8 movies you need to stream this summer: Staying-in edition

For when you’re hiding from the sun…

This summer, staying in is in. I mean, it kind of has to be, when the flaming ball of fire is screeching at you in the day and the humidity is attacking you from all sides at night and it’s just one big, hot mess. Save yourselves, camp indoors, make a pillow fort, order some takeout and put on the telly for these summer streams. New, old and cinema gold – these movies will keep you entertained every summer night.

Forrest Gump (1994)

This one is a classic of movies and one that will tug at your heartstrings with the echoes of run Forrest, run! Through the years, the Robert Zemeckis directorial has become an absolute cult favourite and a cornerstone of thoughtful cinema rooted in realism, with a delightful hint of running away with the wind of imagination. The simplicity of Forrest’s internal universe, held together by a fierce passion of love, compels you to fall for him and cheer him on as he proves anyone who ever doubted him wrong. Tom Hanks in his career best – doesn’t get better than that.

Stream on Netflix

13 Going on 30 (2004)

I’m such a sucker for a solid rom-com, and 13 Going on 30 is just that, but not at the same time. It’s a typical romantic comedy, with all the ingredients of a young, beautiful, successful heroine, the boy next door and a series of events that will bring them together and bring you to rosy tears. Remember, it’s always by chance, always a play a fate, always a twist of destiny, because what could be more romantic than literally the entire universe conspiring to bring you together. Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo are absolute sweethearts in this fresh but still comforting take on love, being given a second chance to make things right. Perhaps there is hope for all of us.

Stream on Netflix

Lootera (2013)

One of my favourite Bollywood movies of all time, Lootera is one picture everyone needs to see. Based on O Henry’s beautiful short story The Last Leaf , the plot follows Pakhi, a bright-eyed Bengali girl and the daughter of an aristocrat, and Varun, a mysterious, charming archaeologist. They meet, not by chance, and unexpectedly fall in love, but Varun has secrets that threaten to destroy their lives forever. Never have I seen the aching pain of longing captured with such tenderness in a film, mixed with the hatred of betrayal and the guilt of love despite, amidst the stunning, vintage landscape of a newly-independent, 1950s India. It will break you heart and it’ll be worth it.

Rent on Apple TV

Forgotten (2017)

South Korean movies, particularly of the thriller variety, are severely underrated, as you will learn from this flick. Jin-seok and his family move to a new home after which his brother is abducted and subsequently returned, but he comes back somewhat different. Jin-seok is irked with this change and his quest for answers reveals some shocking truths about his life he knew nothing about. This one is a mind-bender and will leave you utterly shocked at the twists and turns coming your way. Nothing is what it seems and the truth is hidden between too many lies.

Stream on Netflix

Oppenheimer (2023)

If you’re one of the very small minority of people who haven’t seen this mega-blockbuster yet, now is your chance, and what better time than the slow summer to catch up. Oppenheimer was objectively the biggest release of 2023, and earned main man Cillian Murphy a long-overdue and very well-deserved big name award – the Oscar, no less – for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. While the world was finally awoken to the genius of this man after six seasons of Tommy Shelby and his dirty, delicious charisma, the movie itself is an epic by all means. From the cast to the visuals and the sound effects to the performances, Nolan has done it again. Order some Chinese food and settle in for the ride.

Rent on Apple TV

Prisoners (2013)

This Hugh Jackman-Jake Gyllenhaal starrer is a tense, painful drama and a stellar one-time-watch. Following the abduction of two little girls, the father of one of the girls takes matters into his own hands and starts a search for them himself. Lots of themes are explored, from grief to religious morality and how much is this gruesome brand of vigilante justice justified when the authorities in place fail to do their jobs. Jackman and Gyllenhaal star at opposite ends of this struggle, as Keller Dover, father of one of the girls, and Detective Loki, respectively. As expected, the performances are faultless and you’ll be at the edge of your seat the whole time.

Stream on Netflix

Poor Things (2023)

From the pool of Oscar-winning movies – brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Defoe star in this frankly mad comedy drama. Everything about the movie screams eccentric and a little off the rails, but it’s packaged in a way that the message is loud and clear. The trajectory of Stone’s character is so nuanced, you won’t even realise the turn of the shift until the very end.

Stream on Disney+

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

What a film. What. A. Film. No one could have played Miranda Priestly with the razor sharp cut and the high-brow poise the way the great Meryl Streep did. Miranda is fierce, cynical and ice cold – she is the moment. It’s a bit of a fairytale, the whole thing. How Anne Hathaway’s Andy stumbles into this job that leads her down such a drastic path of transformation and self discovery, but there is also a touch of the real. Why is Miranda the way she is, full of spite and no time for anything that doesn’t go her way? She’s brilliant, but she’s difficult and watching her warm up to Andy is heartwarming. One of the greatest chick flick movies out there – I’ll stand by that.

Stream on Disney+

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