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A typical edition of The Queue starts with me going in-depth on a single topic — whether it’s the best ways to save money on streaming, the most egregious Emmys snubs, or previewing the best movie of 2025 — before offering some quick streaming recommendations.
Once a month, however, I’ll be sending you an all-recommendations edition of the newsletter, because the struggle of deciding what to watch is eternal.
With the start of a new month heralding a slew of new movies and shows being added to streaming libraries, we’ve got plenty of recommendations to help you make the most of your time on the couch.
New movies to watch on Netflix in October
Beverly Hills Cop” (1984): Believe it or not, “Beverly Hills Cop” was originally developed for Sylvester Stallone, and had almost no jokes in it. Watching the movie, you can tell that the violent, gripping action scenes would have worked well in a Stallone police procedural. But Eddie Murphy’s streetwise Detroit detective Axel Foley, smooth-talking his way through Beverly Hills in search of his best friend’s killer, is what makes “Beverly Hills Cop” a classic 40+ years later. (Netflix)
The Martian” (2015): In 2016, the Golden Globes decided that stranded astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) staving off insanity by recording vlogs and growing potatoes using his own waste was worthy of its Best Comedy award. Sure, “The Martian” is quite funny. But the film is also a harrowing tale of survival, chronicling the lengths one abandoned scientist will go to escape complete solitude 220 million miles from home. (Netflix)
“Training Day” (2001): Denzel Washington could’ve easily won a Best Actor Oscar three or four times in the ‘90s. But after getting shut out in one of his strongest decades, the Academy made up for it when Washington played iconoclastic LAPD cop Alonzo Harris, dragging up-and-comer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) into the murkiest depths of corruption over a tense 24 hours. (Netflix)
More new movies to watch this weekend
The Lost Bus” (2025): Based on a true story that took place during the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history, Matthew McConaughey is a natural as a down-on-his-luck school bus driver who must singlehandedly save a busload of students (and their teacher, played by America Ferrera) from the rapidly advancing flames. (Apple TV+)
“The Naked Gun” (2025): The creative forces behind legacyquel “The Naked Gun” understand exactly what made the 1988 Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker spoof so special (Read my full review.) With fully committed performances from Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, a script absolutely stuffed with jokes, and a madcap plot from Akiva Schaffer, it’s the funniest movie of 2025. (Paramount+)
Wednesday” (Season 2): Boston.com producer Kelly Chan (who produces this newsletter!) didn’t love the first half of “Wednesday” Season 2, but was back on board by the last few episodes: “I was sick and binge-watched all of it within a few days. The first half helped put me to sleep and rest, while the second half helped me get my energy back. It had really good twists and turns that I didn’t expect at all, and I was definitely hooked.” (Netflix)
Good Cop / Bad Cop” (Season 1): Boston.com co-op Frances Klemm is a fan of this “underrated” and “super low-stakes” CW procedural: “It’s really cute, it’s basically just one family at a tiny police station in Washington. The writing and acting is really well done, and Leighton Meester is in it!” (The CW, Hulu, HBO Max, The Roku Channel)
“Margin Call” (2011): Boston.com assistant sports editor Hayden Bird recently rewatched J.C. Chandor’s gripping drama about the final moments before the 2008 financial crisis: “Dispensing with the technical jargon of the subprime mortgage crisis, it instead reserves the bulk of its 107-minute runtime for cutting dialogue between a star-studded cast playing characters who seem perfectly aware of their moral ambiguity, but are more concerned with attaining their lucrative bonuses and avoiding the blame of their bosses — especially the scene-stealing CEO played by Jeremy Irons.” (Tubi, Plex, The Roku Channel)
Breaking Bad” (2008-13): Boston.com senior producer Heather Alterisio is doing her first rewatch of Vince Gilligan’s award-winning morality tale of a high school chemistry teacher’s transformation into a drug kingpin: “With complex characters and clever storytelling featuring dark humor and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat, ‘Breaking Bad’ remains one of the best shows of all time. The acting is brilliant, the writing is flawless, and the arc of the show is just masterful.” (Netflix)
