New movies to stream at home

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Streaming services are playing Santa Claus this year and giving all the good movie gifts, whether you’re gearing up for awards season or need a Christmas escape.

Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+ and others are introducing original fare perfect for watching after turkey and football on Thanksgiving or while doing your last-minute Christmas wrapping on Christmas Eve. And you’re sure to see A-listers even bigger than Rudolph: Angelina Jolie goes for an Oscar for best actress with a biopic about Maria Callas, Ben Stiller stars in a Christmas comedy, Kerry Washington is the headliner of a Tyler Perry war movie, and even the Virgin Mary takes center stage a completely new take on the Christmas story.

Here’s an exclusive sneak peek at the 15 new movies you’ll soon be able to stream from your couch:

‘Emilia Pérez’ (Wednesday)

In this Spanish-language mix of melodramatic telenovela, pulpy crime thriller and movie musical, a Mexico City lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) is hired by a notorious drug lord (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help him transition to life as a woman. They reunite years later, although things are complicated by the return of the cartel boss’ wife (Selena Gomez).

Where to watch: Netflix

‘An almost Christmas story’ (Friday)

The young owl Moon is injured and gets stuck in a tree that has been cut down and sent to Rockefeller Plaza for Christmas. He escapes and befriends a lost girl Luna on the New York subway, and the two help each other find their way home in an animated short film featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Natasha Lyonne and Jim Gaffigan.

Where to watch: Disney+

‘The Merry Gentlemen’ (November 20)

What screams Christmas more than guys stripping? To save her parents’ bar and arts venue, a Broadway dancer (Britt Robertson) organizes an all-male holiday dance revue to get butts in the seats and enlists a musclebound contractor (Chad Michael Murray) and his friends to to show off their moves.

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Blitz’ (November 22)

While the Nazis are on the march and bombing London, a British munitions worker (Saoirse Ronan) sends her son (Elliott Heffernan) with other children to protect them. He escapes the train out of the city and embarks on a long and dangerous adventure in Steve McQueen’s World War II drama.

Where to watch: AppleTV+

‘Out of My Mind’ (November 22)

Newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor stars in the coming-of-age drama as Melody, a nonverbal sixth grader (and trivia expert) with cerebral palsy as she deals with the highs and lows of school and family life. Assistive voice technology gives her a new way to communicate, but she still struggles to be heard and understood.

Where to watch: Disney+

‘The Piano Lesson’ (November 22)

Denzel Washington’s two sons are creative forces in this adaptation of August Wilson’s play. In Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut, his brother, John David, plays a Mississippi man who wants to sell a musical heirloom to buy the land where his family was enslaved, but his estranged sister (Danielle Deadwyler) plans to keep it .

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Spellbound’ (November 22)

The animated family adventure, with songs co-written by Alan Menken, centers on a princess (voiced by Rachel Zegler) who sets out to break a spell that has turned her parents (Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem) into monsters. If she doesn’t save her father and mother in time, a dark magic will take over their kingdom.

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Our little secret’ (November 27)

This romantic holiday comedy stars Lindsay Lohan as Avery, a woman who wants to impress her boyfriend’s hard-to-please mother (Kristin Chenoweth) during their first Christmas together. So Avery gets into trouble when, during a family vacation, she discovers that her boyfriend’s sister is dating her ex (Ian Harding).

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Sweethearts’ (November 28)

The comedy stars Nico Hiraga and Kiernan Shipka as codependent best friends whose high school romances are a buzzkill in their college lives. They devise a plan to break up with their loved ones over Thanksgiving, but find it easier said than done and must also reconsider their own relationship.

Where to watch: Max

‘Nutcrackers’ (November 29)

The holiday comedy stars Ben Stiller as a workaholic real estate developer whose life is turned upside down when he becomes the legal guardian of four unruly boys after the deaths of his sister and her husband. Linda Cardellini plays the role of the social worker who tries to find them foster parents, while the unlikely father is put through the wringer.

Where to watch: Hulu

‘That Christmas’ (December 4)

‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ filmmaker Richard Curtis delivers a kid-friendly ‘Love Actually’ with this animated comedy. The Christmas treat is filled with interwoven stories about people struggling to get home for Christmas and Santa Claus (voiced by Brian Cox) doing his stressful job alongside a high-maintenance reindeer in a snowstorm.

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Maria’ (December 6)

An action thriller with the mother of Jesus? Believe it. Noa Cohen stars in the coming-of-age story as the title character, who is shunned after her immaculate conception and forced into hiding with husband Joseph (Ido Tako). Anthony Hopkins plays King Herod, who orders a hunt for their newborn baby as the new family goes on the run.

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Maria’ (December 11)

Director Pablo Larraín’s 1970s biopic focuses on the last days of opera icon Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) in France. While she sees if she can still summon some old magic in her voice, Maria reassesses her life, loves and career and receives important emotional support from her butler (Pierfrancesco Favino) and housekeeper (Alba Rohrwacher).

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Carry-On’ (December 13)

There are “Die Hard” and “Speed” vibes in this holiday action film. An airport TSA agent (Taron Egerton) is blackmailed by a mysterious villain (Jason Bateman) into letting a dangerous piece of luggage through security to protect his girlfriend (Sofia Carson), then goes out of his way to to prevent the package from flying.

Where to watch: Netflix

‘The Six Triple Eight’ (December 20)

Inspired by a true story, writer/director Tyler Perry’s drama stars Kerry Washington as the leader of the Army Corps’ first and only all-female unit of color stationed overseas during World War II. Their mission: Deliver 17 million pieces of backlogged mail and boost the morale of U.S. troops when they need it most.

Where to watch: Netflix