Happy New Year, folks! The festive season may be over, but December 31 celebrations loom large as the world prepares to welcome 2023 (and the inevitably wild ride it has in store).
Compared to last week’s Christmas-focused streaming roundup – which featured the likes of Knives Out 2, Matilda the Musical and The Witcher: Blood Origin – this weekend’s slate of recommendations isn't anywhere near as stacked. However, for the first time in a long while, there are no sequels or follow-up seasons to enjoy over the next few days. Instead, everything included below is fresh off the creative conveyor.
2022’s final offering of new movies and TV shows can subsequently be described as unique, at least, and we’ve picked out seven highlights to stream on the likes of Netflix, Prime Video and HBO Max this weekend.
White Noise (Netflix)
Frances Ha director Noah Baumbach returns to Netflix this weekend with White Noise, his first feature film since 2019’s Marriage Story.
An adaptation of Don DeLillo’s satirical novel of the same name, this new Netflix movie stars Adam Driver as Jack Gladney, a college professor whose suburban life is upended when a nearby chemical leak forces him and his family to evacuate. Greta Gerwig, Marvel actor Don Cheadle, André 3000, Alessandro Nivola and Jodie Turner-Smith also star.
White Noise has been near-universally praised by critics for being an "engrossing, cerebral black comedy," so expect to see it added to our list of the best Netflix movies soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Kaleidoscope (Netflix)
Netflix has been more willing to lean into experimental storytelling than most streamers in recent years, and Kaleidoscope further proves that sentiment.
With the exception of its final episode, this eight-part series – about a team of thieves who plan a major heist over the course of two decades – is designed to be viewed in a completely random (i.e. nonlinear) order. In other words, you’re encouraged to actively participate in solving the mystery behind the heist itself, which takes place in episode 8.
The Mandalorian season 3 star Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, The Suicide Squad's Jai Courntey and Rufus Sewell count among Kaleidoscope’s cast. This is a limited series that looks primed to earn a spot on our list of the best Netflix shows for sheer creativity alone.
Available to stream on Netflix from Sunday.
Treason (Netflix)
Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox, rekindles his affiliation with old employers Netflix in new spy thriller Treason.
This five-episode series, from Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matt Charman, stars Cox as a newly appointed MI6 chief whose checkered past – which rears its head in the form of a Russian spy Olga Kurylenko (Black Widow) – comes back to haunt him and his family. Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) and Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones) also star.
We spoke to Treason's cast and creator about the show's origins and inspirations ahead of its Netflix debut on Monday, December 26 (and we couldn't resist asking Cox a few questions about his Daredevil return, too).
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Paul T. Goldman (Peacock)
A word of warning: Paul T. Goldman looks weird. Really weird. So weird, in fact, that we’re not entirely sure what, exactly, it is. But here goes anyway.
Per Peacock, Paul T. Goldman is "a mind-bending series from the director of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm [...] that director Jason Woliner has been shooting for over a decade and a story that continues to pile on jaw-dropping new twists." In clearer terms, it’s a comedy-cum-docuseries that recounts the experiences of real person Paul T. Goldman, who is played in this series by… Paul T. Goldman?
Okay, we’re still none the wiser – but the show’s first three episodes are available to stream on Peacock from Sunday, with additional new episodes arriving over the next three weeks.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
Best of Stand-Up 2022 (Netflix)
Netflix's latest special, the Best of Stand-Up 2022, throws together all of the streamer's recent stand-up successes to form one feature-length laughathon.
Featuring turns from the likes of Bill Burr, Ali Wong, Gabriel Iglesias, Trevor Noah, Taylor Tomlinson and Jo Koy, the Best of Stand-Up 2022 is your best chance to mop up on this year's cultural in-jokes before they're replaced by whatever ridiculousness 2023 has up its sleeve.
Oddly, Netflix hasn't shared an official trailer for the special, so you'll have to take our word for it: you'll get at least one laugh out of this one.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
This Place Rules (HBO Max)
The first of this week’s two documentary picks (or three, if you count Paul T. Goldman) is This Place Rules on HBO Max.
Self-proclaimed "gonzo" journalist Andrew Callaghan leads this feature-length investigative film about the political state of the USA in months preceding the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. This Place Rules airs on HBO on December 30 before streaming on HBO Max the following day.
Available to stream on HBO Max from Saturday.
Wildcat (Prime Video)
Animal lovers, this one’s for you. Prime Video’s new documentary, Wildcat, follows the inspiring story of a young veteran, Harry Turner, whose journey into the Amazon rainforest sees him forming an unlikely relationship with an orphaned baby ocelot.
Per Amazon’s description, "what was meant to be an attempt to escape from life, turns out to be an unexpected journey of love, discovery and healing." Wildcat’s strong reception at the Telluride Film Festival suggests it could be one of the best Prime Video movies.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
