If Beale Street Could Talk, 1942s Cat People, Varda by Agnes, and others are all available for streaming on Peacock Halloween.
Here are 24 of the greatest new streaming movies to platforms in September 2022.
Buckaroo Banzai's 8th Dimension Adventures in the 8th Dimension
W.D. Richter, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter (1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Big Trouble in Little China), has only directed two feature films. The first, the eccentric sci-fi film Buckaroo Banzai, was self-produced and performed so poorly that Richter's newly formed production company folded.
Buckaroo Banzai is a delightfully unusual film that only gets better with time, especially as the American film industry shifts more and more towards franchise filmmaking. That means it thrusts you right into the midst of a long-running and (slightly confusing) mystery, but it all works due to the unconventional characters and narrative beats.
Dr. Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller), a world-famous rock star, physicist, neurosurgeon, and pilot, is followed in his adventures by a group of young people (including a young Jeff Goldblum as New Jersey, a doctor who wears cowboy outfit).
Buckaroo Banzai's Adventures in the 8th Dimension is now available on Prime Video.
Army of Darkness
This is Sam Raimi's third film in his excellent Evil Dead series, which leans heavily towards horror-comedy comedy. Bruce Campbells Ash Williams has traveled back in time to the Middle Ages, and must navigate his way back to the present day. PV
On Peacock, Army of Darkness is available for viewing.
Beau Travail
Denis Lavant (Holy Motors) plays Galoup, a French Foreign Legion officer serving in Djibouti, who is disturbed by a promising young recruit named Gilles Sentain (Gregoire Colin).
Beau Travail is a beautiful and moving film set from the perspective of Galoup, who is now disgraced and expelled. The trio of dynamic lead actors combined with visually striking and serene cinematography culminates in a final scene with an unwavering display of pure emotional stupor that will leave you in awe.
Beau Travail is available to watch on HBO Max and Criterion Channel.
Cat People
The classic 1942 horror film by Jacques Tourneurs is a dark and sexy story about a woman (Simone Simon) who believes that if she is ever sexually stimulated, she will become a murderous monster. When she falls in love with a marine engineer (Kent Smith), she must reconcile her desires with her beliefs.
In this film, there is a tense sequence where one character stalks another. Tourneur lets the tension build to an uncontrollable height before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. It is often considered as the originator of the modern jump scare. PV
Cat People is now available on HBO Max for streaming.
Chronicle
Chronicle, a 2012 found-footage sci-fi film, stars Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Alex Russell (Unbroken) and Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) as three high school friends who gain superpowers after discovering an extraterrestrial object hidden underground. One of the children falls into a spiral of social rage, forcing his friends to band together to stop him. TE
Chronicle is now available to stream on Hulu.
The Ghost and the Darkness
Beast, a recent creature feature directed by Idris Elba, got us thinking about two things: first, how lovely it is to have sharp, economical thrillers, and second, the gigantic, star-studded historical adventure The Ghost and the Darkness rule.
Without the pulp-thriller punch of the movies, the lions' physical interactions with fragile human bodies would appear bleak and spooky, despite the fact that Hopkins and Goldman do fall into the familiar man-versus-nature film trap (also seen in Jaws) of making their animals appear to be demons.
On Prime Video, The Ghost and the Darkness may be viewed.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Season of the Witch is a disturbing and fascinating meditation on the way goods are sold to children, with a haunting score by John Carpenter.
In our 2021 Halloween movies countdown, Toussaint put it this way:
Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, a long-time collaborator and friend of John Carpenter, that includes stonehenge, robots, masks that melt human flesh and conjure insects, beer, and a history lesson on Halloween's origins. It's an experimental horror film that, like Knives Outs Benoit Blanc, allows you to develop ideas that are new to your audience.
TV It rots your brain! PV
Peacock has made a live stream of Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
I Saw the Devil
I Saw the Devil is the ideal film for a brutal serial killer revenge movie, as well as a few extras. Kim Soo-hyun (Squid Game, Joint Security Area) plays Jang Kyung-chul, the serial killer responsible for killing his pregnant wife.
I Saw the Devil is available for streaming on Prime Video.
If Beale Street Could Talk
If Beale Street Could Talk, a 1974 film by Barry Jenkins, is an achingly tender and beautiful story of love, hope, and freedom, tempered by institutional racism and the malicious indifference of the carceral state. Clementine Tish Rivers plays a young woman who falls in love with her childhood friend Alonzo Fonny Hunt (Stephan James) and becomes pregnant with his child.
If Beale Street Could Talk, a film about Tish's parents, is a powerful work of cinematic excellence.
If Beale Street Could Talk is now available on Netflix.
Land of the Dead
Land of the Dead is a standout film from George Romeros' consistently excellent Night of the Living Dead franchise, which tackles class conflict head-on. Set in a postapocalyptic Pittsburgh ruled with an iron fist by Dennis Hopper in a high-rise apartment, the film follows an organized zombie assault on the city and the efforts to protect it.
On Peacock, Land of the Dead is available for streaming.
Let the Right One In
This Swedish adaptation of a 2004 novel was later reimagined as a Hollywood film in 2010. The original is the one you should see.
Let the Right One In is a stunning modern classic about a 12-year-old boy who becomes best friends with a girl he discovers is a vampire.
On Prime Video, Let the Right One In is available for viewing.
