From 'Oppenheimer' to 'The Marvels,' here are 15 movies you need to stream right now
From terrible superhero fare to underwhelming spy flicks, things are pretty bleak in theaters. Not so on your favorite streaming services, where Oscar-nominated movies, summer blockbusters and high-profile originals are coming in hot. (We see you, J.Lo!)
This month, Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, Hulu, Paramount+ and Max have a wide variety for movie lovers of all tastes. There's something for everyone, whether you've been waiting patiently for the more serious half of the Barbenheimer combo or jonesing for a musical remake of a 1980s best picture contender.
Here are 15 notable new movies that you can stream right now:
'Cat Person'
Based on a viral short story, the cringe-inducing comedic thriller stars Emilia Jones ("CODA") as a college kid who meets an older man (Nicholas Braun) at the movie theater where she works. Numbers and many flirty texts are exchanged, but things go sideways when he starts acting extremely suss and dumping him proves dicey.
Where to watch: Hulu
'The Color Purple'
Blitz Bazawule crafts a vibrant and joyous adaptation of the Broadway musical (based on Alice Walker's seminal book). Fantasia Barrino is terrific as a Southern woman shackled to a no-good man (Colman Domingo) who fosters a strong sisterhood with a loyal friend (Danielle Brooks) and a blues singer (Taraji P. Henson).
Where to watch: Max
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'Dicks: The Musical'
This polarizing, saucy and R-rated spin on “The Parent Trap” with f-bombs galore stars Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson as macho vacuum-parts salesmen who learn they’re long-lost identical twins and seek to reunite their divorced parents. Worth a watch just for Bowen Yang as God and Megan Thee Stallion as a twerking lady boss.
Where to watch: Max
'The Last Voyage of the Demeter'
André Øvredal's period horror film is a seafaring slasher where a monstrous Dracula gets loose on a Russian schooner bound for England and the sailors are not ready for the king bloodsucker. Based on a chapter from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," it's way more chatty than it needs to be and skimps on the claustrophobic carnage.
Where to watch:Paramount+ with Showtime
'The Marvels'
Disney+ teen heroine Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) makes her Marvel movie debut in a body-swapping space romp that partners her with her idol Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and superpowered astronaut Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Sure, it sticks to the formula, but a herd of cats feature in an all-time Marvel Cinematic Universe moment.
Where to watch: Disney+
'Next Goal Wins'
Based on a true story, Taika Waititi's feel-good sports comedy centers on soccer coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender). A demanding dude who can't keep a job, he’s sent to American Samoa to turn around the fortunes of a national team that endured global humiliation a decade earlier and now needs his guidance on the pitch.
Where to watch: Hulu
'Oppenheimer'
Blistering and thought-provoking, Christopher Nolan's best picture front-runner chronicles the Manhattan Project of the 1940s and America's race to develop the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy is phenomenal as J. Robert Oppenheimer, a flawed genius who rises to become a hero but is later vilified by the country he loves.
Where to watch: Peacock
'Orion and the Dark'
In the animated fantasy, Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is a scaredy-cat when it comes to pretty much everything, especially the dark. That bums out the sensitive Dark (Paul Walter Hauser), who takes Orion on a nighttime journey to meet pals like Sweet Dreams and Insomnia, and show him that there's nothing to be afraid of.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Past Lives'
Director Celine Song's romantic drama charts the emotional paths of childhood friends Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). Decades after Nora's family left South Korea, they reconnect and he comes to visit Nora and her husband (John Magaro) in a slow-burn narrative that digs into fate, choices and the relationships that define us.
Where to watch: Paramount+ with Showtime
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'Players'
Mack (Gina Rodriguez) is a New York sports reporter who runs "plays" with her co-workers (including Augustus Prew and Damon Wayans Jr.) for bar hookups. When she meets a famous war journalist (Tom Ellis) and wants a relationship for a change, though, they have to take their shenanigans to the next level in the romantic comedy.
Where to watch: Netflix
'The Pod Generation'
Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor play a couple who sign up to have their baby through an artificial womb. She's all for the "pod" experience, he bristles, though their mindsets shift as the due date grows closer in this intriguing exploration of gender dynamics amid a strange futuristic world that feels eerily possible.
Where to watch: Hulu
'Suncoast'
Laura Chinn’s semi-autobiographical dramedy is a lively 2000s throwback. Nico Parker plays a Florida teen whose dying brother is moved into hospice care by their mom (Laura Linney). The girl befriends a right-to-life activist (Woody Harrelson) and parties hearty, but she’s forced to weigh a newfound freedom with her family responsibilities.
Where to watch: Hulu
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'Thanksgiving'
Directed by Eli Roth ("Cabin Fever"), this is the horror tale you need if you're a diehard for all things Turkey Day. A year after a Black Friday sale turned into a night of death at a big-box store, a Massachusetts community is rocked again by a pilgrim-themed masked slasher on a mission of bloody revenge.
Where to watch: Netflix (on Saturday)
'This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story'
More an hour-long music video than a movie per se, "This Is Me" features Jennifer Lopez singing, dancing and even fixing a giant steampunk heart in a narrative based on her personal journey to find true love – and a love for herself. The A-list supporting cast includes Jane Fonda, Fat Joe, Post Malone and, of course, her husband Ben Affleck.
Where to watch: Prime Video
'Upgraded'
In this romantic comedy/art-world Cinderella story, Camila Mendes ("Riverdale") plays an assistant at a New York auction house who has a meet-cute with a rich British dude (Archie Renaux) when she's upgraded to first class on a plane ride to London. Which is cool until she gets caught in a series of lies juggling her job and this new guy.
Where to watch: Prime Video