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Thank goodness for streaming services when the pickings are slim at the cinema.
January is rarely a boom time for new movies at the theater (though, hey, we see you, Mark Wahlberg!) Meanwhile, Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon and others have rolled out a smattering of good stuff this month to check out from your couch. There are theatrical releases to catch up on, from Ridley Scott’s swords-and-sandals sequel to a “Saturday Night Live” origin story and originals like a Jennifer Lopez true-life sports drama and a Reese Witherspoon/Will Ferrell wedding comedy.
Here are 15 notable new movies you can stream right now:
‘Back in Action’
Fifteen years ago, CIA operatives Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz) stole an important high-tech device and had to go off the grid. Now married with kids, they’re forced to reenter the spy game when their cover is blown – and are pursued by several parties, including Emily’s ex (Andrew Scott) – in the action comedy.
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Where to watch: Netflix
‘Blink Twice’
Naomi Ackie stars as a cocktail waitress who has a chance run-in with a wealthy tech bro (Channing Tatum) and is invited for a getaway at the rich dude’s island paradise, but the partying quickly turns into a gaslighting horror show. Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut crosses a timely narrative with a mighty satisfying finale.
Where to watch:Prime Video
‘A Different Man’
Sebastian Stan won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis who undergoes an experimental treatment to address his large facial tumors. The procedure “cures” his outside but doesn’t help his inner insecurities in the dark comedy, which features a standout supporting turn from Adam Pearson.
Where to watch: Max
‘The Front Room’
Think your mother-in-law’s evil? A pregnant anthropology professor (Brandy Norwood) has her worst nightmares realized when her husband’s eccentric mom (Kathryn Hunter, brandishing a wicked Southern drawl) moves in and brings God, chaos and creepiness with her in the psychological thriller.
Where to watch: Max
‘Gladiator II’
While Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel to his original 2000 film (and best picture winner) doesn’t reach those previous heights, it makes up for any faults with sheer outrageousness. Paul Mescal is the enslaved warrior this time around and Denzel Washington, as a Roman power player, chews more scenery than a Colosseum full of sharks.
Where to watch: Paramount+
‘Goodrich’
Michael Keaton is back in “Mr. Mom” mode in this dramedy, starring as an art dealer in LA whose wife leaves him and enters a 90-day rehab. When faced with being a single father for his 9-year-old twins, he reaches out to his grown daughter (Mila Kunis) for help and tries to make up for being an absent dad the first time around.
Where to watch: Max
‘Here’
Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and director Robert Zemeckis pull together a “Forrest Gump” reunion and aim squarely for the feels with this innovative but treacly drama, which shows the evolving life of a couple from a fixed point in their house over decades.
Where to watch:Netflix
‘Mothers’ Instinct’
Based on Barbara Abel’s novel, the 1960s-set suburban thriller stars Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain as best friends, neighbors and moms. When a tragic fall kills one’s son, the accident sets both women down a twisty path of guilt, betrayal, melodrama and more death.
Where to watch: Hulu
‘A Real Pain’
In the moving and hilarious dramedy, two estranged cousins venture to Poland to explore their Jewish roots. Uncomfortably anxious David (Jesse Eisenberg, who writes and directs) and charming but volatile Benji (Oscar nominee Kieran Culkin) both have issues but begin to come to grips with them while on a Holocaust tour.
Where to watch: Hulu
‘Saturday Night’
Not old enough to remember the early years of “SNL” when youthful creativity met crazypants unpredictability? This throwback comedy is quite a nostalgia trip, with a talented cast fueling a fictionalized retelling of the sketch show’s infamous first night in 1975 and finding triumph in what easily could have been a disaster.
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Unstoppable’
Get thee to the mat for this inspirational real-life sports story. Jharrel Jerome stars as Anthony Robles, a high school wrestling superstar born with one leg who dreams of winning the college national championship and becomes a role model for little kids, while Jennifer Lopez plays his loyal mom Judy.
Where to watch: Prime Video
‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Foul’
The sixth British animated adventure featuring Wallace and his best canine pal Gromit finds them tussling once again with old foe Feathers McGraw. The incarcerated penguin thief finds a way to reprogram Wallace’s robotic garden gnome and send it on a crime spree that implicates the oddball inventor.
Where to watch:Netflix
‘The Wild Robot’
A service robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) crash-lands on an island full of animals, which is not what she was programmed to handle. She befriends a wily fox (Pedro Pascal), ends up the adoptive mom to an orphaned gosling (Kit Connor) and, when her creators seek to find her, becomes the proud protector of a whole mess of critters.
Where to watch:Peacock
‘You’re Cordially Invited’
Weddings are double-booked at the same island inn venue for a devoted girl dad (Will Ferrell) marrying off his daughter (Geraldine Viswanathan) and a reality TV producer (Reese Witherspoon) planning a big day for her little sister (Meredith Hagner). They go to war and create chaos for everybody involved in the disaster-filled rom-com.
Where to watch: Prime Video
‘Your Monster’
After being dumped following a cancer diagnosis, a mousy aspiring actress (Melissa Barrera) meets the hairy monster (Tommy Dewey) who lives in a closet at her childhood home. They initially butt heads yet grow to confide in each other – with him helping her find needed rage – in a thoughtful, darkly rom-com spin on “Beauty and the Beast.”
Where to watch: Max
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