It’s set to be a big week of new movies across the best streaming services. This week marks the home debut of one of the biggest movies of the year, as you can now enjoy the madcap fun of “A Minecraft Movie” in the comfort of your own home.
While the Minecraft movie will grab the headlines, for me, the biggest new addition this week is the Max debut of “The Brutalist.” This epic drama practically floored me in theaters, and I’ve been itching to rewatch it ever since. Its arrival on Max seems like the perfect excuse.
If you’re looking to watch something fresh this week, I’m picking out the top new additions across streaming services, including Netflix, Max, Paramount Plus and more below. And also make sure to check out our guide to the best new TV shows you can watch this week.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ (PVOD)
“A Minecraft Movie” quickly became a cultural phenomenon when it landed in theaters last month. It had audience members everywhere screaming “chicken jockey” from the top of their lungs, and had the rest of us non-Minecraft players googling what exactly the term means. Frankly, I’m still none the wiser.
The movie itself is a sugary blockbuster bursting with colorful effects and larger-than-life characters. Whether you feel it entertaining or annoying is a matter of personal taste (I’m in the latter camp), but you can’t deny its impact.
Starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Danielle Brooks, this wild adventure is inspired by the juggernaut block-building video game of the same name, and sees a quartet of misfits stumble upon a strange blocky land known as the Overworld. Here, they team up with a zany crafter, Steve (Black), and set out on a quest to save the Minecraft universe.
Buy or rent on Amazon from May 13
‘Snow White’ (PVOD)
Disney’s latest live-action adaptation of an animated classic is “Snow White,” and this fantasy musical has been mired in various controversies since it was announced (originally it wasn’t even going to feature the seven dwarfs).
The movie itself is actually a whole lot less interesting than the social media storm surrounding it might suggest, but curious types might want to give it a stream now it’s on PVOD just to see what all the fuss was about.
Rachel Zegler plays the eponymous Snow White, a princess cast out of her kingdom by her wicked and tyrannical stepmother (Gal Gadot). Making friends with a group of magical creatures, who spend their days mining and whistling along to an earworm of a tune, she also falls in love with a bandit leader (Andrew Burnap) and sets about defeating the Evil Queen and restoring harmony to the lands.
Unless you desperately need to see “Snow White” now, you can probably wait for it to arrive on Disney Plus in a couple of months.
Buy or rent on Amazon from May 13
‘Novocaine’ (Paramount Plus)
“Novocaine” is a ludicrously daft action-comedy without a serious bone in its body. The movie stars Jack Quaid as Nathan Caine, an introvert with a rare condition that means he can’t feel any pain. When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is taken hostage by criminals, he sets out to rescue her. A mission that becomes increasingly bloody and bonkers.
Perhaps “Novocaine’s” biggest issue is that it never evolves beyond its admittedly interesting core premise. Nathan’s ability to feel pain is the punchline for basically every joke, and while the dangerous situations he finds himself in continue to escalate until the very end, the singular gag starts to feel repetitive at around the halfway point.
Still, if you’re looking for a breezy action movie this week, “Novocaine” has its charms, but you’ll need to be able to suspend your disbelief a lot, because the flick seems to operate under the logic that being able to feel no pain would make you pretty much invulnerable.
Watch on Paramount Plus from May 13
‘Paddington in Peru’ (Netflix)
You’ll want to keep your expectations in check with “Paddington in Peru.” This third installment in the live-action Paddington Bear series is sadly not of the same high caliber as its two predecessors. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. In fact, it’s far from awful.
Judged on its own merits rather than being compared to two of the best family movies ever made, the third “Paddington” adventure is a delightfully charming family comedy. Plus, the eponymous Paddington (voiced again by Ben Whishaw) remains as lovable as ever.
As the name suggests, “Paddington in Peru” sees the adopted bear leave the safety and comforts of the Brown household in London to venture into the untamed wilderness of South America in search of his missing Aunt Lucy. Once in Peru, Paddington stumbles into the hunt for a long-lost treasure alongside a ship captain, Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas).
Watch on Netflix from May 15
‘The Brutalist’ (Max)
“The Brutalist” arrives on Max this week, which is great news for those with a small bladder. Its mammoth 215 minutes (3 hours 35 minutes) runtime was likely off-putting for some theater goers, but streamed at home, you can pause it as much as you like.
Be sure to carve out the time to watch because this sweeping drama earns every second of its runtime. It’s a truly mesmerizing feature that explores the American immigrant experience in a way that is tender, gripping, compelling, shocking, thoughtful but never boring.
Set across two distinct chapters (separated by a baked-in intermission), “The Brutalist” centers on Holocaust survivor László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian architect who emigrates to America in search of a better life.
Settling in Pennsylvania, he meets a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pearce) and is commissioned to build a grand community center. Also starring Felicity Jones as László’s wife, who is still stuck in Europe. “The Brutalist” is a movie that cinephiles will be talking about for years.
Watch on Max from May 16
‘I’m Still Here’ (Netflix)
One of the biggest shocks at this year’s Oscars was “I’m Still Here” scooping the Best International Film award from under the nose of early favorite “Emilia Pérez,” and now the movie’s arrival on Netflix should open it up to an even bigger audience.
Anchored by an award-nominated performance from Fernanda Torres, it’s a biographical drama that is often harrowing but ultimately uplifting. Torres is electric in the leading role and the depiction of real-life events will have you enthralled from the very beginning.
Based on the memoir of the same name, it’s set before, during and after the 1964 Brazilian military coup. Torres plays Eunice Paiva, a mother to five children forced to take on the sole leadership of the family household when her husband (Selton Mello) is arrested following a raid. Desperate for answers, Eunice shows remarkable strength and an unwavering commitment to discover exactly what happened to her husband.
Watch on Netflix from May 17
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