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While local rep theaters are out of commission, we’ll be putting together weekly watchlists of films readily available to stream. This week, in honor of Netflix’s recent release of the star-studded The Devil All the Time, we highlight films boasting stellar ensemble casts.
The Devil All the Time (2020)
Based on Donald Ray Pollock’s critically acclaimed novel, this gritty, dramatic thriller follows a young man (Tom Holland) through a series of strange encounters with sinister characters in the corrupt town of Knockemstiff, Ohio. Co-stars include Riley Keough, Sebastian Stan, Mia Wasikowska, Bill Skarsgård, and standout Robert Pattinson as a lecherous preacher. Netflix.
Night on Earth (1991)
Jim Jarmusch’s nocturnal dramedy consists of five vignettes, all focusing on a different cab driver in a different city on the same night. Perhaps the most notable of the anthology is the opener, in which a grungy chain-smoking cabbie (Winona Ryder) escorts a movie executive (Gena Rowlands) around L.A. Amazon Prime, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
Magnolia (1999)
This epic drama from auteur Paul Thomas Anderson explores the myriad ways in which fateful coincidences form delicate connections, binding us all together. The first-rate ensemble cast includes Julianne Moore as a pill-addicted housewife, Philip Seymour Hoffman as a tender nurse, and Tom Cruise in one of his most memorable roles as a bawdy motivational speaker. Amazon Prime, Google Play, HBO Go, HBO Max, Hulu, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube.
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
A troupe of community theater actors, led by their eccentric director, Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest, who also directs), aims to put on an original musical celebrating their small town’s history. Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Catherine O’Hara, and the always delightful Parker Posey co-star in this almost entirely improvised mockumentary. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube.
Babel (2006)
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett headline this heartrending drama from multi-Best Director Oscar winner Alejandro Iñárritu. Tragedy strikes while the American pair are vacationing in Morocco, and their stories internationally intertwine with their Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza) and her nephew (Gael García Bernal), as well as a hearing-impaired teen girl in Japan (Rinko Kikuchi). Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube.
