Welcome to the weekly streaming guide for Boston.com. We suggest five must-watch films and TV series every week that are accessible on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.
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See past iterations of our must-watch list here for even more greatstreaming alternatives.
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All the new movies and TV shows streaming in June
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The 32 best Boston movies (and how to watch them)
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The winner is in: This iconic film is the best Boston movie
New Movies Streaming
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
For a brief period, Focus Features has re-released the Oscar winner in theaters to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ang Lee’s controversial cowboy romance. However, Prime Video offers the content if you would rather view at home.
When journeyman Ennis (Heath Ledger) and rodeo cowboy Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) start working as sheep herders for a wealthy rancher in Wyoming in 1963, Brokeback gets underway. The two become estranged due to the prevalent views on homosexuality, and what starts as a drunken night in a tent develops into a decades-long but sporadic romance. Don’t undervalue Michelle Williams, who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Ennis’s troubled wife Alma, even though Gyllenhaal and Ledger are both outstanding.
How to watch: Prime Video is streaming Brokenback Mountain.
Jaws (1975)
Today is Jaws’ 50th anniversary, so it’s the ideal moment to go back and watch the picture that launched Steven Spielberg’s career, transformed Martha’s Vineyard into a fantastic movie set, and made people a little more afraid to go in the ocean.
Jaws is often considered the first summer blockbuster, and it’s amazing that even now, fifty years later, it still evokes such fear. The suspense on the island of Amity is established from the first scene, in which the invisible monster devours a slender dipper. The anticipation is nearly excruciating by the time the iconic trio of Aquaphobic Police Chief Martin Brody, Precocious Marine Biologist Matt Hooper, and Crazy Shark Hunter Quint (played by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw, respectively) set out to battle the beast.
How to view it: Jaws is live on Peacock.
Plane (2023)
After a demanding workweek, sometimes all you want to do is switch off your mind and let the endorphins take over. Whether it’s a Hallmark film of the week or a trashy reality show, everyone has a favorite guilty pleasure. Movies like jet, starring Gerard Butler as a tough, working-class airline pilot who has to kick some ass after his jet crashes in a remote, lawless area of the Philippines, are what I consider to be like that. I’m more of a fan of Jason Statham than Butler when it comes to films like this, but the Scottish actor does a fantastic job.
How to watch: Netflix is streaming “Plane.”
New TV Shows Streaming
The Buccanneers
This weekend, if you can only watch one late 19th-century high society drama, choose The Gilded Age (see below). However, you have time to watch the second season of Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers in the interim, as the third season of HBO’s drama doesn’t debut until Sunday.
The show’s title, The Buccaneers, is based on an unfinished Edith Wharton novel about five young American ladies who have been able to move to London to mingle with (and look for spouses) members of high society on the other side of the water thanks to their new wealthy parents. Start with Season 1 if you haven’t already, so you can catch up on those who have gotten married, those who have divorced, those who have fallen in love with illegal same-sex partnerships, and those who are starting side businesses to support their extravagant lifestyle.
How to watch: New episodes of The Buccaneers air on Wednesdays and are streamed on Apple TV+.
The Gilded Age
If you enjoy Downton Abbey, you have probably already embraced The Gilded Age, which is produced by Julian Fellowes, the same showrunner, and portrays a similar story of aristocracy within the cozy confines of high society in New York City in the 1880s.
The HBO series’ third season, which premieres on Sunday, may be its greatest yet because Fellowes pushes his socialites into awkward situations. After putting in a lot of effort to secure her family’s wealth and prestige, Bertha (Carrie Coon) and her husband disagree about whether their daughter should be allowed to marry for love rather than money. A newly destitute Agnes (Christine Baranski) is forced to put up with her sister’s (Cynthia Nixon) capricious temperance-movement whims. Finally, we are introduced to a wealthy Black family, whose matriarch (Phylicia Rashad) actively diverts any discussion from slavery or rebuilding.
How to watch: Season 3 of The Gilded Age airs on HBO on Sundays at 9 p.m.; the show is available for streaming on HBO Max.
Kevin Slane writes about culture and entertainment as a staff writer for Boston.com. Movie reviews, streaming guidelines, celebrities, and Boston activities are the main topics of his work.
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