Man's best friend, Cinderella's ugly stepsister, and an aspiring dancer are a few of the eccentric protagonists found on this list. The 19 best movies on AMC&43; across all genres Man's best friend, Cinderella's ugly stepsister, and an aspiring dancer are a few of the eccentric protagonists found on this list. By Ilana Gordon, :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ILANAGORDONHEADSHOT80577598f8ed442cacff5de184ceb9f5.jpg) Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Man's best friend, Cinderella's ugly stepsister, and an aspiring dancer are a few of the eccentric protagonists found on this list.

The 19 best movies on AMC+ across all genres

Man's best friend, Cinderella's ugly stepsister, and an aspiring dancer are a few of the eccentric protagonists found on this list.

By Ilana Gordon,

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

and Chris Snellgrove

May 12, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Lea Myren as Elvira in 'The Ugly Stepsister'; Indy the dog in 'Good Boy'; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ruth in 'Fast Color'. Credit:

Scanbox Entertainment; IFC/Shudder; Roku

AMC+ isn't the biggest platform, but what the streamer lacks in size, it makes up for in cinematic curation. If you're looking for an indie horror movie told from a dog's point of view (*Good Boy*, 2025), or a coming-of-age drama that took 12 years to complete (*Boyhood,* 2014), AMC+ is on the case. With content filtering in from AMC, BBC America, IFC Films, Shudder, and SundanceTV, the platform balances niche movie selections with blockbuster and critical favorites.

Content moves fast in the streaming world, so watch these films before they're gone. Read on for **'s list of the 19 best movies to stream on AMC+.

A Ballerina's Tale (2015)

Misty Copeland in 'A Ballerina's Tale'.

Misty Copeland is one of the most well-known names in modern American ballet, and her story — told comprehensively for the first time in this 2015 documentary narrated by Copeland herself — is the kind that can inspire an entire generation of future performers. From starting formal dance training as a teenager to the injuries, body shaming, and racial slights she endured during her rise, Copeland isn’t your mother’s prima ballerina.

What she is, however, is the first Black woman ever promoted to principal dancer status in American Ballet Theater’s history, and her story evokes just as much emotion as her dancing. The documentary was crowdfunded, thanks in part to a donation by Prince, so consider *A Ballerina’s Tale* a Prince-endorsed option. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *A Ballerina’s Tale*: AMC+

**Director: **Nelson George

**Cast: **Misty Copeland

The Babadook (2014)

Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek and Noah Wiseman as Samuel Vanek in 'The Babadook'. Matt Nettheim/IFC Films

Long before he became an unexpected gay icon, the Babadook was delivering visceral scares that simultaneously pulled on our heartstrings. The movie constantly makes us question whether the central troubled child (Noah Wiseman) is truly connected to a storybook monster, or if he — and perhaps even his mother (played to chilling perfection by Essie Davis) — is declining psychologically. This is a particularly bleak, scary movie for parents, proving we can never keep our children fully safe and stable. —*Chris Snellgrove*

Where to watch *The Babadook*: AMC+

**Director: **Jennifer Kent

**Cast: **Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall, Barbara West

A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Dick Miller as Walter Paisley and Barboura Morris as Calrla in 'A Bucket of Blood'.

In this dark comedy from legendary director Roger Corman, definitive that-guy actor Dick Miller scored his greatest leading-man role as Walter Paisley, a busboy at a beatnik café. Although he’s decidedly out of place in the venue, he falls for his co-worker, Carla (Barboura Morris), and tries to make time with her by making a bust of her. Walter accidentally kills his neighbor’s cat and tries to hide his crime by covering it in plaster, but when Carla and her pals decide the makeshift tomb is high art, he tries to reproduce it with larger subjects… and that’s when things *really* get dark. —*Will Harris*

Where to watch *A Bucket of Blood*: AMC+

**Director: **Roger Corman

**Cast: **Dick Miller, Barboura Morris, Antony Carbone, Ed Nelson, Myrtle Vail

Boyhood (2014)

Ellar Coltrane as Mason in 'Boyhood'. Matt Lankes/IFC Films

One of the more fascinating films of the past few decades, this Richard Linklater joint shows the highs and lows of growing up, as seen through the eyes of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his sister (Lorelei Linklater), and his parents (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke). What makes it so fascinating, however, is that Linklater filmed the feature for more than a dozen years, using the same cast and capturing various life vignettes during each production session. It’s a remarkable piece of cinema, one that deftly balances drama and comedy with plenty of heart. —*W.H.*

Where to watch *Boyhood*: AMC+

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Richard Linklater

**Cast: **Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Libby Villari

Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013)

Elaine Stritch in 'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me'.

