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.
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Here are this week’s highlights:
Monday, December 1st, 2025
THE MERCHANTS OF JOY – Prime Video
Synopsis: In the city that never sleeps, five families hustle each winter to turn sidewalks into holiday outposts. The Merchants of Joy follows these Christmas die-hards as they source, sell, and safeguard a family tradition at risk. It’s a warm, grounded portrait of pride, grit, and the joy they bring—one tree, one customer, one season at a time.
What we like:
- Based on the New York Magazine article “Secrets of the Christmas Tree Trade” by Owen Long, this Celia Aniskovich directed documentary premiered to positive reviews at this year’s DOC NYC Festival.
- Among the executive producers are Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who backed the film via their Artist’s Equity company.
What we don’t like:
- For something built around the façade of holiday cheer, there’s actually a very gritty, competitive business, complete with “turf wars,” intense rivalry among sellers, and the high stakes of a short sales window. Sounds rough!
TROLL 2 – Netflix
Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, and Sara Khorami
Synopsis: When a dangerous new troll is awakened, unleashing devastation across Norway, beloved adventurers Nora, Andreas and Captain Kris are thrust into their most perilous mission yet.
What we like:
- The sequel to the 2022 Norwegian film Troll, which remains Netflix’s most-watched non-English language film.
- The movie was filmed in Norway (and other locations), and it’s being reported as the largest-scale film production ever attempted in the Nordic countries.
- The film is directed by Roar Uthaug, who also directed the original Troll. We’re pretty sure Roar Uthaug is the perfect name for the director of a Troll movie, but not a Trolls movie. It’s an important distinction.
What we don’t like:
- There’s just no chance Netflix’s TROLL 2 will ever top the GOAT Troll 2:
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025
BAU: ARTIST AT WAR – $14.99 Sale Only
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Inbar Lavi, Josh Zuckerman, Yan Tual, Eugene Lipinski, Josh Blacker, Edward Foy, Chris Cope, Adam Tsekhman
Synopsis: Based on the true story of Joseph and Rebecca Bau whose wedding took place in the Plaszow concentration camp during WW2. Using his artistic skills in the camps, Joseph stays alive and helps hundreds to escape. Miraculously, he finds love in the midst of despair. Years later, when called to be a key witness in the trial of the brutal Nazi officer who tortured him and killed his father, Joseph is thrust back into vivid memories of the Holocaust. Now, he calls upon this love and resilience of spirit to face the ultimate demon of his past.
What we like:
- The film’s screenplay was co-written (with Deborah Smerecnik and Sonia Kifferstein) by Ronald Bass, who won an Oscar for writing 1988’s Rain Man.
- It won Best Feature at the 2024 Burbank International Film Festival. Not exactly the Palme d’Or, but a win’s a win!
What we don’t like:
- Director Sean McNamara’s filmography is quite a ride. The man directed (among many other things) 1997’s Casper: A Spirited Beginning, 2007’s Bratz, 2011’s Soul Surfer, 2020’s Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite!, and 2024’s Reagan. The mixed reviews on the film don’t inspire much confidence, but good for him for tackling the important subject matter.
GRIFFIN IN SUMMER (Hulu)
Cast: Everett Blunck, Owen Teague, Melanie Lynskey
Synopsis: Griffin (Everett Blunck) is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. He’s also fourteen years old. When his mom (Melanie Lynskey) hires a handsome 25-year-old handyman (Owen Teague), Griffin’s life and his new play take an inspired turn.
What we like:
- The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, where it won several awards: Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay (U.S. Narrative), and received a Special Jury Mention for director Nicholas Colia.
- It stars Everett Blunck as Griffin Nafly, a 14-year-old aspiring playwright living in suburbia who plans a dramatic play during the summer. The title of the play: Regrets of Autumn. Perfect.
- Melanie Lynskey plays Griffin’s mother, and let’s be honest, every young queer kid would kill to have Melanie Lynskey as their mother.
What we don’t like:
- Vertical released this in the graveyard of late summer, and did not report grosses. It really deserves to find its audience now that it’s coming to Hulu.
TAPAWINGO – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental
Cast: Jon Heder, Billy Zane , Gina Gershon , John Ratzenberger, Amanda Bearse, Jay Pichardo, and Kim Matula
Synopsis: Nate and Will are just two cool dudes who kill time between the local rec center and the Elk’s Lodge to take in a few hours of bingo. The beer is plentiful and the crowd is wild… well, old, but wild. When they’re not hanging loose, they’re training. Training for that one day they get the call to save nuns from rogue contras. Or maybe it’s to save orphans from the Red Army Tiger Force. Whatever it is, they’ll be ready. And until then, you can find them at their de facto HQ – the Tapawingo Regional Library.
