It's March and spring is just around the corner Spring is also just around the corner, and new movies are in full swing on Netflix, Max, Hulu, and other major streaming services

In fact, many of this week's top movies are already on streaming services today The first movie available to watch right now is "Mean Girls" Yes, this is an adaptation of a movie, but surprisingly, it is still pretty good There is also "Perfect Days," a Japanese film by German director Wim Wenders that may win an Oscar next week

Speaking of 2024 Oscar nominees, this week we finally get to see "Poor Things" on Hulu, one of the best movies of 2023 and the biggest film to hit the paid video-on-demand (PVOD) streaming services last week Now, if you subscribe to Hulu, you don't even have to pay

Some of these titles are newly released digitally and can be purchased at a premium price, but for others, all you need is the right streaming subscription And while you're here, don't forget to check out the best of the new TV shows and new Netflix shows to watch from streamers this week

Here are the top new movies streaming this week

"Perfect Days" is four stories in one Starring Koji Yakusho as Hirayama, a toilet cleaner who leads a regimented life, the film examines the ordinary days of human beings and the little things that make those ordinary days "perfect" It also comes with an excellent soundtrack, thanks to Hirayama's love of listening to music on cassette tape

The film received almost universal acclaim from critics and won two of the three awards it was nominated for at the Cannes Film Festival It is currently in contention for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, but is facing stiff competition in that category

Buy or Rent Now on Amazon

This psycho-thriller stars Daisy Ridley as Helena, a woman leading an ordinary life with her husband Stephen (Garrett Hedlund) and young daughter But she has a dark and dangerous secret - her estranged father is the notorious "Marsh King" (Ben Mendelsohn)

The film, based on the novel by Karen Dionne, gets darker Mendelsohn's "Marsh King" kidnapped Helena and her mother and held them captive in the wilderness for years before going to prison Now he has escaped, and Helena, who grew up adoring her father, learns the truth and fears for her and her daughter's safety

Stream it now on Hulu

The film is based on the 2017 Broadway musical based on the 2004 hit film starring Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron After a brief period of theatrical release there and on paid video-on-demand streaming services, "Mean Girls" (2024) is now available on not one, but two streaming services, Paramount Plus and MGM Plus

This version of the popular coming-of-age story stars Angourie Rice as Cady Heron, a teenage girl who doesn't fit in, and Renée Rapp as Regina George, the leader of a group of mean popular girls called the "Plastics" Cady eventually joins the Plastics to become popular, but struggles to do so without betraying who she is If you like musicals and the 2004 original, "Mean Girls" is worth checking out this week

Available on Paramount Plus and MGM Plus

Like "Perfect Days," it is a favorite of critics and film festival juries Like Wim Wenders' Japanese-language film, this German film is in the running for the International Feature Film Award, but is expected to have a tough fight for the prize

In The Teacher's Lounge, Leonie Benesch plays Carla Novak, an idealistic teacher at a new school However, the school is robbed and things quickly fall into disarray Unfortunately, Carla, despite her good intentions, drags the situation into further chaos

Buy or Rent Now on Apple TV

If you've heard about "Argyle," you've heard about how bad it is I mean, While not as bad as "Madame Webb" (maybe), it's the worst movie I've seen this year It's a shame, because I saw the trailer for the Matthew Vaughn-directed sequel to "Kingsman" and was initially intrigued by the premise of a writer of spy novels shockingly predicting a real-life spy story

Unfortunately, the film fails to live up to the potential of its premise I have no idea what it is doing or what kind of movie it wants to be, and some of the roles are definitely miscast If I were to venture a recommendation for this film, I would say that Catherine O'Hara's performance is interesting and that there are one or two action scenes that are worth watching However, I would rather wait for this movie to be available on Apple TV Plus than buy or rent it today

Buy or Rent Now on Apple TV

"Poor Things" is absurd, surreal, and unhinged It is a steampunk fantasy in which a Frankenstein's monster-like character (Emma Stone) reanimates the corpse of a suicidal man with the intelligence of a baby The reanimated corpse experiences a sexual awakening that becomes the focus of the story

And yet it is a surprisingly grounded and relatable journey of self-discovery Yes, there are elements of body horror, but Emma Stone's Bella Baxter loses her childlike naivete in a way that feels all too familiar when we get to the heart of the story

Nevertheless, the film "Poor Things" is certainly a strange film, typical of director Yorgos Lanthimos Watch this Best Picture nominee now before this weekend's Academy Awards and judge for yourself

Available on Hulu on March 7

"This is a really bad idea" about three friends who lie about their fake friends for 25 years and hire an "X-rated Rock 'n' Roll Imersonator" to play their fake friends so they One could argue that the lewd comedy of not letting everyone know that they were lying is also a really bad idea

But this cast could work With Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler playing real best friends Dean, JT, and Wes, and John Cena playing fake friend Ricky Stanicki, this movie looks interesting Oscar nominee William H Macy plays the boss of the friends, but it doesn't feel like he's beneath them Perhaps, but it's that kind of casting that turns this movie from a bad idea into a good time

Available on Prime Video beginning March 7

Despite its flaws, I can definitely see why "American Fiction" received flowers from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The story is clever, the acting is excellent, and the film is heartfelt While laughs and scathing satire are its main selling points, there are more than enough deeply emotional moments in the film, and they almost all land

It remains, of course, a biting satire on the role of white guilt and stereotypes of black culture in the taste-making process in America And it is at times hilarious Watching Jeffrey Wright try to tell a meaningful story and watching white publishers prefer "My Paphology" written by the fictional "Stagg R Lee" will make you laugh (in a good way), sometimes uncomfortably Honestly, my biggest complaint is that it is streaming on MGM Plus rather than Prime Video, but thankfully there is a 7-day free trial

Streaming on MGM Plus starting March 8

Happiness for some may be a nightmare for others Millie Bobby Brown stars in this fairy tale as Princess Elodie, a dutiful maiden who thinks she has found her prince charming in Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) But it turns out that she has been chosen for a darker purpose--as a dragon sacrifice that threatens to bring down the entire kingdom

Robin Wright and Ray Winstone play the Queen and King, and Angela Bassett plays Elodie's stepmother in this Netflix original that has the potential to be a surprise hit for Netflix subscribers and fantasy fans Don't miss it when it becomes available this Friday, March 8

Streaming on Netflix starting March 8

Another Oscar contender made the list this week This Hindi-language Canadian documentary tells the true story of a family fighting for justice after their teenage daughter is brutally raped in Jharkhand, India Of course, one should be wary of this film as it is a sensitive subject matter

While the documentary did not catch on in the US, it was a huge success in the Canadian film industry and raised awareness of this family's struggle Prominent actors Dev Patel, Mindy Kaling, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, all with ties to India, were also involved in the production and distribution of the film The film has won most of the awards it was nominated for and may next win Best Documentary Feature at this weekend's Academy Awards ceremony

Available on Netflix beginning March 8

"Dune": While Timothée Chalamet's performance in "Dune: Part Two" is perhaps his most impressive in the past 12 months, "Wonka" is an important step on his path to movie star The Willy Wonka origin story stars Chalamet as an eccentric chocolatier trying to break through the cartel of evil chocolate makers who dominate the confectionary industry, and he is by far the star

In addition, there are song and dance numbers by Chalamet and others not found in the "Dune" sequel Whether you need a family-friendly movie or just want to see one more musical after "Mean Girls," this is a film worth seeing this week at the Max

Streaming on Max starting March 8