Merry Christmas, one and all, and a Happy New Year! 2024 looms large, but if you’re planning on spending the new year weekend glued firmly to the couch, then our pick of the best new movies and TV shows to stream should help you see out 2023 with a bang.
Leading the charge this weekend is Emerald Fennell’s controversial new thriller Saltburn, which recently landed on Prime Video following a headline-grabbing theatrical run. Elsewhere, Ncuti Gatwa makes his standalone debut as the titular Time Lord in Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road on Disney Plus, while a new Money Heist spin-off, Berlin, is now streaming on Netflix.
Below, we’ve rounded up the seven biggest new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend.
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer)
Ncuti Gatwa’s solo stint as The Doctor kicked off on Christmas Day, but if you missed the live broadcast, Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road is now streaming on Disney Plus in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
This holiday special episode brings The Doctor’s newest companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), into the fray, and after a typically Whovian introduction, the pair find themselves on a mission to foil horde of baby-stealing goblins.
In the interest of avoiding spoilers, we’ll keep further plot details under wraps, but Doctor Who fans can rest assured that Gatwa’s first standalone spell as the titular Time Lord kicks things off with a bang.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Saltburn (Prime Video)
After a surprisingly successful theatrical run, Emerald Fennell’s new movie, Saltburn, is streaming on Prime Video (it actually became available last weekend, but we couldn’t fit it in alongside our other recommendations!).
This Talented Mr. Ripley-style drama stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford University student whose infatuation with wealthy collegemate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) leads to a summer of unbridled debauchery (we’ll let you discover the details for yourself).
Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Carey Mulligan also star in Saltburn, which critics have described as “an inconclusive class satire, but also great fun.” Might this one earn a spot on our list of the best Prime Video movies of 2023?
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Berlin (Netflix)
Pedro Alonso reprises his role as the carefree, sophisticated and slightly psychotic Berlin (aka Andrés de Fonollosa) in Netflix’s latest Money Heist spin-off series, the aptly-titled Berlin.
This prequel to the streamer’s 2017 Spanish-language phenomenon – which also comes from original creator Álex Pina – finds Berlin in Paris as he and a masterful gang of thieves prepare to steal €44 million-worth of jewels in one night.
Pina himself says Berlin is “a trip through the golden age of the character, when he robbed around Europe crazy in love,” so it’s safe to expect a fair amount of tension, romance and humor from this new Netflix series.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Pokémon Concierge (Netflix)
Pokémon fans, your time has come: a new stop-motion animated series, Pokémon Concierge, is now streaming on Netflix.
Set on a tropical island resort for Pokémon, this four-episode series centers on Haru, a new-in-the-job hotel concierge who welcomes and interacts with visiting Pokémon and their owners. But as she quickly discovers, caring for the likes of Pikachu, Eevee, Magikarp and Dragonite is no easy task.
Suffice to say, Pokémon Concierge – a collaborative project from The Pokémon Company and critically acclaimed Japanese animators dwarf studios – looks like the most creative Netflix project since Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, so new and old Pokémon fans should find plenty to enjoy here.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon (Netflix)
Ricky Gervais is an understandably divisive figure, but fans of the British comedian’s no-holds-barred style will be pleased to learn that his latest special, Armageddon, is now streaming on Netflix.
Per the show’s official synopsis, this “taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity” sees Ricky Gervais “dishing out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity.” Standard Ricky Gervais fare, then.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare (Netflix)
The first of two documentary picks on this week’s list is Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare on Netflix, which dives deep into the harrowing true story of an American “wilderness therapy camp” that promised to reform wayward teens.
Former military special forces officer Steve Cartisano established the Challenger Foundation in the Utah desert in the 1980s, charging $15,900 for its 63-day reform program. However, the foundation was soon shut down following multiple charges of child abuse and negligent homicide over the death of a 16-year-old girl.
So, what really happened in the desert? That’s what Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare promises to reveal – and it looks like it could be one of the best Netflix documentaries for some time.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Oprah and The Color Purple Journey (Max)
A new, musical adaptation of The Color Purple is now playing in US theaters (the film releases in the UK on January 26), and Max subscribers can enjoy an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at its development this weekend in Oprah and The Color Purple Journey.
Narrated by Oprah herself – who played the role of Sophia in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 original movie and produced the new version – this feature-length film celebrates the enduring legacy of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
Now available to stream on Max.
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