Happy New Year, folks! On the at-home entertainment front, the likes of Rebel Moon, Saltburn and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget ensured 2023 ended with a bang, but the new movies and TV shows haven’t let up as we move into the first weekend of 2024.
Netflix leads the way this week with four (four!) recommendations, though Prime Video and Max subscribers have something to enjoy, too, in the form of new psychological thriller Foe and nostalgia-inducing documentary Time Bomb Y2K, respectively.
Below, we’ve rounded up the seven biggest new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend.
Fool Me Once (Netflix)
Harlan Coben adaptations are commonplace on Netflix these days, and the streamer’s latest novel-inspired offering, Fool Me Once, is now available to stream in its entirety.
This eight-episode British thriller – adapted from Coben’s 2016 novel of the same name – centers on a windowed single mother (Michelle Keegan) whose murdered husband (Richard Armitage, returning for his third Netflix/Coben production) re-enters her life in inexplicable circumstances.
Joanna Lumley, Joe Armstrong and Jade Anouka also star in Fool Me Once, which critics have slammed as being “convoluted”, “over-the-top” and “implausible.” That said, Coben’s stories aren’t known for their Oscar-winning dialogue, so if you’re simply looking to switch your brain off for a few hours, Fool Me Once could be worth your time (it won’t, however, be making our list of the best Netflix shows).
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Foe (Prime Video)
Despite the understated nature of his film and TV projects this far, Paul Mescal is having a bit of a moment right now – and the Irish actor continues his march towards the mainstream this weekend with Foe on Prime Video.
This Black Mirror-style adaptation of Iain Reid’s 2018 novel stars Mescal and Saoirse Ronan as Hen and Junior, a married couple whose lives are turned upside down when a stranger turns up at their door to deliver some unsettling news: Junior has been drafted to a large space station, while Hen will be left in the company of a robot.
Critics have criticized Foe for being “a familiar slab of sci-fi,” but both Ronan and Mescal have earned plaudits for their “captivating” performances.” Perhaps, then, this one will earn a spot on our list of the best Prime Video movies after all.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Good Grief (Netflix)
Schitt’s Creek alumnus Dan Levy heads up the cast of new Netflix movie Good Grief, which also marks the actor’s feature-length directorial debut.
This comedy-drama centers on a young man (Levy) who, in an attempt to grieve the death of his larger-than-life husband (Luke Evans), travels with his two best friends (Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel) to Paris for a weekend getaway.
Critics have described Good Grief as “a gentle, genial watch,” albeit one bogged down by “entirely artificial romcom dialogue,” so we’re inclined to suggest that only Richard Curtis fans need apply here.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The Brothers Sun (Netflix)
Michelle Yeoh and Justin Chien lead the all-Asian cast of Netflix’s newest gangster drama The Brothers Sun, which is now streaming in its entirety.
This eight-episode, darkly comedic action series – which is set in both Taiwan and Los Angeles – centers on a Taipei gangster who heads to America to protect his mother and brother after his triad-leading father is killed by an assassin.
Critics have described Michelle Yeoh as “supreme and gloriously lethal” in The Brothers Sun, which comes from the minds of Brad Falchuk (American Horror Story) and Byron Wu.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Society of the Snow (Netflix)
Sticking with Netflix, new survival drama Society of the Snow is now available to stream.
This Spanish-language thriller (from The Orphanage director J.A. Bayona) recounts the harrowing true story of the 1972 Andes plane crash, which saw a Uruguayan rugby team left stranded in the mountains – in sub-zero temperatures – for 72 days.
Society of the Snow is Spain’s official Oscar submission for 2023, and reviewers have labeled the film a “powerful retelling” of a well-known story. Yellowjackets fans, this one’s for you.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Time Bomb Y2K (Max)
This week’s documentary pick is Time Bomb Y2K on Max, which, if you’re too young to gather as much from the title, examines the mass hysteria surrounding the year 2000 problem – otherwise known as the 1999 doomsday computer glitch.
An all-archival production from filmmaking duo Marley McDonald and Brian Becker, Time Bomb Y2K recounts those pre-millennial anxieties and explores how modern life has been dramatically transformed by the digital revolution.
UK viewers will find this one streaming on Sky and NOW TV.
Now available to stream on Max.
81st Golden Globes (Paramount Plus)
The 81st annual Golden Globes kick off at 8pm ET / 5pm PT this Sunday (or 1am GMT the following day in the UK), with the entire show streaming on Paramount Plus (if you have a Showtime package included with your subscription, that is).
Although the Globes have faded into relative obscurity these past few years, 2024 will play host to the most diverse and international crop of nominees in competition history (that being said, Oppenheimer and Barbie are still tipped to clean up the majority of this year’s awards).
Available to stream on Paramount Plus from Sunday.
