What’s Streaming This Week (12/29 - 1/5)
Welcome to When To Stream’s Weekly Preview! Every week, we take a closer look at the major film streaming releases scheduled to launch in the next 7 days. As always, release dates are subject to change.
One note: We provide links to Amazon pre-orders (when available) and do receive a very small commission for any purchases made from this website. If you’d like to support our work, and you’re looking to buy through Amazon, we’d appreciate it if you’d click through.
Here are next week’s highlights:
Monday, December 30th, 2024
THE WASP - MGM+
Synopsis: Heather bumps into Carla, having not spoken to her in years, and presents her with a very unexpected proposition that could change both of their lives forever.
What we like:
Two fantastic actresses, Oscar-nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight) and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) get meaty lead roles in this tense psychological thriller.
Olivier award-winning playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm wrote the script, which she adapted from her own 2015 play.
What we don’t like:
A trigger warning: the film does include a disturbing (though not graphic) sexual assault.
Tuesday, December 31st, 2024
A REAL PAIN - $19.99 Sale Only
Synopsis: Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
What we like:
Jesse Eisenberg writes and directs this comedy-drama, which has been named one of the ten best films of the year by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. It’s also up for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay, Best Actor - Musical or Comedy (Eisenberg), and Best Supporting Actor (Kieren Culkin).
Culkin is being touted as real threat to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, which would be incredible. We just re-watched Home Alone over the holidays, and it’s crazy to think this guy could be an Oscar winner:
What we don’t like:
After receiving rave reviews at Sundance, Searchlight Pictures bought the film and released it in theaters in November. Sadly, it didn’t really break out at the box-office, earning less than $10M.
WICKED - $29.99 Sale / $24.99 Rental
Synopsis: In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two's unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
What we like:
John M. Chu’s first installment in the two-part adaptation of the hit Broadway musical has become a bona fide sensation in theaters, recently crossing $400M at the domestic box-office.
The film was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review, and is up for four Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Actress - Musical or Comedy (Cynthia Erivo), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande), and (blech) Cinematic and Box-Office Achievement.
What we don’t like:
Look, we may be sliding into ‘Old Man Yells at Cloud’, but the singing-along in theaters just drives us crazy. We’re grateful Universal released a Sing-Along version of the film in theaters on Christmas, but at that point, the toothpaste was out of the tube. Bad audience behavior is such a bummer these days. We love the theatrical experience, but it’s getting harder and harder to ignore the cell phones, poor projection, and people acting like they’re in their living rooms.
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
DON’T DIE: THE MAN WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER - Netflix
Synopsis: In this documentary, wealthy entrepreneur Bryan Johnson puts his body and fortune on the line to defy aging and extend his life beyond all known limits.
What we like:
From filmmaker Chris Smith, who directed both Tiger King and Fyre, this doc goes behind the headlines surrounding tech billionaire Bryan Johnson’s anti-aging crusade. This guy looks and seems deeply weird, so it should be fascinating.
Smith says that while interviewing experts from around the world to get a better understanding of the people trying to live healthier and longer, he drinks less and sleeps more, which is probably good advice for all of us.
What we don’t like:
To be honest, we’re not quite interested in spending the first day of the new year watching a tech millionaire try to ‘life hack’ aging. We’re all for making resolutions to improve one’s health, but we might also add tech bro millionaire documentaries to the list of things to avoid in 2025.
SLINGSHOT - Paramount+ w/Showtime
Synopsis: An elite trio of astronauts aboard a years-long, possibly compromised mission to Saturn's moon Titan, gears up for a highly dangerous slingshot manoeuvre that will either catapult them to Titan or into deep space.
What we like:
This twisty sci-fi thriller got mixed reviews and no audience traction. And yet…we’re intrigued.
Laurence Fishburne is the draw for us here. We’re always up for giving his movies a chance.
And look! It’s Tomer Capone, who plays Serge/Frenchie on the Prime Video series The Boys.
What we don’t like:
This is Bleecker Street’s second brainy sci-fi flop of the year, doing even less business than their January release I.S.S. We root for these movies, we want more mid-budget sci-fi in theaters, not less.
Thursday, January 2nd, 2025
THE FALL GUY - Prime Video
Synopsis: Fresh off an almost career-ending accident, stuntman Colt Seavers has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job.
What we like:
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in full movie star-mode. Coming off Barbenheimer, these two actors have natural chemistry both on-screen and off.
Stunt performance as an art form. It’s ridiculous that the Academy has not yet created a category to honor the countless men and women who contribute so much to moviemaking.
What we don’t like:
The Fall Guy was supposed to kick-off the summer box-office, and it massively underperformed. A real bummer of a start to the season.
Friday, January 3rd, 2025
THE FRONT ROOM - Max
Synopsis: Everything goes to hell for newly-pregnant Belinda after her mother-in-law moves in. As the diabolical guest tries to get her claws on the child, Belinda must draw the line somewhere.
What we like:
Pop singer Brandy gets her very own prestige A24 horror film, though this one isn’t quite as highbrow as some of the distributor’s other genre titles.
The voice of Kathryn Hunter! The actress so memorably played all three witches in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (she won the NYFCC Best Supporting Actress prize), and had an unforgettable role in last year’s Poor Things. Her rasp adds fantastic flavor to every film she’s in.
What we don’t like:
We haven’t gotten a chance to check it out, but it sounds like the film leans more towards dark comedy than horror. Also…it has a tremendous amount of poo. If that’s not your thing, maybe steer clear.
MOTHERS’ INSTINCT - Hulu
Synopsis: Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly bond.
What we like:
Two actors (Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway) at the top of their game, in a 60s-set psychological thriller? Absolutely yes.
Co-star Anders Danielsen Lie (The Worst Person in the World, Bergman Island) is a hottie and that’s the truth.
What we don’t like:
Why the delay? The film sat on the shelf for nearly two years, and was given a minimal theatrical release. We’re excited to catch up with it now that it’s coming to Hulu.
SKINCARE - AMC+
Synopsis: Famed aesthetician Hope Goldman is about to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skin care line. However, she soon faces a new challenge when a rival opens a boutique directly across from her store. Suspecting that someone is trying to sabotage her, she embarks on a quest to unravel the mystery of who's trying to destroy her life.
What we like:
The feature director debut of Austin Peters, whose background is in music videos. He also co-wrote the script with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan.
Elizabeth Banks takes a break from her own directing career to star, and she’s joined by a stellar supporting cast, including Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Nathan Fillion.
What we don’t like:
Lewis Pullman co-stars here. We love Lewis Pullman. But we’re starting to worry about his career momentum. After popping in Top Gun: Maverick, his film choices have been lackluster. The Starling Girl, The Line, and Salem’s Lot all failed to make much of an impression. We wan’t him to be a major star, here’s hoping his upcoming turn in Marvel’s Thunderbolts gives him a lift.
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL - Netflix
Synopsis: Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
What we like:
A new Wallace & Gromit? What a way to start the new year! We couldn’t be more excited to savor the latest from Aardman Animations.
Diane Morgan, aka Philomena Cunk, provides the voice for a character named Onya Doorstep, a news reporter for Up North News. If we weren’t sold already…
What we don’t like:
With the Latvian animated film Flow getting all the awards love this year, Vengeance Most Fowl hasn’t received any Best Animated Feature accolades from the critics groups. We’re hoping it doesn’t get passed over for an Oscar nomination, though director Nick Park has not exactly been ignored by the Academy. He’s been nominated six times and has four trophies already on his mantle (or wherever he keeps them).
Happy Streaming Everyone!
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