It's finally starting to feel like fall, and the best streaming services are raking in the latest must-watch movies to celebrate. With so many new films dropping this week across top platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, and more, it's the perfect time to curl up for a movie marathon.
Since spooky season is underway, the clear headline pick this week is "Bring Her Back" on HBO Max, a haunting new horror film from the directors behind 2023’s seriously chilling “Talk to Me.” If you're looking for laughs instead of frights, Liam Neeson's "The Naked Gun" revival lands on Paramount Plus. "Downton Abbey" fans will be excited at the premium streaming release of the third and final movie in Julian Fellowes’ aristocratic saga. Just be sure to have some tissues on standby.
Meanwhile, Netflix subscribers won't want to miss Cillian Murphy's new drama "Steve," which is sure to tug at your heartstrings. My personal favorite on this list is Darren Aronofsky's deliriously entertaining crime thriller "Caught Stealing" on paid video-on-demand platforms, a movie I did not expect to love as much as I did. Let's dive into the best new-to-streaming movies to watch this weekend.
‘Steve’ (Netflix)
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy is back with Netflix's newest original film, "Steve," a character-driven drama that quietly delivers a powerful emotional punch. Adapted from Max Porter’s novel "Shy"—with Porter handling the screenplay himself—it's bound to resonate with the same kind of audience that turned "Adolescence" into last year's breakout hit for the streamer.
Murphy stars as the titular headteacher of a state-funded reform school for boys with severe behavioral challenges. While the system has clearly given up on these kids, Steve hasn't. Over the relentless chaos of a single day, he fights to show them their worth and convince them that a better future is within their grasp.
"Steve" is an unflinching yet compassionate portrait of social realism, with humor and the rare quiet moment offering much-needed relief from Steve's struggle to keep his head above water. It's no surprise to see Murphy earning praise for this role, but Jay Lycurgo also earns his flowers as one of his troubled students.
Watch "Steve" on Netflix now
‘Bring Her Back’ (HBO Max)
With how many horror movies I watch, it's rare for one to really get to me, but "Bring Her Back" left my skin crawling for days. I'd definitely call it a must-watch for fans of "Hereditary," "Midsommar," or "The Babadook." It has the same blending of grotesque body horror with a genuinely heartbreaking story that hasn't stopped haunting me since the credits rolled. Between this and "Talk to Me," directors Danny and Michael Philippou have earned a spot alongside Jordan Peele and Ari Aster as the modern masters of horror.
"Bring Her Back" follows two step-siblings, Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), who lose their father and wind up in foster care, but their new mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), is not what she seems. Soon, it's clear she intends to do everything in her power to drive a wedge between the siblings. More unsettling still is the other child living under her care, Oliver (Jonah Wren Philips), whose strange and sometimes violent behavior suggests something sinister is going on.
Watch "Bring Her Back" on HBO Max now
‘The Naked Gun’ (Paramount Plus)
Most of Hollywood's reboots feel like thinly veiled cash grabs, but "The Naked Gun" is the rare exception that bucks the trend. As a huge fan of the original trilogy, I wasn't sure if Liam Neeson could fill Leslie Nielsen's shoes, but its 88% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes convinced me to finally sit down and watch it. And I'm happy to eat crow and say it's one of this year's funniest movies.
Neeson brings his own straight-faced charm to the role as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Nielsen’s legendary deadpan detective. A suspicious car crash puts him on a high-stakes case that could determine the fate of both the police squad and the world. Oh, and femme fatale Pamela Anderson is along for the ride because reasons. True to the spirit of the original trilogy, director Akiva Schaffer’s revival is an all-out gag machine packed with relentless visual jokes and enough wordplay that you'll have to rewatch it just to catch all the rapid-fire puns.
Watch "The Naked Gun" now on Paramount Plus
‘Caught Stealing' (PVOD)
If there's one movie this year you absolutely shouldn't sleep on, it's "Caught Stealing." It's like if "The Hangover" was a crime thriller about a schmuck with the world's worst luck. Bad Bunny plays a gangster too squeamish to get his hands dirty, someone's surgical staples get ripped out to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and Matt Smith and Nikita Kukushkin play the weirdest little guys I've seen in a while.
Burned-out former baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) is a country mouse now living an unassuming life in New York City, his days filled with slinging drinks at a local dive bar, calling his mom like clockwork, and hanging out with his new girlfriend(Zoë Kravitz). But that all goes out the window after his British punk neighbor, Russ (Smith), asks him to watch his cat while he's out of town. That seemingly simple request throws Hank into the path of a dangerous group of criminals, though he has zero clue what they want. As the threats close in, Hank is forced to become a reluctant action hero, doing everything he can just to stay alive.
Buy or rent "Caught Stealing" now on Amazon or Apple
‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ (PVOD)
It's curtains for the Crawleys in the third and final movie for Julian Fellowes’ aristocratic saga. And it looks like "Downton Abbey" went out on a high note, given its 92% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes (and an even higher 96% from audiences). Nearly every familiar face you can think of returns for this farewell tour, marking a bittersweet tribute to one of the most beloved period dramas of all time.
In "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale," Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) finds herself cast out of high society after divorcing her second husband (Matthew Goode). To make matters worse, a cunning suitor (Alessandro Nivola) with eyes on the Crawley fortune begins blackmailing her. But in true Crawley fashion, Mary rises to the occasion, channeling the wit and resilience of her grandmother, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), to claim her place as head of the English household.
Buy or rent "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" now on Amazon or Apple
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