As you're doing your last-minute holiday shopping (be sure to check out our picks for last-minute Amazon Christmas gifts) — you'll want to carve out some time for yourself to watch some new movies coming to streaming platforms this weekend.
For starters, Barbie is moving off video-on-demand to Max, so subscribers can stream it to their hearts content — here's a Max/Netflix deal for just $10/month — and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is also dropping on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+, so you don't have to watch the Chiefs vs. Patriots live stream to catch a glimpse of the biggest pop star of the year.
But that's not all that's in store for this weekend. We also have a classic Coen brothers movie, the Chicken Run sequel and action flicks with Mark Wahlberg and Liam Neeson.
Barbie
This summer sensation is finally off video-on-demand. Now Max subscribers can stream Greta Gerwig’s masterpiece until they’ve had kenough. If you don’t know the plot by now: Barbie, portrayed by Margot Robbie, appears to have it all in Barbie Land: the perfect life, her dream house and her dream boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling).
However, when an existential crisis strikes, Barbie embarks on a journey into the unfamiliar outside world. There she runs face first into the uncomfortable truth that Barbie isn't the death knell for sexism and patriarchy she'd always been told. It’s a feminist wake-up call that doesn’t preach or pander, tempered by a cheeky and often surrealist sense of humor that's positively infectious.
Watch on Max
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Netflix)
Fans of Wallace & Gromit should flock to this Chicken Run sequel, which sees Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) relaxing in her new-found freedom on an island sanctuary with her other barn-mates after escaping from Tweedy’s farm. However, when she hears of new trouble for those who were left behind, Ginger and co. decide to risk it all to save the other livestock. Also featuring the voices of Zachary Levi (Rocky), Bella Ramsey (Molly), and Imelda Staunton (Bunty).
Watch on Netflix
Leave the World Behind
This apocalyptic thriller from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail features Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke as Amanda and Clay Sandford, a couple who, along with children Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), vacation in a lavish home. Their idyllic retreat takes an ominous turn when the night brings unexpected visitors: G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la Herrold). Bringing news of a mysterious cyberattack, the strangers soon thrust the unsuspecting family into a world of uncertainty. The two families are forced to live together while trying to parse what's going on outside the house's four walls...and what's next.
Watch on Netflix
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
To the chagrin of dads, Brads, and Chads, Taylor Swift's star keeps rising. Not only has her Era tour raked in more than $1 billion in ticket sales, but she was just named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. But tickets to her ongoing tour — which will hit Japan and Europe before it heads back to the U.S.— aren't cheap, and are hard to come by. If you haven't been able to score tickets, this hi-def concert movie is the next best thing, and even includes three songs that weren’t in the theatrical release. So get the biggest, best TV you can find and crank up the sound.
Streaming now via premium rental on Amazon or Apple
The Family Plan
Mark Wahlberg blends his comedic and action chops to work in this film where he plays a devoted husband, father of three and successful car salesman in quiet suburbia — but with a past. Decades earlier, he was an elite government assassin who took out the world’s deadliest threats. Now, enemies from his former life have tracked him down, so Dan takes his unsuspecting wife (Michelle Monaghan) and kids on an impromptu cross-country road trip to Las Vegas. He’s determined to protect them while giving them the vacation of a lifetime, all while hiding his identity and fending off the bad guys.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
The Grey
One of the best movies with Liam Neeson, the Grey sees Neeson take his special set of skills to the Alaskan wilderness, where he has to lead a group of oil workers stranded in a plane crash to safety. In doing so, they come face to face with dangers both external — packs of deadly wolves and the freezing cold — as well as their own internal conflicts. And yes, we get to see Neeson punch a wolf in the face.
Watch on Max
Fargo
Fargo the TV series is now in its fifth season, so why not go back to the movie where it all started? This Coen brothers film follows Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) as she investigates a series of murders in wintry Minnesota. This being a Coen brothers film, it’s filled with quirky characters — not to mention McDormand’s and William H. Macy’s delightful midwestern accents. Steve Buscemi also amuses as one of the murderous accomplices, though he meets a pretty grisly end. McDormand won an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the Coen brothers picked up an Oscar for best original screenplay.
Watch on Max
