Streaming
The best of what’s new streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more.
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, Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.
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For even more great streaming options, check out previous editions of our must-watch list here.
New Movies Streaming
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)
With the release of Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi movie “Disclosure Day” (read my review here) and a relative lack of quality new streaming movies this week, I decided to feature three of my favorite Spielberg sci-fi films of all time. The director’s first foray into the genre was this alien tale that also functions as a story about the filmmaking process.
Once you’ve seen “The Fabelmans,” you realize that Richard Dreyfuss’s blue-collar worker turned alien obsessive is a stand-in for Spielberg himself – ignoring family and friends in order to craft the perfect piece of art in an obsessive pursuit of truth, whether it’s a model of Devils Tower or a feature film.
How to watch: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is streaming on Peacock.
‘Minority Report’ (2002)
A personal favorite, I saw this at exactly the right age to be hugely influenced by the horrifying possibilities of Philip K. Dick’s “pre-cogs,” drug-addled orphans used as supercomputers by police to prevent crimes before they happen. Tom Cruise gets to do what he does best here: Run. Because in “Minority Report,” everybody runs.
How to watch: “Minority Report” is streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
The perfect adventure film. Despite numerous advances in film technology in the last three decades, the image (and bone-shaking roar) of the T-Rex is as awe-inspiring today as it was in 1993 at any age. “Jaws” still takes the cake as Spielberg’s best, but “Jurassic Park” is right behind it.
How to watch: “Jurassic Park” is streaming on Peacock.
More new movies streaming: “I Am Frankelda” (Netflix); “Lorne” (Peacock); “They Will Kill You” (HBO Max)
New TV Shows Streaming
‘Alice & Steve’
The British Invasion has moved from America’s stereos to its streaming services, with yet another Britcom landing on our shores this week. Nicola Walker plays a woman who feels betrayed when her best friend of 30+ years (Jemaine Clement, “Flight of the Conchords”) begins dating her 26-year-old daughter. Considering its risqué premise and the battle of wills that follows, there’s a surprising amount of heart and tenderness in the show.
How to watch: “Alice & Steve” is streaming on Hulu
‘Surviving Earth’
Why let Steven Spielberg have all the dinosaur fun? This eight-part docuseries streaming on Peacock examines each of our planet’s major eras and extinction events across 450 million years. Some creatures like the dinosaurs didn’t make it, but you’ll also meet creatures whose ancestors are still with us today.
How to watch: “Surviving Earth” is streaming on Peacock.
More new TV shows streaming: “Every Year After” Season 1 (Prime Video); “Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead” Season 3 (Paramount+); “My Adventures with Superman” Season 3 (HBO Max)
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