While some streamers just keep raising those prices — even when you’ve got the ad-supported plan, to add insult to injury — Tubi just keeps delivering one of the best streaming libraries in the game, for the low, low price of … well, nothing! Hard to beat free and good.
Tubi always has a pretty robust catalog of hard-to-find indies and familiar old favorites, but some months also bring a hefty haul of must-watch titles, and that is definitely the case in June. The streamer regularly features a rotating selection of A24 titles, and this month’s lineup includes some of the most acclaimed movies on the arthouse company’s impressive resume. It’s also got throwback gems, an ahead-of-its-time thriller that was thrashed by critics, and the perfect pick for folks who are in the mood for more crass parody after “Scary Movie.”
“Uncut Gems”
Every so often, Adam Sandler likes to step away from the slapstick comedies that made him a household name and drop a dramatic performance that reminds you why he stays one. In 2019, that was “Uncut Gems,” the live wire, adrenaline-pumping dramatic thriller that raised blood pressure counts nationwide and earned Sandler an Indie Spirit Award.
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, “Uncut Gems” introduced audiences to the all-timer movie character Howard Ratner (Sandler), an apex gambling addict who’s always, always, always on the prowl for his next win, no matter how much the losses keep stacking up. The film follows his marathon from one bad bet to the next, and the film keeps pace with Howard’s relentless downward spiral, as propulsive as a predator on the hunt. It’s one of A24’s best and always worth a watch, though admittedly, if you haven’t seen it before, Tubi’s ad-break-heavy viewing experience might not be the best way to take it in for the first time.
“All of Us Strangers”
“All of Us Strangers” will break your heart, but man, is it beautiful. A haunting, sorrowful film from “Looking” and “45 Years” director Andrew Haigh, the 2023 drama reckons with grief and queer loneliness by embracing magical realism, following Andrew Scott’s Adam, a screenwriter who sparks an unexpected romance with his downstairs neighbor (Paul Mescal) while somehow reconnecting with his parents … who died 30 years ago.
It’s a hard film to sum up in a logline, but trust, it’s an enthralling watch. That’s true even in its quietest moments, because of Haigh’s creative command of the tricky genre and two outstanding performances from Scott and Mescal, who are magnetic, nuanced and equally matched in their skill for playing understated intimacy. But truly, bring a tissue — heck, bring the whole box.
“After Yang”
Another cathartic and soul-searching piece that ponders mortality, Kogonada’s lovely 2021 drama “After Yang” approaches it through the science fiction genre, following a family after their beloved AI housemate and surrogate family member, Yang (Justin H. Min), shuts down. Desperate to get him fixed, only to find his model has been decommissioned by the distributor, they try one solution after the next, and each step uncovers a fraction of the whole of Yang they never knew, leaving them with a disorienting but meaningful re-contextualization of their entire family concept. At just over 90 minutes, “After Yang” probes at memory, identity, AI consciousness, race, grief and utopia, all without feeling overcrowded.
Again, bring some tissues, and also like “All of Us Strangers,” give “After Yang” some room to breathe. It’s a slow, meditative film, and that’s not a tempo to everyone’s liking, but it makes “After Yang” a thoroughly unique, somewhat dreamy viewing experience. And it’s one of the rare sci-fi films that has the courage to envision, generally, a kinder and calmer future, which always scores a few bonus points.
“Big Trouble in Little China”
We’re getting to an “all I do on this app is cry” place with the recommendations so far. So now, a total vibe shift. You can’t get much sillier and pure fun than John Carpenter’s 1986 action-fantasy “Big Trouble in Little China.” A few years after their all-timer “Escape From New York” and “The Thing” one-two, the duo reunited, introducing audiences to another iconic Kurt Russell “hero”: the dim-witted, crass, unfailingly arrogant himbo, Jack Burton.
Burton is a truck driver who helps his smarter, more competent, way-better-at-fighting friend (Dennis Dun) rescue his girlfriend and winds up going toe-to-toe with an ancient, evil sorcerer. It’s a fantastical and fantastically weird piece of cinema, so unserious but so funny, imaginative and full of gonzo practical effects. Blending ’80s-era action bravado with fantasy, comedy, martial arts and, of course, because it’s Carpenter, a touch of horror too. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind, even all these years later.
“Challengers”
Remember that delightful period in early 2024 when everyone was obsessed with “Challengers?” What a treat. Luca Guadagnino’s sexy sports drama is one of the buzziest films of the decade so far, and a rare hype machine that actually lived up to the pre-release frenzy. Zendaya gives maybe her best performance yet as Tashi, a no-nonsense tennis legend in the making — until her dream gets derailed by an injury. Instead, she winds up coaching her husband (Mike Faist) to greatness. As you can imagine, there’s plenty of psychosexual tension in that dynamic, and we haven’t even gotten to the messy, sweaty love triangle they share with his former best friend (Josh O’Connor).
Zendaya is a lightning bolt in the role and she’s flanked by two powerhouse up-and-comers in Faist and O’Connor. Together, they are impossible to turn away from, especially under Guadagnino’s direction. The “Call Me By Your Name” and “Bones and All” director is gifted at translating thorny intimacy to the screen, and “Challengers” is one of his most intruiging implementations of that skill, with an a euphoric, thrumming electronic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (among their very best) that sends it to the stratosphere. It’s one of those great movies that builds, and builds, and builds toward a cinematic climax that had theatrical audiences bouncing in their seats with enthusiasm.
“In the Cut”
Keeping with the theme of women’s desire and psychosexual drama, but taking it way darker and more challenging, “In the Cut” is a great example of why you should never trust a Rotten Tomatoes score — especially for films that were ahead of their time. Jane Campion’s delirious reimagining of the erotic thriller stars Elite America’s Sweetheart Meg Ryan in a then-unthinkable turn as Frannie Avery, a lit teacher who sparks with the handsome detective (Mark Ruffalo) who’s investigating a string of grisly murders in her neighborhood. Dirty talk and dismembered heads all get tangled up in a fever dream depiction of the dangers inherent to women who desire men.
It is not a plot movie, perhaps over-reliant on vibes, but it also did not deserve the critical mauling it got when the film hit theaters in 2003. Fortunately, the arc of history is long, and there’s been a wave of reappraisal in recent years, spurred on by the film’s 20th anniversary and Campion’s 2022 Ocsar win. It even got a whole feature about that “reclamation” in the dang New Yorker, so I think the era of having to justify love for “In the Cut” is officially over, and that’s a mercy. It’s one of the last erotic thrillers that actually feels provocative, genuinely risky, and that risk is not just Campion’s as a filmmaker, or Frannie’s as a character, but the thematic material from which the whole thing is spun.
“Not Another Teen Movie”
If the return of “Scary Movie” has you craving more deeply stupid, laugh-out-loud funny genre parody, now is the time to tune into the bounty of outrageous chaos that is “Not Another Teen Movie.” The 2001 comedy followed hot on the heels of the original “Scary Movie,” spoofing the rampant teen movie trend of the ’80s and ’90s, from “The Breakfast Club” to “Cruel Intentions.”
I’m not sure how this movie will hit for younger audiences who weren’t around for that wave of pop culture (does the “Varsity Blues” reference land at all these days?), but if you were, “Not Another Teen Movie” is one of the better parody pieces of its era — again, deeply stupid, and yes, pretty offensive as was the way of the early-2000s, but also shockingly quotable and full of bits that still hold up for a laugh. The cast is excellent and full of familiar faces, with none other than Chris Evans starring in what should have led to a whole lot more comedy opportunities.
The post The 7 Best Movies on Tubi Right Now appeared first on TheWrap.
