Peacock may lack a constant flow of films, but it more than makes up for that by having a top-notch movie library.
That library includes a wider selection of flicks from the last four decades, rather than pretending that cinematic history began in 2000.
This week, Watch With Us‘s picks for the great Peacock movies to binge-watch this weekend are all classics from the 20th century.
Our choices include an underrated biopic, a seminal ’80s comedy and the debut film from one of the most famous directors in Hollywood.
‘October Sky’ (1999)
Jake Gyllenhaal had one of his first breakout roles in October Sky, which is based on the memoir by Homer Hickam. In 1957, young Homer is so inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 that he resolves to become a rocket scientist. That’s easier said than done in a West Virginian mining town, especially since Homer’s father, John Hickam (Chris Cooper), expects him to follow in his footsteps as a miner.
Homer eventually finds like-minded friends, including Quentin Wilson (Chris Owen), Roy Lee Cooke (William Lee Scott) and Sherman O’Dell (Chad Lindberg). Collectively, they begin building rockets that have a transformative effect on their lives, and not always for the better. Yet their dreams are too big to be contained by such a small town.
October Sky is streaming on Peacock.
‘Coming to America’ (1988)
Beverly Hills Cop may have made Eddie Murphy a movie star, but Coming to America is the first real Eddie Murphy movie that captured the essence of his comedy. Murphy plays multiple roles in the film, most notably the main character, Prince Akeem Joffer of Zamunda. Akeem has led a very sheltered life, but he knows that he will never be happy with the arranged marriage set up by his parents, King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) and Queen Aoleon Joffer (Madge Sinclair).
To find a woman who truly loves him for himself, Akeem flees to America with his best friend, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), and they go undercover as ordinary students. Akeem quickly meets his ideal woman, Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley), but convincing her of his love and his worth is going to be tricky. Akeem may have left Zamunda behind, but it’s only a matter of time before his parents catch up with him.
Coming to America is streaming on Peacock.
‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
Considering that Reservoir Dogs is the very first feature-length movie by Quentin Tarantino, it’s held up remarkably well over three decades after its release. Tarantino even plays a small role as Mr. Brown, one of the anonymous thieves recruited by local crime boss Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) and his son, “Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn).
In the aftermath of a robbery gone wrong, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) is severely wounded, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is furious, Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is paranoid and Mr. Blonde (the late Michael Madsen) is psychotic. One of these men betrayed the others, and the reasons why become readily apparent as the narrative jumps back and forth in time. The classic ’70s soundtrack in this flick is also one of the best reasons to watch it.
Reservoir Dogs is streaming on Peacock.
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