From 'Alien: Romulus' to 'Twisters,' 20 movies you need to stream right now
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Turkey. Stuffing. Football. Parade floats. Streaming movies.
The latter isn't exactly a Thanksgiving weekend tradition, but who says it can't be? Because streaming services like Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Peacock, Disney+, Hulu and others have a feast of new options for cineasts of all tastes right now, from sci-fi chillers to tornado-filled thrillers. There are recent theatrical releases, such as the Marvel team-up of Deadpool and Wolverine as well as an origin story for transforming robots, but also original flicks including a Mexican crime thriller musical and a male stripper Christmas rom-com.
Here are 20 notable new movies you can stream right now:
'Alien: Romulus'
Director Fede Alvarez embraces unpredictability and plenty of gore – plus toes the line between "Alien" and "Aliens" – in his freaky sci-fi horror franchise installment. Cailee Spaeny gives Ripley vibes as part of a group of young explorers trying to leave their world who run afoul of freaky Facehuggers and a chilling Xenomorph.
Where to watch: Hulu.
'Beatles '64'
Ever wonder what Beatlemania was like back in the day? This documentary chronicles the hyped arrival of The Beatles in the USA, featuring interviews with the Fab Four, normal folks with personal memories, and luminaries like Ronnie Spector, who hid the guys in the one place they wouldn't be recognized: Harlem.
Where to watch: Disney+.
'Blitz'
When the Nazis increase their air bombing on London, a British ammunitions worker (Saoirse Ronan) sends her son (Elliott Heffernan) off with other kids to the safer countryside. He escapes the train and embarks on a long quest back as she does her best to help on the home front in Steve McQueen's stirring World War II drama.
Where to watch: Apple TV+.
'Deadpool & Wolverine'
Need a pick-me-up involving time-travel shenanigans and Marvel superheroes saving the day to a Madonna classic? Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine team up for a foul-mouthed, big-hearted and often hilarious action adventure full of pop-culture references and A-list cameos.
Where to watch: Disney+.
'Dear Santa'
This is why spelling is important, kids! Young Liam (Robert Timothy Smith) messes up a letter meant for Santa and instead summons that other guy who's really into red: Satan (Jack Black). The devil tries to corrupt the boy and take his soul while engaging in various shenanigans (like turning into Post Malone) in the Christmas comedy.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
'Emilia Pérez'
The most wildly original flick of the year? This banger of a mix between noir crime thriller, thought-provoking redemption tale and soap operatic movie musical, with Karla Sofía Gascón as a cartel boss who wants to transition, Selena Gomez as the kingpin's wife and Zoe Saldaña as the lawyer caught up in it.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Hot Frosty'
Netflix has fully realized its Hallmark self with this holiday rom-com. Kathy (Lacey Chabert) puts a red scarf on a snowman with six-pack abs and discovers he's turned into a buff human dude known as Jack (Dustin Milligan), who brings the magic of Christmas back for Kathy but irks the sheriff (Craig Robinson).
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Hundreds of Beavers'
Inspired equally by "Looney Tunes" cartoons and video games, this zany comedy centers on a 19th-century applejack salesman (Ryland Tews) who turns to fur trapping, goes to war with forest critters (played by actors in mascot costumes) and has to kill, yes, hundreds of beavers so he can marry his crush.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
'The Merry Gentlemen'
This predictable warm hug of a holiday flick sports a saucy side. After getting fired from her Rockette-y gig, a Broadway star (Britt Robertson) returns home and, finding out her parents are about to lose their music hall, trains a hunky handyman (Chad Michael Murray) and other dudes for an all-male dance revue to save the place.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'My Old Ass'
The coming-of-age dramedy stars Maisy Stella as a Canadian youngster who celebrates her 18th birthday by taking mushrooms by campfire. She trips and converses with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), a meeting that sparks a heartfelt exploration of one preparing for the future and the other coming to grips with her past.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
'Nutcrackers'
The family holiday movie stars Ben Stiller as a Chicago real-estate developer who becomes the guardian of four feral boys on a farm when his sister and her husband die in a car accident. He struggles to juggle finishing a big work deal and finding them a foster family, as the boys grow on him through various high jinks and a touching finale.
Where to watch: Hulu.
'Our Little Secret'
Lindsay Lohan’s latest cheeseball holiday jam is also a nightmare dating scenario. The last time exes Avery (Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) saw each other was a disaster, and 10 years later, they wind up at the same family get-together because their significant others are siblings. The pair have to pretend to not know one another to survive the edibles-fueled, rom-com shenanigans.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Out of My Mind'
Phoebe-Rae Taylor plays an extremely bright, nonverbal 12-year-old with cerebral palsy who attends a general sixth grade class with the help of assistive voice technology. Even with a new way to express herself, however, she struggles to be heard and understood in this touching, inclusive and inspirational tale.
Where to watch: Disney+.
'The Piano Lesson'
Director Malcolm Washington's thoughtful, horror-tinged adaptation of the August Wilson play stars older brother John David as a Mississippi man who wants to sell the family's heirloom piano to buy the land where his enslaved ancestors toiled. But his headstrong sister (Danielle Deadwyler) refuses to part with it.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Spellbound'
"West Side Story" actress Rachel Zegler sings again, in a fantasy landscape rather than New York City. When her royal parents are turned into monsters (voiced by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem), a princess (Zegler) has to figure out a way to break the spell and save her kingdom in a musical adventure also featuring John Lithgow and Nathan Lane.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Sweethearts'
Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga play besties whose high school loves are buzzkilling their freshman year at university, and their plan to dump them over Thanksgiving break goes awry. Come for a codependent spin on the college comedy, stay for Caleb Hearon stealing the movie (as the main characters' gay buddy home from France).
Where to watch: Max.
'Thelma'
June Squibb is 2024's most unlikely action hero in this indie comedy. "Mission: Impossible"-loving elderly woman Thelma (Squibb) gets scammed out of $10,000 and hops on her electric scooter to get her money back alongside reluctant partner Ben (Richard Roundtree, the late "Shaft" star in his final film role).
Where to watch: Hulu.
'Transformers One'
"Transformers" movies are best when animated. This origin story is an enjoyable hoot that goes back to the earliest days of Optimus and Megatron – or as they're called, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) – and charts the path that turned close friends into bitter enemies.
Where to watch: Paramount+.
'Twisters'
The monster truck of a kinda-sorta disaster sequel stars Glen Powell as an endearing cowboy "tornado wrangler" and Daisy Edgar-Jones as a big-city meteorologist. The twosome flirt with serious danger – and just flirt period – when they partner up to study gnarly windstorms and help folks escape catastrophe along the way.
Where to watch: Peacock.
'Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary'
This doc is a must-see for anyone obsessed with the soft rock era of the late 1970s and early '80s that gave us the smooth pop sounds of Toto and Steely Dan. The film discusses icons like Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross, how the hit "What a Fool Believes" became a game-changer, and yacht rock's close connections with R&B.
Where to watch: Max.