Finding something new to watch this weekend is easy with all the new movies and shows arriving on on Netflix, Max and more of the best streaming services.
At the top of my weekend watch list is “We Live in Time” on Max, a haunting romantic drama starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. Making its debut on Peacock is Pharrell Williams’ quirky Lego-fied biopic “Piece by Piece” while Netflix gets “Spencer,” Kristen Stewart’s Oscar-nominated performance as the late, great, Princess Diana.
Two spell-binding movies also landed on paid video-on-demand platforms this week: “September 5,” a historical thriller about a news team that reported live on the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis, and “All We Imagine as Light,” a soulful drama about the transformative power of friendship and sisterhood.
So let’s dive into what to watch this weekend if you’re on the hunt for the best new movies that just landed on streaming. For even more recommendations, be sure to check out our round-up of the best new movies and shows to stream this weekend.
‘September 5’ (PVOD)
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, “September 5” is one of the most gripping thrillers in recent memory. It takes a bold new approach to tell the true story of the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis, taking place entirely in the newsroom where the ABC Sports broadcast team covered the situation live as the games continued.
The movie delves into the ethical and operational challenges faced by the journalists as they report on what would eventually become a harrowing global tragedy. “September 5” has been getting rave reviews online and earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the upcoming Oscars, so this is definitely one that’ll be on my watchlist.
Buy or rent on Amazon
‘All We Imagine as Light’ (PVOD)
It’s rare for a movie to earn a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but “All We Imagine as Light” managed to do just that. It almost lessens the sting of its Oscars snub. Almost. Written and directed by Payal Kapadia, it follows the lives of Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha), two Malayali nurses carving out a place for themselves among the bustling streets of Mumbai.
Each is juggling their own problems. The straight-laced Prabha is stuck in a loveless arranged marriage with her husband living in Germany while a doctor at her hospital catches her eye. Meanwhile, the carefree Anu is secretly in a relationship with a young Muslim man, a romance she hides from her Hindu family. An unexpected trip to a seaside town, away from the city’s noise and bustle, may just give them the clarity and connection they’ve been seeking.
Buy or rent now on Amazon
‘Piece by Piece’ (Peacock)
![PIECE BY PIECE - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters October 11 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7Bc6trBc1kc/maxresdefault.jpg)
I’ll admit, I have a clear bias for including “Piece by Piece” on this list since Pharrell Williams is from my neck of the woods. This unconventional biopic showcases the music superstar’s rise to fame in Lego form, starting from his childhood in Virginia Beach to his international smash success as a recording artist and producer with collaborators Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk and more.
Vibrant and whimsical, “Piece by Piece” uses its Lego visuals in endlessly creative ways like depicting Williams’ synaesthesia (where individual notes and melodies appear to him as colors). With five new original songs written by Pharrell just for this flick, “Piece by Piece” is naturally a must-watch for fans of the chart-topping musician.
Watch it now on Peacock
‘Spencer’ (Netflix)
Kristen Stewart gives the performance of her career in “Spencer,” a biographical drama about the late, great Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales who won the hearts of people around the world with her warmth and humor before tragically passing away in a car accident in August 1997. It’s director Pablo Larraín’s second film in his trilogy of iconic 20th-century women, with 2016’s “Jackie” and Angelina Jolie in 2024’s “Maria” rounding out the rest.
Set during Christmas 1991, “Spencer” sees the People’s Princess at a crossroads as she considers divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family. After years of struggling to meet expectations, Princess Diana reunites with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and puts on a brave face as she prepares for upcoming holiday celebrations. But as troubling rumors of infidelity surface and damage her already fragile mental health, Diana is plagued by vivid, unsettling visions that seem to foreshadow her inevitable fate.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘We Live in Time’ (Max)
John Crowley’s beautiful but tragic romantic drama “We Live in Time” has finally made its way to streaming, so be sure to grab some tissues. Florence Pugh stars as a former figure skater turned talented chef named Almut who is thrust into the life of Tobias (Andrew Garfield), a breakfast cereal representative and recent divorcée, when she hits him with her car.
After one hell of a meet-cute, the two fall in love and the movie jumps through time to show the highs and lows of their decade-long romance in a non-linear fashion. However, their relationship takes a turn for the worse when Almut is diagnosed with an illness that greatly tests the couple’s bond. Critics have praised “We Live in Time” for balancing humor with its deeply human portrayal of love and loss, and Pugh and Garfield’s on-screen chemistry elevates this film into a spell-binding must-watch.
Watch it now on Max