Sundance Selects/Courtesy Everett Collection

Elaine Stritch was the consummate New York actress. A fixture on Broadway, in cabaret shows, and in New York-based TV series like* 30 Rock*, the brash performer continued to defy expectations by allowing a camera crew to document her life starting at age 86. What resulted is a candid, emotional, and often funny look at a lifelong performer coming to grips with the end of her career and time on Earth.

*Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me* is a must-see documentary for Broadway lovers, theater history buffs, and anyone who is inspired by people who continue to pursue their passions through their twilight years. Stritch died at 89 years old — less than a year after the documentary was released — but the film remains a tribute to her theatrical legacy and memory. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me*: AMC+

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Chiemi Karasawa

**Cast:** Elaine Stritch

Enemy of the State (1998)

Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean in 'Enemy of the State'.

Touchstone Pictures

The internet had only been publicly available for five years when Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott released *Enemy of the State*, a political action thriller underscored by a growing concern that personal privacy rights were being eroded and might soon be gone forever. Will Smith stars as Robert Clayton Dean, a lawyer whose career, family, and personal life are targeted after he unwittingly receives evidence of a Congressman’s murder. Now facing off against a crooked NSA agent (Jon Voight), who is desperate to pass legislation that would expand his agency’s ability to secretly surveil the public — and to cover up his role in the Congressional murder — Robert must work with Brill (Gene Hackman), an off-the-grid former NSA agent who knows what the agency is capable of, to clear his name and reunite with his family. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Enemy of the State*: AMC+

**EW grade:** B

**Director: **Tony Scott

**Cast:** Will Smith, Jon Voight, Gene Hackman, Regina King, Jason Lee

Frances Ha (2012)

Greta Gerwig as Frances Halladay in 'Frances Ha'.

IFC Films/Everett

Frances Halladay (Greta Gerwig), a 27-year-old aspiring dancer living in New York City with her college bestie, Sophie (Mickey Sumner), abruptly finds her life in upheaval when Sophie decides to move from Brooklyn to Tribeca…without Frances. Since she can’t afford the apartment by herself, Frances finds friends to share a place with, but then things at the dance company get weird for her, too. This snapshot of Frances’ life is an endlessly endearing series of ups and downs, winning our affection with each bumbling setback and stubbornly optimistic resolution. —*W.H.*

Where to watch *Frances Ha*: AMC+

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Noah Baumbach

**Cast: **Greta Gerwig, Mickey Summer, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen, Patrick Heusinger

Good Boy (2025)

Indy the dog in 'Good Boy'.

One of the best performances of 2025 belongs to a first-time actor — who also happens to be a dog. The horror film *Good Boy* is one of the most creative and technically innovative independent movies produced in recent memory, but the premise is simple. A sick man and his dog move to a rural home where the man grows sicker, and the dog starts encountering supernatural entities. *Good Boy* is told from the dog’s perspective, so dialogue is limited. But writer-director Ben Leonberg uses soundscapes, music, cinematic techniques, and his own pup to create a low-budget, high-reward supernatural horror that will remind you why dogs are man’s best friend. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Good Boy*: AMC+

**Director: **Ben Leonberg

**Cast: **Indy, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden

Halloween (1978)

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in 'Halloween'.

Compass International Pictures/Getty

Any horror movie fan worth their salt already knows the mythos of this franchise backward and forward, but just in case you’re new to the story, then it’s time to say hello to Michael Myers. On Oct. 31, 1963, 6-year-old Michael murders his 17-year-old sister and is placed in a sanitarium.

Fifteen years later, Michael escapes from custody, makes his way back to his hometown of Haddonfield, Ill., and embarks on a new killing spree — but can his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance), stop him before he slays his intended new target, teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis)? A cornerstone of the then-burgeoning slasher subgenre, *Halloween* is John Carpenter’s masterclass in slow-burn suspense. —*W.H.*

Where to watch *Halloween*: AMC+

**Director: **John Carpenter

**Cast: **Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers

The 20 best horror movies on Tubi to watch late at night

The 31 best documentaries on Netflix right now

Late Night With the Devil (2023)

David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy (center) in 'Late Night With the Devil'.

