11 best movies new to Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max & Hulu: December 2021

We are now in December, with 2022 just around the corner. It’s been a long and plentiful year of exciting new releases with even more left to come. As we patiently await the arrival of major tent-pole attractions, Spider-Man has no way homeAnd Resurrections of the Matrix, there’s a wealth of awesome movies coming to streaming this month on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Shudder.

This is the classic French action-horror movie. Brotherhood of the Wolf The Indonesian movie on martial arts The Raid 2To beloved romance comedies such as Crazy Stupid LoveAnd Something’s Gotta Give, there’s something for everyone this month.

Here are 11 movies you should watch on streaming service in November.

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Universal Pictures

Set in 18th-century France, Christophe Gans’ Brotherhood of the Wolf centers on the knight Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Iroquois companion Mani (Mark Dacascos) who are dispatched to the province of Gévaudan to investigate a mysterious beast that is allegedly terrorizing the locals. The Brotherhood of the Wolf is a secret group of conspirators who are trying to overthrow Louis XV’s rule and seize control of France. This is what the men discover. A period horror movie that features dazzling fight scenes, stunning cinematography and lavish visuals. It also has a deeply engrossing story. Brotherhood of the WolfThis film has been absent from streaming or VOD in the US. But, with the release of a Blu-ray by Shout Factory, and the streaming debut on Shudder this month; genre enthusiasts finally have the chance to return to this classic French action movie.

Brotherhood of the WolfAvailable to stream online Shake.

Chicago

Image: Miramax Home Entertainment

Rob Marshall’s 2002 comedy-drama musical Chicago stars Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart, an aspiring vaudeville singer who strikes up a romance with a supposed showbiz manager and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, a charismatic and popular showgirl. Both Roxie and Velma are sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of their partners. They manipulate the media with the aid of Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), a brilliant, smooth-talking lawyer. The goal is to make themselves seem like tragic heroines and win their acquittal. But the attention combined drives them to seek fame and the spotlight. This album is full of infectious song and dance numbers. It’s also filled with coolness, spun with an exuberant sense. Chicago is a sultry and stylish musical that’s not to be missed.

ChicagoYou can stream the video on HBO Max.

Cloud Atlas

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cloud Atlas will arguably offer the best hint at what to tonally expect from a Matrix sequel in the year 2021, aside from The Wachowskis’ Netflix sci-fi drama Sense8. Adapted from David Mitchell’s 2004 novel of the same name, the epic sci-fi odyssey charts the story of several characters from the 1900s to the middle of the 21st century as they attempt to grapple with the challenges of their respective eras and find meaning in their lives. Starring an ensemble cast including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, Doona Bae, Susan Sarandon, and more, the film is a cofounding, ambitious, and at times deeply moving story with an “anything goes” attitude that equally results in some of the most inspired scenes and questionable directorial decisions the Wachowskis have ever produced in their careers. From the looks of the trailer, if you want to brace yourself for the kind of wild cinematic experimentation you’re likely to find in Resurrections of the MatrixThen, Cloud AtlasThis will be your guide.

Cloud AtlasAvailable to stream online HBO Max.

Crazy Stupid Love

Warner Bros. Pictures

Crazy Stupid LoveStars Steve Carrell from The Office as Cal Weaver. He is a divorced father who becomes bitter over the affair he has with his ex-wife Julie Moore (Julianne Moon). Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who is a suave womenizer, attempts to help Cal. When Jacob unexpectedly falls for Hannah (Emma Stone), a law student who also happens to be Cal’s daughter, shenanigans ensue and everyone involved learns a valuable lesson about love and life.

Crazy Stupid Love You can stream it on HBO Max.

Edward Scissorhands

Image from 20th Century Studios

Tim Burton’s 1990 fantasy romance Edward Scissorhands is not only an essential touchstone in the director’s filmography of darkly whimsical and human-centric stories, but a searing indictment of the dark hypocrisy at the heart of suburban America. Johnny Depp portrays Edward, an artificial being with long fingers who must tend to Vincent Price’s castle. Peg Boggs, a charming door-to-door saleswoman who meets Edward when he visits her house, adopts him along with her song Kevin (Winoa Ryder). Over time, Edward grows to love Peg’s family and their home, but the neighborhood at large harbors mistrusts and hatred for the mysterious young man for what makes him different. Edward ScissorhandsA touching contemporary fairytale with elegant and sincere messages.

Edward ScissorhandsYou can stream the video on Disney PlusAnd Amazon Prime.

Jackie Brown

Photo: Darren Michaels/Miramax Films

Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 crime film Jackie Brown is a dark horse in the director’s oeuvre; a movie that ranks among some of his best work, but nonetheless remains conspicuous absent from many conversations about Tarantino’s films. An adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch and a loving homage to blaxploitation classics like 1973’s Coffy and 1974’s Foxy BrownPam Grier plays the role of Jackie Brown (a middle-aged airline stewardess) who smuggles arms to a well-known crime kingpin. Jackie is forced by federal agents into becoming an informant for her employer, at risk of her being murdered. Jackie has to learn how to get out of the conflict to save her life and her future.

