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Your favorite franchises deserve a break.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
Stop us if this sounds familiar:
You?ve watched the Marvel movies both in order of release AND in chronological order. You avada kedavara?d the Harry Potter franchise (including the Newt Scamander saga). You don?t think you can mentally handle the director?s cuts of all 6 Lord of the Rings films again. And yes, you sped through Star Wars 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Rogue One, 8, and 9 in so many orders you?re no longer sure which plots go where.
What more is there to live for?!
Help is on the way! We?ve compiled a list of different movie marathon ideas. These include forgotten franchises, director binges, and movies tied together through key themes. We?ve also included where each film under a marathon is streaming. Pick the marathon appropriate for your service providers.
Favorite directors
Bong Joon Ho
It?s Bong Joon Ho?s world, and we?re all lucky enough to live in it. The Korean filmmaker has a slew of work streaming, including the 2019 Academy Award Best Picture Winner Parasite (Hulu). Here?s some of his other work and where to find them:
Barking Dogs Never Bite (Amazon)
The Host (Netflix)
Okja (Netflix)
Snowpiercer (Netflix)
Mother (Hulu)
Spike Lee
Lee?s films run the gamut of both style and substance. If you?re looking for the most eclectic but consistently incredible films, a Spike Lee marathon should do the trick:
Malcolm X (Netflix)
She?s Gotta Have It (Netflix)
School Daze (Netflix)
BlacKKKlansman (Hulu)
Tales from the Hood (Hulu) (While this film isn?t directed by Spike Lee, he produced the film. It?s also too good a horror comedy to leave off this list.)
Quentin Tarantino
Love him or hate him, Tarantino movies have left a massive impression on film and movie culture. (Hamilton and I love Tarantino flicks.) And with most films coming in at nearly 3 hours each, a Tarantino marathon provides plenty of content to keep viewers hooked. Unfortunately, not all of his movies are streaming but here are the ones we?ve found that are:
Reservoir Dogs (Prime)
Jackie Brown (Hulu) (Y?all, don?t sleep on this movie. I know Django Unchained and Inglorious Basterds get all the glory, but this movie is incredible.)
Inglorious Basterds (Netflix)
Pulp Fiction (Hulu with Starz add-on)
Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2 (Hulu)
Hateful Eight (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Hulu with Starz add-on; Prime rental)
Alfred Hitchcock
One of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Hitchcock movies captivate from start to finish. With so many of his classics streaming, he seemed like the perfect addition:
To Catch a Thief (Prime)
The Lady Vanishes (Prime)
39 Steps (Prime)
Sabotage (Prime)
Psycho (Prime rental)
Rear Window (Prime rental)
Steven Spielberg
Finally, a break from directors with tension-fraught films! We don?t really need to intro Spielberg, do we? We didn?t think so. Here?s what?s streaming:
Hook (Netflix)
The Adventures of Tintin (Netflix)
Minority Report (Netflix)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Crackle)
Empire of the Sun (Prime)
Super 8 (Prime)
AI: Artificial Intelligence (Prime)
Schindler?s List (Prime, included with Starz) (We don?t blame anyone for skipping this entirely. No one wants to spend quarantine sobbing uncontrollably. But, if you need a good cry and restored faith in humanity despite gross atrocities, include it in your Spielberg marathon.)
If you?re wondering why we didn?t include a certain whip-carrying Spielberg hero on this marathon, keep reading.
Thrill rides
Indiana Jones
Ah! Here?s where we put everyone?s favorite archaeologist! Luckily for us, all of the Indiana Jones films are streaming on Netflix, making for the perfect movie marathon (or imperfect if you decide to suffer through Kingdom of the Crystal Skull):
Last Crusade (Netflix)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Netflix)
Temple of Doom (Netflix)
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Netflix)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Yo ho, let?s go! Four of the five Pirates films can be found on Disney+. The most recent Pirates installment used to be on Netflix, but alas, until it joins the Disney+ crew, you?ll have to rent it.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man?s Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World?s End
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Honorable mentions you?ll have to buy or rent
When we created this list, we were appalled by the lack of high-octane thrills on streaming services. So, if you?re willing to shell out for movie marathons, here are a few of our favorite franchises:
Mission: Impossible
Ocean family saga (including Oceans 8)
Fast and Furious (including Hobbes & Shaw)
John Wick
Horror fans
Stephen King stories
While not all of King?s blockbusters are streaming, some of his most popular short stories can be found thanks to services like Netflix adapting them. A standout that shouldn?t be missed is Gerald?s Game ? a psychological thriller about a wife attempting to free herself from mental and physical abuse.
Gerald?s Game (Netflix)
1922 (Netflix)
In the Tall Grass (Netflix)
Carrie (Netflix)
The Shawshank Redemption (Netflix) (Yep, this was King.)
Children of the Corn (Prime)
Pet Sematary ? both adaptations (Prime)
Creepshow 2 (Prime)
Cujo (Prime)
Misery (Hulu)
Alien
Tired of explaining to the people in your life what happens when you don?t listen to quarantine and social distancing measures? Save your breath and show them Alien ? a franchise that could?ve been prevented by following quarantine protocols and listening to Sigourney Weaver.
