We're inching closer to the holiday season, and the best streaming services are already bringing plenty of gifts with a slew of new movies to watch this weekend. Because when the weather outside is frightful, you can find me curled up on the couch whittling down my watchlist.
Leading the pack this week is Guillermo Del Toro's gothic epic "Frankenstein" on Netflix. Tyler Perry also has a new holiday romance on Prime Video, "Finding Joy," or for something a bit steamier, you can check out Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans and Dakota Johnson in "Materialists" on HBO Max. Pascal also stars in another blockbuster debut this weekend, with "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" finally landing on Disney Plus. Fans of period dramas also won't want to miss the highly anticipated "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" on Peacock.
'Frankenstein' (Netflix)
As soon as I heard Guillermo del Toro was working on adapting the classic gothic novel "Frankenstein" with Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac, I was immediately sold. The Oscar-winning filmmaker's gothic style and eye for tragic beauty feel tailor-made for this kind of story, and Jacob Elordi’s haunting turn as the creature will rip your heart out.
It's a story you've heard a million times: Victor Frankenstein (Isaac), a brilliant but arrogant scientist, is determined to create life after losing his mother at a young age — only to recoil from his own creation once he succeeds. The two become locked in a cat-and-mouse chase as each tries to destroy the other. Del Toro’s unmistakable style and craftsmanship transform Mary Shelley’s classic into a darkly romantic epic that's as gorgeous as it is deeply affecting.
Watch "Frankenstein" on Netflix now
‘Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy’ (Prime Video)
Tyler Perry has proven a titan in the streaming industry that truly understands his audience, so I fully expect his latest romcom to top the charts this weekend (even if the critics aren't as thrilled by it). "P-Valley's" Shannon Thornton stars as Joy, a New York fashion designer frustrated by both her stalled career and love life.
She's convinced a spontaneous mountain retreat is just the thing to make sparks fly with her questionable crush Colton (Aaron O'Connell), but a snowstorm puts those plans on literal ice. At her lowest point, in swoops a cowboy named Ridge (Tosin Morohunfola) to rescue her, and Joy suddenly realizes she's stumbled into the kind of love she's only read about in her favorite romance novels.
Watch "Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy" on Prime Video now
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (Disney Plus)
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" charmed my socks off when I caught it in theaters over the summer, and I'm hoping this delightfully weird big swing for the MCU is a sign of what's to come to help it shake off its post-"Endgame" slump.
Surprising no one, Pedro Pascal is as magnetic and dorky as ever as yet another fan-favorite dad, but the heart and soul of this superpowered found family is Joseph Quinn’s hotheaded Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s gruff yet hilarious Thing. Their crackling chemistry and banter kept me invested even as the plot went further and further off the rails.
Set in a retro-futuristic, 1960s-inspired alternate Earth that looks like "Fallout" and "Star Trek" mashed together, the film smartly skips the origin story. Instead, we're dropped into a world where the Fantastic Four have already spent four years saving humanity. Just as Reed Richards (Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) discover they’re expecting their first child, an ominous warning from an alien visitor (Julia Garner) sends the team to the outer reaches of space. It turns out Earth is next on the menu for the planet-devouring Galactus (Ralph Ineson), but the threat turns personal when their child becomes a bargaining chip for humanity's future.
Watch "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" on Disney Plus now
‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ (Peacock)
It’s the final curtain call for the Crawleys in Julian Fellowes’ third and last "Downton Abbey" film, and what a sendoff it is. With a glowing 91% critics’ score (and an even more impressive 96% from audiences) on Rotten Tomatoes, "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" proves this fan-favorite period drama still has charm to spare. Nearly every familiar face returns for this emotional farewell, a fitting tribute to one of television’s most beloved period dramas.
This time, Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) finds herself cast out of high society after divorcing her second husband. To make matters worse, a shrewd suitor (Alessandro Nivola) sets his sights on the Crawley fortune, threatening to destroy what remains of her reputation. But in true Crawley fashion, Mary refuses to be undone. With threats on all sides, she channels her late grandmother Violet’s (Maggie Smith) trademark wit and steel to secure the family’s legacy.
Watch "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" on Peacock now
'Materialists' (HBO Max)
Modern dating is a minefield, but this sizzling romantic dramedy starring Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson makes it look like one of Jane Austen's whirlwind romances. Celine Song’s second feature stars Johnson as Lucy, a New York City matchmaker caught at a romantic crossroads.
On one hand, there's Harry (Pascal), a wealthy bachelor who promises comfort and stability; on the other hand is her ex, John (Evans), who's still as charming and financially unstable as ever. When it comes to choosing the love of her life, Lucy can't decide if she should follow her head or her heart. All three characters are desperate for love and convinced they deserve their own happy endings, but as Lucy frequently asks her clients: How much are you willing to pay for it?
Watch "Materialists" on HBO Max now
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