The Best Movies New to Every Major Streaming Platform in September 2023

“Arrival” (dir. Denis Villeneuve, 2016)

At some point, every cerebral blockbuster filmmaker expresses their desire to make a movie that demonstrates how human connection is the one force powerful enough ultimately triumph over the cold, uncaring logic of science and numbers. Christopher Nolan took an ambitious swing at the concept with “Interstellar,” but nobody in recent memory has come closer to actually achieving the goal than Denis Villeneuve did with “Arrival.” His portrait of a linguist (Amy Adams) who attempts to document the nonlinear communication method of a new alien species that makes contact with earth. The film eschews the typical “alien invasion” cliches at every turn, instead telling a poignant story about the value of analog language in a rapidly evolving world that even manages to pull off a time-based twist that doesn’t make you cringe. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “The Wolf of Wall Street”

– “Stand by Me”

– “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (dir. Martin McDonagh, 2022)

Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-nominated black comedy reunites his “In Bruges” stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for a characteristically bleak portrait of a friendship that’s seen better days. After years of consistently meeting for a pint in the same pub at the same time every day, Gleeson’s artistically minded Colm Doherty realizes that he can no longer stand the company of his longtime drinking buddy Padraic Suilleabhain. The rift between the two friends quickly becomes a hot piece of gossip on the small isle where there’s little to do besides drink, and the dispute soon threatens to tear the community apart.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” offers McDonagh plenty of opportunities to flex the dark sense of humor that made him an indie household name, but it becomes something truly special due to its reflections on our mortality and our futile attempts to balance ambition with personal relationships during our brief moments on this Earth.

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “The Devil Wears Prada”

– “Mad Max: Fury Road”

– “The Menu”

“Carrie” (dir. Brian De Palma, 1976)

The works of Stephen King have inspired hundreds of movies and TV shows of varying quality, but few can match the raw energy of the first adaptation of his first novel. Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” sees the future “Blow-Out” director offering a chilling take on King’s tale about a teenage girl with telekinetic powers who is forced to navigate an unrelenting stream of religious angst and high school bullies. The blood-soaked prom remains one of the most iconic scenes in horror history, and the film helped establish both King and De Palma as cultural figures to watch over the next half-century. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “The Exorcist”

– “Gangs of New York”

“To Catch a Thief” (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1955)

With “To Catch a Thief,” Alfred Hitchcock took his talents to the French Riviera to make what might be the most easy-on-the-eyes film of his storied career — and that’s not just because it features Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

The film tells the story of a retired burglar who sees his reformed reputation threatened when a new thief starts terrorizing his wealthy Mediterranean neighbors. When he becomes a suspect, he’s forced to re-enter the world of crime to find the perpetrator and prove his innocence. No Hitchcock film was ever more colorful or romantic, proving that there was plenty of room for Old Hollywood glamour within the parameters of his suspenseful brand of filmmaking.

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “2001: A Space Odyssey”

– “Cool Hand Luke”

– “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford”

“The Big Lebowski” (dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998)

Despite its myriad references to the first Bush administration and the fucking Eagles, the Coen brothers’ landmark comedy doesn’t feel any less fresh over a quarter century after hitting theaters. Jeff Bridges’ career-defining performance as an enlightened slacker meandering through a rapidly collapsing American social fabric is still wildly entertaining, and the film succeeds as both a ‘90s time capsule and a predictor of the insanity that would follow. And it’s still the best cinematic depiction of bowling that will ever exist. Even if you already know every quote by heart, a rewatch is never a bad idea. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”

– “Road to Perdition”

– “Blazing Saddles”

“The Blue Caftan” (dir. Maryam Touzani, 2022)

One of the most criminally under-seen films of 2022, Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan” turns what could be a yawn-inducing arthouse premise into a fascinating exploration of the ugly nuances of unconditional love. Saleh Bakri stars as a closeted Moroccan dressmaker whose commitment to old world craftsmanship threatens to strip his business of its commercial viability. To make ends meet, he takes on a handsome young apprentice who has his eyes on much more than just learning how to sew. The gay love affair that develops under the nose of his cancer-stricken wife seems like the kind of thing that would derail a marriage, but the clever film defies expectations to tell a rich story about the beauty that can be found in making sacrifices to share your life with someone. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me”

– “The Eight Mountains”

“Elemental” (dir. Peter Sohn, 2023)

After years of highly publicized bombs (see: “Lightyear”) and critically acclaimed films dropping unceremoniously on Disney+ (see: “Turning Red”), Pixar needed a massive event film to remind the world of the cultural real estate it once occupied. “Elemental” was supposed to be that film. Peter Sohn’s whimsical story about beings made of air, water, earth, and fire trying to coexist in Element City combined the visual metaphors of “Inside Out” with the urban world building of “Zootopia.” While the film never brought in the box office receipts that many predicted it would, it charmed many critics after premiering at Cannes with its sensitive approach to issues like tolerance and immigrations. It’s a must-stream this month for any Pixar completionist who missed it in theaters. 