What we like:
- Jon Heder is back in full Napoleon Dynamite-mode in this quirky indie comedy directed by Dylan K. Narang, and co-written by Narang and Brad DeMarea.
- The film won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at the 2024 Richmond International Film Festival.
What we don’t like:
- This type of oddball comedy might not be everyone’s flavor. The trailer indicates a tone that some will find hilarious (the film did win some audience awards at festivals!) and others will feel is (channeling our inner Gen Z here) cringe.
TRAP HOUSE – $19.99 Sale / TBD Rental
Cast: Dave Bautista, Sophia Lillis, Jack Champion, Kate del Castillo, Whitney Peak, Bobby Cannavale, Inde Navarrette, Tony Dalton, Blu Del Barrio, Zaire Adams
Synopsis: In El Paso, Texas an undercover DEA agent and his partner embark on a game of cat and mouse with an audacious group of thieves: their own rebellious teenagers. The teens begin to rob from a dangerous cartel, using their parents’ tactics and top-secret intel.
What we like:
- This action-thriller is directed by Michael Dowse, who previously helmed the popular 2011 hockey comedy Goon, and the charming 2019 holiday comedy 8-Bit Christmas.
- Director Dowse and star Dave Bautista previously collaborated on the 2019 comedy Stuber.
- Although set in El Paso, Texas, the film was shot in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. Is anyone else watching Pluribus? What a fantastic show! Vince Gilligan knows how to use Albuquerque to help tell his stories. Maybe Trap House will as well?
What we don’t like:
- Reviews of the film are mixed, though some critics enjoyed its B-movie charm.
TRON: ARES (PVOD)
Cast: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson, Sarah Desjardins, and Jeff Bridges
Synopsis: A highly sophisticated Program called Ares is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.
What we like:
- The score is by Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), with the use of the band’s name reportedly at Disney’s request. The last score released under the Nine Inch Nails moniker was the 1996 video game Quake. The duo had previously composed nineteen film, television, and game soundtracks, which were credited with their own names.
- Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B+ on an A+ to F scale, the same grade as its predecessors. So it seems like people were pretty satisfied.
What we don’t like:
- Disney bet big on this sci-fi sequel…and will likely lose a ton of money. It sure seems like Jared Leto might not be the strongest choice to be the face of your big-budget spectacle. Still…it could have a long tail on streaming. The visuals look cool, and no complaints about the score. But this will probably be the last Tron film for a while.
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025
MY SECRET SANTA (Netflix)
Cast: Alexandra Breckenridge, Ryan Eggold, Tia Mowry, Madison MacIsaac, and Diana Maria Riva
Synopsis: A vivacious single mom in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort. But when she starts to fall in love with the hotel manager, complications develop that could ruin everything.
What we like:
- The film is directed by Mike Rohl, the same director behind the popular “Princess Switch” trilogy, and written by Ron Oliver and Carley Smale.
- Alright…so we just watched the last Netflix Christmas movie, Jingle Bell Heist, and it was pretty good! Maybe our expectations were low after A Merry Little Ex-Mas and Champagne Problems (both pretty bad), but Jingle Bell Heist was charming and sweet. So fingers crossed this one continues the trend…
What we don’t like:
- …but we’ve watched the trailer for this one, and we’re not so sure it’ll deliver.
OH. WHAT. FUN. (Prime Video)
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Danielle Brooks, Devery Jacobs, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow, with Jason Schwartzman with Eva Longoria and Joan Chen
Synopsis: Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts, no one decks the halls quite like Claire. But this year, as her grown kids and distracted husband get swept up in their own seasonal dramas, they make one crucial mistake: they forget their mom. By the time they realize she’s missing, Claire’s already set off on a festive adventure of her own – one that doesn’t involve cooking, cleaning, or coordinating anyone else’s chaos. As her family scrambles to find her and salvage their Christmas, Claire rediscovers what the holidays mean when you’re finally free to put yourself first.
What we like:
- Michael Showalter directs and co-writes (with Chandler Baker) this holiday comedy, which features a killer ensemble that features Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Danielle Brooks, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria, and Joan Chen. Great cast!
- The trailer is giving strong Family Stone-vibes, and we love The Family Stone.
