Looking trendy is one thing, but sounding trendy is something that takes some hard work. To be in the know in conversation, check out these streaming movies (some new, some classics) and you can be in on the conversation, too!

Throwbacks (90s-2000s)

Mean Girls (the original)

This movie, made in 2004, is about the new experiences that a previously homeschooled girl, Cady, faces throughout her high school life. One of these experiences is her run-in with the royalties of her school, Regina, Gretchen, and Karen. The movie is funny, dramatic, and gives light to the perspective of a student who is new to school and doesn’t know where they fit in.

(Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried)

Clueless

Made in 1995, this is a movie starring a young high school girl, Cher, who, despite her flawless matchmaking skills, rarely ever dates herself. When a new girl comes to school, many things change for Cher as she realizes the truth about many of her feelings. This movie is fun and very interesting!

(Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd)

Legally Blonde

This movie was made in 2001, and is about a blonde girl named Elle Woods who gets rejected by her ex-boyfriend for being “too blonde.” Wanting both to prove him wrong and to get him back, she decides to apply to Harvard Law School and, astonishingly, gets in. This movie includes humor, romance, and empowers the ability to be yourself while still being smart and sophisticated!

(Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge)

Horror/Thriller:

The Ring

This movie has a variety of remakes, but the one we watched was made in 2002. The plot of this movie circulates on an eerie tape that causes you to die a week after watching it. A woman named Rachel Keller watches this tape, as does her son, Aidan, which results in her being burdened with the task of unraveling this mystery while also avoiding the consequences of the video. This is a spooky and horrific film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

(Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson)

Get Out

This movie, made in 2017, focuses on a couple named Chris and Rose who are going upstate to meet Rose’s parents. From the start, things seemed weird. The two housekeepers act strangely, and the mom hypnotizes Chris without his consent to “help him with an addiction.” But when a family reunion with all of Rose’s family is planned without letting neither Rose nor Chris know, things start to get even more mysterious, and Chris is caught up in a situation nobody could have predicted. This mind-boggling thriller has more plot twists than we can count!

(Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams)

Black Mirror

This is a TV series that started in 2011 and has a different story in every episode. These episodes are a series of creepy thrillers that all have one thing in common: technology. The meaning of the title “Black Mirror” refers to a mobile device screen when it is turned off, as it becomes reflective. The way each story ties to a piece of new or already-invented technology leaves viewers shocked. Not only does each episode frighten and intrigue you, but they all show the message of what technology is doing to our lives. Each episode has a different star, but here are some of our favorites:

• •”White Bear”
• •”Crocodile”
• •”Nosedive”
• •”Black Museum”

Romance

The Notebook

This classic movie was made in 2004 and is a love story about two people, Noah and Allie. The movie switches between an old woman telling the story and the point of view of the young couple falling in love. It is impossible not to cry at least once while watching this beautiful movie.

(Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling)

The Summer I Turned Pretty

This TV series started in 2022, and originated from the book series written by Jenny Han. It is about a girl named Isabel, or as everyone calls her, Belly, and takes place during the summers that her family spends with the Fisher family. This family includes the mother, Susannah, the father, Adam, and the two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. This TV series follows Belly throughout her summers after she “becomes pretty” and struggles to decide which of the two brothers is the one for her. This is a popular pick amongst teens, and it brings the summer feel to your living room no matter what season you are in.

(Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Gavin Casalegno)

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

This movie series made its debut in 2018, with a second movie in 2020, and the final to the trilogy came out in 2021. These movies, also based on a book series by Jenny Han, follow Lara Jean (LJ), and her life as a junior in high school. Without her knowledge, letters that she wrote to every one of her crushes were sent out, leaving her in shock. One of these boys was Josh, her neighbor and one of her first friends (who also happened to be the ex-boyfriend of her sister). To stop Josh from thinking that she still likes him, LJ makes a pact with the most popular boy in school to fake a date. Nothing could go wrong unless they catch real feelings…This is a great romance series for teens, and it is an example of teen love. Not only this, but it is also a fun and entertaining watch!

(Lana Condor and Noah Centineo)

Recent Additions to Streaming

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

This movie is a prequel to the well-known movie and book series, The Hunger Games. As we already know from the previous movies, President Snow, one of the villains in this popular tale, isn’t a very likable character due to all the awful things he has done. However, we never knew why he was like this until this movie was made. It takes place during the 10th Hunger Games, where a young Coriolanus Snow is a mentor to the tribute Lucy Gray Baird, a girl from District 12. As you continue watching the movie, you find out how the Hunger Games have changed over the years and how Coriolanus Snow became the powerful and evil president that he was in the later games.

(Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler)

The Marvels

Another year, another Marvel movie. This one follows Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel, Kamala Khan, who was the lead in the hit show Ms. Marvel, and finally Monica Rambeau, who is Carol’s niece. This movie captures the powers of these powerful women. Together, they have to team up and learn how to fight to save the universe.

(Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris)

Anyone But You

This new movie, which came out in December, is a very cute rom-com featuring the two characters Bea and Ben who first meet at a coffee shop, then spend the day together just walking around their small town, making grilled cheeses, and finally ending the day with both of them falling asleep. The following morning, Bea gets up to leave, not knowing what else to do, while Ben figures this is how she is telling him she’s not interested in him. Around a year after this night, they find out that Bea’s sister and one of Ben’s closest friends are getting married in Australia. This means that they have to stay together in the same house for a week. This leads us to wonder: how will these two find a way to actually like (or at least tolerate) each other again for the sake of the newlyweds?

(Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell)

Coming Of Age

XO Kitty

As we just previously talked about the movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, this show, which started in 2023, follows Lara Jean’s little sister Kitty. She attends a boarding school in Korea where her boyfriend, Dae, goes, and where her Mom went to school before she passed away. After getting accepted into this school, Kitty decides to surprise her boyfriend by saying that she’s a new student there, only to find out when she gets there that he has a new girlfriend (or so she thought). As the show goes on, we see new challenges she has to face at her boarding school, including having to room with her ex-boyfriend and two other boys. How would she survive this year of high school? And what secrets was her mom hiding?

(Anna Cathcart, Choi Min-Young, and Sang Heon Lee)

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

Released in 2023, this movie follows 13-year-old Stacy Friedman who is getting ready for one of the biggest nights of her whole life: her bat mitzvah. As her seventh grade year goes by, Stacy and one of her best friends, Lydia, have an argument about a boy in their class named Andie. During this argument, the two girls share each other’s secrets and betray each other. How are these two girls, who used to call each other best friends, going to solve this problem? This movie will definitely remind you of how most of us were in middle school and is a very fun movie to watch!

(Sunny Sandler and Samantha Lorraine)

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

This movie, which was also made in 2023, starring a young girl named Margaret Simons who has just moved to a new town and is about to start sixth grade. She befriends a group of girls who together transition from young girls to teenagers. This movie also focuses on the fact that Margaret has grown up without religious affiliation, leading to her trying to figure out who she is throughout the whole movie.

(Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams)