From a viking revenge saga to a lighthearted indie darling, this weekend watchlist features a lineup of shows that offers you the best escape this weekend.

It’s the weekend again. And that means two days of temporary freedom away from the realities of life aka weekdays at school or work. You are probably going through your streaming platform right now, scrolling endlessly through tons of titles that will only leave you confused and empty-handed. But don’t fret, your weekend watchlist has arrived.

From your cravings for something thrilling and terrifying to stories that hit you right in the feels, this diverse lineup of shows will truly save your weekend.

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Derry Girls

Laugh, cry, and laugh again with this comedy series set during the 90s in Northern Ireland. Follow the 16-year-old Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) and her band of misfits including her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), her friends Clare (Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), and Michelle’s English cousin and honorary Derry girl James (Dylan Llewellyn) as they navigate through their teenage lives in Derry, a town rife with political unrest and divide at the time. This feel-good, weirdly nostalgic show, which first premiered on the UK’s Channel 4 in 2018, spans three seasons and will make you feel a ton of emotions as it takes you in one hell of a rollercoaster ride of a story. All seasons are now available to stream on Netflix.

Hellraiser 

A re-imagination of Clive Barker’s 1987 cult classic, David Bruckner’s Hellraiser finds Riley (Odessa A’zion), a drug addict on the road to recovery, as she accidentally summons a group of sadistic, sinister beings called Cenobites through an ancient puzzle box. If you want to feel the thrill this weekend, Hellraiser will give just that, even too much of it your heart will drop. Obviously, this is not for the faint of heart. You’ve been warned. It’s now available via video-on-demand on Hulu. (For Filipino readers, we’re sure you know the trick).

Petite Maman

Perhaps you just want to take it easy and have a lighthearted movie that will make you relax, but also engage with it. Petite Maman, an award-winning indie drama, tells the story of eight-year-old Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) as she helps her parents clean her mother’s childhood home. While exploring the woods where her mom used to play and build a treehouse in, she meets Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), who is also making a treehouse. Directed by Céline Sciamma (who previously helmed The Portrait of the Lady on Fire), this transportive film has a surreal layer and twist that will definitely tug at your heartstrings. It’s available to stream on Hulu.

Catherine Called Birdy

Another feel-good watch, Catherine Called Birdy is a period comedy adventure set in Medieval England and tells the story of Lady Catherine (Bella Ramsey), also known as Birdy, as she tries to avoid the arranged marriage that her father Sir Rollo (Andre Scott) is especially trying to set up for her. The spirited, clever, and adventurous teen heroine will surely amuse you with her defiance as she goes on a collision course with her parents. Adapted from Karen Kushman’s 1994 novel by Girls creator Lena Dunham, Catherine Called Birdy is now streaming on Amazon Prime. 

Whether The Weather Is Fine

A favorite in the film festival circuit, Carlo Francisco Manatad’s  Whether The Weather Is Fine takes you on an aburdist journey with a touch of disaster and familial drama. Featuring an award-winning performance from Charo Santos-Concio, Daniel Padilla, and the breakout Rans Rifol, it chronicles the struggles of Miguel (Padilla) as he looks for her mother Norma (Concio) and her friend Andrea (Rifol) amid the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban. Peppered with surrealist tones (watch out for the lion) that will get you laugh, cry, and ultimately, inspired, Weather is a masterful feat in Filipino storytelling. Catch it now on Amazon Prime Video.

The Northman 

Are you in for some viking epic goodness? The Northman from the visionary director Robert Eggers offers you a revenge saga, which follows Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), a viking who is on a mission to save her mother, kill his uncle, and avenge his father who was killed two decades ago. Boasting riveting performances from Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, and Anya Taylor-Joy, The Northman is filled with intense action and fascinatingly accurate depiction of 10th century Iceland. You should not miss this. It’s now showing on several VOD platforms including Amazon Prime. 

Severance

Most of the time, during the weekend, you just want to escape through the shows you watch and get away from reality after a stressful week at work. But while Severance is a sci-fi thriller series that experiments on our obsession with work-life balance and corporate greed, it proves to be an irresistible watch once you play that first episode. It tells the story of Mark (Adam Scott) who leads a team of office employees at a company called Lumon Industries, whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives.

