5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now: January 6, 2023

Welcome to Boston.com’s weekly streaming guide. Each week, we recommend five must-watch movies and TV shows available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, and more.

Many recommendations are for new shows, while others are for under-the-radar releases you might have missed or classics that are about to depart a streaming service at the end of the month.

Have a new favorite movie or show you think we should know about? Let us know in the comments, or email [email protected]. Looking for even more great streaming options? Check out previous editions of our must-watch list here.

Movies

“The Menu”

One of several films with anti-capitalist revenge fantasies to grace theaters this year, the message being served up by “The Menu” is one you’ve seen before, but with enough dramatic flourishes to make it a meal worth savoring. Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes, “The English Patient”) has prepared an unparalleled dining experience for his well-heeled guests, who include a young couple played by Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”) and Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road”). To say what’s in store for the guests would ruin the surprise, but this pitch-black comedy has enough twists that at least one will likely catch you unaware.

How to watch: “The Menu” is streaming on HBO Max.

“The Pale Blue Eye”

Based on the 2003 novel of the same name, “The Pale Blue Eye” takes viewers to West Point in 1830, where a cadet has died under grisly circumstances. When the detective on the case (Christian Bale) can’t crack the Army’s code of silence, he enlists one of their own — an oddball named Edgar Allen Poe (Henry Melling, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”). Given the premise, you might expect a jaunty atmosphere, a la “Sherlock Holmes” or “Knives Out.” But “The Pale Blue Eye” is moody and somber, while offering a handful of thrills amidst the interplay of Bale and Melling.

How to watch: “The Pale Blue Eye” is streaming on Netflix.

“I, Tonya”

While many people’s focus has been on the recent anniversary of the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, there’s another infamous incident that happened on Jan. 6 that history won’t soon forget: The attack on Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympics. The unforgettable episode was masterfully chronicled in the 2017 film “I, Tonya,” which netted actress Allison Janney (“The West Wing”) her first Oscar for playing the chain-smoking mother of figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie). Regardless of whether the film’s retelling strictly adheres to the truth (spoiler alert: it doesn’t), the performances by Janney, Robbie, and especially Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell”) as Shawn Eckardt are outstanding.

How to watch: “I, Tonya” is streaming on Hulu.

TV Shows

“Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street”

It’s been long enough since the downfall of Ponzi mastermind Bernie Madoff — who defrauded Americans of more than $60 billion over decades of fraud and grift — that Netflix has greenlit a docuseries on the late white-collar criminal. Featuring a mix of interviews, archival footage, and reenactment, director Joe Berlinger is unsparing in his examination of what drove Madoff, as well as the system that allowed him to flourish.

How to watch: “Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street” is streaming on Netflix.

“Paul T. Goldman”

Feeling overrun by the sameness of Netflix true crime documentaries? Head over to Peacock to experience “Paul T. Goldman,” a deconstruction of the genre that blends fiction and reality thanks to the deft work of director Jason Woliner (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”). A decade ago, Woliner was approached by a man named Paul T. Goldman (not his real name), who had written a story about being conned by his ex-wife. Certain that his memoirs were a ticket to Hollywood, Goldman and Woliner moved forward with producing a show on his life, with Goldman playing himself. Watching the story within a story unfold is a helpful reminder that all those slick, easily digestible true crime podcasts and shows may not be as cut-and-dry as one might think.

How to watch: “Paul T. Goldman” is streaming on Peacock.