January is typically a slow month for new releases. Most of the Christmas Day releases — including Mufasa: The Lion King, A Complete Unknown, and Nosferatu — will continue to draw audiences to the theater this weekend. There are some new offerings, though. One is Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, a heist film starring Gerard Butler, and the other is Better Man, a biopic about Robbie Williams as a CGI chimp.
Theaters are always the best option for watching movies. If you somehow can’t make it to the cinema this weekend, don’t worry about it. Stay home and stream a free movie on a FAST service. To save you some time, here are three recommendations to get you started. Try watching a gut-wrenching prison thriller, a compelling adult drama, or a sci-fi disaster.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Shot Caller (2017)
Sometimes, good films get dumped on suboptimal release dates. Shot Caller, a terrific prison movie, was released in August 2017. The unfavorable release date led to a meager box office return. Thanks to streaming, though, Shot Caller has developed a cult following.
After being sentenced to a DUI that resulted in the death of his friend, stockbroker Jacob Harlon (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) must serve 16 months in a violent California prison. The guards might have authority inside, but the prisoners hold the real power. To survive, Jacob aligns himself with a white supremacist gang. Shot Caller is not for the faint of heart, but those who watch will be rewarded with an awesome genre movie.
Stream Shot Caller for free on Tubi.
Witness (1985)
Fun fact: Harrison Ford has been nominated only once for an Oscar — Best Actor for 1985’s Witness. Directed by Peter Weir, Witness opens with a young Amish boy named Samuel (Lukas Haas) witnessing a murder in the bathroom of the Philadelphia train station. Detective John Book (Ford) works the case and learns from Samuel that the murderers are dirty cops.
Book now must protect Samuel and his mother, Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), from the nefarious figures trying to kill them. They can’t hide at the police station or within the city. Book knows the safest place is Lapp’s Amish community, so that’s where they go. It’s a culture shock for Book, who must adjust to a new lifestyle. Ford gives a movie-star-level performance in this wildly entertaining and moving thriller.
Stream Witness for free on Pluto TV.
Geostorm (2017)
Speaking of Butler, the king of B-movies tackled a disaster epic in 2017 with Geostorm. In this world, humans can essentially control the weather via satellite. By positioning these satellites above Earth, world leaders can contain and minimize natural disasters within their countries. The plan works until the satellites malfunction. Instead of protecting the world, the satellites are using the weather to attack innocent people.
Architect Jake Lawson (Butler) heads to the International Climate Space Station (ICSS) to investigate. Unfortunately, his worst fears are confirmed. Someone, or some group, is manipulating the satellites via a computer virus. With the help of his brother Max (Jim Sturgess), Jake tries to find the mastermind behind the virus before a geostorm eliminates most of the population.
Stream Geostorm for free on Tubi.
