The new season of Stranger Things is really like a series of short movies, each running just long enough to get the story told. The shortest episode checks in at 64 minutes, the longest at 98. This trend of editing programming to the “right” length rather than a prescribed advertising outline, may be the greatest benefit of streaming, as it simply allows content creators to tell their stories. With Stranger Things Season 4, those stories are well told.

At first blush, the idea of Darren Aronofsky directing a Biblical epic seems silly. The talented filmmaker – best known for “Black Swan,” “The Wrestler” and “The Fountain” – cut his teeth on independent cinema. Even his hits live outside the mainstream, so a big-budget Bible story is the last thing many film lovers would have expected. That just proves that no one should judge an artist by his back catalogue. 

Now that the awards season is almost over, with only the Academy Awards remaining, our attention turns toward the most eagerly awaited films of 2014. This past year focused on real-life stories, with stellar accomplishments like 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street, The Butler, and Mandela. However, 2014 is looking to both expand on and provide some counterpoint to this trend, with a new crop of fantasy, sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural films, as well as historical fiction.