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The big list of streaming recommendations
Three movies to watch on Netflix now, plus more recommendations from Boston.com staff.
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A typical edition of The Queue starts with me going in-depth on a single topic — whether it’s a summer movie preview, a career retrospective for Jennifer Coolidge, or ranking every “Mission: Impossible” movie — before offering some quick streaming recommendations.
Once a month, however, I’ll be sending you an all-recommendations edition of the newsletter, because the struggle of deciding what to watch is eternal.
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Since almost everyone subscribes to Netflix, this month’s edition includes a few movies leaving Netflix at the end of May, new ones debuting in June, and a mix of staff recommendations for various streaming platforms.
Last call on these movies
All of these movies are leaving Netflix on June 1, so the time to watch is now.
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“The Dark Knight” (2008): Christopher Nolan’s entire Batman trilogy is disappearing into thin air this weekend, much like Christian Bale vanishing mid-sentence every time Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) is talking to him. (Leaving Netflix)
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“Pride & Prejudice” (2005): If you didn’t make it to theaters for the 20th anniversary re-release of Joe Wright’s beloved Jane Austen adaptation, don’t miss another chance revisit the epic romance of Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen). (Leaving Netflix)
“Ted” (2012): Both the 2012 Seth MacFarlane/Mark Wahlberg comedy and its 2015 sequel are leaving Netflix after this weekend. Presumably, they’re heading for Peacock eventually to join the 2024 prequel series, but for now, this will be your last chance to stream the Boston-set comedies for a little while. (Leaving Netflix)
Coming attractions
Each of these movies will be added to Netflix on June 1, so pencil them in for Sunday night.
“The Birds” (1963): Netflix is getting a full slate of Alfred Hitchcock movies this month, including this terrifying Tippi Hedren film about when avians inexplicably attack. (Netflix)
“The Equalizer” (2014): Just when Netflix loses a Boston movie classic in “Ted,” it gains another in Denzel Washington’s “The Equalizer,” about a retired black ops commander who can’t stop dispensing vigilante justice. (Netflix)
“Neighbors” (2014): If you loved Seth Rogen and Ike Barinholtz in Apple TV+’s new series “The Studio,” check out the pair in this comedy, about a suburban couple (Rogen, Rose Byrne) who move next door to a frat house populated by party-hearty bros like Zac Efron and Dave Franco (who both show up in “The Studio” as well). (Netflix)
Play or Skip
You’ve heard enough of my streaming picks already, so here’s a mix of recommendations (both positive and negative) from reader emails and fellow Boston.com staff.
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Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.
Press play on these movies and shows:
“Final Destination” (2000): Boston.com’s Heather Alterisio is a fan of this karmic horror franchise, and recommends streaming the whole series before seeing “Final Destination: Bloodlines” in theaters: “If this is your first time watching them, I suggest the order they were released in. But you can also start with the fifth [“Final Destination 5”] and then 1-4 for chronological order.” (HBO Max)
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024): Reader Franklin V.’s email immediately caught my eye with its subject line (“Furiousa – Hell Yeah!”): “You know I almost didn’t watch this because I didn’t dig Fury Road. But boy was I wrong. Furiosa was awesome!” (Netflix)
“Yellowjackets”: Boston.com’s Elli Einset is catching up on Showtime’s award-winning drama, which was recently picked up for a fourth season: “I just finished season one of ‘Yellowjackets,’ which was super good! Similar concept to ‘Lord of the Flies,’ but with a girls soccer team. On their way to Nationals, their plane crashes, and they have to survive in the wild. A bit gory but super intriguing to watch – especially when they start to go crazy.” (Paramount+)
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But you can go ahead and skip these:
“Mickey 17” (2025): After I recommended this Robert Pattinson cloning movie in last week’s watch guide, not one, but two of my colleagues let me know they felt differently.
Ross Cristantiello was lukewarm on the film: “The stuff with both Mickeys and his girlfriend works great, the stuff with Mark Ruffalo and the aliens does not – and Steven Yeun is criminally underused.”
Katelyn Umholtz, a self-professed fan of both director Bong Joon-Ho and dystopian sci-fi, was a bit more unsparing in her assessment: “I went into ‘Mickey 17’ thinking it would be made for me, but what I got was a muddled movie made up of mostly narration from a nasally Robert Pattinson – who jumped from talking about clones, to a mystery drug, to aliens, and more. Too bloated, too much explanation, and yet I still couldn’t make sense of the world.”
“The Last of Us” Season 2: Boston.com’s Kelly Chan (who produces this newsletter!) wasn’t alone in her disappointment at how HBO’s zombie series wrapped up its seven-episode second season: “It left you on such a cliffhanger. It was way too short of a season, and we got such little information. Plus it will take another two years for another season to do the same thing all over again.” (HBO Max)
End Credits
That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.
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Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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