Streaming services love us, and we love them, too, so why not head into the so-called holiday of love with that mutual affection in mind? Yet don’t forget all of the rivalry going on with the streaming wars, which keep growing more heated as various streaming platforms can’t stop trying to one-up each other, and we’re all reaping those benefits. With that said, we’re back to pick the best of what those platform has to offer while weighing quantity and quality and every quality in between to pick a winner.
Once again, Hulu, Amazon, and Peacock are coming into the game with fewer new selections, but what they’ve got packs a punch. Meanwhile, Netflix is giving us all of the things, even though not everyone will love everything on the list. Disney+ is still winning over the nerds, this time with a Halloween-themed WandaVision, and HBO Max comes in with the prestige titles, including the return of one the one and only John Oliver, who scores all of the (highly subjective) points here. Sure, he needs a hiatus to freshen things up for us each year, but we didn’t have to enjoy his time away, right? Let’s tackle the guy because he’s swinging the entire week’s competition in HBO Max’s favor.
We’ll discuss all of these top streaming services below, beginning with HBO Max’s newest offerings, including an Oscar-buzz generating movie, Oliver’s aforementioned return, and true crime horrors to your heart’s delight.
HBO Max
Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO Max movie) — This Awards-tipped movie can’t stop with the talent. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Jesse Plemons, this film could be an awards contender. The story revolves around William O’Neal, who infiltrates the Black Panther Party in Illinois after being offered an FBI plea deal. His mission? To gather intelligence upon the head honcho, Chairman Fred Hampton.
Last Week Tonight: Season 8 Premiere (HBO Series, Sunday On HBO Max) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host has finally returned (after blowing up 2020 and getting weird with poor, sweet Adam Driver), and not a moment too soon. A while lot has happened since we last saw John Oliver break down exactly what’s wrong with our society in a way that only he can do, and let’s hope that he brings back that award-winning hoodie, so we can all get fancy with him.
Very Scary People: Season 2 (HBO Max series) — This wild series revisits recent history’s most frightening and diabolical characters. This batch of episodes places focus upon Charles Manson and Aileen Wuornos, and Donnie Wahlberg’s here to give things a ceremonial flavor in stories that lead to justice after tracing the winded and twisted paths of elusive miscreants.
Netflix
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix series) — Director Joe Berlinger (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the Ted Bundy movie starring Zac Efron and Paradise Lost, the HBO documentary trilogy about the West Memphis Three) launches this new anthology series that explores why some notorious crime locales gain their reputations. This season’s all about L.A.’s so-called “hotel death” and what happened when a young woman named Elisa Lam disappeared without a trace and after behaving bizarrely. Along the way, Berlinger seeks to crush conspiracy theories and vanquish ghost theories, although the whole affair is still a spooky ride.
To All The Boys: Always And Forever (Netflix film) — Noah Centineo’s reign as the Internet’s Boyfriend may be coming to an end with the conclusion of Netflix’s smash-hit, romcom trilogy. Lana Condor’s still keeping Lara Jean’s head on as tightly as possible while things get dreamier with her boyfriend, although everything could change with their oncoming plans for college. Will they both go to Stanford and keep their love alive, or will Lara Jean depart school in New York City? Long distance love isn’t so lovely, and god only knows what else can be revealed in this film that they haven’t shown in this trailer (this franchise is a master at the art of revealing the whole movie in a few minutes), but fans will be excited to find out whether Peter and Lara Jean can actually make it beyond their idyllic high school setting.
Red Dot (Netflix film) — This might be a cautionary tale for people who decide it’s a great idea to rekindle their marriages in the unforgiving wilderness — who knows? For sure, though, this is a claustrophobic tale about what happens when a sadistic killer points a red laser dot into Nadja and David’s tent, and that act sends them fighting for their lives. Naturally, a lot of marriage drama will happen along the way, as they attempt to save themselves in the snowy terrain. I guess couple’s counseling was a no-go, but that’s not nearly as entertaining as escaping into other people’s hell when they find themselves feeling like they’re on the other end of a video-game gun. Also, there’s a dog in this trailer, and nothing had better happen to him, or I’m gonna call for John Wick vengeance.
Squared Love (Netflix film) — This romcom follows a teacher who’s moonlighting as a model, all to pay off some debt, but then she meets a womanizer/journalist, who’s being blackmailed to appear in some advertisements. They become worst enemies, and we can probably guess (given the whole romcom thing) how these two will proceed, right?
Hate by Dani Rovira (Netflix stand-up special) — Netflix’s stand-up well generally runs deep, and that’s the only place they’ve slowed down the content during this pandemic. Fortunately Dani Rovera is here with a non-filtered version of humanity, and he’s here to hate on vegans, pet owners, Instagram users, and, uh, Antonio Banderas’ mom? Alright.
Buried by the Bernards (Netflix series) — This family dramedy revolves around a funeral-home owning brood that focuses on care, service, and comfort, but they gotta remember to care for themselves, right? We’ll see about that, but in the meantime, this series is dishing out sarcasm and honesty and an unorthodox approach in an already tough-to-navigate business.
