Reel Review Mom

This weekend feels like Christmas morning for streaming fans—there’s an almost overwhelming amount of new content landing across platforms, and I’m already planning my couch lineup. Let’s break it down.

First up, the headline grabber: The Naked Gun is back—this time with Liam Neeson stepping into Leslie Nielsen’s legendary shoes. The slapstick franchise is being reimagined for Paramount+, and honestly, I’m curious to see if Neeson leans into the absurdity or tries to keep it serious. Either way, it drops this weekend and you better believe I’ll be tuning in for the nostalgia factor alone.

On the other end of the spectrum, Amazon has some tempting—but pricey—pay-per-view premieres. Spinal Tap is back with a sequel, there’s a brand-new Downton Abbey movie, and, for cult fans, a fresh take on The Toxic Avenger. All sound great, but at $19.99 a pop? Sorry, Amazon, my wallet says “pass for now.” These are the kind of movies I’ll circle back to when the rental price comes down.

Netflix, as always, delivers variety, and for once it’s stuff I actually want to see and not some dubbed over crappy version from another country, lol. On October 1st, Netflix quietly dropped Steve, starring Cillian Murphy. And since I’d probably watch Murphy read the phone book, this one is at the top of my queue. But the real Netflix event of the week (in my humble opinion of course) arrives October 3rd: the new season of Monster. After dramatizing Dahmer, this installment dives into the disturbing true story of Ed Gein. If you’re into creepy, unsettling true-crime dramatizations, this will be the big one.

HBO Max is offering up something spooky too: Bring Her Back. The buzz says it’s dark, creepy, and the kind of horror that lingers. Perfect October viewing. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ is bringing us The Lost Bus. I don’t know why, but I have a really good feeling about this one—it looks like it’ll hit the emotional and dramatic beats hard, and I’m excited to give it a watch.

All in all, this weekend is stacked. Between horror, comedy, true crime, and heartfelt drama, there’s a little something for everyone. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a packed streaming lineup—and I couldn’t be happier. Bring on the popcorn and the binge-watching!