A new era of streaming selections is here. For the past several years,[1] our monthly column, the Nerd’s Watch, has been the place to find out all the best genre titles coming to the biggest streaming services. It wasn’t a complete list. We just posted the titles we think you’d care about, but it was still long, and frankly, it was hard to pick out the best of the best.
The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (September 1 on Netflix)
Whether or not we’ll see Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man in a future Marvel movie, it’s always nice to look back at these films, as flawed as they are. He and Emma Stone were just so perfect as their characters, plus the casting of the villains was next-level good.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (September 1 on Netflix)
After attending a recent concert of John Williams’ music, I said to myself, “I need to rewatch E.T. asap.” And now, Netflix has made that very easy.
Edge of Tomorrow (September 1 on Netflix)
If you’ve read this column before, first, thank you. Second, you might know my rule that anytime Edge of Tomorrow appears on a new streaming service, I vow to let you know. And so it happens again. And again. Just like the movie itself.
The Running Man (September 1 on Netflix)
Before we see Edgar Wright and Glen Powell’s version of this Stephen King story, head back down memory lane to see the original 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger version. It’s a hell of a lot of fun.
The Shrek series (September 1 on Netflix and Peacock)
Maybe it’s because Shrek is finally coming back to theaters in a few years, but I felt like it was a good piece of service journalism to let you know that the series—consisting of Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After—is streaming in two places this month.
Idiocracy (September 28 on Netflix)
A documentary about our modern world, from the mind of Mike Judge.
The Night at the Museum Series (September 1 on Hulu)
The combination of Shawn Levy currently filming a Star Wars movie and the second of these movies having Darth Vader in it made me think this was worth putting on the list. Night at the Museum, Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb are all arriving and, frankly, they’re super fun.
World War Z (September 1 on Hulu and Paramount+)
Paramount recently named World War Z as a franchise it wants to dive back into in the future, so it seems like now might be a good time for a rewatch.
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (September 26 on Hulu)
I may get crap for this, but I don’t care. This is the Paul Feig, 2016 version of Ghostbusters. I rewatched it recently and found it just as funny, if not more so, than when I first saw it. It gets a bad rep for certain reasons, but we think this film is much more in tune with what made the original films so good than the overly nostalgic follow-ups. Give it another shot.
Lilo & Stitch (September 3 on Disney+)
The biggest movie of the year comes to streaming, and while it’s got its issues, for the most part, it’s a delightful adaptation and update of the classic animated film. If you had interest but missed it in theaters, definitely check it out.
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past (September 19 on Disney+)
It’ll be some time before we get a new Star Wars show on Disney+, but in the meantime, these Lego specials that kind of reimagine the entire fabric of the galaxy are a ton of fun.
Disney+: Marvel Zombies (September 24 on Disney+)
Speaking of specials that reimagine the entire fabric of the galaxy, Marvel has one this month too. And Marvel Zombies promises to have lots and lots of surprises.
Evil Dead II (September 1 on HBO Max)
There’s always a debate about which of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies is the best. And while they are all amazing, our vote is for Evil Dead II. It’s almost the perfect balance of the slightly more horror-forward original and the slightly more comedy-forward third film. Just a perfect movie.
Your Name (September 1 on HBO Max)
If you’ve never seen Your Name, you have to watch Your Name. It’s one of the best animated films of all time. Pure magic cinema at its finest, and it’s joining an impressive lineup of Japanese animation coming to HBO Max this month. In fact…
So Much More Japanese Animation (September 1 on HBO Max)
In addition to Your Name, as well as almost every single Studio Ghibli film, HBO Max is adding a bunch of new anime to its already robust catalog. Among the new additions are Children Who Chase Lost Voices, Fireworks, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Ghost Cat Anzu, Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Love & Pop, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and more.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (September 1 on Paramount+)
We wrote about this one recently at length[6] when it wasn’t streaming, but now it’s streaming, so you can read and catch up.
The Blade trilogy (September 1 on Paramount+)
Will Marvel Studios ever make that Mahershala Ali Blade movie? Didn’t it put Wesley Snipes as Blade in a movie last year? It’s all confusing. But what’s not confusing is that you can stream Blade, Blade II, and Blade: Trinity all on one service, starting today.
The Friday the 13th franchise (September 1 on Paramount+)
The original eight films in the Friday the 13th franchise return to their home on Paramount+. Perfect for a weekend trip to Camp Crystal Lake.
The From Dusk Till Dawn trilogy (September 1 on Paramount+)
If we’re being honest, you can kind of ignore that there is more than one From Dusk Till Dawn movie. The first movie is great; the follow-ups, less so. But, if you watch the original and think, “What’s next?”, you can see two more movies.
Galaxy Quest (September 1 on Paramount+)
Arguably the greatest sci-fi comedy of all time. This Star Trek parody starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and so many more is just a delight.
Scary Movies (September 1 on Paramount+)
The Scary Movie franchise is coming back to theaters and, to celebrate, Paramount has added not just the first Scary Movie, but parts 2 and 3 as well. I don’t think those come close to the original, but they have their fans.
The Monster Squad (September 1 on Paramount+)
One of my personal favorite movies of all time is this down-and-dirty tale of a group of teens who form a group to defeat the collected power of the Universal Monsters. If you’ve never seen it, check it out. Just protect your “nards.”
American Psycho (September 1 on Shudder)
“Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?”
Terrifier 3 (September 1 on Peacock)
The release of Terrifier 3 made me an instant fan of the gross-out franchise. So much so that I watched them in reverse order after the fact. I don’t recommend that, but if you are looking for something horrific and hilarious, this is your answer.
The Thing (September 1 on Paramount+)
Which “Thing?” Well, two of them. The 1982 John Carpenter film, which is the best known, as well as the 2011 follow-up, which isn’t as good but has its moments.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel[7], Star Wars[8], and Star Trek[9] releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV[10], and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who[11].
References
- ^ For the past several years, (gizmodo.com)
- ^ over the past few months, (gizmodo.com)
- ^ that changed (gizmodo.com)
- ^ noteworthy this month (gizmodo.com)
- ^ some are old (gizmodo.com)
- ^ wrote about this one recently at length (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Marvel (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Star Wars (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Star Trek (gizmodo.com)
- ^ DC Universe on film and TV (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Doctor Who (gizmodo.com)