Happy New Year folks! The holiday season may be over, but the celebrations of December 31st are front and center as the world prepares to welcome 2023 (and the inevitably wild ride it has in store).
Compared to last week’s Christmas streaming recap – with the likes of Knives Out 2, Matilda the Musical and The Witcher: Origin of the Blood – This weekend’s picks list isn’t nearly as stacked. However, for the first time in a long time, there are no sequels or subsequent seasons to enjoy for the next few days. Instead, everything included below is fresh off the creative conveyor belt.
2022’s latest offering of new movies and TV shows can then at least be said to be unique, and we’ve picked seven highlights that can be streamed in a similar way NetflixPrime Video and HBO Max this weekend.
White Noise (Netflix)
Frances Ha director Noah Baumbach returns to Netflix this weekend with White Noise, his first feature film since 2019’s Marriage Story.
This is an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s satirical novel of the same name new Netflix movie Adam Driver stars as Jack Gladney, a college professor whose life in the suburbs is turned upside down when a nearby chemical leak forces him and his family to evacuate. Greta Gerwig, Wonder Actors Don Cheadle, André 3000, Alessandro Nivola and Jodie Turner-Smith also feature.
White Noise has been hailed by critics almost universally as an “engrossing, cerebral black comedy,” so expect it to be added to our list of the The best Netflix movies soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Kaleidoscope (Netflix)
Netflix has been more willing to embrace experimental storytelling than most streamers in recent years, and Kaleidoscope continues to demonstrate that attitude.
With the exception of the last episode, this eight-part series – about a team of thieves who plan a grand heist over the course of two decades – is designed to be viewed in a completely random (i.e. non-linear) order. In other words, you are encouraged to take an active part in solving the mystery behind the heist itself, which takes place in Episode 8.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Stars Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, The Suicide Squad‘s Jai Courttey and Rufus Sewell join the cast of Kaleidoscope. This is a limited series that seems primed to earn a spot on our list of The best Netflix shows just because of the sheer creativity.
Available to stream on Netflix starting Sunday.
Betrayal (Netflix)
Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox rekindles his allegiance to his old employer Netflix in new spy thriller Treason.
This five-part series from Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matt Charman stars Cox as the newly appointed MI6 boss whose checkered past – who has her head in the form of a Russian spy Olga Kurylenko (Black widow) – comes back to haunt him and his family. Ciaran Hinds (Belfast) and Oona Chaplin (game of Thrones) also star.
we spoke to the cast and creator of Treason about the origins and inspirations of the series ahead of its Netflix debut on Monday, April 26 We couldn’t resist asking Cox a few questions about his return to Daredevilalso).
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Paul T. Goldman (Peacock)
A word of warning: Paul T. Goldman looks weird. Very strange. So strange that we’re not entirely sure what exactly it is. But here it is anyway.
Per Peacock, Paul T. Goldman is “a stunning series from the director of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm […] director Jason Woliner has been making for over a decade, and a story that continues to offer mind-blowing twists and turns.” More specifically, it’s a docu-drama comedy that narrates the experiences of the real person Paul T. Goldman, who appears in this Series played by… Paul T. Goldman?
Okay, we’re still none the wiser – but the first three episodes of the series are available to stream peacock starting Sunday, with additional new episodes arriving over the next three weeks.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
Best of Stand Up 2022 (Netflix)
Netflix’s latest special, Best of Stand-Up 2022, throws together all of the streamer’s recent stand-up successes into one feature-length lachathon.
Featuring performances from the likes of Bill Burr, Ali Wong, Gabriel Iglesias, Trevor Noah, Taylor Tomlinson and Jo Koy, Best of Stand-Up 2022 is your best chance to brush up on this year’s cultural inside jokes before they’re replaced by whatever ridiculousness always has 2023 up its sleeve.
Oddly enough, Netflix didn’t share an official trailer for the special, so you’ve got to take our word for it: you’ll get at least a laugh out of this one.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Rules for This Place (HBO Max)
The first of this week’s two documentaries (or three, if you count Paul T. Goldman) is This Place Rules on HBO Max.
Self-proclaimed “Gonzo” journalist Andrew Callaghan directs this feature-length fact-finding film about the political state of America in the months leading up to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. This Place Rules airs on HBO on December 30 before it airs the next day streamed on HBO Max.
Available to stream on HBO Max starting Saturday.
Wildcat (Prime Video)
Animal lovers, this is for you. Prime video‘s new documentary, Wildcat, follows the inspiring story of a young veteran, Harry Turner, who forms an unlikely relationship with an orphaned baby ocelot on his journey to the Amazon rainforest.
According to Amazon’s description, “what was intended as an attempt to escape from life turns out to be an unexpected journey of love, discovery and healing.” Wildcat’s strong reception at the Telluride Film Festival suggests it could be one of them The best Prime Video movies.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
