Stream on Demand: Nicole Kidman is Lucy, Javier Bardem is Desi in ‘Being the Ricardos’
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and other services.
Top streams for the week
Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in “Being the Ricardos” (2021, R), Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama set over a volatile week in 1953 during production of the groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.” (Amazon Prime Video)
In the satire “Don’t Look Up” (2021, R), two astronomers (Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) try to warn humankind about a planet-killing comet on a collision course with Earth. Meanwhile, the 24-hour news cycle treats it as entertainment fodder, and the public politicizes the whole thing. (Netflix)
Twenty years after the last film, “The Matrix Resurrections” (2021, PG-13) reunites Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as heroes Neo and Trinity for a self-aware return trip to the virtual world. Available to stream same day as theaters, available for 31 days from its Friday release. (HBO Max)
“Encanto” (2021, PG), an animated musical about a young woman looking for her place in a magically gifted family in a charmed Colombian village, features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It streams six weeks after debuting in theaters. (Disney+)
“1883” (TV-MA), a prequel to “Yellowstone,” stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as the first generation of the Dutton clan traveling the Oregon Trail to stake out their place on the American frontier. Sam Elliot co-stars in the series from creator Taylor Sheridan. (Paramount+)
A death on a Trident nuclear submarine starts a police investigation that uncovers a conspiracy in the limited series “Vigil” (TV-MA), a mystery thriller starring Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie as civilian detectives in a military culture. (Peacock)
Holiday trimmings
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) streams on Apple TV+, and the stop-motion “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (1970) is on Peacock TV.
BritBox presents a British tradition of “Christmas Ghost Stories” based on the short stories of M.R. James and others. (BritBox)
Pay Per View / Video on Demand
“No Time to Die” (2021, PG-13) pays tribute to the James Bond series and gives star Daniel Craig a dramatic exit from the franchise. Also on DVD and at Redbox.
Netflix
International TV: team of aAstronauts have 24 hours to retrieve samples from a research facility on the moon in “The Silent Sea” (South Korea, TV-MA, with subtitles).
Amazon Prime Video
Oscar winner Juliette Binoche stars in the romance “Who You Think I Am” (France, 2021, TV-MA, with subtitles).
The comedy special “Yearly Departed” (2021, TV-MA) sends out 2021 with commentary by Yvonne Orji, Jane Fonda, Megan Stalter and Chelsea Peretti, among others.
HBO Max
The supervillains are back in anti-hero mode in “The Suicide Squad” (2021, R), James Gunn’s very violent, blackly comic sequel to the 2016 movie of almost the same name.
Other streams
“Reno 911: The Hunt for QAnon” (TV-14) reunites the entire cast of the comedy series for a new special. (Paramount+)
A teenage girl searches for her explorer grandfather in the Arctic in “Long Way North” (France, 2015, with subtitles), a gorgeous hand-painted animated feature. (Peacock and Criterion Channel)
New on disc
“No Time to Die,” “The Many Saints of Newark,” “Blue Bayou”
Sean Axmaker’s reviews can be found at streamondemandathome.com.