It basically means they have two personalities: one for work and one for life. But when a former colleague tries to warn Mark about the reality of the “severance” program, the team embarks on a gripping journey to discover the truth. Beware, some episodes, especially that cliffhanger of a finale, are surely going to make your heart race. Directed by Ben Stiller, this Emmy award-winning show is an Apple Originals offering and is available on Apple TV+.

Five Days At Memorial

Based on Hurricane Katrina and the havoc that it caused on the state of New Orleans almost two decades ago, Five Days at Memorial chronicles the disaster’s impact on what was then Memorial Medical Center. With the inhuman conditions (rising floodwaters, power outages, searing heat) that doctors, nurses, and patients went through, this eight-episode mini-series will sadden, anger, but most of all, leave you with questions about the profundity of humanity in an unimaginably depressing situation like this. Led by a tour-de-force performance by Vera Farmiga as Dr. Anna Pou, Five Days At Memorial is available to stream on Apple TV+.

The Witch

Before the big-budget studio effort The Northman, Robert Eggers first flexed his new-wave horror skills through his debut feature The Witch. Set in 1630s New England, this atmospheric film sees the devout Christian life of an exiled Puritan family descend into madness when their newborn son vanishes and the family begins to turn to one another, looking for the one who brings “bad spirits” to their innocent life. Featuring a revelatory turn from Anya Taylor-Joy as the teenage Thomasin, The Witch does not have a lot of jumpscares like your average horror movie does but Eggers’ masterful handling of its world-building will still make your blood run cold. The Witch is now streaming on HBO Max.

Doll House

Now, we know you’ve been hearing the rave reviews about this chart-topping Filipino father-daughter drama on Netflix. And this is your sign to finally watch it this weekend. Set in the Netherlands, Doll House follows the story of a troubled musician Rustin/Uncle Clyde as he attempts to rekindle the relationship that he never had with long-lost daughter, Yumi (Althea Ruedas). Netizens have been praising Baron’s much-deserved comeback and the movie’s storyline that will make you grab for your tissues. You’ve been warned. Watch it now on Netflix.

Last Night in Soho

If you are looking for something trippy, then look no further, because Edgar Wright’s psychological horror Last Night In Soho packs a neon-drenched story that follows a young fashion design student named Eloise (Thomasin Mackenzie) who mysteriously time-travels to 1960s London and meets her idol/alter-ego Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). What starts as a glamorous journey turns inevitably dark as the mirror separating the present and the past starts to crack. You can stream Last Night In Soho through HBO Max or HBO Go. Enjoy!

BLACK ADAM

Witness Dwayne Johnson as he takes on the suit of a vengeful antihero in the latest DC offering, Black Adam. The Rock plays Teth-Adam who after 5000 years of being imprisoned for using his almighty powers for vengeance, returns and is ready to unleash his unique form of justice born out of rage. His electrifying comeback will be challenged by a group of modern-day heroes called the Justice Society composed of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Dr. Fate (Pierce  Brosnan). Feel Black Adam’s god-like fury fall upon earth as it screens in Philippine cinemas nationwide.

The School For Good And Evil

Are you feeling heroic or wicked? Find which character suits you best in the new magical tale, The School For Good and Evil. Based on the best-selling book series of the same name by Soman Chainani, the magical series finds two outsider friends Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylle) as they are transported into the hallowed institution which makes heroes and villains. Their friendship will be put to test as they carve their own futures in the enchanted school “where the true story behind every great fairy-tale begins.” Featuring bewitching stars like Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Michelle Yeoh, and Laurence Fishburne, The School For Good and Evil is now available to stream on Netflix.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Shawn Mendes as a singing crocodile who loves baths and great music? I mean, nothing will hold you back from watching Sony Pictures’ new musical family-comedy, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Based on the famous children’s book story of the same name, this croc-loving movie follows young boy Josh (Winslow Fegley) who finds a new best friend in the charismatic crocodile Lyle (voiced to perfection by Mendes) while struggling to adapt to his new school. Follow the two as they embark on a music-filled adventure together showing that family can come from even the most unexpected places. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is available in cinemas near you.

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