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Christmas is right around the corner, and the best streaming services are giving the gift of some great new movies to watch. But when you’re spoiled for choice, narrowing down what to watch becomes a task in and of itself.
That’s why we’re highlighting the best new movies on streaming to add to your watchlist this weekend. Netflix has two big new releases this week: Tyler Perry’s star-studded war drama “The Six Triple Eight” and the Jason Schwartzman-led comedy-drama “Between the Temples.” Over on Max, you’ll find Clint Eastwood’s gripping courtroom drama “Juror No. 2,” while Disney Plus has an inspiring new documentary with “Blink.” The award season frontrunner “Anora” also makes its streaming debut on video-on-demand platforms.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the best new movies on streaming to watch this weekend. For even more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out our round-up of the best new TV shows this week too.
‘Between the Temples’ (Netflix)
Director Nathan Silver’s comedy-drama “Between the Temples” sees Carol Kane and Jason Schwartzman form an unlikely May-December bond amid grief and new beginnings. Schwartzman stars as Ben, a cantor grieving the sudden loss of his wife and grappling with a crisis of faith that’s cost him his singing voice.
After moving back in with his Jewish mothers, a chance encounter with his grade school music teacher, Carla Kessler (Carol Kane), who’s always dreamed of having a bat mitzvah, turns out to be just the push he needs to move on. He reluctantly takes her on as a student, and a special connection begins to bloom between the unlikely pair as they work together.
Watch it on Netflix now
‘Juror No. 2’ (Max)
Word is that “Juror No. 2” will be director Clint Eastwood’s final film, and what a high note to go out on. Nicholas Hoult stars as Justin Kemp, a recovering alcoholic and soon-to-be father on a jury for a major murder case that sees him battling his demons when he starts to suspect he might be the true guilty party.
On trial is James Sythe (Gabriel Basso), a young man whose girlfriend (Francesca Eastwood) was discovered dead beneath a bridge after a drunken fight at a bar. The same bar where Justin broke his sobriety streak and hit what he assumed was a deer with his car on the way home on the very same night. As the ambitious prosecutor (Toni Collette) aims to make an example out of Sythe in a pivotal election year, Justin struggles to convince his fellow jurors that they’ve got the wrong man without revealing his own involvement.
Watch it on Max now
‘The Six Triple Eight’ (Netflix)
A Tyler Perry World War II drama was not on my bingo card for 2024, but here we are. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Dean Norris, and Oprah Winfrey, “The Six Triple Eight” tells the story of the only Black female battalion to serve overseas during the war.
The women had a daunting task on their hands: tackling a three-year postal backlog that left 17 million pieces of mail in limbo. Though faced with an unfamiliar country, discrimination, and brutal wartime conditions, these women brought hope to the front lines by delivering a desperate morale boost to troops at a crucial turning point in the war effort.
Watch it on Netflix now
‘Blink’ (Disney Plus)
‘Tis the season for heartwarming stories, and you can’t do much better than “Blink” on Disney Plus. This emotional new documentary from Edmund Stenson, Academy Award winner Daniel Roher, and National Geographic follows a family desperate to see as much of the world’s beauty as they can before it’s too late.
After parents Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier learn that three of their four kids will eventually go blind due to a rare and incurable eye condition, the family sets out on a globe-trotting journey to build extraordinary visual memories their children can cherish once their vision fades. It’s an inspiring tale about family and resilience packed with breathtaking destinations and once-in-a-lifetime adventures. Critics are hailing it too, with the documentary earning an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Watch it on Disney Plus now
‘Anora’ (PVOD)
Director Sean Baker’s “Anora” is one to watch this awards season. The rom-com drama already took home the Cannes Film Festival’s highest prize back in May, becoming the first American winner in 13 years. Mikey Madison stars as Ani, a 23-year-old stripper and sex worker living in Brooklyn who falls for her client Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the spoiled son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
After a whirlwind romance and wedding, Ani’s Cinderella story starts to fall apart after Ivan’s parents uncover their marriage and demand they get an annulment, even going so far as to send hired muscle to intimidate them. “Anora” has earned an impressive 96% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Vanity Fair called it a “vastly entertaining and finely acted film” while Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge hailed it as a “whirlwind sex-work romance” that “sparkles like the tinsel in its leading lady’s hair.”
Buy or rent on Prime Video
‘Cuckoo’ (Hulu)
Written and directed by Tilman Singer, “Cuckoo” stars Hunter Schafe as a 17-year-old American named Gretchen who reluctantly relocates overseas to live with her distant father in the German Alps after her mother dies. While she’s not thrilled to join her father’s new family, she doesn’t exactly have many other options.
Struggling to adjust to her foreign surroundings and wary of how close her father’s boss Mr. König (Dan Stevens) is to her mute half-sister, Gretchen begins to be haunted by bloody visions and strange noises. She teams up with a detective (Jan Bluthardt) to get to the bottom of a dark family secret that upends Gretchen’s entire world.
Watch it on Hulu now
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ (2021)
“Judas and the Black Messiah” dominated the Oscars back in 2021, earning five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and two Best Supporting Actor nominations, with Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out,” “Nope”) taking home an Oscar for his portrayal of civil rights leader Fred Hampton.
The film, featuring Kaluuya as Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O’Neal (also a nominee), recounts the true story of the FBI’s infiltration of the Black Panther Party of Illinois, culminating in Hampton’s assassination during a raid that claimed the life of another party member and left several others injured after the FBI fired 100 rounds inside Hampton’s apartment. Even if you know how the story ends, it doesn’t make the betrayal and brutal response from authorities sting any less.
Watch it now on Paramount Plus now
