Best New Movies Streaming in October on Apple TV, Netflix, HBO Max and More
Add these six buzzy new releases to your October watchlist
Spooky season may bring plenty of familiar horror movies back to streaming, but October’s new arrivals offer more than scares. This month’s picks include a dinner party that goes off the rails in “The Invite” and the story of Everest’s first successful ascent in “Tenzing.” There’s also a new Ben Affleck thriller, a Margaret Qualley romance and Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood.
“The Last One for the Road”
Streaming Oct. 1 on Criterion Channel
Two middle-aged petty criminals spend their days drinking, trading stories and chasing the possibility of a long-buried fortune. When a shy architecture student joins them, their meandering trip through the Venetian countryside becomes an unlikely friendship. Shot on 16 mm film, Francesco Sossai’s buddy comedy “The Last One for the Road,” has a fondness for people and places that time seems ready to leave behind.
“Animals”
Streaming Oct. 9 on Netflix
In Ben Affleck’s new thriller, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate’s son is kidnapped just as his family is living under the scrutiny of a campaign. Affleck directs and plays the candidate opposite Kerry Washington, with Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun also in the cast. The ransom is only the beginning of the trouble: the couple must decide how much of their private life they can afford to expose to get their child back.
“Love of Your Life”
Streaming Oct. 13 on Amazon Prime Video
A romantic drama starring beautiful people in beautiful locations? Sign us up. Margaret Qualley plays Maya, a Boston nurse who falls in love with Charlie (Gabriel Basso) and marries him. After a loss during the pandemic, she leaves the United States for Portugal, where she meets Felix (Aaron Pierre) and begins to imagine another life. Directed by Rachel Morrison, “Love of Your Life” follows Maya through the years, places and relationships that come after her first great romance.
“The Death of Robin Hood”
Streaming Oct. 16 on HBO Max
Hugh Jackman plays an older Robin Hood whose storied past looks considerably darker as he faces the end of his life. Gravely wounded after a battle, he is taken in by a mysterious woman who offers him a chance to reckon with the violence he has committed. Director Michael Sarnoski approaches the legend as a story about guilt and redemption, with the outlaw facing consequences that his familiar adventures tend to leave out.
“Tenzing”
Streaming Oct. 16 on Apple TV
For Tenzing Norgay, Everest was both a lifelong ambition and a sacred place. Jennifer Peedom’s film follows the Sherpa climber (Genden Phuntsok) as he joins the 1953 British expedition, where his knowledge of the mountain is essential even as he has to argue for his place on the team. Tom Hiddleston plays Edmund Hillary, the climbing partner on whom Tenzing’s survival will depend, and Willem Dafoe plays expedition leader John Hunt. Their ascent is a story of trust as much as endurance, shaped by the different meanings each man brings to the summit.
“The Invite”
Streaming Oct. 23 on HBO Max
Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen play Angela and Joe, a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. When they invite their more adventurous upstairs neighbors (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) over for dinner, the evening takes an unexpected turn. What starts as a little social discomfort opens into a funny, frank conversation about sex and marriage. With just four actors and a single apartment as its setting, “The Invite” has the feel of a play, with each exchange raising the stakes.