Looking to settle in with a good movie? Me too. That's why I've pored over the release schedules of major streaming services to bring you the best original and new-to-streaming movies you can watch right now.
The biggest movie coming to streaming this week, hands down, is Dune: Part Two, a maximalist sci-fi epic of legendary proportions—but if you'd like some contrast, check out David Lynch's The Straight Story, a criminally under-appreciated movie that's as gentle and quiet as feather, but still powerful. There's also Michael Mann's biopic Ferrari; Queen of the Deuce, a documentary about grandma-turned-porn-mogul Chelly Wilson; and Atlas, a Netflix original sci-fi movie in which Jennifer Lopez battles computers.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Dune: Part Two is a massive, beautiful, triumph of world building, but director Denis Villeneuve doesn't ignore the details to focus on spectacle. The story picks up where Dune left off. Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), are the last survivors of the House Atreides and they find refuge with the Fremen, many of whom regard Paul as their prophesied messiah, destined to lead them to freedom. The evil Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), has more diabolical plans in mind. While Dune: Part Two is the kind of spectacle film best seen in theaters, watching it on streaming lets you pause and rewind to catch the details you might have missed on first viewing.
Where to stream: Max
Ferrari (2023)
In Ferrari, director Michael Mann tells the story of the man behind the iconic car. Enzo Ferrari, played by Adam Driver, is an former Formula 1 driver whose company, racing team, and marriage are all poised on the edge of financial disaster. In response, Ferrari puts everything he has behind the effort to win the Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile race across Italy. Ferrari also stars Penèlope Cruz as Laura Ferrari, and race-car driving actor Patrick Dempsey as Piero Taruffi.
Where to stream: Hulu
Atlas
In Atlas, Jennifer Lopez beats up AI. She plays agent Atlas Shepard, a wisecracking badass who has devoted her life to hunting down rogue artificial intelligence Harlan. Trapped on a distant planet with her life in danger, Agent J-Lo is forced to rely on a computer program named Smith to survive. But in classic Odd Couple style, agent Shepard hates all AI, so it's not going to be an easy friendship. I didn't have "Jennifer Lopez plays a science fiction action hero battling super computers" on my bingo card, but now that I've heard about it, it makes a weird kind of sense.
Where to stream: Netflix
Queen of the Deuce
This Apple original documentary tells the "wait, what?" story of Chelly Wilson, a holocaust survivor who became a porn magnate in 1960s, '70s, and '80s New York. From her apartment above the Adonis Theatre on 42nd street, Wilson built an adult entertainment empire, first by producing films like Come Ride the Wild Pink Horse, then by buying up the notorious Times Square movie houses that screened them, all while doting over her beloved grandchildren.
Where to stream: AppleTV
Rachel Feinstein: Big Guy
The comedy will just absolutely not stop this month on Netflix, no matter how you might beg. Rachel Feinstein is a comedians' comedian who has won fans for her whip-smart observational comedy. She's the kind of always-on-it pro who gets laughs whether she's playing some dinky club on a Wednesday night or co-hosting The View. Don't miss her Netflix special.
Where to stream: Netflix
The Straight Story (1999)
Director David Lynch is known for his surreal, often confrontational cinematic excess in films like Mulholland Drive, but in The Straight Story, Lynch plays it, well, straight. The story is so simple it's practically a non-plot—an old man drives a lawn mower from Iowa to Wisconsin to visit his estranged brother who recently suffered a stroke—but it's told with such subtlety and gentleness that the end result is breathtaking. The Straight Story is part of a Criterion collection of films from 1999, and really all of them are brilliant: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Ratcatcher, Go, The Virgin Suicides, Summer of Sam—I mean, come on.
Where to stream: Criterion Channel
Last week's picks
Power
The big-ticket Netflix originals this month may be comedy and historical costumes, but there's a serious side too, embodied by Power, a hard-hitting, critically acclaimed documentary that looks at our relationship with the cops and asks "Who is more powerful, the people or the police?" Directed by Academy Award nominee Yance Ford, Power examines the history of policing and asks tough questions about whether and how we're being oppressed by the boys and girls in blue.
Where to stream: Netflix
Let It Be (1970)
Let it Be was meant as "Beatles in the studio" TV documentary, but director Michael Lindsay-Hogg captured the biggest band ever just as they were about to break up instead. After a limited release in theaters, Let it Be was mothballed, and couldn't be seen legally for 50 years, so Disney's restored and remastered version is eagerly awaited by fans; even if you only kind of like The Beatles, it's worth a watch. Let it Be it clocks in at under 90 minutes, and, unlike Peter Jackson's exhaustive, eight-hour documentary Get Back, it focuses on the music instead of the internal friction that would soon break up the band, leaving "the band is going to break up soon after this recording session" as subtext.
Where to stream: Disney+
Madame Web
There's a Hollywood saying that goes "behind every bad movie is a good mortgage," and Madame Web is a perfect example. It definitely isn't the best movie you could watch this weekend but there's something fascinating about dissecting high-profile failures. Dakota Johnson plays Cassandra “Cassie” Webb AKA Spider-Woman, and she's a good actor. Madame Web is a co-production between Marvel and Sony, so it had real money behind it. Superhero origin stories are inherently interesting. So what went wrong? Watch it to find out, and console yourself that many people who worked on it bought houses.
Where to stream: Netflix
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal
When hackers called "The Impact Team" took over find-an-affair website Ashley Madison in 2015, they told its owners "welcome to your worst fucking nightmare"—but the nightmare extended beyond the business owners. All of Ashley's Madison's users, from ordinary Joes to political figures and entertainment industry leaders, had their sordid details spilled to anyone who wanted to take a look. Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal tells the entire sleazy story, but doesn't shy away from the real-world emotional devastation the imbroglio wrought.
Where to stream: Netflix
59th Academy of Country Music Awards
All your favorite country stars will be on-hand to do-si-do at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards. Billed as "Country Music’s Party of the Year," this year's event will be hosted by Reba McEntire, who is also slated to perform new music during the show. It's an interesting time in country music, as the often-staid genre confronts a new wave of performers. The "entertainer of the year" category, for instance, pits neo-traditionalists like Cody Johnson against new school iconoclasts like face-tattooed, hip-hop influenced artist Jelly Roll.
Where to stream: Prime
Thelma the Unicorn
This animated feature was directed by Jared Hess, whose first film, Napoleon Dynamite, is a quirky masterpiece, so Thelma the Unicorn has the potential to be more interesting than a typical computer-animated, streaming-only kid flick. Based on the best-selling books by Aaron Blabey and starring Brittany Howard in the title role, Thelma the Unicorn tells the story of a pony who masquerades as a unicorn to fulfill her dream of musical stardom. It features the voices of Jemaine Clement, Edi Patterson, Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Heder, and Shondrella Avery, a more-than-solid crew.
Where to stream: Netflix
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