Top 50 Movies Streaming on Hulu – November 2017

40. The Karate Kid – 1984

Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue

It’s not immediately clear why, but the Karate Kid is a totally absorbing movie. None of the characters are instantly likeable although we warm to Mr Miyagi as the story develops. Encouraging kids to kick the proverbial out of each other shouldn’t be encouraged either. In the end the feel good factor wins through.

39. Lilo & Stitch – 2002

Directed by: Dean DeBlois
Starring: Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere

An Hawaiian girl adopts an extra-terrestrial to earn Disney an Oscar nomination. In case you’d didn’t get it the first time round, Stitch is a play on project Six Two Six, doh. This is Disney doing their animated stuff at the top of their game. If you’re watching it with the kids, think through the complex themes that are being explored. If you’re a kid, simply enjoy.

38. Iron Man – 2008

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard

Iron Man was one the earlier Comic Book movies that seem to be all pervasive these days. This was one the first movies actually produced by Marvel (rather than being leased to a studio) and is all the better for it. True to the ethos of the comic books, it has intelligence and emotion while keeping it’s feet firmly on the ground.

37. Jacobs Ladder – 1990

Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello

Jacobs Ladder is a lesser known movie and it’s hard to categorize. We have horror, violence, the supernatural, suspense and more twists and turns than you can shake a ladder at. The photography is breathtaking and the end WILL surprise you. This is a very strong recommendation.

36. The Big Chill – 1983

Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum

The Big Chill was the seminal thirty-somethings searching for meaning in life movie. The end message is a simple as friendship but the route to that message takes us through some fine acting and a perfectly crafted script. The real strength of the Big Chill is its brutal honesty which still has a place in the modern world.

35. Thelma And Louise – 1991

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel

Thelma and Louise is the iconoclastic female empowerment movie. The title has become synonymous with feminism in modern language. Receiving multiple nominations and a deserved Oscar, the movie was considered important enough to be preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

34. Contact – 1997

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt

Carl Sagan was a cosmologist with an extraordinary philosophical bent. His book Contact explored the impact of contact with an alien intelligence on human civilisation generally and organised religion more specifically. Sadly, Contact underplays this depth to the story and focusses more on personal human squabbles. But it’s still well worth a watch.

33. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers – 1978

Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum

The first version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was released in 1956 and, although pitched as horror, is nearer to the sci-fi genre. There is a nice under current of paranoia and the movie delivers it’s message with very little gore. The tension builds through the movie and this is widely recognised to be better than the original; a rarity for a remake.

32. Robocop – 1987

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy

Robocop sits bang slap in the middle of the sci-fi genre and was huge in it’s day. Do not confuse this with an action picture. Reminiscent of a comic book character (he isn’t), Robocop has had his directives programmed in rather than learned. The developing angst growing from the remnants of his humanity is powerful.

31. Bram Stoker’s Dracula – 1992

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins

Who else had a Dracula then? The title implies that this is going to be a close to the book as possible and it largely succeeds. The blend of British and American actors works better than it might to tell the love story. And let’s be clear, this is a love story not a horror movie.