What we don’t like:
- This is Michelle Pfeiffer’s first lead film role since 2020’s French Exit. The fact that we don’t get a new Michelle Pfeiffer star-vehicle at least every two years is a crime against humanity.
Thursday, December 4th, 2025
ARCHITECTON (HBO Max)
Cast: Michele De Lucchi, Mauro Mella, Davide Alioli, Nick Steur, Abdul Nabi al-Afi, Maksim Gaubetc
Synopsis: An extraordinary journey through the material that makes up our habitat: concrete, and its ancestor, stone. Victor Kossakovsky raises a fundamental question: how do we inhabit the world of tomorrow?
What we like:
- This fascinating documentary shows a range of environments, from ancient stone ruins to modern concrete destruction: from the temple ruins in Baalbek, Lebanon (dating back to AD 60) to recent disaster- or war-ravaged sites like earthquake-affected cities in Turkey and war-torn buildings in Ukraine.
- The first A24 film to receive a G rating from the MPA!
What we don’t like:
- Because of its slow pace, minimal dialogue and abstract presentation, the film might not be for everyone. Some viewers might find it challenging, abstract, or possibly difficult to follow, especially if they’re expecting a traditional documentary structure.
IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY (HBO Max)
Cast: Jeff Buckley
Synopsis: Rising musician Jeff Buckley had only released one album when he died suddenly in 1997. Now, never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and accounts from those closest to him offer a portrait of the captivating singer.
What we like:
- Directed by Amy Berg (Oscar-nominated for Deliver Us From Evil), this project spanned nearly 15 years. She first sought the rights from Jeff’s mother, Mary Guibert, around 2007 and began production in 2019.
- The film was made with full cooperation of Guibert, whose trust was painstakingly earned. Berg chose a documentary format over a biopic, preserving Buckley’s authentic voice through archives, voicemails, and personal footage
- Brad Pitt, a longtime fan, executive produced the film and helped fund the digitization and preservation of Buckley’s archival material.
What we don’t like:
- Buckley’s sudden death in 1997 was a massive loss, to his family, friends, and fans. The documentary culminates with Guibert listening to Jeff’s final voicemail, and it’s absolutely devastating.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (Paramount+)
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt
Synopsis: After escaping a calamitous train crash, Ethan realizes The Entity is stashed aboard an old Russian submarine, but a foe from his past named Gabriel is also on the trail.
What we like:
- Tom Cruise runs! Tom Cruise fights! Tom Cruise dangles! What’s not to like (see below)?
- Do we really think this will be the last Mission: Impossible film? It would be great if Cruise got back to playing a real human being. We have our fingers crossed for the Iñárritu movie he has coming out next year.
- The climactic plane stunt in this film is simply jaw-dropping. It’s a great capper to a terrifically entertaining (if somewhat uneven) franchise.
What we don’t like:
- At 170 minutes, this installment is way too long. The flashbacks are unnecessary and monotonous, and we sat in the theater feeling like Millhouse:
Friday, December 5th, 2025
THE FAMILY MCMULLEN (HBO Max)
Cast: Edward Burns, Michael McGlone, Connie Britton, Tracee Ellis Ross, Juliana Canfield, Pico Alexander, Brian d’Arcy James, Halston Sage
Synopsis: 30 years after the events of The Brothers McMullen, romantic entanglements plague a now fiftysomething Barry McMullen and his twentysomething kids, as well as his brother Patrick and widowed sister-in-law Molly, who are also facing similar unexpected hurdles.
What we like:
- Edward Burns is back 30 years after the debut of his breakthrough indie film The Brothers McMullen, which helped launch his career.
- While the original movie focused on young Irish-American men confronting love, faith, and life choices, the new film instead explores mid-life, parenthood, generational shifts and evolving relationships.
- Very smart to make this a holiday film. It feels like the perfect opportunity to re-introduce characters we know and integrate a whole new crop of McMullens during the most festive/stressful time of year.
What we don’t like:
- Several of the original actors return: along with Edward Burns and his on-screen brother Michael McGlone, the film brings back Connie Britton (as Molly McMullen). But some key characters are missing, including one of the three brothers. Not sure why actor Jack Mulcahy didn’t make it to the sequel?
JAY KELLY (Netflix)
Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Billy Crudup, Laura Dern, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Riley Keough, Emily Mortimer, Patrick Wilson, Jim Broadbent, Eve Hewson, Alba Rohrwacher, Greta Gerwig
Synopsis: Famous movie actor Jay Kelly and his devoted manager Ron embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind.
