28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
Photo: Miya Mizuno/Columbia Pictures
This is the best moment for watching movies at home in a long time. February delivered something for everyone on PVOD, including a couple Best Picture nominees, a wonderful piece of camp, Jason Statham, and zombies! If you can’t find something to watch on this list, that’s a you problem.
Chloe Zhao, 126 minutes
Chloe Zhao’s eight-time Oscar nominee is a frontrunner for Best Actress for Jessie Buckley’s heartbreaking work as Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). When their son Hamnet dies suddenly, Agnes and William are thrown into unimaginable grief, which the Bard then channels into arguably the most influential play of all time. This Best Picture nominee is about how art can be used to both reflect emotion and to heal from pain. It’s become one of the most divisive films of 2025, but it’s also one of the essential ones. You need to see it to make up your own mind about it.
Paul Feig, 131 minutes
Based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Freida McFadden, this is one of the most unexpected hits of recent years, making a stunning $360 million worldwide and counting on a budget about a tenth of that number. It turns out that people want to watch well-done camp. Sydney Sweeney plays the new housemaid for a rich couple, played by Brandon Sklenar and a pitch-perfect Amanda Seyfried. When her new employer appears to be a little unhinged, Sweeney’s housemaid begins a torrid affair with her husband, only to find out that not everything in this McMansion is what it seems. A sequel is already being fast-tracked.
Charlie Polinger, 98 minutes
A winner this week for the Independent Spirit Award for Breakthrough Performance (Kayo Martin), this stunning debut has been making waves since it premiered at Cannes back in May 2025. Polinger’s film tells the story of an ordinary 12-year-old named Ben (Everett Blunck), who is attending a summer water polo camp (led by an effective Joel Edgerton). When Ben comes to the rescue of a boy who’s being bullied, he becomes a target himself. This study in pre-teen horror is smart, empathetic, and effective.
Josh Safdie, 150 minutes
A nine-time Oscar nominee and frontrunner for Best Actor for Timothee Chalamet, this mesmerizing film tells the story of Marty Mauser, a table tennis player who wants to be a world champion. Along the way, he meets a fading star (Gwyneth Paltrow), her business shark of a husband (Kevin O’Leary), and many more unforgettable characters. A dramedy more akin to what they made in the ’70s (when arguably irredeemable protagonists were accepted instead of socially vilified), this is easily one of the best films of 2025, a riveting film from the co-director of Uncut Gems that has a similar manic energy. It practically vibrates off the screen.
Bradley Cooper, 121 minutes
Loosely based on the true story of comedian John Bishop, this dramedy is the story of an ordinary man named Alex (Will Arnett) who is going through a divorce from his wife Tess (Laura Dern). One night, he wanders into a New York comedy club and starts spilling his guts, discovering that he likes talking about his life and fading relationship in front of complete strangers. Smart and tender, it features great work from Arnett and Dern. The former has arguably never been better on film.
Johannes Roberts, 89 minutes
Lean and very mean, this Fantastic Fest opening night premiere tells the story of Ben, a chimpanzee who has lived most of his life as a family pet, communicating with the residents of a Hawaiian home. In the film’s opening scene, it’s revealed that Ben has been bitten by a rabid mongoose, and you know what that means: killer chimp movie! A surprisingly solid hit for Paramount, this is also one of the first 2026 theatrical releases to already hit PVOD.
Nia DaCosta, 109 minutes
Despite rave reviews nearly on par with last summer’s 28 Years Later, this second part of a reported new trilogy of 28 films has been a box office disappointment — a brutal release date when it comes to weather across much of the country likely didn’t help. That means you probably haven’t seen it! Correct that fact on PVOD and check out how Candyman director Nia DaCosta continues the story set up by Danny Boyle last Summer. You need to if we’re ever going to discover how this story actually ends.
Ric Roman Waugh, 107 minutes
The early-year Jason Statham film has become as regular a part of the calendar as President’s Day and taxes. This year’s was directed by the workman action filmmaker behind flicks like Snitch and Angel Has Fallen. Statham stars as a retired assassin living off the coast of Scotland who has to get back to work while trying to stop the agency that used to pay him and protecting a young girl named Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach). This one didn’t see to get the escapist buzz of something like The Beekeeper, but might be worth a look on PVOD more than it was in theaters.
Kaouther Ben Hania, 89 minutes
On January 29, 2024, the Red Crescent emergency volunteers received a call from Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old girl who was stuck in the middle of Israeli gunfire somewhere on the Gaza Strip. This docudrama uses recordings of her actual voice blended with actors portraying the responders who desperately tried to save this child who was surrounded by the bodies of her relatives. Using her actual voice adds a veracity to this moving film that was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.