The best movies leaving Netflix, HBO, and more in February to watch now

Readers of Polygon, February is over. Although it’s the last month of the year for streaming, this month is still full of movies. This is actually one of the most busy months to watch good streaming movies.

We’ve got thrillers on Netflix (and a strong entry from one of the best horror franchises ever), romantic classics on Hulu, Prime, and HBO Max, an under-the-radar action movie sure to delight and surprise you, an old hit from a new Oscar nominee, one of my all-time favorite movies, and so much more.

But act quick! The streaming service will stop offering these movies at the end February. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Netflix: How to Leave

“Scream IV”

Image: Paramount

Year: 2011
Genre: Horror
Run time: 1h 51m
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette

Scream 6The fourth installment of the series is expected to be released later in the year. This makes it a perfect time for fans to catch up. Fan favorite Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), is now available. 4. ScreamGhostface is once again at the forefront of this latest entry.

4. Scream’s Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back in Woodsboro to promote her book, along with several new students at Woodsboro high, including Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), Sidney’s cousin. The first Scream film of 2010, 4. Scream jumps headfirst into the power of the internet to create new, and worse, types of celebrities, and what Ghostface murders (either committing them or surviving them) could do for someone’s clout.

It all online 4. ScreamThe first four Scream sequels were probably the most innovative. This movie, however, was far too digital for many people to watch in 2010. With 13 more years worth of internet horror, we are now able to enjoy the best. 4. Scream ends up feeling like a much better reboot of the series than last year’s entry was. —Austen Goslin

“Scream IV” Leaves NetflixMarch 1.

Shutter Island

Image by Paramount Pictures

Year: 2010
Genre: It’s a thrill
Run time: 2h 18m
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley

Martin Scorsese’s twisty asylum thriller remains one of his overlooked modern gems. Shutter IslandFollowing Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), he is sent to an asylum island with Chuck Aule, Mark Ruffalo, to investigate the disappearance and recovery of a patient. While he’s there, Teddy discovers that whatever’s going on with this asylum is far more complicated than he initially imagined.

This is the kind of thriller that grabs you by the collar and yanks you from one twist to the next every time you think you know what’s happening, exactly like a good thriller should. The movie features a great cast of supporting characters, who all appear for one scene and then call it quits. Max von Sydow plays a Nazi scientist; Jackie Earle Haley is an especially terrifying patient. Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, and Ben Kingsley are kindly doctors with secrets. Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, and Ted Levine play the deputy warden.

Scorsese’s stunning photography holds all of these stories together. Shutter Island with a gorgeous blown-out color palette that gives it the look of a ’50s Hollywood classic, which perfectly contrasts the darkness of the plot and serves to keep us even more off balance. —AG

Shutter Island Leaves NetflixMarch 1.

Margin Call

Lionsgate Films Home Entertainment Image

Year: 2011
Genre: Wall Street drama
Run time: 1h 47m
Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast:Paul Bettany. Jeremy Irons. Zachary Quinto.

J.C. Chandor’s 2011 film Margin CallThis documentary follows 24 hour-long employees at a Wall Street bank that invests in Wall Street as they try to figure out and react to the financial crisis. While perhaps not as approachable or didactic as Adam McKay’s The Big Short, Chandor’s film nonetheless manages to transform financial esotericism into riveting drama through the strength of its casts’ performances.

Paul Bettany is terrific here, as are Zachary Quinto and Demi Moore, but the standout performance by far comes from Jeremy Irons, who delivers a remarkable scene during the film’s climax that’s as charismatic as it is disquietingly chilling. —Toussaint Egan

Margin CallLeaves NetflixMarch 1.

Tucker, The Man and His Dream

Image: Paramount Home Video

Year: 1988
Genre: Biopic/comedy-drama
Run time: 1h 50m
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau

Even after a long career that has included such cultural-defining works like the Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1988 biographical comedy-drama about the extraordinary (albeit exaggerated) story of Preston Tucker stands out as one of the director’s most fascinating films. Tucker, The Man and His Dream stars Jeff Bridges as the eponymous military contractor turned entrepreneur who, in the late ’40s, attempted to produce and sell his own proprietary “car of tomorrow” known as the Tucker Torpedo. His ambitions, however, draw the ire of both the government and the so-called Big Three manufacturers, the latter of whom conspire to undermine and ultimately destroy Tucker’s dream of establishing his own company.

Produced in the wake of the commercial and critical failure of Coppola’s 1982 romance-drama One From The Heart, Tucker, The Man and His Dream can be seen as both a work of nostalgic recalibration and a once-removed allegory vindicating Coppola’s own short-lived attempt to create a distribution company to compete against corporate-owned studios. Even set apart from this context, Coppola’s film is an exceptionally entertaining one, brimming with terrific supporting performances by Martin Landau, Elias Koteas, and the late great Mako, bold creative cinematography by frequent collaborator Vittorio Storaro, and resplendent halcyon gold lighting.

