Tag: Week

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that’s before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each one!

Don’t be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We’ve got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, animation, and more.

But if you’re seeking something brand spanking new (or new to streaming), we’ve got you covered there, too.

Mashable’s entertainment team has scoured the streaming services to highlight the most buzzed-about releases of this week and ranked them from worst to best — or least worth your time to most watchable. Whether you’re looking for animated adventures, side-splitting comedy, mind-bending drama, or some of the best movies of 2024, we’ve got something just for you.

Here’s what’s new on streaming, from worst to best.

9. Dark Match

If you love professional wrestling and gory scares, you’ll want to enter the gnarly ring of Dark Match. Written and directed by Wolfcop‘s Lowell Dean, this horror movie follows a hardscrabble band of wrestlers who accept a lucrative gig in a dubiously remote location. They realize too late that this isn’t just a dangerous event, it’s a deadly one. Surrounded by Satanists and facing off against a sinister cult leader, will they come out on top or be down for the count?

Per the trailer above, critics have cheered Dark Match‘s grisly and ultra-violent approach to horror. The low-budget look promises a grimy approach that’s sure to thrill fans of midnight movies. But best of all, pro wrestling icon Chris Jericho tags in, bringing his showmanship to the screen with a deranged relish. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Chris Jericho, Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Sara Canning, Michael Eklund, and Jonathan Cherry

How to watch: Dark Match debuts on Shudder and AMC+ Jan. 31.

8. You’re Cordially Invited

Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell teaming up for comedy? With the former making her mark in rom-coms like Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama and the latter known for goofy laffers like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Step Brothers, what might audiences expect in a joint venture? Especially when it’s directed by Nicholas Stoller, known for such wild fare as Neighbors and Bros? Well, it’s a mixed bag.

You’re Cordially Invited centers the battled between a no-nonsense TV producer (Witherspoon) and a devoted girl-dad (Ferrell), who are determined to make the wedding of their respective brides-to-be perfect. So when a cozy B&B double-books the nuptials of her sister and his daughter, plenty of hijinks ensue, involving sabotage, Dr. Seuss, and alligators. Blending sentimental moments with cutting barbs and a string of goofy set pieces, You’re Cordially Invited is big-hearted but jarringly uneven. Far from the best from any of these comedy luminaries, it’s still a joy in bursts. — K.P.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, and Jimmy Tatro

How to watch: You’re Cordially Invited debuts on Prime Video Jan 30.

7. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

It’s a story we’ve seen a fair few times at this point, but why not again? In Marvel Animation‘s new series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, we’re back to the very beginning with Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames), when he’s just acquired his Spidey senses. In this series, he’s (barely) surviving high school, living with Aunt May (Kari Wahlgren), and being mentored by the future Green Goblin, scientist Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo). There’s plenty of familiar faces to come in this series, including voice appearances from some Daredevil favourites. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

Starring: Hudson Thames, Colman Domingo, Hugh Dancy, Cathy Ang, and Paul F. Tompkins

How to watch: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man debuts on Disney+ Jan. 29.

6. Moana 2

Get ready to go “Beyond” all over again, because Moana 2 is coming to digital. The sequel to Disney’s 2016 smash hit reunites us with wayfinder Moana (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho) as she embarks on a new quest to save her home island of Motunui. This time around, she must find the legendary island of Motufetu, which was cursed long ago by the human-hating god Nalo, and reconnect all the ocean’s peoples.

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The ensuing journey is a blast, with Moana’s new companions adding extra fun to the high seas, and with demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) once again bringing his shapeshifting fun to the screen. Yet Moana 2 still falls short of Moana in several ways. Nalo proves to be an underwhelming villain, while Moana 2‘s songs are simply unmemorable without Lin-Manuel Miranda. As I wrote in my Moana 2 review, “Miranda’s presence is greatly missed, with songs often feeling like lackluster rehashes of the first film’s songs.” — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Gerald Ramsey, and Alan Tudyk

How to watch: Moana 2 is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video, and more.

5. Mythic Quest, Season 4

If Severance is stressing you out with its puzzle box of office politics, switch gears to the geeks and gaming glory of Mythic Quest.

This Apple TV+ comedy series enters its fourth season with is gang of lovable losers at a dizzying high. Quirky coder Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) and arrogant tech bro Ian (Rob McElhenney) are striding confidently into their next collaboration. Former game-tester turned game designer Dana (Imani Hakim) is wildly popular online, and her partner Rachel (Ashly Burch) is climbing the corporate ladder behind always-rattled exec David (David Hornsby). But fret not, fans.

New episodes will feature freshly funny calamities for our band of heroes to tackle, including going to testify before Congress, facing professional jealousies, personal rivalries, and a murder-mystery party on a remote island (very Knives Out). Whether you have an office job that’s drinking you to the bring of madness, or you just love the Always Sunny vibes this sister series offers in bunches, you’ll treasure this wild and goofy new season. — K.P.

