Steamy Streaming: Sandra Bullock
From Gravity to Birdbox
Sandra Bullock is America’s undisputed sweetheart. She’s a gorgeous and talented star who shines bright in every project, from macho action films like Speed and Demolition Man to romantic “chick flicks” like Love Potion No. 9 and Two if by Sea. Here are five of our favorite Sandra Bullock films you can stream right now.
Bird Box (Netflix)
Every once in a while, a Netflix original becomes a pop culture phenomenon. Bird Box is the latest instigator of such fervor. Initially dismissed as a ripoff of The Quiet Place (and it’s still referred to as such by cynical Twitter detractors), Bird Box is a Hitchcock-esque masterpiece of tension. More than straightforward horror, Birdbox takes sadistic pleasure in dragging out life-or-death moments to an eternity. With Bullock backed up by a strong ensemble that includes John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, Sarah Paulson, and rising star Machine Gun Kelly, Bird Box is having its moment, and you don’t want to miss it.
Ocean’s 8 (HBO)
A sequel to the George Clooney Ocean’s 11 trilogy, this pseudo-reboot casts Bullock as the sister to Clooney’s character, who is just as talented as her older brother in the art of high-stakes theft. She assembles a crew (Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, etc) and sets out to rob the jewels off of Anne Hathaway’s character. Sandra Bullock is just as cool as George Clooney, and she wears sexy high heels while she cracks one-liners. Point: Bullock.
The Proposal (Starz)
There are a thousand romantic comedies where the male lead has a decade or more over his female love interest, but it’s a much rarer to see the inverse of this scenario. Enter 2009’s The Proposal, which pits Sandra Bullock, an ice queen executive who convinces her decade-younger assistant, Ryan Reynolds, to marry her to secure her immigration status (she’s Canadian). A classic romantic comedy ensues, with strong chemistry between its leads and a jolly turn from Betty White, who launched her latest career renaissance off this film’s phenomenal financial success.
Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón’s science fiction tale of survival is a technical triumph; it uses special effects and game-changing 3D (which creates a strong sense of depth, even when viewed in 2D, the mark of a truly great 3D film) to put the “magic” back in movie making. The story is a straightforward tale of survival, with Sandra Bullock starring as a lonely astronaut trying to get home in one piece after her space station gets wrecked in a freak accident. This harrowing film is not easily forgotten, and an excellent example of the amazing power of the movies.
The Blind Side (HBO)
Sandra won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Blind Side. Though it plays the “white savoir” narrative irritatingly straight, there’s no denying the gravitas of Bullock’s take on Leigh Anne Tuohy, the outspoken matriarch whose adopted son, Michael Oher, became an NFL star.
