The 7 best new movies and shows to stream this weekend
As another weekend rolls around, so does a new batch of streaming recommendations. Kicking things off is the second half of Doctor Who's two-part season finale, which sees Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor go up against his biggest threat yet (you can also catch 'Empire of Death on the big screen in the UK). As for other TV releases, UK viewers can now catch historial miniseries We Were the Lucky Ones, starring Logan Lerman and Joey King, on Disney Plus.
As for movies, Jessica Alba stars in action thriller Trigger Warning on Netflix and the Jennifer Lawrence-produced documentary Bread and Roses, about women living in Afghanistan, is now streaming on Apple TV Plus. US viewers are spoilt for choice with recent big-screen releases arriving on streaming this week, too, with Oppenheimer arriving on Prime Video, Aftersun, starring Paul Mescal, on Netflix, and Kung Fu Panda 4 now streaming on Peacock.
Doctor Who season 1 finale
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Disney Plus in the US, BBC iPlayer in the UK
Ncuti Gatwa's debut outing as the Doctor wraps up with the second half of the two-part season finale this weekend. In 'Empire of Death', things are looking pretty hopeless for the Doctor, Ruby, and co. – Sutekh, the god of death, is reigning over the universe and it seems like nothing can stop him, except, per the episode's official synopsis, "one woman"... Russell T Davies has called the episode "the most devastating finale" and the "biggest" one ever, so buckle up.
Trigger Warning
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix
Jessica Alba stars in new action thriller Trigger Warning from award-winning Indonesian director Mouly Surya. She plays Parker, a Special Forces commando on active duty abroad, who's called back home after the sudden death of her father. Taking over the family-owned bar in her hometown, Parker searches for answers around her father's passing, but quickly finds herself at odds with a violent local gang with no one to trust and only her commando training to rely on.
Bread and Roses
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Apple TV Plus
New documentary Bread and Roses, produced by Jennifer Lawrence, is now streaming on Apple TV Plus after premiering at last year's Cannes Film Festival. It follows three women in Kabul, Afghanistan, as they fight to regain their autonomy after the city came under Taliban control in 2021: an ex-government employee forced to spend her life indoors, a former dentist who begins organizing activists in her practice, and a refugee exiled to Pakistan for her activism.
Aftersun
Available: US
Watch now: Netflix
No stranger to tearjerkers, Normal People and All of Us Strangers' Paul Mescal stars in Aftersun as Calum, a young father on holiday in Turkey with his 11-year-old daughter (played by Frankie Corio) in the '90s – a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. This poignant drama is a nostalgic portrait of memory and grief, but director Charlotte Wells' debut feature will still manage to make you laugh and Corio has a star-making turn as precocious Sophie.
Oppenheimer
Available: US
Watch now: Prime Video
Cillian Murphy's Oscar-winning turn as J. Robert Oppenheimer is now streaming on Prime. The movie revolves around the titular theoretical physicist's involvement with the Manhattan Project in the '40s, which is credited with developing the first nuclear weapons used to bomb the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the movie's stacked ensemble cast also includes Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Casey Affleck, and Matthew Modine.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Available: US
Watch now: Peacock
Jack Black returns to voice Po, everyone's favorite martial-arts-practicing bear, in Kung Fu Panda 4, which hit the big screen earlier this year. This time around, he's joined by Awkwafina's Zhen, a fox thief on the run, who teams up with Po to defeat the Chameleon (Viola Davis), an evil sorceress on a mission to steal the kung-fu abilities of every master in China. The voice cast also includes Ke Huy Quan, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane.
We Were the Lucky Ones
Available: UK
Watch now: Disney Plus
After dropping on Hulu in the US earlier this year, We Were the Lucky Ones has arrived on Disney Plus. Starring Logan Lerman and Joey King and based on the novel of the same name by Georgia Hunter, it tells the true story of one Polish Jewish family. Separated at the start of the Second World War, the limited series follows their journey against the odds to survive and reunite. All eight episodes are available to stream now.
If there's nothing here that tickles your fancy, then you might have to start looking into each streaming service's back catalogue, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they each host. Fear not, though... if you're a TV fan, then we've got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows, best Disney Plus shows, and the best Amazon Prime Video shows.