Starring: Rob McElhenney, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis, Imani Hakim, David Hornsby, Charlotte Nicdao, Danny Pudi, F. Murray Abraham, and Naomi Ekperigin

How to watch: Mythic Quest Season 4 premieres Jan. 29 on Apple TV+.

4. Paradise

Hulu’s Paradise reunites This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown and creator Dan Fogelman for a thriller series that’s equal parts twisty, ridiculous, and fun. To say too much about the show is to risk spoiling its biggest surprise, so for now, all I’ll say is that it takes place in the aftermath of the murder of U.S. President Cal Bradford (James Marsden, Jury Duty). His head of security, Xavier Collins (Brown), is on the case — but he’s also the number-one suspect.

If Paradise‘s initial political conspiracy conceit doesn’t quite win you over, I’d still recommend watching so you can experience the premiere’s bonkers twist for yourself. It truly kicks Paradise into an entirely different gear, to the point that I wrote my entire review about how the twist “took me from ‘meh’ to ‘this rocks, actually’ within the span of [Paradise‘s] very first episode.” Seriously, brace yourself for a damn fun time. — B.E.

Starring: Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Jon Beavers, Krys Marshall, Aliyah Mastin, and Percy Daggs IV

How to watch: The first three episodes of Paradise are now streaming on Hulu, with a new episode every week.

3. Sing Sing

See the critically heralded drama that’s scored three Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor. Named for the prison from which its story blossomed, Sing Sing is based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in New York. There, incarcerated men are offered the chance to express themselves through putting on a theatrical production. In the film, co-written and directed by Greg Kwedar, this company of players builds a community and confidence that is life-changing for everyone involved.

Beyond being a feel-good tale about the power of creativity, Sing Sing carries a profound weight of realness, casting formerly incarcerated people alongside Colman Domingo, who earned a 2024 Oscar nom for the lead role in the biopic Rustin.

In his review of the film out the 2024 SXSW film festival, critic Siddhant Adlakha cheered, “For the men of Sing Sing, art becomes both refuge and rebellion, presented not only as a coping mechanism for incarceration, but a therapeutic alternative. Kwedar, through his gentle visual approach, affords each imprisoned character (and formerly imprisoned actor) the room — and just as importantly, the time — to tell their own stories, in ways that cinema seldom does. The result is a heartrending, visually enrapturing balm for the soul.” — K.P.

Starring: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San José, and Paul Raci

How to watch: Sing Sing is now available for purchase on Prime Video.

2. Mo, Season 2

One of 2022’s most important TV shows, comedian Mo Amer’s excellent Netflix series Mo has returned for its second and final season. Created by Amer with Ramy Youssef, Season 2 picks up with Mo Najjar (Amer, playing a version of himself), a Palestinian refugee living in the U.S. who accidentally deported himself to Mexico without a passport last season (those olive trees!). Mo’s struggle to get back to the U.S. is a timely depiction, taking him through an unfeeling embassy, a dangerous border crossing, and a horrendous detention facility on the Texas border — and that’s all before he learns the love of his life, Maria (Teresa Ruiz), is seeing someone else back home. But somehow, beyond all belief, Mo finds levity in the dark. More timely than ever, Mo examines both the institutional dehumanisation of immigrants and the varied experiences of his Palestinian family — all while being a hilarious, superbly written comedy show about a guy just trying to succeed. — S.C.

Starring: Mo Amer, Farah Bsieso, Teresa Ruiz, Tobe Nwigwe, and Omar Elba

How to watch: Mo Season 2 debuts on Netflix Jan. 30.

1. Babygirl

She got snubbed at the Oscars, but we still love Babygirl.

As a titillating follow-up to the humorous whodunnit Bodies Bodies Bodies, writer/director Halina Reijn delivered Babygirl. Nicole Kidman stars as a high-powered CEO balancing a demanding professional life with a personal life that includes her gentle theater director husband (Antonio Banderas) and high-energy teen daughters (Vaughan Reilly and Esther McGregor). Her world turns upside down when a cocky intern (Harris Dickinson) begins to flirt — very inappropriately — with her.

Delving into the juicy topics of sex, power dynamics, forbidden lust, and identity, Babygirl is an electrifying blend of humor and yearning that is absolutely dizzying, in the best way possible. As I wrote in our rave review out of TIFF, “Emotionally naked, unapologetically provocative, and defiantly playful, Reijn’s film joyfully explores the complicated ties that bind. Amid stiff competition, she delivers one of the sexiest, most thrilling films of the year.” — K.P.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, and Antonio Banderas

How to watch: Babygirl is now available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

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