What we like:
- A new Noah Baumbach film is always cause for celebration. This time his co-writer is not Great Gerwig, but Emily Mortimer.
- The film’s cinematography is handled by Linus Sandgren (Babylon, Saltburn, La La Land), and the movie was shot on 35 mm film, giving it a richer, more “classic movie” texture than most Netflix digital junk.
- Baumbach, who coaxed a fantastic performance out of Adam Sandler in his 2017 film The Meyerowitz Stories, gives the actor another meaty role that may bring him his first Oscar nomination.
What we don’t like:
- It’s hard to wrap our heads around the critical reception of the film. After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, reactions were all over the map. It currently sits at a 66 on Metacritic, which isn’t great. We’re excited to finally catch up with it.
MAN FINDS TAPE (VOD/Digital)
Cast: Kelsey Pribilski, William Magnuson, John Gholson, Brian Villalobos, and Nell Kessler
Synopsis: Pulled in by a series of strange and unexplainable video clips, a brother and sister team up to investigate the events captured in the footage, only to discover a shocking secret that’s overtaking their small-town Texas community.
What we like:
- Directed by first-time feature filmmakers Peter Hall and Paul Gandersman, this thriller leans into a found-footage / faux-documentary style, using interviews, recovered footage, 911 calls, internet-forum commentary, and surveillance tapes to build a sense of realism and dread.
- The film world premiered to positive reactions at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
What we don’t like:
- After binging a number of Shudder’s V/H/S series over Halloween season last month, we’ve had our fill of found-footage thrillers for a while. Still…this one sounds intriguing and worth a watch.
MUZZLE 2: CITY OF WOLVES (VOD/Digital)
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Tanya van Graan
Synopsis: LAPD officer Jake Rosser endeavors to lead a peaceful life with his family and retired K-9 officer, Socks. However, tranquility dissolves into chaos when a gang targets them in a brutal attack. Alongside his new K-9 partner Argos, Jake launches into a relentless pursuit of justice, determined to protect his loved ones.
What we like:
- A sequel to the 2023 film Muzzle, this actioner brings back director John Stalberg Jr. and star Aaron Eckhart.
- We’ll tip our hat to RLJE Films…they give most of their films a theatrical release instead of sending them right to streaming. This one came and went quickly from a few hundred screens…but at least it was in theaters!
What we don’t like:
- Critics were not impressed with this sequel, some calling it an incoherent mess. Still.. if you’re a fan of the first Muzzle, you’ll probably find this one appealing.
THE NEW YORKER AT 100 (Netflix)
Synopsis: It is considered one of the most culturally significant magazines of all time. Now, as The New Yorker marks its centennial, the iconic publication is granting unprecedented access to its inner workings, its contributors, and its archives. This documentary follows the editors, writers and creatives behind the scenes of one of the last print magazines of our time.
What we like:
- This sounds fascinating. For the first time ever, The New Yorker allowed a documentary filmmaker full access to its newsroom: editors, writers, fact-checkers, cartoonists, photographers…all captured while working on the magazine’s centennial issue.
- Marshall Curry, a two-time Documentary Feature Oscar-nominee (Street Fight, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front) is at the helm here. Curry’s first narrative film, the short The Neighbor’s Window, won the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short.
- The film is narrated by Julianne Moore.
What we don’t like:
- With such a storied history and 100 years of highlights to sift through, are we sure a 96 minute documentary isn’t just scratching the surface? Daniel Feinberg, the influential television critic for The Hollywood Reporter, posits it might have been a better as a multi-episode miniseries. We haven’t seen the doc yet, but we’d definitely watch a longer version.
REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND (Shudder)
Cast: Fabio Testi, Yannick Renier, Koen de Bouw, Maria de Medeiros, and Thi-Mai Nguyen
Synopsis: When the mysterious woman in the room next door disappears, a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur is confronted by the demons and darlings of a lurid past in which moviemaking, memories and madness collide.
What we like:
- This stylish Euro-spy thriller was directed by the French husband and wife filmmaking team of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.
- The film is led by Italian star Fabio Testi, who’s probably best known to American audiences for his role in Vittorio De Sica’s 1970 masterpiece The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.
What we don’t like:
- Reviews for the film have been mostly positive for this James Bond meets grind house thriller, though some find its visual flamboyance exhausting and complain the plot is confusing and jumbled. It certainly looks very cool, and we’re excited to check it out!
Happy Streaming everyone!
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