occurrences at both work and home, he starts to hear strange sounds and see people that are apparently not there… or are they? Bale’s performance in this is second to none (he also lost more than 28 kilograms for the role) and it’s one that will stay with you long after the film ends. Definitely worth the ride.
Notting Hill
Notting Hill was a smash, making almost $364 million at the box office worldwide and becoming the year’s top-grossing British film, as well as the biggest hit to date of Grant’s career when it came out in 1999. If you haven’t seen it, William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when famous American actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) appears in his shop. A chance encounter over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss that blossoms into a full-blown affair. As the average bloke and glamorous movie star draw closer and closer together, they struggle to reconcile their radically different lifestyles in the name of love. It’s just a classic, easy-watching, feel-good flick.
Silence of the Lambs
Stan’s always been a reliable when you feel like going down the rabbit hole of the Dr Hannibal Lecter story – and you bet you can catch the critically-acclaimed 1991 film Silence of the Lambs starring Anthony Hopkins as the good doctor himself and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. Essentially Clarice is a top student at the FBI’s training academy, and Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out. We would’t call it feel-good, but it’s definitely an interesting watch.
The Hurt Locker
Based on the personal wartime experiences of journalist Mark Boal (who adapted his experiences with a bomb squad into a fact-based, yet fictional story), director Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 Iraq War-set action thriller The Hurt Locker follows an Iraq War Explosive Ordnance Disposal team who are targeted by insurgents. A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic, it earned universal acclaim and won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll be in for a memorable, intense, and devastating experience.
Scream
After a series of mysterious deaths in their small town, a group of teens become the target of a masked killer. As the body count rises, they find themselves contemplating the “rules” of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one… and thats just the first movie. Three of the four films are on Stan so tuck in.
Obviously there are so many more movies to tuck into, but these are just some of our faves. Enjoy!