IFC Films/Shudder

In this unique mockumentary horror film, viewers are introduced to ‘70s talk show host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) of *Night Owls*, who, after a hiatus following his wife’s death, is desperate to boost ratings upon his return. To do so, he anchors his Halloween episode around a parapsychologist/author and her latest subject, a girl who is the last survivor of a Satanic church. What follows is edge-of-your-seat, wholly original storytelling that ranks among the best scary movies of the past few years. —*W.H.*

Where to watch *Late Night with the Devil*: AMC+

**Director: **Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes

**Cast: **David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Georgina Haig

Magic (1978)

Anthony Hopkins as Corky Withers in 'Magic'.

20th Century Fox/Everett

After proving to be a failure as a magician, Corky (Anthony Hopkins) embarks on a new entertainment avenue: ventriloquism. Adopting a dummy named Fats, he finds enough success that he’s on the cusp of securing a TV gig. With Fats in tow, he returns to his hometown and reunites with an old flame (Ann-Margret), but his puppet seems far less enamored by the couple’s rekindling. In addition to a stellar zero-to-hero performance by a young Hopkins, this underseen gem spends much of its runtime in a fantastical gray area, in which we’re unsure whether Corky is insane or Fats is truly sentient (and sinister). —*W.H.*

Where to watch *Magic*: AMC+

**Director: **Richard Attenborough

**Cast: **Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter, E.J. Andre

The Nightingale (2018)

Aisling Franciosi as Clare Carroll in 'The Nightingale'.

Kasia Ladczuk/Courtesy of Sundance Institute

A brutal and affecting revenge thriller set in 1825 in the Tasmanian outback, *The Nightingale* is a difficult watch, but not a gratuitous one. While the film does feature a hefty amount of sexual and run-of-the-mill violence, the moments of tenderness between the film’s leads — an Irish convict named Clare (Aisling Franciosi), who is seeking revenge on a British officer for wrongs committed against her family, and an Aboriginal tracker nicknamed Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), who is traumatized by the way the British have treated his people — are well-earned and beautifully acted.

Chilling and horrifying, the plot is propelled by moments of sadism, many of them committed by a lieutenant named Hawkins (Sam Claflin) whose psychopathic behavior will quickly erase any memories you have of him in *The Hunger Games* or *Daisy Jones & the Six*. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Nightingale*: AMC+

**EW grade:** B

**Director: **Jennifer Kent

**Cast: **Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood

The Novice (2021)

Isabelle Fuhrman as Alex Dall in 'The Novice'.

IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

The obsession with perfection crosses the line from competitive to dangerous in Lauren Hadaway’s directorial debut, *The Novice. *The* Orphan* franchise's Isabelle Fuhrman stars as a compulsive college student who is determined to make her school’s varsity rowing team at all costs. Fuhrman gives a virtuoso performance as Alex, a queer first-year student whose addiction to being the best torpedoes her mental and physical health, academic performance, and social and romantic life.

Anyone who has ever met a self-destructive, Type A teenager will recognize the anxious thrill that comes with watching someone who can’t relax work themselves into a terrifying state, and *The Novice *transforms that feeling into a thriller with aplomb. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Novice*: AMC+

**Director:** Lauren Hadaway

**Cast:** Isabelle Fuhrman, Amy Forsyth, Dilone, Charlotte Ubben, Jonathan Cherry

Personal Shopper (2016)

Kristen Stewart as Maureen Cartwright in 'Personal Shopper'. IFC Films

Twins have a unique connection on Earth, but does that bond extend into the afterlife? Director Olivier Assayas explores this idea in his supernatural, psychological thriller *Personal Shopper*. Kristen Stewart stars as Maureen, an American living in Paris and working for a supermodel named Kyra. Maureen is also mourning the death of her twin brother, Lewis, a self-professed medium who died from a genetic condition and promised to contact her from the other side.

