If your Netflix home page is doing its job, you've likely already seen that Kevin Hart's is at No.1 on the U.S.Top 10 charts at the moment, and that a Liam Neeson action movie () from 2024 is up there, too.
While both are solid picks for a fun movie night this week, there are, of course, loads more options.This week we're going a bit deeper with a few picks—two new and one new to Netflix this month: a claustrophobic sci-fi horror about a family trapped inside their house, a stunning adaptation of a classic manga, and, my top pick this week, a critically acclaimed coming-of-age dramedy with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.3 The Last House A supernatural force turns a family's house into a prison If you thought you had it tough being stuck inside during the COVID pandemic, this new Netflix Original sci-fi thriller from and director Louis Leterrier is a whole other level.
In one of the most claustrophobic movies I've seen in a long time, does double duty as a mounting sci-fi horror and a commentary on how the mysteries of the natural world could easily turn on us.Greta Lee (Past Lives, The Morning Show) and Wagner Moura (Narcos) star as young parents Ann and Jason, living a modest life in the Seattle suburbs with their two kids, Ruth and Graham.When a big storm rolls in, something inexplicable happens—the family, and everyone else in their neighborhood, are trapped inside their homes by some sort of supernatural force outside.
As the days, weeks, and months go by, and their supplies dwindle, the family must adapt to the reality that this may never end—if they don't tear themselves apart first.Don't take this one too seriously—the critics have so far not been too kind, but The Last House is a fun popcorn movie that gets weirder as it goes as the family, and the audience, learns the truth.Think A Quiet Place tension, but locked inside a quiet suburban house.
The Last House NC16 Horror Science Fiction Thriller Release Date August 7, 2026 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Cast Wagner Moura, Greta Lee, Lewis Goody, Audrey Anderson, Nancy Baldwin, Jed Aukin, Sid Edwards, Gabriel Chung, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, Emma Ho, Riley Chung Runtime 110 minutes Director Louis Leterrier Writers Matthew Robinson Producers Jenno Topping, Joe Neurauter, Kori Adelson, Louis Leterrier, Omar Sy, Oly Obst, Peter Chernin Main Genre Horror Executive Producer(s) Cecile Gaget, Damian Anderson, Jenni DePiero, Lars Sylvest, Thomas Benski, Thorsten Schumacher Powered by Expand Collapse 2 The Ribbon Hero The pioneering manga princess gets a modern reimagining What do you get when a first-time animated feature director, whose credits include , puts a fresh spin on one of the most influential manga comics ever drawn? , that's what.creator Osamu Tezuka's famed 1953 manga, , has been given a modern reimagining for Netflix with Yuuki Igarashi's stunning style-diverse 109-minute feature.The story, which predates , follows Princess Sapphire (Saaya Kadokura), the sole royal survivor of her home kingdom of Silverland after the Nergal, a species of flying monstrous creatures, lays waste to the place, also killing her parents.
The princess retreats to the kingdom of Goldland with her faithful sidekick Zirco (Mayumi Shintani), but soon the Nergal set their sights on it, too, for its supply of crystals, their main food source.But the princess has an ace up her sleeve, as her mystical ribbon gives her the ability to transform into the sword-wielding Princess Knight to make short work of the Nergal.The animation is beautifully rendered and uses an impressive variety of styles—from hand-drawn 2D and old-fashioned European-style backgrounds, to even the cute and funny "Chibi" style, where the characters get huge eyes and heads when they freak out.
The Ribbon Hero is streaming now.The Ribbon Hero PG Animation Fantasy Drama Action Release Date August 7, 2026 Runtime 109 minutes Director Yuki Igarashi Cast Seiran Kobayashi, Saaya, Koki Uchiyama, Mayumi Shintani, Haruhiko Jo, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mito Tsukino, Yusuke Tezuka, Lunlun, Debidebi Debiru Writers Junko Komura Producers Koji Yamamoto Main Genre Anime Executive Producer(s) Koji Yamamoto Powered by Expand Collapse 1 Eighth Grade Bo Burnham's riveting middle school masterpiece The best thing about actor/director/writer Bo Burnham's () critically acclaimed masterpiece, , is, hands down, its star, 14-year-old Elsie Fisher (), who carries the 2018 film with incredible range and honesty; it's no wonder it's one of A24's most beloved movies and has a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.Fisher, who had just finished grade eight herself when filming, plays Kayla Day, a painfully shy 13-year-old trying to make it through the final days of that defining middle-school level, as she pours herself into chipper self-help videos on her YouTube channel that no one watches.
It's a painfully awkward but honest and spot-on depiction that Fisher just nails, as Kayla struggles to find herself, make friends, and maybe even attract the attention of her crush.Josh Hamilton () plays Kayla's well-meaning single dad, Mark, whom I related to wholeheartedly, as he stumbles along the razor's edge of trying to be there for his daughter while staying just far enough out of range of her deadly eye-rolling.Eighth Grade is funny, cringey, tender, and horrifically true to life.
Eighth Grade R Comedy Drama Release Date January 19, 2018 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Josh Hamilton, Elsie Fisher, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan, Daniel Zolghadri, Fred Hechinger, Imani Lewis, Luke Prael, Catherine Oliviere, Nora Mullins, Gerald Jones, Missy Yager, Shacha Temirov, Greg Crowe, Thomas J O'Reilly, Frank Deal, J.Tucker Smith, Tiffany Grossfeld, Trinity Goscinsky-Lynch, Natalie Carter, Kevin R.Free, Deborah Unger, Marguerite Stimpson, Tristan Wheeler, Kylie Seaman Runtime 94 minutes Director Bo Burnham Writers Bo Burnham Producers Lila Yacoub, Scott Rudin, Christopher Storer, Eli Bush Main Genre Comedy Budget $2 million Studio(s) A24 Distributor(s) A24 Executive Producer(s) Jamin O'Brien Powered by Expand Collapse Homes, heroes, and middle-school hallways Whether you're in the mood for claustrophobic sci-fi horror, an eye-popping anime redux, or a cringey coming-of-age saga your teenager definitely won't watch with you, you've some solid options for movie nights this week.
When you're done, though, you can find more ideas in our streaming section on How-To Geek.Netflix Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month Visit Netflix Expand Collapse
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