Spring has sprung, and I don't know about you but I'm basking in the (slightly) better weather and even better the longer days. But what I'm loving just as much as the new season is the latest additions to Paramount+ for April 2025.
In contrast to the other best streaming services, Paramount+ stands out because of its balance of new movies and Hollywood classics, and this month is no different. For my April picks, all represent a different era of cinema and each have a score of over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes – the highest being 98% for a noir drama starring Gloria Swanson. Can you guess which one?
Though you may want to make the most of the outdoors now we're creeping closer into spring, that doesn't mean you can't have the odd movie night in and take advantage of the best Paramount+ movies. Especially with this month's mix of drama, sci-fi, and sports biopics, it's going to be hard to resist.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
RT score: 91%
Runtime: 136 minutes
Main cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Director: James Cameron
I recently watched The Terminator (1984) – the first installment in the franchise – and thought it was an adequate '80s sci-fi action blockbuster. Despite it having a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, I've been informed that its sequel is much better, a rare case for sequels (with the exception of Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, of course).
11 years after the events of the first movie, we finally meet John Connor (Edward Furlong), son to Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and the key to saving the world from a future robot uprising. His life is at risk when a T-1000 terminator (Robert Patrick) is sent from the future to execute him, at the same time a revamped T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arrives to protect John.
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
RT score: 98%
Runtime: 110 minutes
Main cast: Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Eric von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
Director: Billy Wilder
"Alright Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close-up"; one of the most famous lines in cinema, and a scene that has been referenced time and time again. I've had a bit of a break from watching classic Hollywood movies, and I truly miss them, so I feel Sunset Boulevard would be the perfect choice to free me from that slump.
Before we had fading actress Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance, there was Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond played by the captivating Gloria Swanson - a silent film star who struggles to come to terms with her fading stardom.
To make her movie comeback she hires a young screenwriter, who believes he has the ability to manipulate her. When he's proven wrong, their relationship spirals downwards and he's quickly sucked into her world of madness and fantasy.
Arrival (2016)
RT score: 94%
Runtime: 116 minutes
Main cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Arrival is one of those movies that will leave you asking yourself 'what have I just watched?'. Seriously, I'm still thinking about its ending to this day and I watched it a good few weeks ago now. For a Denis Villeneuve picture, you already know to expect epic landscape shots and bold sound editing, and trust me, Arrival delivers.
Set in a near dystopian future, odd spacecrafts randomly start appearing in different parts of the world. Fear grows stronger, and linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited to lead of a team of investigators who are trying to find a way to communicate with the extra-terrestrials. Through much trial and error, she takes big risks to get to the bottom of the mystery, uncovering the reason for their unexpected visit to Earth.
Also, Amy Adams not getting an Oscar for this is a crime.
The Truman Show (1998)
RT score: 94%
Runtime: 102 minutes
Main cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Holland Taylor
Director: Peter Weir
If The Truman Show is ever new to a streaming platform, you can best believe I'll be recommending it to you. Those who have seen it before must be really bored of my constant yapping about this movie, but given that it's in my Letterboxd top four I won't be shutting up any time soon.
The Truman Show is a clever yet emotional account about the media, the obsession with private lives, and fame as imprisonment. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) doesn't know it, but he's the most famous and most-watched person in the world whose life is a giant TV set and everyone around him are actors. Producer Christof (Ed Harris) runs The Truman Show and controls every aspect of Truman's life, but as Truman starts to realize the truth he embarks on a mission to break free from his TV set life.
Moneyball (2011)
RT score: 94%
Runtime: 133 minutes
Main cast: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Robin Wright
Director: Bennett Miller
If you want an inspiring sports drama about the rise of the underdog for a chill Sunday afternoon watch, look no further than Moneyball whose director Bennett Miller is also known for Capote (2005) and Foxcatcher (2014).
Based on the non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, Miller's movie adaptation follows manager of the Oakland A baseball team Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) who decides it's time to reinvent his team in order to outsmart wealthier baseball clubs. Restricted to a tight budget he enlists the help of Ivy League graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to scout undervalued talent from major leagues, adopting an old school method to sports analytics which raises a lot of eyebrows in the process.
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