Streaming
The best of what’s new streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more.
Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in “Maria.” Pablo Larraín/Netflix
Welcome to Boston.com’s weekly streaming guide. Each week, we recommend five must-watch movies and TV shows available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.
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For even more great streaming optionscheck out previous editions of our must-watch list here.
New Movies Streaming
“Conclave”
Imagine your boss announces they’re leaving, and suddenly there’s a mad scramble among you and your colleagues as you gossip, backstab, and maneuver yourself into pole position for the job. Now imagine that job is the Pope. That’s the story of “Conclave,” which dramatizes (and I mean really dramatizes) the selection of a new Pope after the current one is found dead.
Ralph Fiennes gives a sparkling performance as the Cardinal tasked with overseeing the process during a personal crisis of faith, while candidates for the gig include his reform-minded pal (Stanley Tucci), a staunch traditionalist (Sergio Castellitto) and a Cardinal who is simply good at playing the game (John Lithgow).
How to watch: “Conclave” is streaming on Peacock.
“Knives Out”
It’s been five years since Chris Evans donned an iconic white fisherman’s sweater as the villainous Ransom Drysdale in “Knives Out,” heralding what many expected to be an exciting and adventurous post-Marvel career for the Sudbury native. It’s also been five years since Chris Evans has made a good movie.
While we digest the news of Evans signing up for yet another Marvel movie, it’s a great time to revisit this Rian Johnson whodunnit, filmed in the Boston area in 2018. World-renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called to the Thrombey mansion after patriarch Harlan (Christopher Plummer) is found dead. The evidence initially points at Harlan’s nurse (Ana de Armas), but each of the family members, from Michael Shannon’s shunned son to Toni Collette’s needy in-law, has a motive.
Amazon Prime Video debuted “Knives Out” the same day as Evans and the Rock’s truly new holiday movie “Red One.” But the Marvel-ized Christmas movie is a lump of coal, so stick with the classic.
How to watch: “Knives Out” is streaming on Prime Video.
“Maria”
Following Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy in “Jackie” and Kirsten Stewart as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” Pablo Larraín continues his unofficial trilogy of capturing the final days of some of the most captivating women of the 20th century with “Maria.”
Though lesser known than the aforementioned icons, the life of Greek-American soprano Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) was no less intriguing or tragic. A transcendent talent, Callas begins to lose everything at once — her voice, her weight, her husband (to Jackie Kennedy, no less), and her mind. Much like his previous two films, Larraín uses considerable creative license to tell the story of “Maria,” but it serves both the film and Jolie, who gives her best performance in years.
How to watch: “Maria” is streaming on Netflix.
New Television Streaming
“No Good Deed”
Trying to find the perfect home during a nationwide housing crisis is tough. Trying to describe the plot of “No Good Deed” without running afoul of Netflix’s numerous and specific spoiler guidelines for critics is only slightly easier. In short, a couple played by ’90s sitcom legends Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano are selling their gorgeous Los Angeles home, but are dealing with a not-so-hidden event in their past that is making things difficult.
Three couples show strong interest in the house: An actor and trophy wife (Luke Wilson, Linda Cardellini), a doctor/lawyer lesbian couple (Poppy Liu, Abbi Jacobson), and expecting parents (Teyonah Parris, O-T Fagbenle), all of whom have secrets of their own. It’s a fun, twisty mystery set in the high-stakes world of home-buying featuring likable stars bouncing off each other. What more could you ask for?
How to watch: “No Good Deed” is streaming on Netflix.
When it comes to spy movies (or shows), thrills pay the bills. “The Day of the Jackal,” based on the Frederick Forsyth novel and subsequent 1973 film adaptation, has electricity to spare, thanks in part to a surprisingly robust turn from Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”) as the titular assassin.
The Jackal is trotting the globe, carrying out hits for whoever can afford him. But hot in his trail is an MI6 officer (Lashana Lynch), who doesn’t mind using some extrajudicial (and oftentimes outright illegal) techniques in her pursuit. As the story unfolds, we see that each of these unstoppable machines does, in fact, have human sides (and loved ones to boot), but the fun is in watching two professionals play a continental game of cat and mouse.
How to watch: “The Day of the Jackal” is streaming on Peacock.
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