Culture

21 Hulu Additions to Warm Your Hands by in December

Forget the Yule Log—your "Classic Movies of the '90s" marathon starts now.
Uma Thurman Pulp Fiction 1994 directed by Quentin Tarantino
F4PBB5 Uma Thurman / Pulp Fiction 1994 directed by Quentin TarantinoAlamy Stock Photo

Last week we sent you off to your long weekend with the bad news that the Kill Bill movies were leaving Hulu this month. Well, as we're sure at least one executive has said at one point while lighting a cigar with a hundred-dollar bill, when a streaming platform closes a door, it opens a window; in this case, the Bride's adventure is getting replaced with two early Tarantino classics. And that's not all: in this season of holidays, Hulu is rolling out all kinds of gifts, from Madonna flicks (don't worry, it's not Swept Away) to ’90s favorites to Tina Fey war dromedaries dramedies. Cue the nearly two dozen must-sees...now!

  • Francis Ford Coppola’s deep, dark, twisted Vietnam War film is probably the last thing that comes to mind when you think “holiday cheer.” But this sort-of adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s *Heart of Darkness* is a classic in any season—especially if you’ve never seen it before. Come for the 14-year-old Laurence Fishburne (he said he was 17 to get the job), stay for the absolutely insane Marlon Brando soliloquy.
  • After Clint Eastwood had gone the handsome-rambler route in westerns and *Play Misty For Me*—but before he started talking to empty chairs and called millennials the “pussy generation” and basically turned into your crotchety grandfather—he directed and starred in heart-crushing movies with Meryl Streep. Now is as good a time as any to remember the pre-*Grand Torino* era.
  • Ang Lee doesn't always care what you want; he turned the Hulk into a bore, and he shot *Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk* at a staggering 120 frames per second, an experiment that turned off more people than it charmed (even people who like the movie). Instead of trying to wrap your eyes around hyperreality, go back to one of Lee’s best films with the mythical wirework-fest that is *Crouching Tiger*. Sword fights!
  • You probably haven't heard of this one; it's about two guys who like fast food. Give it a shot, you might like it.
  • This was Madonna’s breakout movie—and goddamn, did she ever break out. As Susan, Madge embodies everything that would come to define her 1980s persona: the fashion, the attitude, the “Into the Groove”-ness. People may rag on Madonna’s acting, but Rosanna Arquette got nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance—and as a time capsule of ’80s New York City, this movie is not to be missed.
  • Yes, *Escape from New York* is better, but do you really need an excuse to hang out with Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken? Didn’t think so.
  • It's not just the original Crystal Lake adventure coming to Hulu—*Friday the 13th* parts I through VIII hit the service in December. So if you’re in the mood, you can spend one very long night with Jason Voorhees and his freaky-ass hockey mask (and his ice pick, and his garrote, and his kitchen knife, and about anything else he can use to kill people). It’ll be fun!
  • This movie managed to nab Oscars for both Cher and Olympia Dukakis—and marks the moment, along with *Raising Arizona*, when Nicolas Cage really hit his delightfully unhinged stride. (No offense, *Valley Girl.*)
  • This Coen Brothers classic stars Josh Brolin as a Texas hunter who stumbles on some money after a drug deal gone bad (what could go wrong?), and Javier Bardem as an implacable hitman who clearly wonders why cattle guns are wasted on livestock.
  • Every so often, humanity needs a reminder that Tom Cruise can actually shift into Serious Actor mode. This is one of those reminders. Granted, he has a lot of help from Dustin Hoffman, who plays his savant brother, but still, the tale of sibling reconnection is as touching as it is hilarious. A late-’80s moment to remember. (Seriously, this movie resulted in a tsunami of "Wapner" jokes.)
  • Quentin Tarantino’s breakout feature is still one of his best films. Everything that would become a hallmark of his later work—whipsmart script, attention to detail, B-movie homages—all sprang from this.
  • Hulu lost a Roman Polanski movie in November when *Chinatown* left the service, but it got one back with this unrelentingly chilling horror flick about a young woman who becomes surprisingly, *evilly* pregnant.
  • Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in this movie about a slow-talking man who tries to start a new life after being locked up for most of his life. Sure, it *seems* sweet, until you find out why exactly he wasn't out in society. (Hint: it's not the accent.)
  • Like *Westworld*? This movie is Anthony Hopkins, as serial killer Hannibal Lecter, being 100 times better than he is on HBO’s sci-fi drama. But the amazingness doesn’t stop at Hopkins. Jodie Foster’s FBI agent Clarice Starling is unstoppable as well. Watch it with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
  • Mockumentary enjoys its finest moment, thanks to Christopher Guest's chronicle of a a rock band and its many, *many* drummers.
  • Before Bryan Singer took over the *X-Men* franchise, he made this great crime pic that showed everyone what Kevin Spacey was truly capable of. That ending is still one of the best twists of the ‘90s—which is exactly why it immediately became a comedy trope.
  • This Charlie Kaufman/Duke Johnson movie—which, we should point out, is stop-motion animation, and also was originally funded on Kickstarter—is about a sad, self-centered guy who feels better about himself when he finds an average-looking woman appealing. Sound grim? You're not wrong! But if rays of sunshine were all you could find in a movie, things would get old fast. What's the worst thing that could happen: you broaden your horizons? You get *cultured*? Live a little!
  • National Geographic’s new series is part documentary, part speculation and all awesome. Go ahead, get spaced out.
  • Can you think of a better way to spend your holiday break than with Tina Fey playing a war reporter in Afghanistan? We can’t either. (Also, this movie is a lot more enjoyable than its reviews—and trailer—imply.)
  • As fans look forward to the Infinity War, it’s time to go back to go back to the movie that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. Want to know why Robert Downey Jr. is so beloved as Tony Stark? This is why. (Also, RDJ's redemption is almost entirely because of this movie.)
  • If you’re not the kind of person who hits the town on New Year’s Eve, might we suggest snuggling up with the most recent season of this Adult Swim show? We swear it’ll be a hoot. Happy 2017, everyone!
Angela Watercutter is WIRED's senior editor for special projects. Prior to joining WIRED she was a reporter for the Associated Press. Watercutter was also a senior editor of Longshot magazine and a contributor to Pop-Up Magazine. She received a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Ohio University. ... Read more
Senior Editor
TopicsCoen BrothershorrorQuentin TarantinoUnderwire
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