Road House
Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor have been working on a new UFC-focused Road House. That's all it's got to be, but what it doesn't change is how fantastic the original is.
Patrick Swayze is James Dalton, a sensitive and somewhat zen bouncer who is good at his job and a keen observer of philosophy. The owner of a seedy club pays Dalton a lot of money to help stabilize his establishment, but a local businessman (Ben Gazzara) has other plans. Road House is a quintessential late-80s action film.
Road House is now available on Netflix for streaming.
Rob Zombies Halloween II
The other two films from the Halloween franchise aren't that different. Zombies is a haunting tale of hardship and survival that is one of my very favorite movies of the 21st century.
On Peacock, Rob Zombies Halloween II is available to stream.
Rosetta
The Dardenne brothers are among the most well-known European filmmakers of their generation, and their Palme dOr-winning film Rosetta may be their finest film.
Rosetta is a touching story about a young girl (Emilie Dequenne, who won Best Actress at Cannes for her role on the film) who lives in poverty with her mother and her attempts to obtain a job and some degree of personal freedom. Dequennes' moving performance will last long after the final credits.
Rosetta is now available on HBO Max to stream.
Prince of Darkness
It's difficult to pick out favorite John Carpenter films. With few exceptions, they all rule, and this is one of two of him on the list (They Live, which also rules but is not on this list, is also on Peacock).
Prince of Darkness is the second entry in the Carpenters Apocalypse Trilogy, joining The Thing (more on that later) and In the Mouth of Madness. It's about a Catholic priest (Donald Pleasance, reuniting with Carpenter after Halloween) who discovers a mysterious vat of goo in a monastery, and a group of quantum physics students who are asked to assist him discover what it is. Nightmares are unleashed.
For the first time during the Halloween season in 2021, I saw Prince of Darkness, and there has not been a week since that I have not thought about it. PV
Prince of Darkness is available on Peacock.
Pulse
Is there a better modern horror filmmaker than Kiyoshi Kurosawa? Pulse suggests not.
Pulse is a masterclass in disturbing imagery with a general sense of dissatisfaction. It's one of the most frightening movies of the century, and is a must-see for any horror enthusiast. PV
Pulse is now available for viewing on Prime Video.
Scarface
Scarface, a 1932 gangster drama, is transported from 1920s gangland Chicago to the sun-kissed beaches of Miami, Florida, circa 1980. Pacino gives up one of his best roles as Tony Montana's mistress and later wife, and Michelle Pfeiffer gives up an unforgettable performance as Tony's mistress and wife, Elvira.
Scarface is now available on Netflix for viewing.
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs, a 1991 horror film starring Jodie Foster, is an intelligent but unexperienced FBI student who finds herself face to face with Evil Incarnate in the form of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), an eccentric serial killer known for killing young female victims. TE: The Silence of the Lambs is a genre at its finest.
On Prime Video, The Silence of the Lambs is available for viewing.
The Social Network
This month is just stuffed with some of the greatest movies of the 21st century, right?
The Social Network, an intricately constructed tale of Mark Zuckerberg's rise to power and fame with the founding of Facebook, is a potent work from David Finchers (and Aaron Sorkins).
Clayton Ashley put it in our roundtable discussion of the greatest films of the 2010s: "It's a mistake."
The Social Network has become one of the most essential movies of this decade. Full of wacky Sorkin conversations, lovely Fincher direction, and the decades first immensely catchy Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross soundtrack, its still as engaging as ever. However, after nearly a decade of watching Facebook change rapidly and break things, including news websites, social video, politics, etc., the movies tangible sense of tension can easily be reinterpreted as foreboding for what follows your billion friends.
The Thing
God, The Thing rules. A masterclass in character development, tension-building, and the unmatchable value of excellent practical effects, it is a superb entry into the long-running tradition of a group of people getting stuck in a bad creature situation. Although poorly received at the time, it has since developed a huge fan following and is rightly considered one of the greatest American horror films.
Peacock has the option to stream The Thing.
Varda by Agnes
Agnes Vardas' final film is a reflection on the journey that brought her to this country. Vardas' warmth leaps off the screen. I highly recommend her other great films such as Faces Places (available on Tubi and Kanopy), Uncle Yanco (the Criterion Channel), and her documentary Black Panthers (HBO Max and the Criterion Channel).
Agnes' Varda is available to stream on HBO Max.
Vertigo
Alfred Hitchcock's paranoid thriller is often compared to Citizen Kane in terms of the greatest films ever produced, and for good reason. Vertigo was groundbreaking in its use of techniques, like dolly zooms, and has inspired films such as Mulholland Drive.
On Peacock, Vertigo is available to stream.
Videodrome
Max Renn, a sleazy television programmer known for his fondness for snuff films, is exposed to Videodrome, a mysterious pirate broadcast known for displaying theatrically staged snuff films. It's a nightmare worth experiencing. Long live the new flesh.
Peacock has a videodrome available for viewing.
Were All Going to the Worlds Fair
HBO Max has released one of the best movies from 2022, which has long waited for streaming. Following an internet-obsessed kid (Anna Cobb, who is making her feature debut) who stumbles across a scary online challenge, the participants make strange, disturbing videos (Schoenbrun collaborated with real YouTube creators), discovering new selves through the unique opportunities and spaces of the internet.
HBO Max is streaming Were All Going to the Worlds Fair.
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