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This month is a diverse one for new arrivals on Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Paramount+, with the streaming debuts of titles both well-known and obscure.
‘Scrooged’ (Amazon Prime)
Bill Murray is at his Bill Murray-est in this umpteenth retelling of “A Christmas Carol,” which is easily the most interesting and daring of the lot.
Murray plays Frank, a depressed, vindictive, and hard-drinking TV executive who’s determined to produce a garish live Christmas Eve broadcast of the classic Dickens story against the wishes of everyone involved.
‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (1962) (Amazon Prime)
Not to be confused with the inferior 2004 remake, this espionage thriller set smack-dab in the middle of the Cold War was light-years ahead of its time and remains the best of its kind ever made.
Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury in a rare turn as an antagonist, and Frank Sinatra lead the cast in this John Frankenheimer-directed masterpiece, which begs for multiple viewings.
‘The Last Duel’ (Hulu)
Director Ridley Scott’s last recommendable movie is a fact-based period piece set in 14th-century France, with a “Rashomon” type narrative.
A woman (Jodie Comer) is accosted by one of the two lead male characters (Adam Driver and Matt Damon). This results in a duel to the death between the two men, along with the recounting of the event from the different perspectives of the three principles.
‘Secretariat’ (Hulu)
Not as fulfilling or daring as the similarly themed “Seabiscuit,” this film based on the story of the 1973 Triple Crown-winning horse Secretariat is nonetheless inspiring, uplifting, and safe for family consumption.
Diane Lane stars as Penny Chenery in this true story. Chenery was a lifelong equine enthusiast who eventually inherited Meadow Stables in Caroline County, Virginia, from her father. With the help of eccentric trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich), Chenery was able to save the stable that, by the end of the 1960s, was headed for foreclosure.
In winning each leg of the Triple Crown in record times (which remain unbroken), Secretariat became one of if not the most successful, storied racehorses of all time and made Chenery a legend in her own right in the process.
‘Hugo’ (Paramount+)
One of Martin Scorsese’s few non-R-rated movies, “Hugo” is based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” It stars Asa Butterfield as the title character, an orphan living with his abusive uncle, Claude (Ray Winstone), in a clock tower at the Gare Montparnasse train station in 1930s Paris.
Following the book’s lead, screenwriter John Logan (“Gladiator,” “Michael”) deftly mixes a non-fictional historical figure, filmmaking pioneer Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley), into this fictional story. Georges, now out of the movie business against his will, owns a combination magic store and toy store. Meanwhile, his goddaughter, Isabella (Chloë Grace Moretz), is Hugo’s puppy love interest.
Showing up as a second antagonist is Sacha Baron Cohen as the Station Inspector, who wants nothing more than to prove that Hugo is responsible for Claude’s disappearance and presumed death.
Despite receiving 11 Oscar nominations and five wins, the movie barely made a profit and is technically considered a box office bomb.
‘Black Bag’ (Hulu)
One of several crowning achievements on the resume of director Steven Soderbergh, the 2025 spy thriller “Black Bag” is a lean, fat-free example of textbook filmmaking.
Michael Fassbender takes the lead as George Woodhouse, a counterintelligence officer with Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). George’s boss (Gustaf Skarsgard) tasks him with ferreting out an NCSC spy who’s selling secrets to the Russians. He works closely and is well acquainted with all five suspects, one of whom is his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett).
George’s principal dilemma is risking his happy marriage with Kathryn; her ability to project poker-face secrecy rivals his own for betraying loyalties to the government.
‘Misty Green’ (Netflix)
Fresh off of an unimpressive October 2026 theatrical run, this comedic drama was written and directed by Chris Rock, who also has a minor supporting role.
The premise is the attempted return to glory of the title character (Rosalind Eleazar, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a younger Diana Ross), an actress who’s fallen off the public radar.
Promoted as Rock’s “comeback,” it suggests elements of “Sunset Boulevard” and the most recent incarnation of “A Star Is Born,” which was written by, directed by, and starring Bradley Cooper.
Kudos to Rock for stepping outside of his comedic safety zone and keeping his character out of the center of attention. Some parts of the film are great, but too much of it seems too eager to please. Rock’s loyal fanbase will love it, but for others, it might be too much of a stretch.
‘Tony’ (HBO Max)
This biopic drama stars relative unknown Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain, a directionless man in love with Nancy (Emilia Jones) who follows (read: stalks) her during summer break to Provincetown, Massachusetts.
By sheer accident and dumb luck, Bourdain gets a job at a semi-upscale restaurant owned and operated by a character played by Antonio Banderas who’s known only as “Chef.”
To director and co-writer Matt Johnson’s immense credit, he never fully sands down the title character’s roughhewn edges, which lends the production a high level of believability.
As good as Sessa and Jones (not to mention supporting actor Leo Woodall) are, Banderas completely owns the movie and is the current favorite to walk away with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at next year’s ceremony.
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