The 33 Best Movies Streaming on Netflix and More in October 2015
October ushers in the movie award season and, with it, a glut of prestige pictures clamoring for Oscar gold. But the month also brings with it that feeling of not wanting to get out of your house. So your various streaming devices will come in handy as Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes premiere a wealth of great stuff, and video isn't any slouch either. Check out our handy guide of your best options from the couch in the month ahead.
Streaming on Netflix:
Alexander: Director's Cut (10/1)
Oliver Stone may have suffered some slings and arrows over this 2004 historical epic about Alexander the Great (headlined by Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie), but his director's cut markedly improves upon an already compelling vision.
Batman Begins (10/1)
Christopher Nolan's first installment in his Batman trilogy charts Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne as he transforms into the Caped Crusader and battles against his mentor-turned-nemesis Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson) for the future of Gotham City.
Boogie Nights (10/1)
One of the decade's best films, Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 porn epic traces the rise and fall of an adult-entertainment superstar (Mark Wahlberg) alongside a legendary X-rated filmmaker (Burt Reynolds) in '70s and '80s L.A.
Glass Chin (10/1)
Corey Stoll is magnetic in this sturdy neo-noir about a boxer who finds himself in underworld hot water after becoming an enforcer for a gangster (Billy Crudup).
Million Dollar Baby (10/1)
Clint Eastwood's acclaimed boxing drama earned Hilary Swank a second Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a female pugilist working with Eastwood's crusty trainer.
The Bourne Supremacy (10/1)
Matt Damon's amnesiac super-spy returns in this second entry in the popular action franchise, which charts its hero's further attempts to decipher his identity and unravel a vast CIA conspiracy.
The Nightmare (10/1)
The latest documentary from Room 237 director Rodney Ascher, this terrifying nonfiction film details the strange phenomenon of "sleep paralysis," in which people wake up in the middle of the night unable to move, and convinced that a specter is looming over them.
Beasts of No Nation (10/16, also in theaters)
Netflix's first feature-film production is this highly anticipated drama from True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, about an African warlord (Idris Elba) and his relationship with a newly recruited child soldier.
Results (10/22)
This unconventional romantic comedy concerns a wealthy divorcee (Kevin Corrigan) and his bizarre relationship with a fetching trainer (Cobie Smulders) and her boss/former boyfriend (Guy Pearce).
Debuting on Amazon Prime Instant Video:
Back to the Future Trilogy (10/1)
For the first time on any subscription service, Robert Zemeckis' time-traveling trilogy starring Michael J. Fox comes exclusively to Amazon Prime.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (10/1)
Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman delivered a modern romantic-comedy classic with this tale of a man (Jim Carrey) who comes to regret using a service that erased his memories of his former girlfriend (Kate Winslet).
John Carpenter's Vampires (10/1)
Perhaps not the director's finest horror work, this 1998 effort remains an entertaining vampire-Western saga thanks to a great lead performance by James Woods.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (10/1)
Pee-Wee's maiden big-screen outing just left Netflix, but Amazon subscribers can still enjoy his cross-country quest to recover his favorite stolen bike.
The Hunger Games: Mockinjay Part 1 (10/23)
Before the final chapter hits theaters later this year, catch up on last year's third film in the popular Hunger Games series.
While We're Young (10/23)
Writer/director Noah Baumbach enlists Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, and Amanda Seyfried for this humorous generational-divide tale of a 40-ish couple that becomes friends with a pair of twentysomethings.
Danny Collins (10/30)
Al Pacino's first accomplished performance of 2015 was in this under-the-radar indie about an aging rock star compelled to change his life.
Premiering on iTunes:
Jurassic World (10/1, on DVD/Blu-ray 10/20)
The year's biggest hit is this return to the land of dinosaurs, which now populate a theme park where the security measures are—non-spoiler alert!—not quite up to snuff.
Finders Keepers (10/1, same day as in theaters)
Documentaries don't come much stranger than this nonfiction film about (among other things) a legal battle over ownership of an amputated leg.
Cartel Land (10/6)
The Mexican drug trade is depicted in all its horror in this stinging documentary about efforts on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border to cope with the powerful narcotics cartels.
Inside Out (10/13)
Pixar's latest animated masterpiece is set entirely inside the mind of a young girl, where her personified emotions Joy and Sadness strive to keep her from making a life-altering mistake.
Mississippi Grind (10/16)
Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn are a compelling pair of gamblers—one the suave good-luck charm, the other the pitiful loser—in this rambling road-trip drama.
Experimenter (10/16, same day as in theaters)
A famed psychologist conducts a daring experiment involving asking people to electro-shock test subjects in this unconventional biopic about the Milgram experiment starring Peter Sarsgaard.
Southpaw (10/16, on DVD/Blu-ray 10/27)
Jake Gyllenhaal is riveting as a boxer trying to pick up the pieces of his life (and career) after an unspeakable tragedy in this rousing (if clichéd) sports film.
Trainwreck (10/20)
Amy Schumer shines in her first starring film role in this uproarious comedy from director Judd Apatow, about a woman-child struggling to figure out her life (and new relationship with Bill Hader's sports surgeon).
Mr. Holmes (10/27)
Ian McKellen has rarely been better than he is as the legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes in this entertaining mystery.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (10/27)
It may not have lit the box office on fire, but Guy Ritchie's '60s-set spy thriller has mod style to burn.
On DVD/Blu-ray:
Avengers: Age of Ultron (10/2)
Marvel's all-star sequel delivers more of everything that made the original Avengers such a hit, and which continues to make the studio's films the kings of the box-office hill.
Manglehorn (10/6)
Al Pacino's second stellar 2015 performance is in this drama from David Gordon Green, about a Texas key-maker whose withdrawn life is shaken by the arrival of Holly Hunter.
Batkid Begins (10/6)
Make sure you have tissues nearby before sitting down for this crowd-pleaser about the real-life story of a sick boy whose Make-a-Wish dream comes true when he gets to spend a day in San Francisco alongside the Dark Knight.
San Andreas (10/13)
The Rock takes on a historic earthquake—not quite a fair fight, for the earthquake—in this CG-heavy disaster flick.
Tomorrowland (10/13, also on iTunes)
George Clooney takes a young, science-loving kid on a trip to another dimension in Brad Bird's fantastical sci-fi mystery.
The Wolfpack (10/20)
NYC brothers who've never left their apartment, and thus know the outside world only through their familiarity with movies, are the subjects of this eye-opening documentary.
The Gift (10/27)
Actor Joel Edgerton makes his directorial debut (as well as co-stars) in this psychological thriller headlined by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. The less you know going into it, the better.
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