Even though movie theaters are closed, independent and Hollywood studios alike have still been pushing out new content. From three streaming services, here are three movies that might have gotten lost in the fray. 

“Palm Springs” — Hulu

Max Barbakow’s “Palm Springs” premiered at Sundance Film Festival early this year and set the record as the most expensive movie purchased for distribution at the festival, securing a deal worth just over $17.5 million. The high price tag was certainly worth it. “Palm Springs” does the endless loop concept from “Groundhog Day” (1993) in a fresh and modern way that doesn’t feel at all stale or overdone. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, a Broadway alum who you might recognize from the “Black Mirror” episode “U.S.S. Callister,” or as the mother in “How I Met Your Mother,” end up stuck at a wedding in Palm Springs, California. The two of them have palpable comedic chemistry and bounce off one another with deft, especially during the second act. This dark comedy with sci-fi elements, is surprisingly comforting and uniquely funny. It is colorful and not too serious with immense rewatchability.

Alternative: “Skate Kitchen”

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” — Netflix

If “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” already sounds like a bummer, that’s probably because it is. This pseudo-horror is directed by Charlie Kaufman, writer of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Being John Malkovich,” and “Synecdoche, New York.” He’s known for his twisting and mind-bending stories that, like a puzzle, the viewer has to put together as they’re watching. In this regard, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” — based on Ian Reid’s 2016 novel of the same name — doesn’t disappoint. The movie starts with an unnamed female protagonist in the car on the way to meet the parents of the guy with whom she’s “thinking of ending things,” but the story goes off the rails  from there. It’s dark and captures intangible feelings of discomfort and regret and despite not being exclusively a horror movie, is reminiscent of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.” This movie is the opposite of feel-good, but worth the watch nonetheless.

Alternative: “Da 5 Bloods”

“Les Misérables” — Amazon Prime

Not to be confused with the French Revolution musical with the same name, Ladj Ly’s crime-thriller “Les Misérables,” which has been compared to the “La Haine” (1995) and “Do the Right Thing” (1989), was nominated for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards. This movie depicts rising police tensions in the suburbs of Paris, and is loosely based on incidents of police violence that occured after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. “Les Misérables” understands its role in this canon, taking on a raw, realist approach to an unequal world. The frustrations of marginalization and injustice aren’t unique to America, and seeing them manifested in a different world, albeit a foreign one, offers a new, global perspective. “Les Misérables,” like the real world and the events it was based on, is messy and full of morals that aren’t black and white. It is not dependent on, yet inseparable from, its politics.

Alternative: “Knives Out”