By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former Sony employee and editor of 4 TV magazines.
Peacock today has added 80 new movies to its subscription streaming service. Here are the five best, in my humble opinion:
The Godfather & The Godfather II (1972 and 1974)
The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II, arguably the two greatest films ever, not just added to Peacock. Director (and co-writer with Mario Puzo) Francis Ford Coppola paints a cinematic masterpiece in each film, chronicling the rise of the Corleone crime family from its early immigrant roots at the turn of the 20th Century to its powerful reign in 1950s and 60s America. The cast is one to die for, pun intended, with Marlon Brando somehow even eclipsing his greatest roles in the 1950s (On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire) as family head Vito Corleone and a here-to-then unknown named Al Pacino as his son, Michael Corleone, who’s corrupted by family loyalties and power. And there’s the supporting crew. James Caan. Robert Duvall. Diane Keaton. John Cazale. Sterling Hayden. Robert DeNiro (!). My goodness, I can talk about these movies all day long. But let me close here by saying that Peacock has also added the third in the trilogy, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corelone, and that’s enough said about that film. (Even geniuses misfire sometimes.)
See more news and TV tech features at TVAnswerMan.com.
Scarface (1983)
The brilliant Brian De Palma-directed drama stars Al Pacino as Cuban refugee Tony Montana who discovers crime does pay, and exceedingly well, in coke-fueled 1980s Miami. While Scarface may be — okay, is — too violent for some, the film perfectly chronicles the era’s thirst for excess and hedonism through the eyes of Montana. Michelle Pfeiffer is flawless as Montana’s ice-cold, white powder-sniffing moll and the splendid supporting cast also includes Steven Bauer, Robert Loggia, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and F. Murray Abraham. Great movie, and don’t forget to say hello to Tony’s little friend.
Casino (1995)
Director Martin Scorsese’s brilliant cinematic essay on the rise and fall of the Mob-controlled Las Vegas stars Robert De Niro as an obsessive gambler named Ace Rothstein who’s hired to operate a casino. Ace’s master plan is soon derailed by his chorus girl wife (played beautifully by Sharon Stone) and a ruthless sidekick (played deliciously over the top by Joe Pesci.) While some critics chafed that Casino did not measure up to Scorsese’s Goodfellas, the 1995 is an iconic classic on its own.
Bridesmaids (2011)
Since we picked three dark crime dramas to start, let’s mix in this 2011 comedy
starring Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) at the peak of her zany powers as a single woman in her 30s who turns an upcoming wedding into a series of comic misadventures. The flawless supporting cast includes Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and for fans still nostalgic for 1970s indie films, the great Jill Clayburgh.
Face/Off (1997)
The action-drama from director John Woo stars John Travolta and Nic Cage as an FBI agent and master criminal (respectively) who switch faces and identities while engaging in a cat-and-mouse chase. Only Woo, Travolta and Cage could pull this off but it’s a rockin’ 133 minutes of action, over-the-top acting, and humor.
See more news and TV tech features at TVAnswerMan.com.
Honorable mention: Dazed and Confused, Carlito’s Way, and Tombstone.
Complete List of New Movies Added Today to Peacock
Big Daddy*
Big Sky River
Billy Madison
Blue Crush
Bride Wars
Bridesmaids
Bruce Almighty
Carlito’s Way
Casino
Cheech & Chong Get Out of My Room
Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie
Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Click
Cut, Color, Murder
Dazed and Confused
Draft Day*
Engaging Father Christmas
Face/Off
The Fast and the Furious*
2 Fast 2 Furious*
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift*
Fast & Furious*
Fast Five*
Fast & Furious 6*
Father of the Bride
Finding Father Christmas+
The First Wives Club
Flushed Away
Four Weddings and a Funeral
A Gift of Miracles
The Godfather I
The Godfather II
The Godfather III
Guess Who*
Half Baked*
Hancock*
Happy Gilmore
Hello, It’s Me
Hoffa
Hot Tub Time Machine
Just Go With It*
Land*
Legend (‘15)
Liar, Liar
Life of Crime*
Love at First Bark
Madagascar*
Major Payne
Marrying Father Christmas+
The Memory Book
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible: II
Mission: Impossible III
Mr. Bean’s Holiday
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
My Best Friend’s Wedding*
My Gal Sunday
Noah
Notting Hill
The One
The Other Woman
Paul
Penguins of Madagascar
The Perfect Bride
The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells
R.I.P.D.
Sailing Into Love
Sandra Brown’s White Hot
Savages
Scarface
A Song for Christmas
Spiderman (2002)
Spiderman 2 (2004)
Spiderman 3 (2007)
To Catch a Spy
Tombstone
Tropic Thunder
Undercover Brother
Waiting to Exhale
* Denotes exclusive to Peacock.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
