Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Anusara Korsamphan, Jirapat Uttamanan, Keetapat Pongruea, Napak Traicharoendetch, Nat Kitcharit, Urassaya Sperbund, Wipawee Patnasiri
Director: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
When the mildly weird and funny come together, great things happen—especially in film. Whether you’re up for some alternative comedies or romantic dramedies, here are the best quirky movies and show to stream now.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Anusara Korsamphan, Jirapat Uttamanan, Keetapat Pongruea, Napak Traicharoendetch, Nat Kitcharit, Urassaya Sperbund, Wipawee Patnasiri
Director: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Joe Rumrill, Julio Torres, Martine Gutierrez, Tómas Matos
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Carra Patterson, Carrie Preston, Sullivan Jones, Wendell Pierce
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Lee Jae-won, Lee Sun-kyun, Lee You-young, Park Hee-soon, Seo Ji-hye
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Al Warren, Angela Trimbur, Bridey Elliott, Chad Damiani, Courtney Pauroso, David Aaron Baker, DeMorge Brown, Dylan Redford, Ella Smith, Jamie Granato, Kristoffer Borgli, Nick Pinkerton, Sally Mullins
Director: Al Warren
Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Daisuke Ono, Hiro Shimono, Megumi Han, Satoshi Hino, Soma Saito, Yohei Azakami, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yui Ishikawa
It’s easy to classify Destroy All Neighbors as B-movie schlock; it unabashedly pays tribute to the low-budget comedy horror movies that pervaded the ‘80s. But it also feels too good for that. Elevated by funny bits, easy chemistry, solid production design, and a lightweight but easygoing script, Destroy All Neighbors never really wastes your time. It may confuse and drag at times, but there’s always an element that delights. As the straight man anchoring all the absurdity and gore surrounding him, Ray is also surprisingly likable. He connects easily to the colorful ensemble of characters in the film.
Destroy All Neighbors is stylish, trippy, nonsensical, and quite commendable in its creativity (the practical effects and prosthetics are the highlight). In all, it’s harmless good fun, just beware of the overflowing blood and guts!
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Music
Actor: Alex Winter, Chase Kim, Christian Calloway, Deanna Rooney, DeMorge Brown, Franco Vega, Jon Daly, Jonah Ray, Kiran Deol, Kumail Nanjiani, Madara Jayasena, Pete Ploszek, Phil Hendrie, Randee Heller, Ryan Kattner, Thomas Lennon
Director: Josh Forbes
Many fantasy K-dramas stick to the serious side, but Destined with You feels more lighthearted as it starts off with a light jab at the handsome grim reaper trope with SF9’s Rowoon. The show honors many of modern-day fated love tropes, and sometimes makes fun of it, but the series does it in a way that’s grounded in its characters and setting. The show first introduces the main duo as individual people, specifically, characters working with and for the public at large. Because of their jobs, Destined with You acknowledges the modern-day systems we use to deal with day-to-day injustices, but also provides the fantasy of having a second recourse in witchcraft. With the show’s pairing, there’s a hope that one way or another, the two could meet halfway.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Ha Jun, Jo Bo-ah, Lee Pil-mo, Rowoon, Yura
Director: Nam Ki-hoon
It jumps out at you, all the vibrant illustration styles that the show evokes: The Amazing World of Gumball, Gravity Falls, and others, in a vaguely vaporwave aesthetic. Its use of horror tropes and spirits is made friendly for kids—a cute pug being central to the plot and all—but there is enough here to say that it’s generally for older kids, 7 and up. Its portrayal and representation of LGBTQ+ struggles is done gently, and one of the best aspects of the larger narrative. An expectation of a haunted house fantasy adventure series for kids won’t betray curious audiences, but there’s more fun to be had than the title implies.
Genre: Animation, Kids
Actor: Alex Brightman, Emily Osment, Kathreen Khavari, Kody Kavitha, Miss Coco Peru, Zach Barack
It's chilly this summer with vengeful spirits, cursed hands and double pupils in the horror-comedy Dark Gathering. Keitarō Gentōga has always attracted ghosts, and despite his fear, he is ready to socialize again after two years. Unlucky for him, his first student as a tutor is Yayoi Hôzuki, his best friend's cousin obsessed with finding the ghost that stole her mother. Although Yayoi's obsession with using a reluctant Keitarō is played up for laughs, her moe appearance preserves a level of disturbing (thanks to her double pupils). By episode two, the story still feels shallow, but there's enough spook to carry you through the heat.
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Kana Hanazawa, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rina Kawaguchi, Yu Sasahara
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Actor: Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider, Connor Jessup, Isabella Rossellini, Jack Fulton, James Hawksley, Joanne Kelly, Jonathan Watton, Marthe Bernard, Mary Walsh, Sofia Banzhaf
Director: Stephen Dunn
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Thriller
Actor: Christiane Cegavske
Director: Christiane Cegavske
Documentaries tend to depict real subjects through grounded, true-to-life ways, but the subject matter of Beyond the Light Barrier feels quite fantastic. Based on the autobiography of a South African meteorologist, this documentary isn’t about the science of weather watching – instead, it’s about Elizabeth Klarer and her strange account of her alien lover. Director Uga Carlini reimagines her encounters through 50’s style graphics, comic book-like illustrations, and John Kani’s serene narration. The film doesn’t make the conclusion whether aliens are true, as the film’s interviews vary between believers and skeptics. However, it’s an interesting look into these encounters, and how people use these unusual accounts to express certain fears and ideologies, especially in its last fifteen minutes.
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Andrés Parra, Irene Azuela, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Nailea Norvind, Paulina Gaitan, Silverio Palacios
Director: Ernesto Contreras, Hiromi Kamata
Netflix released yet another coming-of-age show, and this time it’s a lovely coastal vacation set in the Polish seaside. Absolutely Beginners feels familiar, as the quirky protagonists set out to make a short film, they also get into a trio with someone living in the area. It’s not quite a love triangle though, even if the series is marked as romance, and even with its limited runtime, it’s dedicated to building up the friendship between the three. And this friendship is portrayed in such a tender and sweet way that respects both their unique dynamic and their individual paths.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Bartłomiej Deklewa, Jan Sałasiński, Kefas Brand, Martyna Byczkowska