The 10 best new releases to stream this weekend
With a summer of high-grade streaming content behind us, this autumn also promises to deliver, with the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime each looking to fix our aftersun blues. It all starts this week too, with a multitude of exciting releases, from long-awaited adaptations to independent gems that have finally made it onto streaming.
Looking at the weekend’s big release, Disney is once again hoping to find success with a live-action adaptation of an animated classic in the form of Pinocchio, directed by Robert Zemeckis. The release is one of two Pinocchio adaptations to be released in 2022, with the Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro also set to release his own impression of the classic tale in December.
Elsewhere this week, there is a range of content for all sorts of audiences, from brand new Netflix documentaries to the release of two long-awaited superhero movies that are headed to the small screen. Take a look below at our recommendations for the biggest and best shows and movies to stream online this weekend.
The 10 best new releases to stream this weekend:
10. Wedding Season (2022) – Disney+ – Available now
Everyone loves a rom-com, even if you say you don’t, you definitely do, you’re just lying to yourself. Netflix is well aware of this, so they have released Wedding Season, a light romantic comedy to help ease you into Autumn that follows the story of Asha and Ravi, who pretend to date during a summer of weddings, only to find themselves inevitably falling for each other by September.
With generous reviews already rolling in, this new movie, starring Pallavi Sharda, Suraj Sharma, Arianna Afsar and Rizwan Manji, could be a lot of fun.
9. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) – Disney+ – September 9th
Blending a plethora of 2D and 3D animation styles to recreate the look and feel of a comic book, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse uses all the tools in its arsenal to put together a playful cinematic masterstroke. Adjusting frame rates, vibrant colour palettes and visual styles to put several eclectic characters on the screen at one time, Sony has created an animation that feels as revolutionary as the aforementioned pioneers of the medium itself.
So bizarre and visually baffling is this modern animated masterpiece that it barely feels part of the fabric of contemporary filmmaking at all, offering a revelatory portal into the future of the industry.
8. Tenet (2020) – Amazon Prime – September 9th
Christopher Nolan’s latest movie was frustrating for many fans, however, time has been kind to the innovative action movie, with the sci-fi flick being something of a revelation. Starring Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh and John David Washington, watching Tenet now is to revel in the presence of a master who has a remarkable hold over his spectacular cinematic concept.
Tenet is a powerhouse of lubricated pistons, clever pulleys and levers that is awesome to watch function, even if it seems to produce little results.
7. Kajillionaire (2020) – Netflix – September 9th
The recipient of several awards upon its release in 2020, Kajillionaire remains a thrilling independent movie that too few people have seen. Releasing on Netflix on September 9th, the comedy, crime drama, helmed by Miranda July, tells the story of a woman whose life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they’re planning.
Led by the terrific performance of Evan Rachel Wood, the film also stars Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins, Patricia Belcher and Kim Estes.
6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) – Disney+ – Available now
Five years after the release of Taika Waititi’s last superhero flick, the director is back with a sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, with the new film reuniting Thor (Chris Hemsworth) with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), the titular hero’s ex-girlfriend. Upon her arrival, she sparks a strange love triangle between the protagonist, his old hammer, Mjölnir and his new weapon of choice, the axe Stormbreaker, a comedic storyline that only Waititi could conjure.
Making her first return to the franchise since 2013, Portman’s character makes a joyous arrival, donning the iconic helmet and red cape of the title character as she becomes The Mighty Thor.
5. Central Park: Season 3 (2022) – Apple TV+ – September 9th
So celebrated that Apple decided to renew the animation for a third season, the latest series tells the story of Bitsy’s relentless pursuit to buy the park, whilst Owen tries a new promotional campaign to get more people to fall in love with the park, and Paige lands herself a new book deal. We realise that this description will mean little to people who have not seen the show, but trust us, the show is worth picking up from the start.
A comedy and a musical, the show tells the story of a family of caretakers who live and work around Central Park, and is an utter joy to watch.
4. Cobra Kai: Season 5 (2022) – Netflix – September 9th
The celebrated action comedy Cobra Kai is back for a fifth series, with the new season set decades after the All Valley Karate Tournament Final, where the rivalry of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence is reignited when Johnny reopens the Cobra Kai Dojo. With a celebrated cast that includes Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Tanner Buchanan, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser and Courtney Henggeler, many will welcome the release of season five.
It’s not too late to get involved with Cobra Kai either, with the show’s early seasons being endlessly watchable.
3. Mike: Season 1 (2022) – Disney+ – Available now
Biopics often do well on Disney+ and Netflix, and the ‘Mouse House’ are hoping that the new Mike Tyson limited series, Mike, exploring the tumultuous ups and downs of Mike Tyson’s boxing career and personal life, will be a success. Examining questions of class, race, fame and media manipulation, ultimately, it is the allure of the American dream that is put under the microscope in this new series.
Headed up by a talented cast that includes the likes of Trevante Rhodes, Russell Hornsby and even Harvey Keitel, we can’t wait for this one to drop.
2. The Anthrax Attacks In The Shadow of 9/11 (2022) – Netflix – Available now
The streaming service is hoping to continue its success with factual documentaries with the release of The Anthrax Attacks, an investigative documentary that looks into the anthrax attacks that killed five Americans and caused 17 to fall ill just one week after 9/11. The story gets even stranger when the FBI discovered that several people across the USA were being sent such spores in postal letters.
Helmed by the Oscar-nominated director Dan Krauss, who previously made Extremis and The Kill Team, the documentary series is being produced by BBC Studios, meaning that the series will have remarkable access to real FBI emails, notes and interviews.
1. Pinocchio (2022) – Disney+ – Available now
Disney is still plugging away with their live-action adaptations, with Pinocchio being the latest property to get a flashy update. Helmed by the director of Forrest Gump and Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis, the film tells the familiar story of a living puppet who, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy. Created 82 years after the release of the original animation, the jury is out about the quality of this new adaptation.
With a cast that includes the likes of Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key and Luke Evans, fans are hoping this one will be a rousing success.
