Welcome to Boston.com Your weekly streaming guideEvery week, we bring you our top 5 must-watch movies and TV shows available on streaming platforms. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO MaxPeacock, Paramount+, etc.
Many of the recommendations are for new shows, but some are for under-the-radar releases you may have missed, or classics that are set to be removed from streaming services at the end of the month.
If you have a new favorite movie or show, please share it with us in the comments, or email me at kevin.slane@boston.com. Looking for more great streaming options? Check out our previous articles. Here’s the must-see list.
movie
“Beverly Hills Cop”
Ahead of Beverly Hills Cop IV: Axel F, which arrives on Netflix on July 3, watch the original, the film that cemented Eddie Murphy’s A-list star status and made director Martin Brest (Midnight Run, Scent of a Woman) a brief Hollywood favorite before his career-ending flop (Gigli).
The 1984 film was originally conceived for Sylvester Stallone and had very few jokes. Watching the film, you can see that its violent, gripping action scenes would have been well-suited to Stallone’s police drama. But it’s Murphy’s performance as Axel Foley, a Detroit detective who expertly races through Beverly Hills searching for his best friend’s killer, that makes “Beverly Hills Cop” so relevant after 40 years. In an era when studios were genuinely afraid to cast a black man in a solo film, even one as popular and charismatic as Murphy, the “SNL” star created the template for the action-comedy genre. Will Smith, Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence and many others can thank Murphy for paving the way.
How to watch: “Beverly Hills Cop” is available on Netflix.
“independence day”
Speaking of Smith, much like the Christmas tradition of watching It’s a Wonderful Life or Groundhog Day on February 2, Independence Day weekend (or, in this case, the weekend before) is the perfect time to rewatch Independence Day. Smith solidified his legitimacy in the lead role in Roland Emmerich’s alien invasion film as Marine pilot Steven Hiller, who teams up with a nerdy engineer played by Jeff Goldbum to save the planet.
The box office success of Smith and Lawrence’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die this summer was proof that the world is ready to forgive and forget The Fresh Prince’s Oscar smacking of Chris Rock, and with films like Independence Day and Men in Black, it’s easy to see why.
How to watch: “Independence Day” is available to stream on Hulu.
“Theater Camp”
Speaking of seasonal rewatches, this is the time of year when we all want to revisit our favorite summer camp movies. We also want to rewatch our favorite summer camp TV shows (more on that below). Favorite shows vary depending on what decade you grew up in, but some favorites include Bill Murray’s Meatballs (streaming on Tubi), Ben Stiller’s Heavyweights (streaming on Disney+), and the 1961 and 1998 versions of The Parent Trap (both streaming on Disney+).
Check out the latest addition to the summer camp movie slate, comedy Theatre Camp, from debut directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. After camp director Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, Adirondacktos is on the brink of closure, thanks to nothing less than her son’s (Jimmy Tatro) lack of business acumen. In classic after-school special style, Gordon and a longtime counselor, played by Ben Platt, put together a big show to save the camp. Even if you’re not an artsy type, Theatre Camp is a hilarious tribute to theater-loving kids everywhere and a great showcase for the next generation of comedic talent.
How to watch: “Theatre Camp” is currently streaming on Hulu.
TV program
“bear”
In a flashback in the Season 3 premiere of FX’s award-winning drama The Bear, Carmie (Jeremy Allen White) returns to New York City and is told by his overbearing head chef (Joel McHale) that his dish has too many ingredients, so he underlines the word in green tape and writes “subtract.”
While it may still take some time to digest after 10 episodes in a row, perhaps The Bear creator Christopher Stoller wanted to heed McHale’s advice. There’s a lot to like about the show’s third season, but it feels a bit inferior to the first two due to a lack of focus and precision. The premiere was a strong hint of things to come, and a formally inventive but ultimately indulgent episode that essentially gives us a look inside Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) head. We see all the lessons he’s learned from his time training in New York kitchens, his feelings about relationships in life, and his mindset before the real opening of his new fine dining restaurant concept, The Bear.
In the second half of season 3, “The Bear” finds time to effectively delve into the backstories of other characters, with the episode featuring Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) being a particular highlight. But after the high-pressure atmosphere of the first two seasons, “The Bear” season 3 is a slow simmer.
How to watch: “The Bear” is available to stream on Hulu.
“Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp”
I didn’t mention it above, but my favorite summer camp movie is David Wain’s 2001 spoof of the genre, Wet Hot American Summer. It’s worth watching just for the pure comedic talent assembled by the actors years before they made their big breaks (Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks!), but the antics of Wain and his buddies in the comedy troupe The State are what make it a must-watch multiple times.
When Netflix began producing original programming in the 2010s, one of its first big splashes was the announcement of a series revival of Wet Hot, with the ridiculous notion that the show was a prequel, despite casting the same, much older actors in the original roles 16 years later. If you watch the trailer above and don’t recognize at least one of your favorite actors or comedians, you probably haven’t watched a movie or TV show in the last 25 years.
How to watch: “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” is available to stream on Netflix.
Loading…