Spoilers: They break quarantine. It doesn?t end well.
Alien ? Director?s cut (HBO, Hulu)
Aliens (Hulu)
Alien 3 (Prime, rental)
Alien Resurrection (HBO)
Prometheus (Prime, rental)
Alien Covenant (Prime, rental)
Final Destination
Don?t think too much into this franchise?s logistics; you?ll enjoy the outlandish nature of the movies a lot more. Also, cameos from the Candyman Tony Todd? Sign us up!
Final Destination (Netflix)
Final Destination 2 (Netflix)
Final Destination 3 (Netflix)
The Final Destination (Final Destination 4) (Netflix)
Final Destination 5 (Hulu)
Scream
Of course, we put a Wes Craven franchise on this list! All of these films used to be on Netflix, but the battle of the streaming services means they?re now scattered among other platforms:
Scream (Hulu)
Scream 2 (Netflix)
Scream 3 (Netflix)
Scream 4 (Hulu)
Cult classic horror
From slashers to shapeshifters, this marathon category includes one-off movies that are just too good not to marathon. We?ve included some of our newer favorites that we feel are the perfect mix of horror and enjoyable camp:
The Thing (Prime with Starz)
Army of Darkness (Prime with Starz) (Unfortunately, Amazon Prime doesn?t carry Evil Dead 2)
Terrifier (Netflix) (If you hate clowns, DO NOT watch this grindhouse horror/slasher. It?s rough even by a horror fan?s standards.)
Candyman (Netflix)
Child?s Play (Netflix)
The Evil Dead (Netflix)
The Babysitter (Netflix)
Cabin in the Woods (Hulu)
Hush (Netflix)
Killer Klownz from Outer Space (Netflix)
Krampus (Hulu)
For the literature nerds
Shakespeare adaptations
We did a complete list of our explanations behind these films in our Shakespeare birthday list. Shakespeare’s adaptations are a great way to bring more sexual innuendos to your movie marathons.
Lion King (Disney+)
10 Things I Hate About You (Disney+)
She?s the Man (Hulu)
Hamlet ? 2011 version (Prime)
Macbeth with Michael Fassbender (Prime)
Macbeth with Sir Patrick Stewart (Prime) (Honestly, both versions are phenomenal and deserve to be seen.)
Midsummer Night?s Dream ? 2018 version (Prime)
Romeo + Juliet ? 1996 version (Prime with Starz subscription)
The King (Netflix)
Much Ado About Nothing (Prime)
Jane Austen Marathon
With the run of 2020?s Emma being cut short in theaters, we wanted to include a whole category dedicated to adaptations of Austen?s iconic fiction. Yes, this does mean we?re recommending you shell out the money to rent Emma via a streaming service. It?s just *that* good.
Emma ? 2020 (Prime rental)
Mansfield Park (Netflix)
Pride and Prejudice ? 2005 version (Prime)
Love and Friendship (Prime) (Love and Friendship is an adaptation of Austen?s Lady Susan.)
Sense and Sensibility ? 2008 version (Prime)
Clueless (Prime rental)
Award-Winning Period Pieces
From Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth to Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina, actresses in period piece films give your marathons an air of class and sophistication. These flicks are perfect to watch as you down another bottle of Barefoot while wearing the same sweatpants you?ve worn the last 3 days.
Anna Karenina (Netflix)
The Dutchess (Netflix)
Lady Macbeth (Prime)
Madame Bovary (Prime)
A Little Chaos (Netflix)
We?re also including Greta Gerwig?s Little Women on this list, but you?ll have to purchase it as it?s not streaming yet.
Animated
Neglected Disney films
It?s easy to forget Disney made movies that don?t have princess-figures or Alan Menken music in them. Rediscover these eclectic treasures with this non-traditional Disney marathon. (All entries can be found on Disney+):
Black Cauldron
Sword in the Stone
Oliver and Company
The Great Mouse Detective
Rescuers
Rescuers Down Under
Muppets
Do you have a funny bone? Have you ever cried listening to Kermit the Frog sing ?Rainbow Connection?? Cool, it?s time for a Muppets marathon. All of these films are on Disney+, and the platform even advertises its Muppet content. Here?s the correct marathon order:
The Muppets Movie Original
The Great Muppet Caper
Muppets Treasure Island
The Muppet Christmas Carol (Don?t think for one second you?re allowed to skip this because ?it?s a Christmas movie.?)
The Muppets
Muppets Most Wanted
Non-Disney Animated Films that Slap
We really don?t know how else to label this category, y?all. Sorry, not sorry.
Prince of Egypt (Hulu)
Klaus (Netflix)
The Little Prince (Netflix)
Rango (Prime)
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (Netflix)
That?s it for this lengthy marathon list! We hope you?ve found something here that could appeal to you. Let us know which marathons you wind up trying out in the comments.
