Here Are the Must-Stream Movies of October 2016
The movie theater will be full of must-see films in October-but, you know, going to the movies takes a lot of effort. And money. And motivation. Why not stay home instead, where streaming an awesome drama, comedy, or thriller is as easy as pushing a few buttons on your trusty old remote? This month in particular, Netflix and Amazon will provide customers with an abundance of cinematic winners-making our latest column must-read material for those planning to do their movie watching from the comfort of their couch.
Streaming on Netflix
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (Oct. 1)
Gentrification is the source of both conflict and comedy in this 2004 sequel that reunites Ice Cube with his hair-cutting buddies Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Eve, as well as newcomer Queen Latifah.
Dazed and Confused (Oct. 1)
Richard Linklater's ode to being a high-school kid in the '70s remains a teenage classic, not to mention an early vehicle for stars like Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Oct. 1)
Matthew Broderick's smarty-pants teenager plays hooky from school alongside his girlfriend and hypochondriac BFF in this 1986 gem from writer-director John Hughes.
Grizzly Man (Oct. 1)
Werner Herzog's 2005 documentary is a haunting portrait of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell, who was eaten by the grizzlies that he chose to live among, and whose self-shot footage of his life in the wild makes up most of this harrowing film.
Patton (Oct. 1)
George C. Scott won an Oscar for his portrayal of General George S. Patton in this 1970 biographical film, which won six other Academy Wards (including Best Picture and Original Screenplay).
Quiz Show (Oct. 1)
This sterling, suspenseful based-on-real-events film from director Robert Redford focuses on the scandals that rocked TV game shows in the 1950s, with particular emphasis on Ralph Fiennes' championship contestant Charles Van Doren.
Snake Eyes (Oct. 1)
Nicolas Cage is an Atlantic City police detective tasked with unraveling a boxing-event conspiracy in this Brian De Palma thriller, which is notable for its outrageously prolonged opening shot.
Three Kings (Oct. 1)
David O. Russell's 1999 war satire follows three American soldiers (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube) at the end of the 1991 Iraq War as they embark upon a mission to steal a cache of gold.
Titanic (Oct. 1)
Everyone's seen it, and yet few can resist revisiting James Cameron's sweeping romantic epic starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as star-crossed lovers aboard the doomed ship.
Unforgiven (Oct. 1)
Clint Eastwood's final Western, about a retired outlaw compelled to pick up his guns for one final mission, is as great as the classics that came before it, and earned him Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.
Chevalier (Oct. 4)
A group of men aboard a fishing boat decide to play a game of "The Best in General"-in which they compete to see who's superior at everything-in this droll satire of the male ego from director Athina Rachel Tsangari.
13th (Oct. 7-Netflix Original)
For the follow-up to Selma, director Ava DuVernay investigates the way in which America's criminal justice and prison systems are extensions of slavery in this documentary-the first non-fiction work to ever open the New York Film Festival-which will simultaneously debut in select theaters and on Netflix.
Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (Oct. 12-Netflix Original)
Jonathan Demme's concert films for the Talking Heads (Stop Making Sense) and Neil Young (Neil Young: Heart of Gold) are among the genre's finest, and word is that his music-centric hot streak continues with this Justin Timberlake movie.
Mascots (Oct. 13-Netflix Original)
Christopher Guest resumes his mockumentary ways with this ludicrous faux-verité comedy about the men and women whose lives revolve around dressing up as sports-team mascots.
Jesus Camp (Oct. 26)
Ten years after its theatrical release, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing's up-close-and-personal documentary about a fundamentalist Christian summer camp remains as harrowing-and unforgettable-as ever.
Into the Inferno (Oct. 28-Netflix Original)
The ever-prolific Werner Herzog's latest non-fiction release is this Netflix-exclusive film about the globe's volcanoes and their relationship to man and his core belief systems.
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (Oct. 28-Netflix Original)
Director Oz Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony) has already made a great horror film-next year's The Blackcoat's Daughterand word from the Toronto International Film Festival is that this thriller, about a nurse who comes to believe that her employer's house is haunted, is equally fantastic.
Premiering on Amazon Instant Video
Happy Gilmore (Oct. 1)
Adam Sandler is a hockey-loving idiot who learns that he's far better equipped to be a golf-playing idiot in this hilarious man-child comedy.