Grier’s performance is as iconic as any delivered by Tarantino’s former muse Uma Thurman, a smooth-talking operator with a cool head and innate knack for working any angle. If you’ve somehow have never gotten around to watching Jackie Brown, do it: it’s a gem in the director’s body of work that deserves way more recognition than it gets.

Jackie BrownAvailable to stream online HBO Max.

Looper

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Rian Johnson’s sci-fi noir action-thriller LooperJoe Gordon-Levitt is a hitman who works for a criminal syndicate in 2044. He specializes in killing his bosses in time travel. In exchange for his services, Joe is offered the opportunity to retire provided that he close his own “loop” by executing his future self (Bruce Willis). Joe must find his future self before he overpowers Joe and embarks on his mysterious mission. It only gets worse from there. The film is packed with action-packed chase sequences, thrilling gunfights, memorable music by Nathan Johnson and bizarre makeup meant to make Joseph Gordon Levitt appear younger than Bruce Willis. LooperIt is both entertaining and captivating, with an action movie that has a heart as large as its ideas.

LooperWatch it streaming on Netflix.

No country is for the old man

Miramax

The Coen brothers’ Academy Award-winning film No country is for elderly men is one of the directors’ best; a gritty, suspenseful neo-Western crime thriller that channels the brother’s earliest works à la 1984’s Blood simple and the raw terse appeal of Cormac McCarthy’s original novel. Josh Brolin portrays Llewelyn Moss, a white collar worker who discovers a huge sum of money left behind by a failed drug deal. Llewelyn’s plans to safely escape with the money in tow are complicated by Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a ruthless and unrelenting hitman sent by the cartel to retrieve the money and dispose of any witnesses at all cost. It is an extended cat-and_mouse game, with both men engaging in bracing shootouts as well as chasing each other. No country is for elderly men is a sparse yet exacting film powered by a core quartet of performances that include Kelly Macdonald as Llwelyn’s wife Carla Jean and Tommy Lee Jones as a local sheriff tasked with sifting through the aftermath. If you’re looking for a masterpiece of a modern thriller, this is it.

No country is for elderly menYou can stream the video on HBO Max.

Something’s Gotta Give

Warner Bros. Pictures

Romantic comedies can be a rare commodity. A romantic comedy with Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton Keanu Reeves That’s a keeper. Nancy Meyers directed the filmThe Women’s Desires), Something’s Gotta GiveFollow Harry Sanborn. He is a 63 year-old music executive who dates only women younger than 30. When Harry meets Erica (Diane Keaton), the mother of his latest trophy girlfriend Marin, the two can’t stand each other. Harry is unexpectedly diagnosed with a heart attack after he visits her house. She allows Harry to remain so that he can recover. What begins as a feud eventually blossoms into a budding romance, one that is complicated by Harry’s inherent fear of commitment and another potential suitor for Erica in the form of Harry’s 36 year old doctor Julian (Keanu Reeves). Strong comedic and screen romantic chemistry between Nicholson, Keaton and Meyers. Meyers’ sharp writing is a plus. Something’s Gotta Give is one of the genre’s best.

Something’s Gotta GiveYou can stream it on Hulu.

The Raid 2

The 2014 sequel to Gareth Evans’ breakthrough Indonesian action-thriller RaidThe film intensifies the violence while exploring deeper the sinister politics and underpinnings that are at the core of the original criminal plot. Following the events in the first film’s conclusion, the second movie begins. The Raid 2Rama, a rookie cop (IkoUwais), is assigned to go undercover in a strong crime syndicate and uncover the identities of police officers who collaborate with it. It is followed by a series of brutal fight scenes that are reminiscent of ballet. The plotting begins with an ambitious mobster lieutenant who wants to take down his superiors as well as gain power. If political intrigue doesn’t do it for you, how about watching a blind woman ruthlessly murder a train car of mobsters with a pair of hammers, or a drunk homeless assassin fend off an entire nightclub of pursuers? There’s something for every action movie fan in The Raid 2.

The Raid 2You can stream it on Hulu.

The Truman Show

Image by Paramount Pictures

One could easily imagine a YouTube careerist and an advertising agency squeezing into our every day lives. The Truman ShowThe speculative-fiction shine is slowly disappearing. Not at all; Jim Carrey’s arc — from incarcerated TV personality to awoken soul — still packs the eeriness of Philip K. Dick and the gravity of Ray Bradbury, a sci-fi parable built from familiar cultural trends. Philip Glass’ score will always bring the tears in the end.

The Truman ShowYou can stream the video on HBO Max.