One more thing to note about Tucker is the way in which it is framed as a documentary commissioned on behalf of Tucker himself in order to sell stocks of his company, a clever way of lampshading the film’s divergences from actual history and Coppola’s own embellishments of artistic license. It’s a fun, free-wheeling “nonmusical musical” drama about the perils of earnest ambition crashing against the jagged rocks of orthodoxy and capitalism, and a movie that more than deserves your time and attention. —TE

Tucker, The Man and His DreamLeaves NetflixMarch 1.

Hulu: How to Leave

White

Magnolia Home Entertainment

Year: 2014
Genre: Drama/fantasy
Run Time: 2h 1m
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sándor Zsótér

Did you know about Homeward Bound: An Incredible JourneyThe 1993 comedy-comedy about three talking pets that travel across San Francisco in search of their masters. Well, imagine that but sadder and more Hungarian, and you’ve got the gist of White.

Kornél Mundruczó’s 2014 drama centers the story of Lili (Zsófia Psotta), a 13-year-old girl who is left to stay with her estranged, petty, and emotionally unstable father (Sándor Zsótér) and Hagen, a mixed-breed street dog whom Lili adopts and loves unconditionally. When her father abandons Hagen by the roadside in a fit of anger and jealousy for his daughter’s attention, Hagen and Lili embark on their own respective quests to reunite with each other.

Apart from what I have done before, Bound for Home comparison, Roger Ebert critic Matt Zoller Seitz summed up White in his review of the film as an “R-rated LassieYou can use this to your advantage Spartacus.” It’s an apt description, especially given that Hagen’s journey back to Lili involves a harrowing (and completely fake) detour through an underground dogfighting ring, and Lili’s eventual reunion with Hagen is precluded by a fraught run-in with the cops after being implicated in selling drugs.

From there it gets even more insane. White eventually builds to a climactic, fantastical, and thoroughly awe-inspiring crescendo that, albeit foreshadowed in the film’s opening moments, I will not risk spoiling here. You should give this a try if you find any of these appealing. WhiteWatches —TE

WhiteLeaves Hulu Feb. 28.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Image: 20th Century Fox

Year: 1998
Genre: Romantic comedy
Run time: 2h 1m
Director: Andy Tennant
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott

A Cinderella story that takes the tale apart, gives the heroine agency, motivation, and fleshes it out, this is the book for you. Ever AfterThis is the ideal fit for you. Drew Barrymore portrays Danielle (the Cinderella-like equivalent of Cinderella) who flees an arranged marriage to meet Prince Henry (Dougray Scott). He mistakenly believes she is a noblewoman. His admiration for her courage and bravery in front of guards leads him to question his lifestyle and examine the impact royals have had on common people. It’s an electric love story that also plays around with fairy tale conventions (Cinderella’s fairy godmother in this version is none other than artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci). —Petrana Radulovic

Ever After: A Cinderella StoryLeaves Hulu Feb. 28.

Prime Video – How to Leave

Love Actually

Universal Pictures

Year: 2003
Genre: Romantic comedy
Run time: 2h 15m
Director: Richard Curtis
Cast: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson

This is Love ActuallyIs it really good? That’s definitely up for debate. That’s no surprise. It doesn’t matter what the debates are about. IsThis Christmas classic is a must-have. If you’re on the “Well actually, Love Actually is just a product of its time that I can still enjoy” side, it’s easy to get swept away in the holiday magic — just look at all these bumbling British people falling in love! And that’s just during Christmas! Sure, there’s a ton of questionable workplace dynamics and a lot of fat jokes but look — it’s Hugh Grant dancing around 10 Downing Street! He wrapped a sexy present for Alan Rickman that Mr. Bean lavishly wrapped, and he is planning on cheating Emma Thompson! (No, I don’t remember the character names). —PR

Love Actually Leaves Prime Video Feb. 28.

Catching Fire in the Hunger Games

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Year: 2013
Genre: Sci-fi action
Run time: 2h 26m
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

It was not something I enjoyed. The Hunger GamesWhen I last saw it in 2012. I mention this not because I have an interest in relitigating that film (I don’t — find someone else to argue with) but to emphasize a point: When I saw the sequel, Catching Fire in the Hunger GamesThis film was my 10th time seeing it in cinemas. Not only was it amazing how much I liked it, but it also surprised me how I felt about how it managed to bring out the most rare of artistic reactions in me.

The first of the three Francis Lawrence-directed sequels to Gary Ross’ adaptation feels like a consummate corrective to nearly every issue I had with the original film. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a compelling, believable performance of a woman haunted by PTSD and survivor’s guilt; Jo Willems’ cinematography manages to conjure some genuinely striking and memorable shots. Action scenes are in Catching Fire in the Hunger GamesThey are more well-staged, more appropriately gritty than its predecessors. The dialogue is also better written and much more engaging.

The scene with Katniss, Peeta and Rue visiting District 11, to honor Thresh & Rue is something I still remember. A crowd of black and brown faces gathered in the stern, sorrowful memory of their two lost children. An elderly man was dragged in front of me and executed as a small act of rebellion. I felt both frightened but determined to prove the imreproachable rightness of this act. It’s the same feeling I felt when I rewatched the movie for the first time in over a decade. This is an experience that I unfortunately have grown to be all too familiar with in this stage of my life.