As she waits for his supernatural signal, Maureen finds herself experiencing other apparitions, all of which are heightened after she is involved in a homicidal investigation. EW’s critic writes that “Stewart, who appears in nearly every scene, is intensely watchable, a coiled spring.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Personal Shopper*: AMC+

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Olivier Assayas

**Cast: **Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Sigrid Bouaziz, Anders Danielsen Lie, Ty Olwin

Room 237 (2012)

A VHS player with a videotape of ‘The Shining’ from 'Room 237'.

It’s one thing to make a film about the making of a film, but with *Room 237*, Rodney Ascher has done something far more intriguing with his nine-segment exploration of Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of *The Shining** *by Stephen King. Ascher dissects theories about everything from the movie’s arguably Native American subtext (given the Overlook supposedly rests on a Native American burial mound) to the claim that Kubrick allegedly directed the Apollo 11 moon landing footage. Whether you believe these claims or not, it’s still a fascinating documentary that caters to conspiratorial film buffs. —*W.H.*

Where to watch *Room 237*: AMC+

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Rodney Ascher

**Cast: **Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner

Sleeping With Other People (2015)

Jason Sudeikis as Jake and Alison Brie as Lainey in 'Sleeping With Other People'. Linda Kallerus

Cheaters never prosper, except in *Sleeping With Other People*, a rom-com about two intimacy-challenged adults who find salvation in each other. After losing their virginities to one another in college, Jake and Lainey (Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie) reconnect after 12 years apart and — despite their admitted sexual attraction and chemistry — decide to just be friends. But when their platonic relationship becomes complicated by their romantic feelings, the two struggle not to let their past mistakes define their future.

A modern, dirtier, more drug-filled version of *When Harry Met Sally *(1989), *Sleeping With Other People* is, as EW’s critic writes, “a smart, flawed movie about smart, flawed people.” If you’re going to watch one movie where the main characters show up at a children’s birthday high on MDMA, let it be this one. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Sleeping With Other People*: AMC+

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Leslye Headland

**Cast: **Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne

Spaceballs (1987)

John Candy as Barf, Lorene Yarnell as Dot Matrix (voice: Joan Rivers), Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, and Bill Pullman Lone Starr in 'Spaceballs'.

For the ultimate science fiction genre experience, consider Mel Brooks’ adventure spoof, *Spaceballs*. A satire that parodies beloved films like *Planet of the Apes *(1968), *2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968), *Star Wars *(1977), and *Alien *(1979), *Spaceballs* may bring the jokes, but it has easily the most heart of any Brooks movie. The Schwartz will be with us once again: There's an upcoming sequel expected to be released in 2027. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Spaceballs*: AMC+

**Director: **Mel Brooks

**Cast: **Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga

Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017)

The cast of 'Tigers Are Not Afraid'. Shudder

*Tigers Are Not Afraid *is too vast and beautiful to be restricted to one genre. A fusion of fantasy, crime, horror, and documentary-style filmmaking, this work was rejected by major festival circuits before being accepted into a horror fest where it was championed by genre fans.

Following a Mexican child’s attempts to use three wishes to seek vengeance against the drug cartel that killed her mother, the film combines magical realism and hard-hitting historical and current realities to create something haunting, horrible, and true. Writer-director Issa López cited Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, and Guillermo del Toro as major influences, and all three have since declared themselves fans of her films. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *Tigers Are Not Afraid*: AMC+

**Director: **Issa López

**Cast: **Paola Lara, Juan Ramón López, Ianis Guerrero, Rodrigo Cortés, Hanssel Casillas

The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

Lea Myren as Elvira in 'The Ugly Stepsister'.

Scanbox Entertainment

You’ve seen *Cinderella*, but not like this. The classic fairy tale gets a body horror makeover in *The Ugly Stepsister*,* *an impressive debut from Norwegian filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt. Told from the perspective of Cinderella’s ugly stepsister, Elvira, this stylized satire follows as Elvira is forced to undergo a string of painful cosmetic procedures to help her attract the Prince at his upcoming ball. *The Ugly Stepsister *has a lot to say about patriarchy and beauty standards, and the film delivers its message through graphic imagery and action. The movie has David Cronenberg’s energy, but with Sofia Coppola's whimsical aesthetic, and the combination is dazzling and jarring. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *The Ugly Stepsister*: AMC+

**Director: **Emilie Blichfeldt

**Cast: **Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movie"

Read More

---

Source: Movie

Published: May 12, 2026 at 05:38PM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle