The Best Movies Streaming Right Now: Enchanted, Procession, And More
(Welcome to Now Stream This, a weekly column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.)
Here we are, entering the last weekend before Thanksgiving. That seems a bit surreal – this year has felt both endless and supernaturally quick. But time marches on, and when a new weekend arrives, I like to bring you some movie recommendations. As always, I try to blend the old with the new here and encapsulate multiple genres in the process. This week's column features a modern Disney classic, a documentary that's one of the best movies of the year, a '90s action movie that still rocks, an unapologetically bleak sci-fi flick, and a movie where Nicolas Cage wears a leather jumpsuit with bombs attached to the crotch. That's cinema, baby!
Enchanted
Now Streaming on Disney+
For some mysterious reason, Disney+ did not offer "Enchanted" to stream until recently. But now that it's here, let's talk about how wonderful Amy Adams is in the film. Adams is Giselle, an animated Disney princess who gets sent to the real (non-animated) world by an evil witch (Susan Sarandon). Having spent her entire existence in a cartoon world where animals talk and sing, Giselle is understandably out of her element in New York City, where she ends up. Meanwhile, Giselle's fiance, a prince played by James Marsden, comes to the real world looking to save her. Unperturbed by the harshness of the real world, the ever-sunny Giselle makes the best of it. She finds help from single father Patrick Dempsey, a divorce lawyer who at first thinks Giselle is out of her mind, but soon finds himself falling for her. And it's easy to see why – Adams is so funny, so charming, so gosh darn lovely here. I don't like to get into Oscar punditry, but watching "Enchanted" made me remember that Adams is still Oscar-less, and folks, that's bonkers. Adams and company are returning for the sequel "Disenchanted," and I have no idea how that'll turn out. Can a sequel capture the charming magic of the original? Maybe, maybe not. For now, let's all enjoy the "Enchanted" we have.
Procession
Now Streaming on Netflix
Robert Greene's documentary "Procession" is truly remarkable, and a powerful reminder of what documentaries can be. So many docs these days follow the same old formula – talking heads, zooms on old photographs, old stock footage, you know the deal. Meanwhile, Greene is out here crafting unconventional, powerful documentaries that urge the viewer to think critically (see also: "Kate Plays Christine"). With "Procession," Greene focuses on six men who were abused by Catholic priests when they were children. The group comes together for a kind of drama therapy that enables them to script and film short movies based on their traumatic experiences. I must admit that I was completely unfamiliar with drama therapy before seeing "Procession." I had heard of art therapy before, but never drama therapy, and "Procession" is a wonderful showcase of the power that can be found within the process. The end result is a heartbreaking, but essential, work. Please don't let this one slip through the cracks because the Netflix algorithm didn't bother to display it on your home screen.
Aniara
Now Streaming on Hulu
Do you ever feel like we're living in the midst of the end times? I don't mean in some biblical sense. I mean in the sense that the clock is almost at midnight and things just keep getting worse and worse. If so, have I got a miserable movie for you! Directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, "Aniara" is one of the most unsettling movies I've ever seen. While this isn't classified as "horror," it's scarier than most scary movies. Serving as an analogy for these terrible times, "Aniara" is set in a future where the planet has become so uninhabitable due to climate change that humanity is being relocated to Mars via massive, cruise-like space ships. One such ship is accidentally knocked off course, and there's no way to actually get back. Those in charge tell the passengers that eventually they'll use the gravity of a celestial body to slingshot back on course, but here's the thing: that's a lie. There's no hope. Instead, the ship is doomed to drift through the galaxy. Forever. What follows is a bleak saga that ultimately spans thousands of years. This may not sound like your idea of a good time watching a movie, but "Aniara" is a truly fantastic work, one that feels massive and haunting and, most terrifying of all, prophetic.
Executive Decision
Now Streaming on HBO Max
In 1996, "Executive Decision" pulled a very amusing fast one on audiences. Marketing played up the fact that this was an action movie featuring Steven Seagal. And, yes, Seagal is in the film – playing the leader of a Special Forces team. When a plane is taken over by terrorists mid-flight, Seagal and his team are called in secretly board the plane (again, while it's still flying) and save the day. Unfortunately, during the attempt to board the plane, Seagal's character dies. This happens about 40 minutes into the movie, and to say it was shocking is an understatement. Everyone thought this was a Seagal movie! Seagal himself reportedly didn't even bother to read the script when he signed onto the film, and was just as surprised about his character's death. Once Seagal is out of the way, the heroics fall to Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell), an intelligence expert with no real field experience. From here this basically turns into "Die Hard on a Plane," but it's still a lot of fun, and Russell is predictably solid as the lead.
Prisoners of the Ghostland
Now Streaming on Shudder
Nicolas Cage and director Sion Sono sounds like a match made in heaven. The duo teamed up for the bonkers sci-fi/horror/action mash-up "Prisoners of the Ghostland," and I wish I could tell you it was some crazy masterpiece. It's not, though. But that doesn't mean this wild and wacky film isn't worth checking out. A mash-up of "Escape From New York" and "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Ghostland" has Cage playing a convict who is forced to rescue Sofia Boutella, the granddaughter of a local warlord, played by a very fun Bill Moseley. To make sure he commits to the task, Cage is made to wear a leather jumpsuit rigged with explosives – including two explosives strategically placed at his testicles. So, Cage ventures forth into a strange netherworld called the Ghostland, hoping to save his balls, literally.