Training Day (Oct. 1)
Ethan Hawke is an LAPD officer forced to deal with the fact that his new partner (Denzel Washington) is a corrupt monster in this 2001 hit, which earned Washington his second Academy Award.
The Pink Panther Series (Oct. 1)
Peter Sellers' greatness is on display throughout the first three of these Pink Panther movies; the last three (Trail, Curse, and Son) were produced after his death, and are of distinctly inferior quality.
Lethal Weapon 1-4 (Oct. 1)
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are LAPD partners contending with criminals and an increasingly crowded cast of co-stars (including Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li) in this still-exciting action franchise.
Chinatown (Oct. 1)
Roman Polanski's 1974 neo-noir is an all-time great, a pitch-black portrait of individual and institutional corruption that's infused with oppressive fatalism, and marked by one of star Jack Nicholson's finest performances.
Before Sunset (Oct. 1)
Nine years after Before Sunrise, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reunite in Paris for another day of walking, talking, and struggling with their feelings for each other in this stellar sequel from director Richard Linklater.
Slap Shot (Oct. 1)
Paul Newman is the leader of a hockey team wracked with hilarious dysfunction (and violent tendencies!) in this phenomenal sports comedy from director George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting).
The Last Waltz (Oct. 1)
Martin Scorsese's direction is as sublime as the music that he captures in this 1978 film of the last concert performance of The Band on Thanksgiving Day 1977 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
The Devil's Advocate (Oct. 1)
Al Pacino gives a performance of delirious, over-the-top campiness-and that's meant as a compliment-in this legal thriller featuring him as a lawyer (opposite Keanu Reeves) who may, in fact, be Satan.
I Saw the Devil (Oct. 1)
Kim Jee-woon's 2010 import has a familiar premise-a cop hunts a serial killer, only to discover that they may be more alike than he initially thought-but executes it with a severe, scintillating dose of gonzo violence.
Let the Right One In (Oct. 1)
A young boy learns that his adolescent female neighbor is in fact an age-old vampire-a discovery that doesn't prevent him from developing a close relationship with her-in this eerie 2008 import from Tomas Alfredson.
North Dallas Forty (Oct. 1)
Ted Kotcheff's adaptation of Peter Gent's best-selling exposé may have been made in 1979, but its warts-and-all portrait of the disgusting underbelly of professional football remains as timely as ever.
Timecrimes (Oct. 1)
A non-descript man gets engulfed in a mind-bending time-travel scenario involving a violent fiend whose head is wrapped in pink bandages in Nacho Vigalondo's inventively creepy 2007 genre film.
Troll 1-2 (Oct. 1)
The first film, about a boy combatting a troll in his apartment building, features Sonny Bono and a young Julia Louis-Dreyfus (as well as a protagonist named, we kid you not, Harry Potter). The second film, meanwhile, is so notoriously bad that a documentary was even produced about it (named, aptly, Best Worst Movie). Bad movie aficionados, rejoice!
The Host (Oct. 1)
Bong Joon-ho's 2006 monster movie exhibits a distinctly Spielberg-ian flair in depicting one family's efforts to rescue their youngest daughter from a rampaging sea monster.
The Falcon and the Snowman (Oct. 1)
Presaging the Edward Snowden saga, this 1985 drama fixates on a young CIA operative (Timothy Hutton) who, jaded by revelations about the U.S.'s covert actions, decides to sell state secrets to the Russians with the aid of his drug-dealing childhood friend (Sean Penn).
Misery (Oct. 1)
James Caan is an author who, after a car accident, finds himself at the mercy of his biggest fan (Kathy Bates, in her Oscar-winning role) in Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling thriller.
Throw Momma from the Train (Oct. 1)
Danny DeVito made his directorial debut with this comedic riff on Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train about two unlikely partners in a murderous plot.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (Oct. 1)
Loosely inspired by R. David Reuben's book of the same name, Woody Allen's 1972 comedy presents a collection of amusing vignettes highlighted by a bit involving Gene Wilder and a sheep.
Louder Than Bombs (Oct. 17)
A man (Gabrielle Byrne) and his two sons (Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid) attempt to cope with the death of their family's famous-photographer matriarch (Isabelle Huppert) in this sterling drama from director Joachim Trier.
Spectre (Oct. 21)
In his twenty-fourth official feature film outing-and, perhaps, the last one to star Daniel Craig-James Bond seeks to infiltrate criminal organization Spectre, which appears to have been responsible for the past three films' criminal plots, and which is run by a man closely related to 007.
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