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Streaming services are playing Santa and giving all the good movie gifts this year, whether you're prepping for awards season or need a Christmasy escape.
Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+ and others are rolling out original fare perfect to watch after turkey and football on Thanksgiving or while getting your last-minute holiday wrapping done on Christmas Eve. And you're bound to see A-listers even bigger than Rudolph: Angelina Jolie goes for a best actress Oscar with a Maria Callas biopic, Ben Stiller stars in a yuletide comedy, Kerry Washington headlines a Tyler Perry war movie, and even the Virgin Mary takes center stage for a very new take on the Nativity story.
Here's an exclusive peek at new 15 movies you can soon stream from your sofa:
'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 an infamous drug lord (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help him transition to life as a woman. They reunite years later, though things are complicated by the reappearance of the cartel boss's wife (Selena Gomez).
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Where to watch:Netflix
'An Almost Christmas Story' (Friday)
Young owl Moon is injured and gets stuck in a tree that's cut down and sent off to Rockefeller Plaza for Christmas. He escapes and befriends lost girl Luna on the New York subway, and the two help each other find their way home in an animated short featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Natasha Lyonne and Jim Gaffigan.
Where to watch: Disney+
'The Merry Gentlemen' (Nov. 20)
What screams Christmas more than stripping dudes? To save her parents' small-town bar and arts venue, a Broadway dancer (Britt Robertson) stages an all-male holiday dance revue to get butts in seats and enlists a buff contractor (Chad Michael Murray) and his pals to show off their moves.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Blitz' (Nov. 22)
With Nazis on the march and bombing London, a British ammunitions worker (Saoirse Ronan) sends her son (Elliott Heffernan) to the country with other children to keep them safe. He escapes the train out of town and navigates a long and dangerous adventure back in Steve McQueen's World War II drama.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
'Out of My Mind' (Nov. 22)
Newcomer Phoebe-Rae Taylor stars in the coming-of-age drama as Melody, a nonverbal sixth-grader (and trivia whiz) with cerebral palsy as she deals with the highs and lows of school and home life. Assistive voice technology gives her a new way to communicate, but still she struggles to be heard and understood.
Where to watch: Disney+
'The Piano Lesson' (Nov. 22)
Denzel Washington's two sons are creative forces in this adaptation of the August Wilson play. Malcolm Washington's directorial debut stars his brother, John David, as a Mississippi man wanting to sell a musical heirloom to buy the land where his family was enslaved but his estranged sister (Danielle Deadwyler) is intent on keeping it.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Spellbound' (Nov. 22)
Featuring songs co-written by Alan Menken, the animated family adventure centers on a princess (voiced by Rachel Zegler) who heads off on a quest to break a spell that's turned her parents (Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem) into monsters. If she doesn't save her mom and dad in time, a dark magic will take over their kingdom.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Our Little Secret' (Nov. 27)
The holiday romantic comedy features Lindsay Lohan as Avery, a woman hoping to impress her boyfriend's hard-to-please mom (Kristin Chenoweth) during their first Christmas together. So Avery is thrown for a loop when, at a family holiday getaway, she discovers that her beau's sister is dating her ex (Ian Harding).
Where to watch:Netflix
'Sweethearts' (Nov. 28)
Nico Hiraga and Kiernan Shipka star in the comedy as codependent best friends whose high school sweethearts are a buzzkill to their college lives. They embark on a plan to break up with their loves over Thanksgiving, but find it easier said than done and also have to rethink their own relationship.
Where to watch: Max
'Nutcrackers' (Nov. 29)
The holiday comedy features Ben Stiller as a workaholic real estate developer who has his life upended when he becomes the legal guardian of four unruly boys after the death of his sister and her husband. Linda Cardellini co-stars as the social worker trying to find foster parents for them while the unlikely dad gets put through the wringer.
Where to watch: Hulu
'That Christmas' (Dec. 4)
"Four Weddings and a Funeral" filmmaker Richard Curtis pulls a kid-friendly "Love Actually" with this animated comedy. The yuletide treat is filled with intertwined tales of folks having trouble getting home for Christmas and Santa (voiced by Brian Cox) doing his stressful job alongside a high-maintenance reindeer in a blizzard.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Mary' (Dec. 6)
An action thriller featuring 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 as the new family goes on the run.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Maria' (Dec. 11)
Director Pablo Larraín's 1970s-set biopic centers on the final days of opera icon Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) in France. While seeing if she can still muster some old magic in her voice, Maria revisits her life, loves and career and receives key emotional support from her butler (Pierfrancesco Favino) and housekeeper (Alba Rohrwacher).
Where to watch: Netflix
'Carry-On' (Dec. 13)
There are "Die Hard" and "Speed" vibes with this holiday action flick. An airport TSA agent (Taron Egerton) is blackmailed by a mysterious villain (Jason Bateman) into letting a dangerous piece of luggage through security to keep his girlfriend (Sofia Carson) safe, then goes to extreme lengths to keep the package from taking flight.
Where to watch: Netflix
'The Six Triple Eight' (Dec. 20)
Inspired by a true story, writer/director Tyler Perry's drama stars Kerry Washington as the leader of the first and only all-female Army Corps unit of color to be stationed overseas during World War II. Their mission: To deliver 17 million pieces of backlogged mail and boost the morale of American troops when they need it the most.
Where to watch:Netflix
