Now Streaming: January 2019
New Year, New You, New Content to Stream!
It might be a new year and a new you, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to be looking for great new movies and series to stream this January. After all, you don’t want to overdo it with all those miraculous resolutions and it’s important to remember to make sure you get plenty of rest to recharge. Lucky for you, I’ve taken a look at everything come to streaming services this month and put together a list of suggests of what movies and series you can look forward to watching in your downtime. There are a lot of classics hitting streaming services, as well as some awesome movies from last year, and even a few series to get excited about. This is especially important because we all know how bad January is when it comes to new movies. So, here’s to a new you, a new you, and new streaming options!
Prime
A Beautiful Mind (January 1st)
The classic John Nash biopic starring Russell Crowe is an enthralling look into the world of a brilliant man suffering from mental illness. It’s a brilliant film from Ron Howard that is incredibly watchable. No matter how many times you might have seen it, A Beautiful Mind never seems to get old. I dare say it’s one of the greatest films from Crowe and Howards I’ve ever seen and whether you’ve had a chance to watch it or not, you’ll definitely want to add it to your queue.
Brazil (January 1st)
Terry Gilliam is well known for making incredible visual films and with his long-awaited The Man Who Killed Don Quixote coming to theaters next year (supposedly), it seems like a perfect opportunity to look back on one of his most famed films of all time. If you haven’t seen Brazil, then you don’t know what a crazy dystopian future looks like. It’s a twisted film that’s an absolute spectacle to behold. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of “weird.”
Leave No Trace (January 3rd)
One of my biggest regrets of 2018 was not getting a chance to see Leave No Trace in theaters. The film has been getting a ton of Award Season buzz lately, and it looks as though it could even be an Oscar contender. It tells the tale of a dad (Ben Foster) and his daughter who take to living off the grid. A small mistake though jeopardizes them both as they find themselves thrown into the Social Services system. I know I’ll be streaming this once it hits prime!
Beautiful Boy (January 4th)
Steve Carell had a pretty good year at the movies in 2018, but one of his most emotionally charged roles was in Beautiful Boy. It’s a film that takes a hard look at the toll that addiction can take not just on the one suffering from it, but their loved ones as well. In it, Carell struggles to help his son overcome addiction. It’s a movie that anyone who has experience with addiction will be blown away by. Even though I’ve already seen it, I’ll be adding it to my queue this month.
Eighth Grade (January 13th)
People were raving about Bo Burnham’s coming of age film and for good reason. It’s an insightful look into the trials and tribulations that children, in this case, a girl, experience as they move from preteen to teen. If you thought high school was rough then you’ve probably had a chance to block out all those wonderfully awkward years that happen right before it. It didn’t get a huge release last year, so this is the perfect chance to check this movie out.
Hulu
Beetlejuice (January 1st)
As much as I liked Michael Keaton in Spider-Man: Homecoming there’s no beating his crazy performance as the ghost with the most in Beetlejuice. The film is Tim Burton as his best back in the day when he was a little more daring with his crazy visuals and off-kilter narratives. This is definitely one of the most unique ghost stories I’ve ever seen on the big screen and it’s an 80’s classic. If you’re looking for a good film to unwind with, there’s no beating this comedy.
The Lethal Weapon movies (January 1st)
There are few big screen cops more iconic that Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were the ultimate police partners in the Lethal Weapon movies and now all four of them are going to be available for streaming on Hulu. Sure, I know that Gibson has had quite the fall from grace lately, but I can’t help but love him in these action flicks I grew up watching. It’s you’re a fan of classic 80’s action at it’s finest, you’re not going to want to miss a chance to add these to your queue.
The Neverending Story movies (January 1st)
Speaking of movies I grew up watching, The Neverending Story was a staple of my childhood. I rented this movie (yes, we had video stores back then) more times than I can count. If you’ve got kids, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to this masterpiece. While the second movie is nowhere near as good, but since both are going to be available for streaming I figured they might as well be lumped together.
Annihilation (January 5th)
Annihilation was one of the best sci-fi movies of 2018. It’s a film that features an incredibly powerful female cast playing characters that aren’t traditionally given to women. The film follows a team of military scientists investigating an unknown anomaly that is causing complete chaos with the environment. It’s a very well crafted movie with an all-star cast than any fan of sci-fi will definitely want to check out. It might not be perfect, but hey, not every great movie is “good.”
Future Man Season 2 (January 11th)
Hulu might not be known for its original content, but if there is one show that’s worth watching over there, hands down, it’s Future Man. The show is laugh out loud hilarious and season one was one of the most absurd things I’ve ever seen in my life. To be honest, I have no idea why there’s a season two considering the ending the last season had, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If you haven’t seen Future Man there’s still enough time to catch up before season two drops.
Netflix
The Indiana Jones Movies (January 1st)
In my opinion, the Indian Jones films are 50-50. The odd numbers are some of the best movies ever made. The even, well, not so great. Still, in today’s political climate where Nazis think it’s cool for them to make themselves known, it’ll be good to remind them that one of the greatest movie heroes of all time cut his teeth punching their lights out. I grew up watching these movies and if you have kids you owe it to them to treat them to these incredible films. Of course, you’re more than welcome to skip the fourth one.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (January 9th)
I’ll admit that Solo wasn’t the Star Wars film I was hoping it would be. Still, it wasn’t nearly the mess that Episode VIII proved to be. So, I’m actually looking forward to giving it another chance. I was a pretty big fan of Donald Glover and Alden Ehrenreich didn’t make for a half bad Han Solo. In my opinion, Solo is a solid Star Wars film and it sheds a bit of light on the young exploits of one of the greatest movie rogues of all time.
Punisher Season 2 (January 18th)
Netflix recently felt the need to cancel pretty much every one of their Marvel series which broke my heart. One of the few series left standing is The Punisher, which wasn’t the best of their series, but was far from the worst. Not much is known about season two, but it sounds like star Jon Bernthal went all out filming it. I enjoyed the first season quite a bit and hope that the second manages to be at least as good. After all, we might not get another…
Ant-Man and the Wasp (January 29th)
Disney is going to be pulling Marvel movies from Netflix soon with the promise of Disney+ lurking on the horizon. While Infinity War is already available to play, Ant-Man and the Wasp will mark the last Marvel film to hit the streaming service. It was one of my favorite super-hero movies from 2018 (right up there with Black Panther) and it’s going to be a welcomed addition to my queue. If you want to get caught up before Avengers: Endgame hits theaters, this is your chance.
Incredibles 2 (January 30th)
While it might not have been the number one animated superhero movies to hit theaters last year, Incredibles 2 was a welcomed sequel to one of my favorite Pixar films. The Parr family is back with a whole new villain and plenty of new heroes as they attempt to change the world for the better. It’s a wonderful, family friendly film that you’ll definitely want to add to your queue once it hits Netflix later this month.
There are tons and tons of other series and shows hitting streaming services January 2019, but for my money, the ones listed above are the ones to look forward to the most. Hopefully, this list helps you with any decision paralysis that comes with the insane amount of choices that come on Prime, Hulu, and Netflix. As always, let me know what you’re streaming this month in the comments below!