With summer beginning, the typical fare of bright, action-packed blockbusters is on the horizon. If you need an escape from the usual suspects, see if this variety of older, distinctly non-summery films catches your eye instead! All can be rented or streamed on major devices around the globe.
The virtual-reality world in Ready Player One is essentially pure escapism, but layered with the evils of corporations, there's enough weight to the story to make this more investment-worthy than your average summer flick.
Availability: Rental Only
With a historic finale set on New Year's Day, this Philadelphia winter gets hot and cold in equal measure! The genre-defining classic still puts all other boxing movies to shame.
Availability: also on AMC+
This charming culture-clashing comedy has Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei as New Yorkers in the Deep South, attempting to defend some cousins on a false murder charge. Though it's light and easy with few surprises, My Cousin Vinny has the definitive early-90s style that endures on its 30th anniversary.
Availability: also on HBO Max
This tumultuously twisty comedy is built on a familiar concept, but this wintry Philadelphian delicacy makes gold out of its premise thanks to the efforts of Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and John Landis, also known from directing Animal House, The Blues Brothers, and An American Werewolf in London.
Availability: also on Starz
Chasing Amy is another winter-set comedy; in this feature, the setting highlights Ben Affleck's fruitless attempt to win over a bisexual woman played by Joey Lauren Adams.
Availability: also on Cinemax Go
Béla Tarr's meditation on human existence instantly gives one an icy, empty feeling with its black-and-white look and repetitiveness. The Turin Horse is deliberate and rewarding for those willing to jump into its bleak examination of life.
Availability: also on Kanopy and Mubi
This dated H.G. Wells adaptation is about as far from a summer blockbuster as you can get. Its cheesy effects do not hold up to modern viewing, but that is exactly the charm of this fun, never cutting-edge science fiction film.
Availability: Rental Only
Happy watching!