Malcolm & Marie (Netflix film) — Zendaya and John David Washington are getting “achingly romantic,” not to mention dramatic, in this black-and-white film shot during lockdown. Sam Levinson directs and Marcell Rev is on cinematography, so the film looks achingly beautiful as well. Washington’s character is celebrating his movie premiere, and Zendaya portrays his girlfriend, and something goes wrong once they return home with revelations flying and their love put to the test. Levinson meant to send an ode to the Hollywood romances of yesteryear with this one, so Happy (early) Valentine’s Day.
Amazon Prime
Map Of Tiny Perfect Things (Amazon Prime film) — Time loops somehow don’t get old, especially after Palm Springs and Russian Doll freshened-up the concept once more. In this film. two teens find themselves reliving the same day while inexplicably drawn together. It’s a love story, of course, where they weigh how and whether to escape their never-ending yet ultimately perfect day.
Disney+
Wandavision: Episode 5 (Disney+ series) — The Marvel Cinematic Universe has launched into Phase Four with abandon, and now, it’s time for the Halloween episode after getting seriously dark before Kevin Feige cranked out the best episode of the series so far last week. The show’s more inventive than most superhero-oriented fare that we’ve seen in the past few years, and it’s fantastic to finally see the Marvel titles coming our way once more.
Life Below Zero: The Next Generation: Season 1 (National Geographic series on Disney+ — The wilds of Alaska is ground central for this off-the-grid group of ruffians, who are all willing and able (at least at first) to leave their contemporary lifestyles to confront a challenging new world, which will include bracing for the ghosts of winter, which is much, much longer (and with short-short or nonexistent days) than we’re used to in more moderate latitudes.
Hulu
Into the Dark: Tentacles The monthly horror-movie series returns with a psychosexual horror-thriller about love, or love gone wrong at least, when a young Los Angeles couple falls deeply in love, only to find that their intimacy takes an enormously dark turn. Happy holiday of love, y’all.
The New York Times Presents: “Framing Britney Spears”: New Episode (FX on Hulu) — The seemingly unending saga of mega pop star Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship is only one focus of this docuseries that aims to do a deep-dive, retrospective view on how Spears’ life and career has also been shaped by public perception and the press. It’s been a long twelve years for Britney under her father’s financial thumb, and that followed a few years of public chaos, which I’m sure you will never forget. Her fans rally in this series for her “freedom,” given that Britney has vowed not to work again until she can make her own decisions again.
Peacock
So Much Stand-Up Comedy (Peacock) — Not too much in the way of new content comes to NBCU’s streaming service this weekend, but they’re a contender with bold moves in their library (The Office, Modern Family) and soon becoming the exclusive streaming home of WWE. In addition, comedy is proving to be one of their strengths with The Amber Ruffin Show bringing a new late-night episode this weekend, and they recently added all of these new stand-up specials.
Bob Saget: Zero to Sixty (2017)
Brody Stevens: Live From the Main Room (2018)
Brother Sam: A Tribute to Sam Kinison (2005)
Cameron Esposito: Marriage Material (2016)
Colin Quinn: Unconstitutional (2015)
D.L. Hughley: Clear (2014)
D.L. Hughley: Reset (2012)
Darrell Hammond: Mayhem Explained (2018)
David Cross: Oh, Come On (2019)
Eddie Griffin: You Can Tell ‘Em I Said It (2011)
Finesse Mitchell: The Spirit Told Me to Tell You (2018)
Harland Williams: A Force of Nature (2011)
Henry Rollins: Keep Talking, Pal (2018)
Iliza Shlesinger: Over & Over (2019)
Iliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013)
Janeane Garofalo: If I May (2016)
Jasper Redd: Jazz Talk (2014)
Jay Pharoah: Can I Be Me? (2015)
Jermaine Fowler: Give ‘Em Hell, Kid (2015)
Jimmie JJ Walker & Mike Winslow: We are Still Here (2018)
Joel McHale: Live From Pyongyang (2019)
Joe Coco Diaz: Sociably Unacceptable (2016)
Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again (2015)
Kevin Hart Presents – Keith Robinson: Back of the Bus Funny (2014)
Kevin Hart Presents – Lil Rel Howery: Relevant (2015)
Kevin Hart Presents – Plastic Cup Boyz (2014)
Kevin Nealon: Whelmed…But Not Overly (2012)
Kevin Smith: Silent, But Deadly (Extended Edition) (2018)
Larry the Cable Guy: Remain Seated (2020)
Lavell Crawford: Home for the Holidays (2017)
Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer (2012)
Marc Maron: Thinky Pain (2013)
Margaret Cho: Psycho (2015)
Maria Bamford: Weakness Is the Brand (2020)
Michael Ian Black: Very Famous (2011)
Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (2013)
Sam Kinison: Family Entertainment Hour (1991)
Sasheer Zamata: Pizza Mind (2017)
Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla (2014)
Sinbad: Where U Been? (2010)
Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs (1990)
Tom Arnold: Past & Present Imperfectly (2018)
Tom Segura: Completely Normal (2014)
Whitney Cummings: Money Shot (2010)
It’s Showtime at the Apollo