I can’t say whether that scene, let alone the film as a whole, will affect you in the way it affected me. We don’t choose what art moves us and why; it just does. With that said, I ask you — no, I challenge you — to engage with this film in the same way as you would (and should) with any piece of art: With a present mind, an attentive eye, a discerning conscience, and an open heart. —TE

Catching Fire in the Hunger GamesPrime Video leaves February 28, 2008.

Hard Eight

MGM Image

Year: 1996
Genre: Crime drama
Run time: 1h 41m
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow

Paul Thomas Anderson’s feature directorial debut Hard Eight isn’t just essential viewing for PTA fans, it’s also a movie tailor-made for fans of early Coen brothers crime movies or Paul Schrader’s films. Philip Baker Hall gives a terrific performance as a professional gambler who takes on John C. Reilly as a protege, for reasons that seem altruistic and generous but really aren’t. Gwyneth paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson are cast in unexpected roles. But, while everyone is excellent, Anderson is truly the star. His distinctively melancholy, emotionally complex layers make the movie a psychological crime thriller. It’s a small film with intense drama and claustrophobia. It’s a real hidden gem for neo-noir fans. —Tasha Robinson

Hard EightLeaves Prime Video Feb. 28.

HBO Max After You Leave

Crazy Rich Asians

Warner Bros.

Year: 2018
Genre: Romantic comedy
Run time: 2h
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Constance Wu. Henry Golding. Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh, zeitgeist currently. This is In Crazy Rich Asians, she plays domineering matriarch Eleanor, who is not so pleased that her son Nick (Henry Golding) is dating a regular ol’ girl named Rachel (Constance Wu). She’s not the main attraction of this spunky romantic comedy, but she’s definitely a highlight. The movie mostly centers on Rachel, who accompanies Nick to a wedding in Singapore — and then finds out that he’s not just rich, he’s wealthy beyond her wildest imagination. Rachel struggles to impress Nick’s judgmental family, which all comes to head in an intense mahjong scene against Eleanor. —PR

Crazy Rich Asians Leaves HBO Max Feb. 28.

Children under 5

Image by New Line Home Video

Year: 2006
Genre:Romantic romantic psychological drama
Run time: 2h 17m
Director: Todd Field
Cast: Kate Winslet. Jennifer Connelly. Patrick Wilson

If you’re looking for a pitch-dark psychological drama with a keen focus on the devastating consequences of unresolved frustrations present in an otherwise idyllic suburban community à la Todd Solondz’ Happiness or Ang Lee’s Ice Storm, Todd Field’s 2006 drama starring Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, and Patrick Wilson might be just what you’re looking for.

Based on Tom Perrotta’s 2004 novel, with a script co-written by Field and Perrotta himself, the film centers on the disintegrating marriages of Sarah (Kate Winslet) and Brad (Patrick Wilson), two lovelorn people who inadvertently find themselves drawn together after a chance encounter in the park with their kids. Their drama unexpectedly intersects with Jackie Earle Haley’s life as a registered sex offenders. After being expelled from their neighborhood, Haley struggles to reconcile his violence with his past.

You can probably gather this summary from the brief overview. Children under 5 is not exactly what one would describe as a “happy” movie. It’s messy, it’s shocking and it’s uncomfortable. This film unflinchingly confronts the complex tangles of contradictions emotions, temptations and regrets that are inherent in the lives of human beings who try to be as kind as possible to others while remaining true to their own selves.

If there is a discernible “message” to take away from the film, I’d argue it could be summed up by the apocryphal quote: “Be kind; everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” It’s a damn good movie and one that I recommend, though with a word of caution that you’ll want to be sure you’re in a stable emotional place before watching it. —TE

Children under 5Leaves HBO Max Feb. 28.

Criterion Channel to Be Discontinued

A Long Goodbye

Image by M Home Entertainment

Year: 1973
Genre: Crime drama
Run time: 1h 52m
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Elliott Gould. Nina van Pallandt. Sterling Hayden

Movie detectives have rarely ever been as charming as Elliott Gould’s mumbly, clever, and easygoing Philip Marlowe in A Long Goodbye. Robert Altman’s 1973 masterpiece follows Marlowe as he investigates the disappearance of a famous author and wonders whether it’s connected to the death of his own friend. Of course, as with all great PI stories, everything’s connected and there are no coincidences, just a web of lies, mischief, and crime for Marlowe to sort out.

For all the things that make this movie great, Gould’s ability to float through it so effortlessly might be the most fun. He has a witty comeback for everything, whether it’s a hungry cat, a kick in the teeth, a death threat, or a mostly naked Arnold Schwarzenegger. Marlowe’s the kind of breezy, malleable character that smokes incessantly and can strike a match on any surface the world offers him.

All of this flexibility is set up perfectly by the movie’s score, too, for which John Williams wrote one perfect song, then endlessly modified it, changing its genre and style to fit the mood — sometimes deciding on one approach at the beginning of a scene, then swapping halfway through when the vibes are off, just like Marlowe himself. — AG

A Long GoodbyeLeaves The Criterion Channel Feb. 28.