Ah, awards season. With all due respect to the other seasons, fall leaves and spring blooms have nothing on these few months, which offer a better view of the stars (the celebrity variety, not the night sky variety), a slate of critically acclaimed movies to catch up on, and Sunday nights spent rooting for your faves on your couch. This year already, we’ve had the Golden Globe Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, and even a long-delayed Emmy Awards. Still to come, of course, are the Oscars.
That makes now the perfect time to not only catch up on the nominated and winning movies but also on all of the buzzy movies you may have missed last year and early this year. It’s been an exceptional time for movies: In the last 12 months, we were introduced to the double bill that broke the internet, singular science fiction dramas that broke our brains, and intimate, romantic dramas that broke our hearts. Before the Oscars ceremony heralds the official end of this movie season, take time now to catch up on what you’ve missed. Below, a selection of some recent favorites, all available to stream on Hulu.
All of Us Strangers
You’ve seen the viral clips of Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal doing press together for months, and this is why. In the heartbreakingly tender drama All of Us Strangers, Adam (Scott) is working on a screenplay based on his early life and travels back to his childhood home, where he finds his deceased parents (the excellent Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) alive and waiting for him. While reconnecting with them over the course of several visits, he also develops a romantic relationship with Mescal’s character, a neighbor who lives in Adam’s near-empty apartment complex. All of Us Strangers is perfect for fans of Normal People (or other entries in the Paul-Mescal-makes-us-cry genre). Streaming on Hulu now.
Next Goal Wins
Oscar winner Taika Waititi made his long-awaited return (well, non-superhero movie return) last year with Next Goal Wins, an underdog sports comedy that’s also based on a true story. The movie (with some embellishments) tells the story of the American Samoan men’s soccer team, who became infamous for one of the worst losses in international soccer history when they lost 31-0 to Australia in 2001. In Next Goal Wins, Michael Fassbender stars as the unconventional maverick coach hired by the team to turn their fortunes around. Soccer fans (or fans of soccer television shows) will enjoy this. Streaming on Hulu now.
The Creator
This movie, one of the sci-fi hits of 2023, is eerily prescient about the artificial intelligence era we now find ourselves (perhaps unwillingly) living in. It’s set in the future, where an ongoing war between humans and AI rages on without an end in sight. John David Washington stars as an ex-special forces agent who is recruited to hunt down and kill the “Creator,†an elite AI that has supposedly developed a weapon with the power to end humankind. The only problem? When he finally finds the Creator, he discovers that this world-ending weapon is actually an AI in the form of a young child — and the two quickly develop a close relationship. Also worth mentioning are the movie’s stunning (and recently Oscar-nominated) visual effects and sound design. Streaming on Hulu now.
Self RelianceÂ
Jake Johnson’s directorial debut has one hell of a premise. Johnson’s character, Tommy, is offered a million dollars to participate in a dark web reality show where he must stay alive for 30 days while “hunters†try to kill him. He agrees, only because he discovers a tempting loophole: The hunters can only attack when he’s alone. He sets out to surround himself with friends and family, but none of them believe that the game is real. Johnson’s beloved, singular brand of comedy is on display in this lighthearted romp, released in early 2024 to critical praise. Nick Miller girls: This one is for you. Streaming on Hulu now.
Suncoast
Fresh off its premiere at January’s Sundance Film Festival, this coming-of-age drama is in select theaters and streaming on Hulu. Directed and written by Laura Chinn and partially based on her own life, Suncoast is set in the early 2000s and follows a teenager (Nico Parker) caring for her brother along with her audacious mother (Laura Linney). While coping with her family’s struggles, she develops an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist (Woody Harrelson) who is protesting one of the most controversial landmark medical cases in history. Streaming on Hulu now.
Cat Person
Based on the 2017 viral short story (yes, that one), Cat Person stars Emilia Jones (of the Oscar-winning CODA) and Nicholas Braun as Margot, a college student, and Robert, a mysterious older man whom she meets at work. They start a text-based relationship, but as soon as they meet in person Margot realizes he doesn’t live up to what she imagined. Their interactions are awkward at first but quickly turn menacing. With lots to say about modern dating, Cat Person is a riveting — if sometimes cringe-filled — watch. Streaming on Hulu now.
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.