October is well upon us, and unless you like spending your days walking in the rain, you might want to consider doing something else this weekend. If you want our advice, we suggest you spend it indoors, under the blanket, with a cup of hot cocoa in your hand, binge-watching one of these modern westerns.

1. Hateful Eight

You can never go wrong by choosing Tarantino’s movie. Stacked with his usual superstar cast, Hateful Eight brings a whole new flavour that what you once thought westerns are about. You’ll still get to see some cowboys hats and boots, a couple of horses and a lot of revolvers, but if you thought that was all there is to this movie – you were very, very wrong. Hateful Eight won’t leave you disappointed. That is, until you realize that this is one of Quentin’s final movies.

2. All The Pretty Horses

Now, while it is more than sad that none of us will probably ever see this film the way Billy Bob Thornton wanted us to, we still have to recommend this movie. After all, it is a quality adaptation of the highly acclaimed novel, and it stars Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz. What more could you ask of it? We’re just glad Matt didn’t pass up on this movie as he did with Avatar.

3. Dead Man

Jim Jarmusch has always had his unique style, and you just have to give credit where credit is due. Dead Man is a western like no other. Despite being almost 30 years old, this was one of the first movies to challenge the western as a genre and take it to another level. with so many freeform diversions and bits of surrealism, it is no wonder that Jarmusch refers to this one as a “psychedelic western”, and when you factor in that Depp is playing the lead role – it becomes pretty clear what you’re in for.

4. Hostiles

Scott Cooper Miami Beach said that this is one of his favourite modern westerns, and Scott Cooper, the man behind this cinematic wonder, probably agrees with him. The truth is, you can really go wrong with Christian Bale in the lead role, especially when you assign him such a complex character as Captain Joseph J. Blocker. No one does internal battles and character growth better than Christian Bale, and with this movie, he has proven that once again.

5. Rango

You probably didn’t expect this one, but let us tell you, after the previous four – you’re going to need to take a breather. Once again, we have a movie with Depp in the lead. Only this time, he’s behind the mic instead of being in front of the camera. This voice acting skills, alongside a great script, make Rango one of the most beloved animated movies and playful westerns we’ve ever had the pleasure to see. And, oh, this is the only one on our list that you can actually watch with your children.

Conclusion

All that is left to say is – prepare your popcorn! We’re sure you’re going to have a fantastic time watching these five movies. And hey, if you stumble upon some other great flick we forgot to mention – let us know!