Here at The List we tend to look forward to what's on the horizon, but when that's a whole lot of staying in knowing what to watch right now in the comfort of your home has never been more needed. To help ride out these challenging times, we will be casting our expert eye over what's new to TV and streaming services each week, bringing you the cream of the current movie crop. Let us do the decision-making for you, and then just sit back and enjoy.

Parasite ★★★★★

It's here! 2020's surprise Best Picture Oscar winner is available to buy and it makes for perfect home entertainment, given its intensely scrutinised domestic setting. This superlative satire from South Korean maestro Bong Joon Ho (Okja, Snowpiercer, The Host) pits two families against each other, as an impoverished clan pose as a series of too-good-to-be-true domestic staff in order to worm their way into a wealthy family's finances. With incisive commentary on the gulf between rich and poor, a fine line in black humour and a killer conclusion, it's one of the year's must-sees.
Watch now on Amazon Prime Video, Sky, YouTube and Google Play.

Underwater ★★★☆☆

Those in need of thrills and spills given the current absence of blockbuster action fare, could do a lot worse than this stripped-back creature feature, brand new to buy, which boasts Kristen Stewart and Vincent Cassel amongst its cast, alongside cutting-edge effects. It follows a band of engineers working on an underwater drilling facility, who are forced to tangle with sea beasts after an earthquake. Although the script is a touch hokey, director William Eubank (The Signal) delivers on atmosphere, tension and enjoyment.
Watch now on Amazon Prime Video, Sky, YouTube and Google Play.

The Vast of Night ★★★★☆

Here's a great little tip for you. Our pick of last Friday's rental releases (available for free to Prime members) is this dynamic debut from American director Andrew Patterson, which shows plenty of visual ingenuity with its 50s-set sci-fi story about alien sightings in a New Mexican town. It follows a local radio DJ (Jake Horowitz) and a switchboard operator (Sierra McCormick) as they investigate the strange goings on, with most of the residents otherwise occupied. With oodles of atmosphere, The Vast of Night pays homage to genre classics whilst refusing to play too predictably by the book.
Watch now on Amazon Prime Video.

Menace II Society

With the US experiencing its greatest civil unrest since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968, it's a wise time to revisit a landmark of black cinema, new to Netflix this week. Directed by The Hughes Brothers, the ultra-violent Menace II Society features police brutality and burns with appropriate anger as it references the Watts Riots of 1965 and takes us to the 90s where a young man (Tyrin Turner) is struggling to escape his circumstances. Those looking for something more explicitly political, and educational, are advised to try Ava DuVernay's passionate and persuasive documentary 13th, also on Netflix.
Watch now on Netflix.

Young Adult ★★★★☆

While we wait in eager anticipation for Charlize Theron's latest – Netflix actioner The Old Guard, dropping 10 July – you can get your fix by checking out this razor-sharp 2011 comedy from director Jason Reitman (who Theron and screenwriter Diablo Cody would reunite with so memorably on Tully, available on Netflix now). The actress turns in one of her most hilarious performances playing 'psychotic [former] prom queen bitch' Mavis Gary. Deep in crisis, YA author Mavis heads back to her home town to wreak havoc, and some unforgettable comedy and long overdue soul-searching ensues.
Watch now on iPlayer.

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