'The Power of the Dog'
One of the wildest things about Jane Campion's startling, Montana-set western is that it was shot in New Zealand. You may notice that the snow-capped "Rockies" seem a little small but, otherwise, the skies are big and the desolate beauty of America's west in 1925 feels right. It's the setting for a fascinating psychological study that capitalizes on something that gay viewers already know: The most homophobic people often have questions about their own sexuality. Here, it's Benedict Cumberbatch as a vicious rancher eager to exploit the weaknesses of others, including his new sister-in-law's (Kirsten Dunst) insecurity and his nephew's (Kodi Smit-McPhee) struggles with his identity. The acting is sensational and Campion caps it off with a perfectly unsettling conclusion. Netflix
'West Side Story'
Anyone for a side-by-side comparison of the Oscar-winning 1961 film and Steven Spielberg's glorious remake? Some aspects of the older version feel problematic now, particularly the casting, but Jerome Robbins' choreography and Leonard Bernstein's music still shine in the Natalie Wood/Richard Beymer classic. It also is fun to gauge Rita Moreno's Oscar-winning Anita against both Ariana DeBose's Anita and Moreno's splashy new role in the remake, as a confidante of its young "Romeo" character, Tony. Amazon Prime
'Die Hard'
Let the debate rage about whether "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie (Bruce Willis' battle with Alan Rickman does begin during a holiday party). Either way, the skyscraper-set adventure is a ton of fun and you can watch all of the sequels, too, now that they've found a streaming home together. Peacock
'Val'
Actor Val Kilmer is alternately charming and infuriating in a documentary that examines the brief period when he was a big star but is more interested in why he isn't anymore. It's a combination of illness, ego and Hollywood's inability to deal with his unique intelligence, all of which are on view in this lively portrait. Kilmer's son, Jack, also an actor, is the narrator. Amazon Prime
'Wojnarowicz'
The biographical documentary, which has an unprintable subtitle, is a dynamic study of artist David Wojnarowicz, whose AIDS-related death in 1992 cut short a blazing career. It's extraordinarily intimate, which feels right since Wojnarowicz — who was gay and also an activist — poured himself into his work. Candid interviews and images of paintings are featured but the documentary has a leg up on Cynthia Carr's excellent biography, "Fire in the Belly," because countless performance pieces and audio recordings reveal Wojnarowicz as both a way-ahead-of-his-time artist and a singular cultural presence. On-demand, Apple TV Plus
