List of best movies, TV shows broadcasting on Netflix, Hulu and more in Jan

At the beginning of every month, subscription streaming services add a new batch of movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are the titles we think are most interesting, broken down by service. Everything mentioned was available to stream starting Jan. 1, unless otherwise indicated.

Movies New to Netflix

‘Boogie Nights’ 

If you had a bad New Year’s Eve, watch this movie — which depicts an almost certainly worse New Year’s Eve (poor Little Bill) — and feel slightly better.

‘Miss Sharon Jones!’ (Jan. 7)

Director Barbara Kopple (“Harlan County, U.S.A.”) captures the unstoppable energy of Sharon Jones, the frontwoman for the funk and soul band the Dap-Kings, who died in November at age 60. This documentary chronicles Jones’s battle with pancreatic cancer and her subsequent return to the stage.

‘Under the Shadow’ (Jan. 7)

Left alone in Tehran after her husband is drafted into the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) begins to see and hear a mysterious apparition in the apartment she shares with their young daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). Are the sightings real or just stress-induced fantasies?

Also of Interest

“Caddyshack,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Hugo,” “Superman: The Movie,” “The Parent Trap” (1961), “The Shining,” “V for Vendetta,” “It Follows” (Jan. 13).

New Netflix Original TV Series

‘One Day at a Time’ (Jan. 6)

This modern version of the Norman Lear sitcom, which ran from 1975 to 1984, is set among a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles. A military veteran-single mother (Justina Machado) tries to raise her two kids with the help of her mother, played by Rita Moreno. Apparently, new shows with laugh tracks can still be pretty good.

‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ (Jan. 13) 

Three newly orphaned children are forced to live with their dastardly relative in this adaptation of the beloved children’s novels by Lemony Snicket. A big-screen version of the story was released in 2004, starring Jim Carrey as the evil Count Olaf. This time around, Neil Patrick Harris tackles the role.

New on Amazon Prime and Hulu

‘Happy Feet’ (Amazon Prime) 
 

Director George Miller takes a departure from his water-starved “Mad Max” series in this animated film, which imagines an Antarctic colony of tap-dancing penguins. The voice cast includes Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.

‘Amélie’ (Hulu)

Full of whimsy and good feelings, this French romantic comedy is a fitting cure for a dreary day. Putting her own feelings of loneliness aside, a do-gooder waitress named Amélie (Audrey Tautou), decides to improve the lives of those around her. Those allergic to all things twee may not enjoy this sugar-sweet Parisian fantasy.

‘Cruel Intentions’ (Hulu)

A meanspirited game among rich New York City teens makes for a steamy time in this modern version of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” The film stars three young and beautiful stars — Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe.

‘The Piano’ (Hulu)

Jane Campion’s moving period drama features a mute pianist (Holly Hunter) who, along with her feisty child (Anna Paquin), is stuck in a stifling New Zealand home with her cold new husband (Sam Neill). But one of his workers (Harvey Keitel) may offer the escape she needs.

Also of Interest on Amazon Prime

All four “Indiana Jones” movies, “American History X,” “Hellboy,” “Swiss Army Man” (Jan. 30)

Also of Interest on Hulu

All four “Indiana Jones” movies, “Annie Hall,” “The ‘Burbs,” “Footloose,” “Lethal Weapon” (Parts 1 to 4), “Mission: Impossible,” “The Powerpuff Girls” Seasons 1 to 6, “Sleepy Hollow,” “South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut,” “Trading Places,” “The Untouchables,” “War Games,” “Witness.”

Movies New to HBO

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ 
 

In this latest chapter in George Miller’s “Mad Max” series, Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to liberate a group of women held hostage by their ruthless ruler, Immortan Joe. (The character names are amazing.) This movie will feed your need for death-defying fight scenes, cars barreling through the desert and explosions.

‘The Visit’ (Jan. 13)
 

Every child knows that old people are kind of scary. And in M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, a visit to grandma’s house gets the horror movie treatment. Two kids travel deep into the woods to visit the grandparents they haven’t seen in years. But there’s something strange about their behavior. Like, very strange. It’s Shyamalan’s strongest film in years.

Also of Interest

“The Big Lebowski,” “The Blues Brothers,” “The Road Warrior,” “Evil Dead 2,” “The Sixth Sense.”

