If there’s one joy in the world, it’s finding a great new film to watch while home on the weekend. With all the streaming services out there—Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Shudder, and more—there’s so many options that you might not even know where to start. That’s not even counting the VOD options for indie cinema.
Here at The Movie Buff we are introducing a monthly edition that will work as a one-stop shop for upcoming films that will be streaming on the aforementioned platforms, with their respective release dates and when you’ll be able to watch the film. We’ll be offering a variety of options from the world’s biggest streaming platforms.
For December, we’ve picked a number of options across these platforms; we’ve recommended some titles that struck our interest and what we think will catch yours, as well. This month they’re categorized by streaming service. Enjoy!
HULU
Chloë Grace Moretz in “Mother/Android.” Photo: Miramax.
For Hulu’s offering this month, Chloë Grace Moretz stars in “Mother/Android,” a new sci-fi thriller. The film is about Georgia (Moretz) and her boyfriend Sam (Algee Smith) who go on a journey escaping their country. The twist is, they are fleeing an unexpected war with artificial intelligence. A spin in the film is that Georgia is pregnant; they must go against “No Man’s Land,” the centre of the android uprising, to safely get out of the country. I love sci-fi and I’m a big Moretz fan, so count me in for this one.
NETFLIX
Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Dog.” Photo: Netflix.
Already streaming on Netflix is the Benedict Cumberbatch starring “The Power of the Dog” which premiered earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s a romantic Western, and Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank. Reading about the storyline, he sounds like a menace; his character who loves putting others down in 1925. The film also stars Jesse Plemons as his rancher brother, who marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst), who Phil constantly torments. With Rose’s son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Cumberbatch’s Phil decides to take him under his wing. The film is already gaining Oscar buzz and looks like a strong drama to watch on streaming this month.
“A Najia Christmas” is coming to Netflix on December 16, and now, I don’t know too much about this one. IMDb describes it as a Christmas comedy with some romance, and is from South Africa. It’s the premise that gets my interest here. The description is of a mother’s Christmas wish, and the accompanying prize ignites a fierce competition between her sons. These competition films are super fun—even the 90’s film “Jingle All the Way,” where Arnold Schwarzenegger competes with Sinbad to get the year’s hottest holiday toy—so this is one I want to highlight, even if we don’t have a poster or trailer yet.
Poster for “Don’t Look Up” Film art: Netflix.
A film in the scripting stage since at least 2012, “Mixtape” is a story about a young girl who accidentally destroys a mixtape that belonged to her mother, so she sets out to track down each of the obscure songs on the cassette. The film is set in 1999, so the girl, played by Gemma Brooke Allen, has to use resources like record shops and Napster to try and track down the songs from the cassette. It looks like a sweet love letter to the girl’s parents, and also stars Julie Bowen and Nick Thune. It released on Netflix yesterday, December 3.
The big Netflix release this month is Adam McKay’s latest film, “Don’t Look Up,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as a pair of astrologists on a media tour warning everyone about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth. The film also stars Timotheé Chalamet, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande, and more. It’s also so nice to be seeing Jennifer Lawrence again for the first time since her first-act appearance as Mystique in 2019’s “Dark Phoenix.” The film will be playing exclusively in theatres on December 10, and will be on Netflix on December 24.
HBO MAX
A scene from the upcoming “The Matrix Resurrections.” Photo: Warner Bros.
Okay, “8-Bit Christmas” has been on HBO Max since November 24, but I have to highlight it here as it’s the Christmas season now. The film takes place in 1980s Chicago, where a 10-year-old boy sets out on a quest to get the Christmas gift of his generation, the Nintendo Entertainment System. The structure of the film is Neil Patrick Harris telling this story about his younger self, played by Winslow Fegley (“Nightbooks”), who got the system. I mentioned earlier that I love “Jingle All the Way,” so this is totally up my alley. And I wonder if there will be a sequel about the Christmas the Super Nintendo came out?
In theatres and streaming on HBO Max, we’re going back into the Matrix in “The Matrix Resurrections” directed by Lana Wachowski. The plot of the film, which will be releasing on December 22, is still currently unknown. However, the trailer shows Neo (Reeves) talking to a therapist about the Matrix, and we’re also treated to an awesome dose of action. Personally, I haven’t watched all “The Matrix” films in their entirety so I’m not as excited as I’m sure many are, but this one still feels like a huge event for December and I’m curious to learn how many will turn out to theatres for it and how many will watch on HBO Max. However, given how close the release date is to Christmas, I imagine that could swing it towards the streaming favour…
PARAMOUNT+
Image from the upcoming “Rumble.” Photo: Paramount Animation.
When it comes to one of the other up and coming streaming services with Paramount+, an animation comedy called “Rumble” is releasing on the service on December 15, set in a world where monster wrestling is a global star and the monsters are superstar athletes, where a teeneager named Winnie (Geraldine Viswanathan) coaches a loveable underdog monster into a champion. This also stars the voices of Will Arnett, Ben Schwartz, Terry Crews, and more.
APPLE TV+
Mahershala Ali and Awkwafina in “Swan Song.” Photo: Apple.
The Apple TV+ addition to this list is one called “Swan Song,” starring Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris in Benjamin Cleary’s feature directing debut in a sci-fi drama set in the near future. Ali’s character Cameron has a terminal illness; here he gets to decide if he wants an experimental solution which would shield his family from grief. It deals with themes of love, loss, and sacrifice as he decides if he wants to change their fate (IMDb)… That mysterious synopsis has our attention; I wonder if it will deal with a clone being left in his place? The film starts streaming on Apple TV+ on December 17, so we’ll find out then.
SHUDDER
A scene from “Death Valley.” Photo: Shudder.
“The Advent Calendar” is a Shudder Original film about a woman named Eva who has been a paraplegic for three years. On her birthday, her friend gives her a strange advent calendar; one where each day, it either has pleasant or unpleasant repercussions on her life. I love me a good Christmas film, and this one seems like it fits the bill, as it’s been streaming on Shudder since December 2.
Ah, I love a good creature feature in time for the holidays, as the new Shudder Original film “Death Valley” (coming to Shudder on December 9) is about a group of guns for hire who must rescue an imprisoned scientist from a secret Cold War bunker. Once there, they’re in a fight for survival when they learn they’re in there with a creature of unknown origin. Matthew Ninaber writes and directs the film, who played the titular “Psycho: Goreman” in that unique film. We’re in.
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
Riz Ahmed in “Encounter.” Photo: Amazon Studios.
Now getting to Amazon Prime on December 10, “Encounter” is a new film with Riz Ahmed which premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s a story about a father (Ahmed), protecting his two sons from an alien threat. The film also stars Octavia Spencer. This one has been on my radar since TIFF—and luckily we don’t have to wait too much longer to see it.
The other major Amazon Prime release comes in the form of “Being the Ricardos,” Aaron Sorkin’s latest film about the relationship between Lucille Ball (played by Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), as they face a pair of crises that could end their careers and one that could end their marriage. We’re in for this one because of the pairing of Kidman and Bardem, and for Sorkin’s writing and directing.
DISNEY+
Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in “Hawkeye.” Photo: Disney+.
In the TV world on Disney+, “Hawkeye” is already streaming on the service with three episodes ready to stream and the remaining three episodes releasing on Wednesdays (December 8, 15, and 22), and features Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld as Haley Bishop. We’re already very in. Lastly, “The Book of Boba Fest” comes on December 29. It’s a seven-episode season and spin-off of “The Mandalorian” coming to the streaming service.
There you have it—15 of the best streaming options we could find this coming month… Which ones are you looking forward to? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.
