Five new movies to watch this week
(Credit: Netflix)

Films

Five new movies to watch this week

Trying to find the perfect movie is always a difficult venture. No matter the sheer volume of variety that Netflix provides, with endless streams of horror, action, Holiday and every other kind of genre littering its cyber shelves, finding your essential watch is no mean feat.

Luckily, thanks to Best of Netflix, we have five perfect movies to watch this week. With a range of content, including a humdinger from Brad Pitt, we can safely assume that December will be another bumper month for movies and Netflix.

As has become routine for streaming services, it is Netflix that sticks out predominantly from the crowd, dominating the landscape of visual content this December with a host of brand-new and exciting releases. This includes fresh offerings from such acclaimed filmmakers as the American indie pioneer Noah Baumbach, Mexican filmmaking maestro Guillermo del Toro and the contemporary sci-fi champion Rian Johnson. 

Make no mistake, Netflix is going to dominate the landscape this Christmas season, so if you’re not already borrowing someone else’s subscription, get sponging now to avoid disappointment later in the month. But here are the films coming to the platform this week.

Five new movies to watch this week:

Bullet Train

Bullet Train, directed by David Leitch, was one of this summer’s most popular blockbusters, grossing $239.3 million worldwide. In case you didn’t get the chance to catch the Brad Pitt action comedy, or perhaps you want to enjoy it in all its thrills again, the film will appear on Netflix on December 3rd. Bullet Train follows Pitt’s assassin as he battles fellow killers during a train journey whilst trying to retrieve a briefcase. 

The film’s ensemble cast includes Aaron Taylor Johnson, Joey King, Brian Tyree-Henry, Andrew Koji, Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon, Hiroyuki Sanada, and even rapper Bad Bunny. 

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

A musical animation retelling the classic Dickens Christmas tale will hit Netflix on December 2nd. Luke Evans will voice the iconic character of Ebenezer Scrooge, who must redeem himself before Christmas Day. Olivia Colman provides the voice of The Ghost of Christmas Past, and Johnny Flynn voices Bob Crachit. Other actors who have lent their voices include Jonathan Pryce, Jessie Buckley, James Cosmo, and Fra Fee. 

Director Stephen Donnelly has said, “It’s been a fascinating challenge to adapt such a beloved and often-told story. I think this version will give those who know A Christmas Carol all the things they expect, but not as they’ve experienced them before.” 

Troll

A new Norweigian monster film, Troll, will be added to Netflix on December 1st. Directed by Roar Uthaug, the film stars Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Gard B. Eidsvold, Pål Richard Lunderby and Eric Vorenholt. Troll follows a group that must unite to stop an ancient troll that has awoken in a Norweigian mountain from wreaking havoc. 

Uthaug said, “Troll is an idea that has been developing in the back of my mind for over 20 years. To finally be able to realise it with the enthusiastic and ambitious people at Netflix and Motion Blur is truly a dream come true. I can’t wait to unleash this Norwegian monster on the world.”

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Already garnering early praise from critics, the latest adaptation of D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover is helmed by The Mustang director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre. Staying faithful to the influential novel, the story follows an unhappily married aristocrat who begins an affair with the gatekeeper on her husband’s country estate. Starring Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell in the lead roles, this looks like a passionate romance not to be missed. 

Indeed, after the success of Bridgerton, it seems as though Netflix is trying to carve out a niche for itself as the master of period dramas.

Pinocchio

We can say with some certainty that Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion triumph Pinocchio will be high up on our list of the greatest films of 2022, with the film having impressed at the BFI London Film Festival. Gorgeously crafted by the Mexican filmmaker, Pinocchio may be the finest adaptation of the classic Italian tale ever put to screen, shaming the awful live-action counterpart that Disney released this year. 

Whilst the visuals and the emotional story does most of the leg work, the excellent voice cast of Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Cate Blanchett and Finn Wolfhard really bring the feature film to life.