Another weekend is here, which means the question of what to watch is fresh on our minds. The best streaming services aren’t making that decision paralysis any easier, with a packed slate of great new movies to add to your ever-growing watchlist.
Leading the pack is Peacock with one of this year’s biggest blockbusters so far, the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon.” For a dash of nostalgia, you can see Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis back in body-swapping action in “Freakier Friday” on paid video-on-demand platforms. Over on Netflix, subscribers can catch a mystery thriller starring Keira Knightley called “The Woman in Cabin 10.”
Not feeling any of my picks? Be sure to check out our round-up of all the best movies and shows to watch this weekend. With that out of the way, let’s dive into the best new movies on streaming to watch this weekend.
Alyse Stanley
I’m here every weekend highlighting the new-to-streaming gems (and none of the duds) to help you take the guesswork out of what to watch.
‘Freakier Friday’ (PVOD)
Listen, I’m not saying a “Freaky Friday” reboot needed to exist. But with Hollywood so eager to cash in on nostalgia these days, this aging millennial is happy to see some aughts gems finally getting their due A sequel to the 2003 body-swap comedy “Freaky Friday,” this sequel reunites original stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis with a fresh cast that includes Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, and “The Good Place’s” Manny Jacinto.
This time around, Anna (Lohan) is getting ready to marry Eric (Jacinto), and their teenage daughters Harper (Butters) and Lily (Hammons) are less than thrilled to become stepsisters. During Anna’s bachelorette party, the three women and Anna’s mom Tess (Curtis) have their palms read by a supposed psychic, only to find that, come the next morning, they’ve all mysteriously switched bodies. But for Anna and Tess, this ain’t their first rodeo. While “Freakier Friday” leans heavily on a familiar formula, it has enough laughs and callbacks to keep fans of the original entertained.
Buy or rent “Freakier Friday” on Amazon or Apple now
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (Peacock)
Speaking of cashing in on nostalgia, DreamWorks took a page from Disney with its live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon.” I can hardly blame them, though, considering it raked in more than $630 million at the box office. I’ll always prefer the original animated versions, but I realize I’m in the minority here. While the live-action version may not fully recapture the original’s animated magic, its heartwarming story remains largely intact, which is sure to resonate with fans of the series.
Journey back to Berk and its long history of feuding Vikings and dragons to follow Hiccup (Mason Thames), the awkward teenage son of the village chief, as he comes into his own. After discovering an injured Night Fury, he begins to suspect that dragons aren’t the fearsome enemy he’s been led to believe. As he nurses the dragon Toothless back to health, the two become unlikely friends. Together, they face a growing threat that endangers both their worlds, and it’s up to Hiccup to convince his people that humans and dragons can live in harmony.
Watch “How to Train Your Dragon” on Peacock now
‘The Woman in Cabin 10’ (Netflix)
When it comes to mystery thrillers, Netflix subscribers gobble them up like candy (me included), so don’t be surprised to see this latest original starring Keira Knightley hit the No. 1 spot this weekend. It’s the kind of breezy watch that’s perfect for a weekend movie night, and once the central mystery picks up steam, it’s hard not to get drawn in. Just keep your expectations in check, is all I’ll say. Personally, I think Jodie Foster did a better job with this whole shtick in “Flightplan,” but that’s not exactly the highest bar to begin with.
Knightley stars as journalist Laura “Lo” Blacklock, who heads out on a luxury yacht’s maiden voyage for what’s supposed to be a routine assignment. But on her first night, the trip takes a chilling turn when she’s jolted awake by a strange noise and witnesses a passenger being thrown overboard. Stranger still, when she reports the incident, the crew insists that no one is missing. Undeterred, Laura launches her own hunt for answers, and the deeper she digs, the more she realizes it’s not just her credibility at stake, but her life.
Watch “The Woman in Cabin 10” on Netflix now
‘Maintenance Required’ (Prime Video)
Prime Video is serving up a romantic comedy that feels engineered in a lab to be my next comfort watch. Madelaine Petsch and Jacob Scipio star as a pair of rival auto repair shop owners who connect online without realizing they’re enemies IRL. It gives me big “You’ve Got Mail” vibes.
Charlie’s (Petsch) tight-knit, women-run auto repair shop stands to take a serious blow after a sleek, corporate competitor sets up shop across the street. When she vents her frustrations online, she meets an anonymous user who seems to understand her struggles. Little does she know that her online confidante is actually Beau (Scipio), the business rival threatening her garage’s future. As the two get closer online, when AFK, they’re locked in a fierce competition for customers and credibility. When the truth finally comes out, Charlie must decide whether their chemistry is strong enough to survive — or if her heart belongs to her business first and foremost.
Watch “Maintenance Required” on Prime Video now
‘My Father, the BTK Killer’ (Netflix)
Just like mystery thrillers, Netflix documentaries are practically catnip for subscribers, and what’s more attention-grabbing than a serial killer’s daughter ready to spill all the tea? “My Father, the BTK Killer” explores one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history through the eyes of Kerri Rawson. In 2005, her world was turned upside-down when her father, Dennis Rader, was arrested and unmasked as the BTK Killer, who was ultimately found responsible for at least 10 murders.
This true crime documentary delves into the chilling crimes that terrorized communities in Wichita, Kansas, for decades, expanding on a memoir that Rawson wrote in 2019 with additional interviews with journalists and law enforcement who covered the case. For Rawson, though, this story goes far beyond the headlines. Her deeply personal account of how her father’s legacy continues to haunt her will break your heart.
Watch “My Father, the BTK Killer” on Netflix now
‘Caramelo’ (Netflix)
![Caramelo - Official Trailer [English] | Netflix - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XbgzEgug62E/maxresdefault.jpg)
“Caramelo” is exactly the kind of heartwarming weekend pick-me-up I didn’t know I needed, especially after surviving the whirlwind of Prime Day deals coverage. Writer-director Diego Freitas serves up a tender, beautifully shot São Paulo story about a scrappy stray dog, an ambitious young chef (Rafael Vitti), and the unexpected bond that forms between them after a life-altering diagnosis turns his future into one big question mark.
That friendship with his new four-legged pal, whom he names Amendoim (“Peanuts” in Portuguese), becomes his emotional anchor during a turbulent time, offering not just comfort, but some much-needed laughs and a renewed sense of direction when everything else feels uncertain. Sure, the story sticks to familiar feel-good territory. Amendoim inevitably wreaks havoc in the kitchen, you’ve got your stereotypical snooty food critic whose good review could spell a big break, and the passionate sous chef turning the local comfort food into fine dining. But it’s all delivered with so much heart, charm, and scrumptious-looking dishes that it’s hard not to get swept up in its rose-colored vibes.
Watch “Caramelo” on Netflix now
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ (PVOD)
“The Conjuring” is one of my favorite horror franchises, and its fourth entry (and possibly final? Pretty sure they said that last time too) once again serves up plenty of screams with another chilling investigation from real-life paranormal-hunting duo Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga). In “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” the couple tackles one of their darkest and most unsettling cases to date, though it sticks pretty closely to its tried-and-true formula. Still, it’s a fun watch to celebrate spooky season.
Set in 1986, the story follows Ed and Lorraine as they travel to Pennsylvania to help the Smurl family, who are plagued by terrifying supernatural forces haunting their new home. Their daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) gets pulled into the case when they need her ability to sense the dead to shut a portal that brought evil into the home. As formulaic as it may be, the family’s dynamic emerges as the film’s most powerful aspect, a testament to just what lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.
Buy or rent “The Conjuring: Last Rites” on Amazon or Apple now
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