The Holdovers, It Lives Inside and every new movie you can watch at home this weekend
Season's greetings, Polygon readers. We are smack in the sleepy, liminal interzone between the Christmas holidays and New Year's Eve. Be that as it may, that doesn't mean there won't be new movies on streaming this weekend as we head into 2024.
This week, The survivors, the new holiday comedy-drama starring Paul Giamatti, is finally available to stream on Peacock. That's not all: the supernatural horror-thriller It lives inside hits Hulu this week alongside the new Ray Romano-directed comedy Somewhere in Queens. Finally, a controversial crime thriller starring Jim Caviezel is now streaming on Prime Video. And… that's it for this week!
Here's everything new to watch this weekend.
New on Hulu
It lives inside
Where to watch: Available to stream Hulu
Genre: Supernatural horror
Duration: 1h 39m
Director: Bishal Dutta
Form: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan
This horror film follows two young girls at an American high school who each deal with their Indian heritage in a different way: one embraces it, the other rejects it. When a Pishach, a vengeful spirit trapped in a strange glass jar, clings to one of them, the other must reconnect with her past to stop it. It lives inside is the feature film debut of Bishal Dutta, previously known for his work as a writer for the 2017 drama series Triads.
Somewhere in Queens
Where to watch: Available to stream Hulu
Image: Roadside Attractions/ICM Partners
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 1h 46m
Director: Ray Romano
Form: Ray Romano, Laurie Metcalf, Jacob Ward
Ray Romano directs and stars in this new coming-of-age comedy about Leo, a father desperately trying to help his son apply for college and win a basketball scholarship. After going to great lengths, from alienating the rest of his family to convincing his son's ex (Sadie Stanley) to get back together with him, Leo must learn to let his son make his own decisions. From the trailer, it comes across as a serious comedy about learning to embrace the quirks of one's own family and accepting the uncertainty of what life has to offer.
New on Prime Video
Sound of freedom
Where to watch: Available to stream Prime Video
Image: Angel Studios/VidAngel Studios
Genre: Crime thriller
Duration: 2h 11m
Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Form: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp
One of the most surprising blockbusters of the year, Sound of freedom claims to be a true story about a mission to stop child trafficking. The the truth is much more complicated than that.
New at Pauw
The survivors
Where to watch: Available to stream Peacock
Image: Focus functions
Genre: Comedy drama
Duration: 2h 13m
Director: Alexander Payne
Form: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
A strong late awards season contender, The survivors is a holiday-themed comedy about three people left at a New England boarding school for Christmas in 1970, all of whom endure their own personal drama to survive the holidays. It's also half of this season's best double feature.
From our list of the best movies of the year:
The survivors is full of sudden twists, mostly backstory revelations fit for a particularly sensational play. But the real surprise is how personal and specific it becomes, and excellent writing and acting help it push past the expected parameters for these types of stories. Ultimately, it comes down to a three-hander between Professor Hunham (Giamatti), his troubled adolescent student Angus (Dominic Sessa, in an intense star performance) and Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), the school's head chef. elderly black woman mourning the recent death of her son in the military.