Even if you're planning to watch a live stream of Super Bowl 2024 this Sunday, the question remains: what else should you watch besides the game? With so many great movies available on the best streaming services, including Netflix and Paramount Plus, it can be quite difficult to narrow down which ones are worth your time
Easily leading this weekend's lineup is "American Fiction," which has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture, on the pay-per-view video-on-demand (PVOD) streaming service The comedic drama tells the story of a writer (Jeffrey Wright) who becomes disillusioned when he is told that his work is not "black enough" and decides to raise his hand and write a book filled with the clichéd formulas expected of black literature, which has catapulted him to stardom
Meanwhile, Hulu has Sundance 2024's coming-of-age hit "Suncoast," while Paramount Plus and Showtime have released "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," a modern take on the classic Hollywood monster movie formula If you're in the mood for more scares, Jordan Peele's iconic directorial debut "Get Out" is also now available on Prime Video
Here are our top picks for what to watch this weekend on streaming
"American Fiction" is a scathing social commentary and comedy that spotlights the hypocrisy of contemporary culture regarding black art Starring Jeffrey Wright as the tormented and disillusioned writer Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, who is critically acclaimed but never achieves commercial success After his latest manuscript is rejected because it is not "Negro-ish," he writes a deliberately clichéd book that panders to the clichés expected of Negro literature
Frustratingly, the white liberal elite hail it as a work of genius, and the novel becomes an overnight hit This leaves Monk with a moral dilemma, but thanks to the book's sales, he is able to afford the necessary care for his mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease A deeply moving tale about loss and work impasse, but with moments of comedy and satire that shine through
Buy or Rent Now on Amazon
This Sundance 2024 darling has already landed on streaming services this week Suncoast, a semi-biographical coming-of-age drama from "Florida Girls" writer/director Laura Chinn, follows Doris (Nico Parker), a teenager living with her headstrong mother Christine (Laura Linney) and her comatose, terminally ill brother Max (Kree Kawa)
When Max's situation becomes a waiting game, Christine makes the difficult decision to move him to a hospice facility Terri Schiavo is a celebrity whose family's battle over whether he should be taken off life support led to a landmark "right to die" trial in the early 1980s As the shadow of her brother's illness looms over her head and she survives the protests, Doris develops an unlikely friendship with a pro-life activist (Woody Harrelson)
Watch now on Hulu
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name, "The End We Start From" stars Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve") as a mother forced to flee her home for safety as floodwaters close in on London just days after giving birth As she navigates the flooded city to reunite with her family, she grapples with the challenges of motherhood, survival, and dealing with past trauma
Comer co-stars with Joel Fry as the protagonist's love interest, along with Katherine Waterston and Benedict Cumberbatch in supporting roles However, it was Comer's portrayal of a terrified but unwavering new mother that won over critics and led to widespread praise for this crypto-thriller
Buy or Rent on Amazon
"The Last Voyage of the Demeter," a modern take on Bram Stoker's "Dracula," lands on Paramount Plus with Showtime this weekend Director André Ovredal has built a feature-length story about a doomed merchant vessel around the most haunting and baffling chapter of the classic horror novel "The Voyage Log"
Corey Hawkins ("BlacKkKlansman," "The Color Purple") stars as a doctor who saves the captain's grandson (Liam Cunningham) from an accident while loading cargo and is allowed aboard the Demeter After setting sail, the crew discovers a stowaway named Anna (Aisling Franciosi), barely alive When she regains consciousness, she informs them of a monster named Dracula who has crept in from Transylvania and begins targeting the crew one by one
Streaming on Paramount Plus with Showtime beginning February 9
Jordan Peele changed the horror landscape with his 2017 debut, "Get Out" It combines the slow psychological suspense of groundbreaking horror films like "The Shining" and "Rosemary's Baby" with poignant social commentary on racism, neoliberalism, and the problematic representation of black characters in horror films
Chris Washington stars as Daniel Kaluuya, a young black photographer who is invited by his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), to visit her family compound But a seemingly harmless weekend getaway quickly turns into a nightmare as Chris discovers disturbing secrets about Rose's family and their attitudes toward race Without giving too much away, "Get Out" is a gripping and thought-provoking film that should be on everyone's viewing list, horror fans or not
Watch it now on Prime Video
"Brooklyn," a drama based on Colm Toibin's 2009 novel of the same name, asks a simple but profoundly difficult question: what do you choose when you are torn between your heart and your home? That is the conundrum Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) faces after moving across the ocean to New York, falling in love with a woman from Brooklyn, and being offered the chance to return to her native Ireland
Eilis is not only torn between America and the Emerald Isle, but also between two very different men, the baseball-mad Tony (Emory Cohen) and the soft-spoken Jim (Domhnall Gleeson) Brooklyn is a romantic drama that will bring tears to your eyes, and Ronan gives a fine performance Julie Walters also shines in a supporting role as Mrs Kehoe, the matron of Eilis' boarding house There are some pretty emotional twists and turns ahead, so have your tissues at the ready
Watch Now on Max
A wonderfully imaginative and seriously awesome animated adventure, "The Lego Movie" brings the popular Danish construction toy to life Set in a world made entirely of plastic Lego bricks, Emmett (voiced by Chris Pratt) is an ordinary guy But when he accidentally glues a legendary "piece of the Resistance" to his back, he must lead a rebel army to stop an evil plot by Lord Business (Will Ferrell) to glue the Lego world together
Also starring the voice talents of Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, and Nick Offerman, "The Lego Movie" is perfect for master builders young and old Bonus points for being brilliantly self-aware and regularly poking fun at himself What's more, the film's unique animation style is brilliant The filmmakers have succeeded in making the film look as if it were a piece of Lego brought to life
Watch it now on Max
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