Streaming September 13.

Other highlights: 

– “The Little Mermaid” (2023)

“The Thing” (dir. John Carpenter, 1982)

John Carpenter was on an unstoppable hot streak in the 1980s, directing everything from escapist action comedies (“Big Trouble in Little China”) to underrated Stephen King adaptations (“Christine”) to endlessly quotable pieces of social commentary (“They Live”). But none of those achievements come close to rivaling his masterpiece, “The Thing.” Carpenter’s paranoid arctic thriller about a tight-knit group of scientists who watch their bonds begin to fray as they suspect each other of being a shapeshifting evil entity is both a definitive body horror movie and a masterful portrait of the human condition. Like the “Halloween” movies and “Prince of Darkness,” “The Thing” is yet another chapter in Carpenter’s lifelong exploration of the idea that evil can be found anywhere. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights: 

– “3:10 to Yuma” (2007)

– “Videodrome”

– “Smokey and the Bandit”

“Hanagatami” (dir. Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, 2017)

To many casual cinephiles, Nobuhiko Ōbayashi is best remembered as the director of the cult horror film “House” — which, to be clear, is not a terrible legacy to leave. But to stop paying attention to Ōbayashi after 1977 would be to miss a rich filmography from one of Japan’s most exciting experimental filmmakers. In his final years before his death in 2019, Ōbayashi directed an acclaimed trilogy of anti-war dramas that re-introduced many western audiences to his prowess as a narrative filmmaker. The final entry in the trilogy, “Hanagatami” is loosely inspired by Ōbayashi’s childhood in World War II-stricken Japan and paints a humanistic portrait about the real costs of war. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “Seven Weeks”

– “Casting Blossoms to the Sky”

“Bad Education” (dir. Pedro Almodovar, 2014)

Pedro Almodovar took his campy, hypersexual, unabashedly grotesque aesthetic to its glorious logical conclusion with this NC-17 rated love letter to cinema and full-throated assault on good taste. Gael García Bernal gives multiple career-best performances in a twisted gender-bending mystery that never shies away from its mockery of the Catholic Church. In hindsight, the MPAA’s decision to slap an NC-17 rating on it due to the overt homosexuality seems like an overreaction, but it also provided the film with the necessary mystique to become a global cultural phenomenon. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”

– “The Cowboy and the Frenchman”

“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” (dir. André Øvredal, 2016)

“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” made a cinematic masterpiece out of the kind of mess that most body horror movies try to hide with end credits. André Øvredal’s grotesque film begins with coroners examining an unnamed corpse, working backward to reveal the horrifying secrets about her death, hidden in her body’s wounds. While the film contains considerably less blood and slime than some of its gorier body horror counterparts, it scratches the same perverse itch that draws us to films about our own mutilations over and over again. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a great reminder that the body horror niche has plenty of fresh angles waiting for the right filmmaker to explore them. 

Now streaming.

Other highlights:

– “The Hallow”

“A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” (dir. Roy Andersson, 2014)

Roy Andersson wrapped his Living trilogy up with this meticulously droll piece of slow cinema that depicts the absurd happenings of everyday life with all the craftsmanship of a great fresco painting. The wry tableaux, many of which revolve around the attempts of two salesmen attempting to hawk cheap party favors to a series of largely uninterested potential customers, each seem as meaningless as a mundane day of our lives. But when taken as a whole, they invite the realization that all of those stupid mundanities add up to something we call a life. Along with Andersson’s preceding films “Songs from the Second Floor” and “You, the Living,” “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” makes for a beautiful portrait of our insane 21st century lives from one of our boldest 21st-century filmmakers. 

Streaming September 12.

Other highlights:

– “Not Quite Hollywood”

– “Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant: The Story of the National Lampoon”

“Reflection” (dir. Valentyn Vasyanovych, 2021)

Two years after dazzling the international film community with “Atlantis,” a heartbreaking portrait of Russian military aggression in Ukraine and the toll that it took on soldiers, Valentyn Vasyanovych returned with another sparse war drama that hit all the harder in light of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion. While “Reflection” featured a cast of largely professional actors (“Atlantis” was primarily cast with actual veterans), its portrayal of atrocities committed in prison camps during the Russo-Ukranian War is every bit as haunting as the film that preceded it. It only reinforces what many cinephiles already knew: Vasyanovych is one of the most essential cinematic voices documenting the most consequential conflict on Earth.

Streaming September 22.

Other highlights:

– “The Truth About ‘La Dolce Vita’”