TOP FILMS TO STREAM AT HOME

If you love nothing more than a night on the sofa with a drink and bucket of popcorn, check out these new additions to the ‘films to stream’ category on various platforms.

COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS

SHE’S THE MAN

This is an ideal film for teens who are reluctant to learn about Shakespeare, since it is a modern day adaptation of Twelfth Night. Charismatic actor Amanda Bynes plays Viola – a highschool soccer player who pretends to be her twin brother so she can play for his boarding school’s male soccer team. She unfortunately finds herself attracted to her roommate teammate, Duke (played by Channing Tatum). The result is a comedy of errors that is wonderfully romantic and entertaining. AVAILABLE ON HBO.

AD ASTRA

Brad Pitt plays talented astronaut Roy McBride, who misses his dad – Clifford McBride, another pioneering astronaut whose legacy Roy wishes to honour. Clifford has been missing in space for 15 years and now, an electromagnetic pulse threatening the Earth’s survival is being emanated from the exact spot where he disappeared. Roy suspects that there are pieces missing in the puzzle and he resolves to discover the real cause of Clifford’s disappearance. AVAILABLE ON HBO, HULU, AND AMAZON.

ANNIHILATION

From the writer and director of Ex Machina (Alex Garland) comes Annihilation, based on Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling Southern Reach trilogy. Natalie Portman plays Lena – a biologist and former soldier who goes on a mission to discover what happened to her husband, Kane, on his last expedition. Kane is in a permanent daze and he cannot explain where he has been. The mystery she must unravel is called ‘the Shimmer’ – an anomalous zone that arose three years previously when a large meteor hit the earth and began expanding its boundaries. AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX.

MUDBOUND

Dee Rees directed and wrote the script for this timely gem, which features actors the calibre of Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, and Mary J Blige. It tells the stories of two families – one black, one white – who are forced to share the same patch of land after World War II. The families struggle with hardship and extreme poverty, but the return of family members from the war creates a powerful bond that transcends race, despite the racism that abounds outside this small space of peace. AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX.

OKJA

If you loved Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, then you may have wanted to delve more into his other films. Okja is a good place to start. It is the story of a girl and her best friend – a gigantic animal – that is soon the target of a company wishing to exploit it. The film is a clear plea to the importance of respecting animal life and, indeed of being kind to each and every sentient thing on our Planet. AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX.