Spooky season will live on in our hearts (and the Halloween decorations we’ll get around to taking down eventually) now that we’re officially in November, but you can still find plenty of treats across the best streaming services to keep the celebration going this weekend. We’ve rounded up the best of the best from Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, and more to help you skip the scrolling and get to streaming.
Leading the pack this week is the summer blockbuster “Jurassic World Rebirth” crashing onto Peacock, while A24’s new comedy drama “Sorry, Baby” is a new addition to HBO Max that’ll tear your heart out. Prime Video’s new Tessa Thompson-led drama “Hedda” is also one that deserves a spot on your watchlist if you like period dramas and all the emotionally charged scandals they entail.
‘Hedda’ (Prime Video)
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I’ll watch just about anything with Tessa Thompson in it, so Prime Video’s new drama “Hedda” is at the top of my watchlist this weekend. After making waves at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, it seems like a must-watch for anyone who loves period dramas.
“Hedda” is a modern reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s 19th-century play “Hedda Gabler,” which follows a woman trying to break free from the monotony of life with her dull academic husband by manipulating the desires and loyalties of everyone around her. Unfolding over a single night, it takes audiences through an intoxicating spiral of passion, betrayal, and self-destruction.
Watch ‘Hedda’ on Prime Video now
‘Sorry, Baby’ (HBO Max)
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I cry at all kinds of movies since losing my mom in 2023, but few have made me laugh and outright sob like “Sorry, Baby.” If you’re looking to ditch the scares this weekend for something more thoughtful and poignant, this heart-wrenchingly honest comedy-drama is one to keep on your radar. Rotten Tomatoes can be hit or miss, but I think this one actually lives up to its near-perfect 97% critics’ score.
Eva Victor stars as Agnes, a literature professor grappling with trauma after being sexually assaulted. When a close friend visits with life-changing news, it’s Agnes’ come-to-Jesus moment about how frozen she’s been for the past three years. She begins the difficult process of moving forward, but healing ain’t always pretty. Life is as absurd and complicated as people can be, a sentiment “Sorry, Baby” captures with unflinching humor and tenderness.
Watch “Sorry, Baby” on Max now
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ (Peacock)
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As cool a concept as unleashing prehistoric predators into the world sounds on paper, the Jurassic World movies never soared to the same heights as their predecessors. Which is why I was excited to see the latest, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” return to the series’ roots for more dinos wreaking havoc on a remote island.
Scarlett Johansson stars as Zora Bennett, an ex-special ops agent leading a team to one of the world’s most dangerous places: the island home of the original Jurassic Park facility. Joined by Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, they’re there to collect DNA samples from a few dinosaurs, but the mission goes about as well as you’d expect.
The thrilling visuals and palpable stakes are everything you want out of a Jurassic Park movie. I had a lot of fun with it, even if it isn’t the best movie I’ve seen this year.
Watch ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ on Peacock now
‘The Woman in the Yard’ (Prime Video)
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After seeing “Sinners,” I’ve started keeping a list of “movies billed as horror movies that really aren’t, if you think about it.” (Man I really need to figure out a better title.) While “The Woman in the Yard’s” copious use of jumpscares keeps it from making that list, it’d be in the ballpark.
“The Shallows” and “House of Wax” director Jaume Collet-Serra returns to his horror roots with this psychological thriller that takes the Boomer complaint of “get off my lawn!” to nightmare territory.
“The Woman in the Yard” isn’t particularly thoughtful or scary, but what makes it worth watching is “Till” star Danielle Deadwyler as Ramona, a grieving mother of two struggling with guilt after her husband’s sudden death. She’s barely keeping her head above water in a half-renovated farmhouse miles from anyone when a mute, black-clad woman appears in her yard. Especially when the stranger breaks her silence to deliver a chilling message: “Today’s the day.”
“The Woman in the Yard” is a slow, moody descent into unraveling sanity that’s entertaining enough even if it doesn’t stick the landing.
Watch “The Woman in the Yard” on Prime Video now
‘Wonka’ (Netflix)
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I’ll be honest, I dunked on this movie hard for its cheesy trailer. Timothée Chalamet’s “I’m makin’ chocolate, a course!” still cracks me up — as did several more of his baffling delivery choices. But I’m here to eat crow and say: “Wonka” is an absolute delight. And it’s exactly the kind of campy golden-age Hollywood spectacle that will tide my inner theater kid over until “Wicked: Part Two” hits theaters later this month.
Chalamet is no Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, but “Wonka’s” elaborate production design, costumes, and choreography dazzle enough that you’re swept to a world of pure imagination for 116 minutes. It’s like cotton candy for your brain, and even the jokes that don’t land are fun to laugh at.
Hugh Grant is as bizarre as an Oompa-Loompa as it looks in the trailer; there’s a B-plot about a chocoholic chief of police (Keegan Michael Key); and Wonka being illiterate is central to the story. Treat yourself to this ridiculous and wonderful musical this weekend.
Watch “Wonka” on Netflix now
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