Yup, time for Nope.
Photo: Universal/Everett COllection
Summer is a weird time for Netflix, as it often pushes its exclusive original films to the fall to try and win a few trophies. That means the revolving door of catalogue titles becomes the highlight for a month like June, and this month has an inspired selection that includes a few classic comedies, a new animated blockbuster, a new thriller, and a few modern classics. Pick your faves.
Year: 1998
Run time: 1h 57m
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Well, that’s just like your opinion, man. Joel and Ethan Coen followed up the biggest hit of their careers, Fargo, with the story of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, unforgettably played by Jeff Bridges. In one of his most iconic roles, Bridges captures a kind of lazy L.A. style that turned this flick into a comedy classic, a movie that’s being quoted somewhere in the world every minute of every day. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2025
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: Gus Van Sant
Bill Skarsgård stars in this well-made thriller as Tony Kiritsis, an Indiana man who goes down to his mortgage company one morning and takes as a hostage his broker, Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery). He holds him at gunpoint as cameras and local radio stations break the story. This one plays a bit like Dog Day Afternoon, the role model for this kind of real-time tension. Skarsgård is particularly great in it. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 1989
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
If you build it, he will come. One of the best baseball movies ever made is really a story about fathers and sons. Phil Alden Robinson directed Kevin Costner to one of the most beloved performances of his career as an average Iowan who hears a voice that tells him to build a baseball field. Redemption, U.S. history, and, of course, a love of America’s pastime intertwines in this moving drama with an incredibly loyal fan base. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2026
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Tyree Dillihay
Inspired by the visual style of the Spider-Verse universe, this family flick made a quick jump from theaters to Netflix. It’s not gonna win any animated awards, but it’s a sweet underdog story of an actual goat (Caleb McLaughlin of Stranger Things) who becomes a “roarball” hero in this Space Jam–esque sports movie. It should appeal even more to those excited to watch the NBA Finals this month, and not just because Steph Curry does one of the voices. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 1984
Run time: 2h 7m
Director: John G. Avildsen
The massive success of Cobra Kai on Netflix brought young viewers back to the original films about the kid who learns karate from Mr. Miyagi. The 1984 original is still, by far, the best, starring Ralph Macchio and the great Pat Morita. Less successful are the sequels, but the 1986 follow-up is also on Netflix, for the record, as is the pretty decent Jackie Chan remake. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2006
Run time: 1h 42m
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’s Sundance comedy is one of the most notable breakthroughs in the history of the Park City event. It went all the way from its premiere in Utah to a multiple-Oscar nominee, and it brought in over $100 million along the way. People were drawn to a story that encourages them to just be who they want to be, along with an incredibly likable supporting cast that includes Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, who won an Oscar. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2005
Run time: 1h 22m
Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
A franchise was spawned with this 2005 family film about a group of Central Park Zoo animals who end up on an unforgettable trip to Madagascar. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith voice a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippo, respectively, in a film that’s pretty solidly entertaining and may already be nostalgic for the right audience, as it’s (hard to believe) two decades old. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2022
Run time: 2h 10m
Director: Jordan Peele
The genius behind Get Out and Us delivered his most controversial film in 2022, a story that blends an alien invasion with a commentary on movie-watching and spectacle in general. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are fantastic in this story of people beset upon by an alien species that likes to watch. Brilliantly structured and gorgeously shot, this is blockbuster horror filmmaking at its finest. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2000
Run time: 1h 48m
Director: David Twohy
In 2024, it was announced that production had begun on a fourth film starring Vin Diesel as Riddick, one of the protagonists of this sci-fi film that became a cult classic. Shot on a low budget — and before Diesel was a big action star — it became a sleeper hit because of its clever idea and stellar direction. Riddick is a criminal on a transport that crashes on a planet that seems safe at first … until night falls. This is spacey action that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Let’s hope the planned fourth film reignites interest in the original. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2021
Run time: 2h 10m
Director: Sean Baker
The great writer-director behind The Florida Project shifted gears with this phenomenal comedy about a born loser, a middle-age porn star played perfectly by Simon Rex. The former MTV personality plays Mikey Davies, a guy returning to his hometown in Texas for a second chance who becomes obsessed with a local teenager, whom he essentially starts grooming. Rex won Best Actor from the L.A. Film Critics for this unforgettable turn. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 1993
Run time: 2h
Director: Tony Scott
Tony Scott directed a script by the then-unknown Quentin Tarantino while the eventual Oscar winner was working on his own debut, Reservoir Dogs. Scott’s film starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as a young couple who go on the run after stealing a shipment of drugs from her boss. One of the best ensembles of the ’90s also includes James Gandolfini, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Walken. ➽ Streaming now.
Year: 2001
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
It’s hard to believe this movie turns a quarter-century this year. This is a great piece of work to watch as a companion to the Netflix original Roma, as it’s another obviously personal film from Alfonso Cuarón. Two teenage boys — Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna — fall for an older woman who has a secret. It’s a sweet, moving film from a modern master. ➽ Streaming now.
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