Welcome to our new series dedicated to the top picks for your streaming enjoyment. We’ll feature new movies and seasons from the top streaming services each week.
Start this weekend off with the beautiful work of Uglies, the YA-oriented world where cosmetic surgery is mandatory, yet it comes with hidden costs. For a little light-hearted fan service, check out LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy to see the What If that finally confirms what we all knew: Jar Jar was the villain all along. Once you’re ready for something more serious, venture into the spy thriller adventure of The Old Man as it takes off to Afghanistan to save Chase’s adopted daughter.
Reality is also on deck this week with two great documentary series. Take an exclusive look into the height of the fashion world with In Vogue: The 90s, or turn to the seedier side of fashion (and cocaine smuggling) with the life story of AJ Pratt in The Tailor of Sin City. If you’re feeling the call of action, turn to either A24’s chilling big-budget blockbuster Civil War, or turn off your B.S. meter and just enjoy the future cult classic Boy Kills World.
7 Uglies
Netflix — Movie — September 13
In a futuristic society, all citizens are required to have cosmetic surgery on their 16th birthday to turn them into “Pretties” so they can live out presumably perfect lives. Things take a turn for Tally when she realizes the changes aren’t just skin deep, and she’s tasked with a mission to infiltrate the Smokes, a group that refuses to go through with the transformations.
Netflix is adapting Scott Westerfield’s 2005 bestselling YA novel to the screen, following in the footsteps of the Hunger Games and Divergent series, but with a little more social commentary. Joey King heads up the cast, joined by Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Laverne Cox, and others.
6 LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy
Disney+ — Mini-Series — September 13
It was only a matter of time before Star Wars got the alternative dimension “What If” treatment, but who would have expected it to come alongside a new LEGO adaptation? An excellent cast of voice actors — including Mark Hamill returning as Luke Skywalker — take up the story of Sig and Dev Greebling, two actual nerf herders that discover a powerful artifact that reshapes the Star Wars universe.
Now they have to set things right, but they’ll face challenges from villains like Darth Jar Jar while also dealing with their own brotherly feud. The series is spread out across four relatively short 20 minutes, and Disney+ is releasing all of them at once, so you can watch it like a movie or split up viewing sessions however you like.
5 The Old Man
Hulu (and FX) — Season 2 — September 12
After a 2-year hiatus, Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) and Harold Harper (John Lithgow) return for the second season of FX’s gritty thriller The Old Man. Shifting styles and tone a bit from the first season, former CIA and FBI agents Chase and Harper travel to Afghanistan to recover Chase’s adopted daughter when she’s kidnapped by her biological father. Tensions mount as she learns about her family and how she ended up in Chase’s care.
New episodes air Thursday nights on FX, then appear on Hulu the following day. Of course, if you’re new to The Old Man, or you need a refresh on the intricate storyline, catch up on the first season with Hulu.
4 In Vogue: The 90s
Hulu — Documentary Mini-Series — September 13
The fashion industry exploded in the 90s to become a core part of our culture, and Vogue magazine dominated the discussion thanks to its striking over-the-top cover photos and thorough access to insiders. This 6-episode documentary explores the stories and reveals some secrets of the editors, models, and fashion designers that took center stage.
Three episodes launch today (Sept 13) on Hulu, and the remaining three are scheduled for next week (Sept 20). The documentary begins with a focus on the magazine and editors, but later episodes broaden out to the fashion industry throughout the 90s.
3 The Tailor of Sin City
AMC+ — Docu-Series — September 12
This is the real-life story of AJ Pratt, a small-town tailor that builds an empire of fashion, international smuggling, and cocaine. It all begins when he gains the favor of the local Kansas City mob, which leads him to Las Vegas and all the celebrities and politicians he can handle. The story goes up a notch once AJ attracts the attention of Pablo Escobar and begins facilitating drug deals and smuggling operations.
AJ’s story unfolds across four episodes in this AMC+ docu-series, starting on September 12. A new episode drops each week through October 2.
2 Boy Kills World
Hulu — Movie — September 13
Action movie fans, it’s your time. Boy Kills World is coming to Hulu with the story of “Boy” as he launches an insanely bloody romp to seek revenge against Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen) for murdering his family and leaving him deaf and mute — oh, I should point out, his inner dialog is voiced by Archer himself, H. Jon Benjamin… Epic.
This one may be destined to be a cult classic thanks to its absurd video game-style fight scenes, more blood than a Saw movie, and a story just a little too crazy to have been greenlit by any serious filmmaker… [Checks notes] Well, it is produced by Sam Raimi (Evil Dead).
1 Civil War
Max — Movie — September 13
One of the most attention-grabbing films of the year is now on Max. Hailed as the terrifying outcome of political polarization, Civil War follows photojournalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and her colleagues on a trip into the heart of an occupied Washington D.C. in hopes of scoring an interview with the president of the opposition (Nick Offerman).
While the hype committed to something even bigger than A24’s most ambitious movie to date could deliver, it still holds a clear-headed perspective on what it would look like in the final days of a second US civil war. Director Alex Garland doesn’t shy away from scenes of battle and fire fights, nor casualties and cold-blooded murder. Civil War blends a character story with its calculated portrayal of the many ways people can react when faced with this kind of dark scenario.
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