Raise a toast to St. Patrick and quench your thirst for movies
If you’re a fan of Taylor Swift, Lindsay Lohan or watching movies at home, consider yourself lucky this St. Patrick’s Day weekend. ⬤ Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, Hulu, Paramount+ and Max have ginned up a wide variety of streaming options for movie lovers of all tastes. In addition to Swift’s blockbuster concert movie debuting on Disney+ and Lohan’s new Irish-tinged Netflix rom-com, there’s some awards-season fare, a fantasy flick featuring Millie Bobby Brown vs. a dragon, the latest musical “Trolls” movie and a Zac Efron/John Cena team-up. (In case naked Cena at the Oscars has you thirsty for more.) ⬤ Here are 15 notable new movies you can stream right now:
‘All of Us Strangers’
Simply put, the best movie of all last year. Director Andrew Haigh’s moving and haunting fantasy stars Andrew Scott as a lonely British screenwriter who fosters a relationship with a flirty neighbor (Paul Mescal) while also visiting his childhood home to have chats with his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), who died 30 years before.
Where to watch: Hulu ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’
So long and thanks for all the fish jokes! Jason Momoa wraps up his run as the Aquaguy in an aggressively fine adventure sequel (and the last movie before DC reboots its movie universe). The Justice Leaguer teams with his previously villainous half-bro (Patrick Wilson) to fight an ancient evil. Hey, at least your little kids will dig it.
Where to watch: Max
‘Damsel’
Millie Bobby Brown plays a young woman who, to help her family, is married off to the prince of another kingdom. Just after the vows, she is thrown down a chasm as a sacrifice to a vengeful talking dragon she has to outwit to survive. It’s a decent gateway into dark fantasy for curious “Stranger Things”-loving kids.
Where to watch: Netflix ‘Dream Scenario’
The metaphysical dramedy stars Nicolas Cage as a socially awkward college professor who appears in people’s dreams, first those around him and then worldwide. He initially enjoys the attention but then it grows weirder and more dangerous – for him and the dreamers – in a cleverly gonzo exploration of modern fame and virality.
Where to watch: Max
‘Irish Wish’
Following a forgettable Christmas movie, Lindsay Lohan’s next holiday-ready affair casts her as a book editor in Ireland to watch her friend marry a writer (Alexander Vlahos) she secretly loves. One magical wish on an ancient stone later, she’s engaged to that guy yet develops feelings for a nature photographer (Ed Speleers). It’ll hold Lohan fans over till her Arbor Day spectacular.
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Mea Culpa’
Tyler Perry just gussied up the Lifetime thriller, y’all. Kelly Rowland plays a criminal defense attorney who ticks off her toxic family when she takes the case of – and is super-tempted by – a hunky artist (Trevante Rhodes) on trial for murdering his girlfriend. It’s a self-aware flick that really slathers on the sexy cheese, with a bonkers final act.
Where to watch: Netflix ‘Mean Girls’
Tina Fey’s adaptation of the Broadway musical (itself based on the 2004 Lindsay Lohan teen comedy) turns out to be an unnecessary retread. That said, a few of the songs are catchy and Renee Rapp is a force as Regina George, the high-school queen bee who takes new kid Cady (Angourie Rice) into her popular girl clique.
Where to watch: Paramount+
‘Napoleon’
Ridley Scott’s historical biopic stars Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous title French commander. Mixing
satirical comedy, battlefield brutality and personal tragedy, the sprawling epic chronicles Napoleon Bonaparte’s political and military victories as well as his volatile relationship with wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
Where to watch: Apple TV+ ‘Poor Things’
One of the big victors at the Oscars, Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark comedy puts a fantastical, feminist spin on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” Best actress winner Emma Stone stars as the newly resurrected Bella Baxter, who matures from infantile woman-child to liberated Victorian-era prostitute with a heart of gold.
Where to watch: Hulu ‘Priscilla’
In Sofia Coppola’s methodical biopic, Cailee Spaeny gamely plays Priscilla Presley starting as a bored young
teen who meets her future husband Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) in Germany. The movie chronicles the title figure’s story into her late 20s, when she feels stuck in a controlling relationship with a toxic King of Rock ’n’ Roll.
Where to watch: Max ‘Ricky Stanicky’
Love Cena’s Oscar antics? It’s a taste of what you’ll get in this comedy. Zac Efron stars as one of a trio of pals who’ve been using an imaginary “friend” to get them out of binds for years. When they need him for a family function to keep up the lie, they hire an insecure Atlantic City actor (Cena) who blows up their lives.
Where to watch: Prime Video
‘Spaceman’
This surprisingly deep sci-fi flick gives Adam Sandler one of his most straightforward dramatic roles, as a Czech astronaut halfway through a lonely one-man mission to investigate a cosmic purple cloud near Jupiter. He works through his crumbling long-distance marriage via an unexpected therapist: a talking alien spider (Paul Dano).
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)’
If you’re a Swiftie, well, come on now: You’re going to be streaming this concert film (with four acoustic numbers added to the theatrical cut) again and again and again. And if you’re not a Swiftie, the good news is she puts on a pretty good show so you won’t feel like you’ve wasted three hours of your life. Which is nice.
Where to watch: Disney+
‘Trolls Band Together’
Forever the one that got ‘N Sync back together. This earworming, overly earnest third “Trolls” installment finds Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake) needing to reunite with his former boy-band brothers to save one of their own while also figuring out his true feelings about longtime troll pal Poppy (Anna Kendrick).
Where to watch: Peacock ‘Wonka’
Timothée Chalamet plays beloved candyman Willy Wonka a bit too sweet and desperately in need of a dash of saltiness in the musically joyous origin tale. Willy dreams of opening a sweets shop, a goal that has some serious obstacles courtesy of a chocolate cartel and a thieving Oompa Loompa (played by scene-stealing Hugh Grant).
Where to watch: Max