'Tis the season for curling up on the couch to escape the frightful weather outside. With Netflix, Prime Video, and the rest of the best streaming services serving up a fresh slate of movies each week, you've got plenty of options to fill your weekend watchlist.
Leading the pack is Netflix's newest "Clue"-inspired murder mystery, "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," and it's clear writer/director Rian Johnson hasn't lost his touch. For something more fast-paced, Apple TV just got Brad Pitt's blisteringly fast and action-packed "F1 The Movie."
'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives out Mystery' (Netflix)
I do declare, Daniel Craig's smooth-as-molasses detective Benoit Blanc is back to crack another highly implausible murder mystery. When Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), the charismatic leader of a church in upstate New York, is killed in the middle of an Easter service, Blanc is forced to team up with the monsignor's colleague and toxic right-winger, Father Jud (Josh O'Connor), to get to the bottom of things.
Just as in the previous movies, there's a motley crew of memorable suspects to keep them busy, like Wicks's rigidly pious right-hand woman (Glenn Close), a failed politician turned aspiring conservative influencer (Daryl McCormack), or a once-bestselling novelist struggling with his flagging career (Andrew Scott). While it's not my favorite in the series (that honor goes to the original), it's impressive how writer/director Rian Johnson managed to juggle ruminations on religion and dark comedy without ever feeling mean-spirited or talking down to the audience.
Watch it now on Netflix
'F1 The Movie' (Apple TV)
"F1 The Movie" isn't the kind of movie I usually go for, but even I couldn't help but get wrapped up in its blistering spectacle and elaborate race sequences. Helmed by “Top Gun: Maverick’s” Joseph Kosinski, it's a dazzling showcase of why this filmmaker's talent for conveying high-speed stakes remains unmatched in Hollywood.
Storywise, it's your standard underdog tale, serviceable enough to knit together the real thing everyone's here for: the races. Brad Pitt's at the wheel as Sonny Hayes, a Formula One driver forced into retirement at the peak of his career because of a horrible crash. Decades later, his friend and Formula One team owner, Ruben (Javier Bardem), persuades him to come out of retirement to mentor a promising rookie, Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris), for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).
Watch it now on Apple TV
‘Merv’ (Prime Video)
Now quirky romantic comedies, that's much more my speed. "Merv" initially caught my eye for its likeable pair of leads, "Daredevil's" Charlie Cox and "New Girl's" Zooey Deschanel, but its titular terrier is what convinced me to watch it because I'm a sucker for a cute dog. (And don't worry, I've already checked: He doesn't die at the end.)
Anna (Deschanel) and Russ (Cox) are navigating the minefield of who gets custody of the dog after a break-up. Merv isn't handling the split well, so Russ takes him on a much-needed getaway to help shake him out of his funk. Except, surprise! Anna's coming along for the ride, too. Hijinks ensue, sparks fly, old feelings get dredged up, y'know — the usual. But as cookie-cutter as this movie may be, your heart can't help but melt when its charming canine star's tail starts wagging again.
Watch it now on Prime Video
'The Phoenician Scheme' (Prime Video)
![THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters May 30 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GEuMnPl2WI4/maxresdefault.jpg)
"The Phoenician Scheme" marks Michael Cera and Wes Anderson's first collab, which is surprising considering the "Arrested Development" star's brand of awkwardness seems built for the Wes Anderson cinematic universe. He joins a star-studded ensemble cast for the legendary director's latest comedy alongside Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch.
The film follows Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), a wealthy businessman and arms dealer who's fed up with pesky assassination attempts throwing off his schedule. After yet another near-fatal encounter, he names his estranged daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton), his sole heir. The movie puts them both in the crosshairs of some bad people, kicking off a mad scramble that neither may survive.
Watch it now on Prime Video
'Neighborhood Watch' (Hulu)
Hulu just got a two-hander starring "The Walking Dead's" Jeffrey Dean Morgan and "The Boys" star Jack Quaid, and it's got a wild premise for a buddy comedy. After nearly a decade in a mental hospital, Simon McNally (Quaid) is struggling to find a job and living with his older sister (Malin Akerman of "Watchmen" fame) when he stumbles upon a young woman getting kidnapped.
Police refuse to believe a word he says, and in an act of desperation, he reaches out to his neighbor, Mr. Deerman (Morgan), a former college campus security guard, to track down the missing woman. Quaid and Morgan carry the entire film, bantering and butting heads and (slowly) growing on each other until their differences become the very glue of their friendship.
Watch it now on Hulu
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