A mind-bending scene in Inception. | Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

They may not be romances, but any of these will be great picks for Valentine’s Day

Can you believe we’re already a month into the new year? It’s February, and you know what that means: A fresh crop of movies available to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and more, to help make that truly chilling revelation a little easier to cope with.

To help parse all the latest options, we’ve taken a look at the most recent additions and chosen the nine best movies currently available to you. The new selections run the gamut, from twisty post-war dramas to romantic comedies about suddenly finding yourself thirty, flirty, and thriving.

Need more recommendations? Read our 8 picks from last month.

The Bling Ring (2013)

Directed by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and starring Emma Watson as the anti-Hermione, The Bling Ring turns the real-life exploits of the Bling Ring, a gang of teenagers who robbed celebrities’ homes, into a satirical crime caper. The audience is invited to try to understand the Bling Ring’s motivations, but Coppola never turns them into heroes, instead maintaining a distance from her subjects that can be as rewarding as it is frustrating. No matter what side of the moral line you land on, however, there’s no denying that Coppola’s film is stylish, mixing popping visuals with an equally bright soundtrack.

Stream on Netflix

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

If you’ve ever wanted to know what James Earl Jones would look like with baby bangs, then Conan the Barbarian is the movie for you. A young Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the titular barbarian, who sets out for revenge against the cult leader Thulsa Doom (Jones) who murdered his parents and entire village. Filled with sorcery and swordplay (and some truly stunning outfits), Conan the Barbarian delivers exactly what you want it to, i.e. the sense of watching a magic- and snake-heavy D&D campaign play out.

Stream on Hulu

The Master (2012)

If you’re looking for Joaquin Phoenix’s best, most riveting performance, skip the multiplex and look instead to The Master. Though Phoenix and his co-stars (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams) are all bona fide movie stars, they disappear into the world of a 1950s cult in the hands of Paul Thomas Anderson. Phoenix plays a World War II veteran struggling to readjust to the world, with Hoffman as the charismatic cult leader who takes him under his wing. Around the relationship between the two men, Anderson builds a tumultuous story about success in America, finding a home, and love.

Stream on Netflix

Inception (2010)

Sometimes a certain movie will come along and lay indisputable claim to a song. So it goes with Christopher Nolan’s Inception and “Non, je ne regrette rien,” which uses the song as a repeated motif. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief who specializes in entering others’ dreams and stealing ideas. His next job, however, turns the formula on its head; his aim, this time, is to plant an idea. The song becomes an auditory cue to help the job, which requires multiple levels of dreams, from growing out of control. There are, however, other complications, such as the general unpredictability of dreams and the ghost of Dom’s dead wife.

Stream on Netflix

13 Going on 30 (2004)

Were one to claim that 13 Going on 30 is the best romantic comedy ever made, there’d be slim argument against it. The movie is a charm on all fronts, from its cast — the winning Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo — to its premise, which involves Garner’s 13-year-old self wishing to become “thirty and flirty and thriving” is magically granted. Part of the fun is watching Garner embody a teenager in an (high-powered corporate) adult’s body, but the real appeal is, of course, in watching two people who have always loved each other finally work up the courage to realize it.

Stream on Hulu

Hamlet 2 (2008)

Andrew Fleming’s unhinged Hamlet 2 stars Steve Coogan as Dana, a high school theater teacher and failed actor who takes it upon himself to, as the title of the movie suggests, write a sequel to Hamlet. The new play involves time travel as well as the appearance of Jesus Christ himself (complete with musical number “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”). As the production gets underway, Dana faces trouble both at home and at school, with budget cuts as well as growing community controversy making it even more of an uphill battle.

Stream on Hulu

Fighting with My Family (2019)

Celebrate the ongoing Pugh-aissance with Stephen Merchant’s Fighting with My Family. Based on the experiences of English professional wrestler Paige and the documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, the film stars Florence Pugh as Saraya, whose passion for wrestling initially bonds her family, but causes fractures as she begins to grow famous. Pugh is, of course, wonderful, and it’s a joy watching her throw down in the ring.

Stream on Hulu

Dirty Harry (1971)

”You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” Clint Eastwood stars in the first of what would become a series of movies about hard-boiled San Francisco Police Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan, the O.G. antihero movie cop. Here, he’s up against a Zodiac-esque serial killer, as well as against a bureaucratic system that seemingly won’t aid him in the pursuit of justice.

Stream on Netflix

The Fugitive (1993)

If you’ve ever wondered where that GIF of Tommy Lee Jones saying, “I don’t care,” comes from, you’re in luck, because The Fugitive has just hit streaming. Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) is forced to go on the run after being wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Jones) is hot on his heels. As Kimble tries to find his wife’s true murderer, he also finds himself at the center of a deadly pharmaceutical conspiracy.

Stream on Hulu

Source: Polygon