The Weekend Watchlist, 5/16: Nuanced characters, big explosions, and a sexy spy thriller
Ditch the algorithm and watch these great new movies this weekend
Happy Friday, PV Guide readers! I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you.
Every Friday, I’ll recommend a few great things to watch that the algorithm might not be pushing at you right now. The plan is three recommendations each week, trying for variety so that every reader can find something they’re interested in. The Weekend Watchlist will always be 100% free. I’ll also include what I’m planning on watching this weekend.
This week, I’m recommending three of my favorite new releases of 2025, which all arrived on streaming recently. Let’s dig in!
What I’m watching this weekend: Fire Island director Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, finishing Andor season 2 (let me be the last person to tell you that yes, you need to watch this fantastic show, no matter your opinion on Star Wars), and Sniper: The Last Stand on Netflix
This week’s recs
Hard Truths
If you like: Transcendent acting performances, nuanced stories about difficult subjects
Watch at: Paramount Plus
Watch trailer here
Hard Truths is, somehow, the first movie I’ve seen by legendary British writer-director Mike Leigh, and it’s also my favorite movie of 2025 so far. It follows a complicated family dynamic, specifically between two sisters: One, bitter and burnt out by life (Marianne Jean-Baptiste); the other, endlessly patient and full of love for the people around her (Michele Austin). Both actors are excellent, working in tandem with Leigh’s brilliant script to create a gripping, complicated, and deeply real character study, but Jean-Baptiste’s towering performance was the single biggest snub of the most recent Oscar nominations.
Last Bullet/Balle Perdue 3
If you like: Tight crime thrillers, ridiculously ambitious car chases, and explosions
Watch at: Netflix
Watch trailer here
I often pitch this series to friends as: “What if the Fast and Furious movies were actually consistently good rather than just fun?”
Netflix gets a lot of deserved flack for what the business model has done to Hollywood and the sheer amount of low-quality productions pumped out by the streaming service week after week. But Netflix is also one of the most dedicated distributors of stellar international genre fare, and there are few better examples than the Lost Bullet movies. A trilogy of French action-crime thrillers from director Guillaume Pierret, the movies follow a highly skilled getaway driver and mechanic (Alban Lenoir) who’s thrust into a criminal conspiracy when he’s framed for murder. All three movies feature high-speed, adrenaline-packed car chases that feel grounded and dangerous in a way many CG-heavy Hollywood blockbusters lack, and they’re also tight crime thrillers that each come in under two hours. The third movie (Last Bullet) just dropped, and you can watch the entire trilogy on Netflix. They’re among the best action movies on the streaming service right now.
And for a brief preview of what you can expect next week on PV Guide: I interviewed Pierret about the trilogy, and will be publishing our conversation next week! 👀
Black Bag
If you like: Sexy spy thrillers starring sexy people
Watch at: Peacock
Watch trailer here
It’s only May, but Steven Soderbergh has already made two bangers in 2025 thus far – the experimental ghost movie Presence (which frames the action from the ghost’s point-of-view), and the sleek spy movie Black Bag. Mismarketed as more of an action movie, Black Bag is instead a stylized thriller that oozes with atmosphere and tension. Michael Fassbender plays a George Smiley-like intelligence officer who is tasked with finding a mole, and is given a list of suspects that includes his wife (Cate Blanchett). He invites all the suspects over for a tense dinner to figure out the truth — secrets come out and a whole lot of drama ensues. It’s a great premise executed to perfection.