New HBO Originals

‘The Young Pope’ (Jan. 15)

Jude Law plays Pius XIII, the first American pope, in this ten-episode series. He is young. You get it.

‘Beware the Slenderman’ (Jan. 23)

This documentary explores the case of two Wisconsin girls, who in 2014, at age 12, took their friend into the woods and stabbed her 19 times, almost to death. The reason? They were told to kill, they said, by a tall and faceless being named Slenderman, an internet meme.

‘Becoming Warren Buffett’ (Jan. 30) 

One of the richest men in the world gets the full documentary treatment.

New on Showtime

‘Coffee and Cigarettes’ 

Director Jim Jarmusch’s chill compilation of black-and-white shorts meanders through various conversations without forsaking its titular substances as both conversation aids and topics. And with cast members as varied as Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, RZA, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina, you’re bound to find at least one pairing that captures your attention.

‘Bridge of Spies’ (Jan. 14)

Steven Spielberg’s not done with period movies yet. This Cold War drama tells the story of a determined lawyer (Tom Hanks) and the spy exchange he shepherds along, trading a Russian for an American pilot. Mark Rylance, who portrays the slippery Russian spy, won an Oscar for his performance.

Movies Also of Interest

“Up in the Air,” “The Hurt Locker.”

New on Starz

Sergio Leone’s ‘Dollars’ Trilogy 

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to catch up on more classic movies, this is now an easy batch to cross off your list. Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy follows the violent saga of the Man with no Name (Clint Eastwood). These three films — “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” — are among the most praised Westerns in cinema history.

‘Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ (Jan. 6)

Funny how this political satire from director Stanley Kubrick never grows old. At the height of the Cold War, a high-ranking general snaps and sends a warhead to Russia, inciting chaos among American and Russian leaders. Peter Sellers plays three roles in the movie, but none as memorable as his recovering Nazi, Dr. Strangelove.

‘Ghostbusters’ (Jan. 28) 

As a nostalgic tribute to the original film with its own quirky underdog story, 2016’s “Ghostbusters” had a lot of expectations to live up to. Good thing it had the talented comedians Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon to help it along.

Also of Interest

“Chinatown,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Grindhouse,” “How to Steal a Million,” “Kill Bill” Vols. 1 and 2, “Jerry Maguire,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Spaceballs,” “Starship Troopers,” “Bad Lieutenant” (Jan. 6), “Barton Fink” (Jan. 6) “Three Days of the Condor” (Jan. 6), “Existenz” (Jan. 20), “Pineapple Express” (Jan. 21).

New on Sundance Now

‘Bottle Rocket’ (Jan. 16)

Wes Anderson’s impressive first feature helped the director establish his signature style. In it, three misfit friends (Luke and Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave) embark on a crime spree without knowing much about robbery. Like many of Anderson’s subsequent films, this one is bittersweet and oddly sentimental.

‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ (Jan. 16)

Thom Andersen’s sprawling found-footage documentary about the City of Angels feels almost as big as Los Angeles itself. Using footage from dozens and dozens of Hollywood movies, he painstakingly reconstructs the city’s fractured onscreen legacy.

Also of Interest

“The Professional” (Jan. 3), “El Mariachi” (Jan. 9), “Persepolis” (Jan. 16), “Putney Swope” (Jan. 16), “The Triplets of Belleville” (Jan. 16), “Safe” (Jan. 23), “Talk to Her” (Jan. 23), “City of Lost Children” (Jan. 30), “Synecdoche, New York” (Jan. 30).

New on FilmStruck

‘Safe’ (Jan. 4) 

This 1995 Todd Haynes drama about a besieged housewife is coming to FilmStruck’s Criterion Channel. Carol (Julianne Moore) should feel right at home with her posh life but is forced to retreat when severe allergies force her to withdraw from everyone around her.

Terry Gilliam Collection (Jan. 6) 

Sample a bit of the imaginative worlds of the animator, director and Monty Python member Terry Gilliam. You can try the heartbreaking drama of “The Fisher King,” starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, or embark on a fantastical voyage with “Time Bandits” or “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.”

Also of Interest

“2 Days in Paris” (Jan. 6), “Amélie” (Jan. 6), “The Kid with a Bike” (Jan. 6 on the Criterion Channel), “Certified Copy” (Jan. 11 on the Criterion Channel), “Persepolis” (Jan. 20), “Wendy and Lucy” (Jan. 20).

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