Streaming guide: The best new shows and movies on Netflix, Binge, Paramount+ and more

Steve Carell stars in the hypnotic Foxcatcher, based on a true story about Olympic wrestling. These are the shows and movies to stream on Netflix, Binge and more.

Leigh Paatsch runs the rule over the new shows and movies on Netflix, Binge, Paramount+ and more.

The one with all the right moves

CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (M)

★★★★

STREAM VIA APPLE TV+

Beautifully written and directed by its unheralded young star Cooper Raiff, this understated comedy-drama does not just mark the arrival of a major new talent. It also happens to be one of the better movies released this year. Raiff has the lead role of Andrew, a recent college graduate unable to land a decent job until he scores a part-time gig as a pro party-starter on the local bar mitzvah circuit. It is here Andrew befriends Domino (a wonderful Dakota Johnson), a woman who has been politely ostracised by many on account of her colourful past. In the present day, Domino is mother to an autistic teen, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), who has also been shunned by her peers. The upbeat incursion of Andrew into both women’s lives generates a sizeable number of unforeseen developments and truly touching moments. Oh, and Raiff’s sense of humour is right on point throughout, earning laughs the hard way and the right way. Even a final-act swerve into weepie territory is totally justified and comes off without a hitch. This is mainstream feel-good filmmaking of the highest calibre. Do track it down, You won’t be sorry you did. Co-stars Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett.

Cha Cha Real Smooth is feel-good filmmaking of the highest calibre. Picture: Supplied

The one that grapples with a grappling dilemma

FOXCATCHER (M)

★★★★

STREAM VIA BINGE, FOXTEL, NETFLIX or RENT

This hypnotically eerie drama tells the true story of John du Pont (masterfully played by Steve Carell), a wealthy and eccentric American philanthropist who invested heavily in the sport of Olympic wrestling in the 1980s. The moneyman’s motives in building an expensive training facility around two medal-winning brothers (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) remain in dispute to this day. The tragic outcome of the project, however, speaks for itself. Director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) is a master of making proven fact play like unpredictable fiction, and the du Pont affair is tailor-made to benefit from his exclusive expertise. A long film well worth the time and effort it demands.

Channing Tatum and Steve Carell in Foxcatcher. Picture: Supplied/Roadshow Films

The one playing with a very full deck

THE CARD COUNTER (MA15+)

★★★½

STREAM VIA BINGE, FOXTEL, AMAZON or RENT

This punishingly precise psychological drama is every bit as confronting as its pedigree would indicate (Martin Scorsese exec-produces for his old Taxi Driver screenwriting pal Paul Schrader). Oscar Isaac stars as William, a low-level professional poker player who reluctantly accepts an offer from private financiers to play in higher-stakes games. William has one hell of a grim past – including time served as both a prison guard and prisoner – but one solitary bit of bad luck could leave his future looking even worse. This is tough, testing stuff that is not for everybody, but will handsomely reward those up to the challenge. Anyone who has ever fantasised about playing cards for a living will be scared straight by much of what they see here. Co-stars Tiffany Haddish.

Oscar Isaac stars in the punishingly precise drama The Card Counter. Picture: Supplied/Focus Features

The one where a little luck goes a long way

JERRY & MARGE GO LARGE (PG)

★★½

STREAM VIA PARAMOUNT+

Approach this gentle affair as the family-friendly flipside of The Card Counter, and you just might like what you see. Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening fill the title roles as an elderly couple who discover a mathematical hole inside a state lottery that guarantees they will win every time. Remarkably, this is a true story, and it is only this aspect of the production that keeps you watching. The movie leans too hard on a feel-good perspective that should have been allowed to flow more naturally through this fascinating yarn. If you don’t know how this perfectly legal, yet highly dubious escapade ends for Jerry and Marge, keep it that way and the movie will still find a way to stay on your good side. Co-stars Rainn Wilson.

Annette Bening and Bryan Cranston in Jerry and Marge Go Large.

The one tangled in its own web

SPIDERHEAD (MA15+)

★★

STREAM VIA NETFLIX

Something just isn’t working for this slick thriller, and it becomes increasingly frustrating trying to work out why throughout. Chris Hemsworth plays a dodgy doctor testing prototype drugs on prison inmates in exchange for reduced sentences. Miles Teller is the manipulative medic’s prize guinea pig, game to try anything if it means an accelerated release down the track. When some chemical cocktails begin producing dangerously irreversible after-effects, a weird battle of wills develops between the two protagonists. This is a story with some big logistical holes in it, and the uncertain performances of Hemsworth and Teller just can’t cover any flaws for long. Some unnecessary sudden swerves into black comedy just make matters worse. Surprisingly, the director here is Joseph Kosinski, currently slaying cinema audiences around the world with his work on Top Gun: Maverick.

Chris Hemsworth plays a dodgy doctor in Spiderhead. Picture: Supplied/Netflix

The one where a world war doesn’t spoil a good time

THEIR FINEST (M)

★★★½

STREAM via SBS ON DEMAND

A sincerely endearing tale of quiet achievement and self-discovery, set in WWII London. Gemma Arterton plays an inexperienced copywriter who lands a plum job penning dialogue for British propaganda movies. Combining just the right dashes of drama, comedy and romance, this calculated crowd-pleaser goes about its business amiably, but never aimlessly. A delightfully motivated support cast (led by Bill Nighy as a faded film star looking for another shot at the big time) keep the good times on a roll.

Originally published as Streaming guide: The best new shows and movies on Netflix, Binge, Paramount+ and more