Skip Netflix’s $320M bomb — watch these must-see movies and shows this weekend instead

If you pop open Netflix this weekend, chances are the streaming giant will be shoving “The Electric State,” its latest tentpole mega-blockbuster, down your throat.

It’s the latest movie from the Russo brothers, famous for directing “Avengers: Endgame” and other Marvel projects, and it’ll go down as one of the worst films of the decade. Good thing it only cost $320 million to make.

It’s a grim future for movies if projects like “The Electric State” receive that much funding just to be discarded as background noise for house chores, so let’s highlight some interesting projects actually worth watching this weekend.

What and how to watch

In theaters: Black Bag

Director Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven,” “Traffic”) has been doing it right for years—banging out mid-budget, under two-hour original films annually. Some sink, some soar, and “Black Bag” sails to the top of his filmography over the last half-decade.

A smooth, sleek, smart spy thriller featuring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender with great moments that will stick with you the whole ride home. Clocking in at just 94 minutes, this also happens to be the best movie of the young year so far.

Streaming – Hulu: ‘Anora’

Speaking of the best movie in a year, Hulu won the streaming sweepstakes for the Best Picture-winning film “Anora.” If it were up to me, everyone would be required to watch a year’s Best Picture winner, just to see what the Academy deemed as the “greatest” each year, kind of like a movie time capsule. That really should be the minimum annual movie homework.

So, watch “Anora” and judge it for yourself. It was a bold choice for the Academy to reward this film with five Oscars. While simple in premise, it’s a unique, spellbinding adventure that features one of the best lead performances in the last 10 years.

Streaming – Netflix: ‘Adolescence’

This four-episode miniseries is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about shows of the year due to its momentous debut performance of 15-year-old Owen Cooper (who was 13 when this was filmed), dynamic cinematography with continuous long takes, and its prodding themes about modern toxic masculinity.

The miniseries follows a 13-year-old boy who is arrested for murdering a schoolmate, and how the family confronts this nightmare.

“Adolescence” has clearly struck a nerve with the cultural zeitgeist, and in the world of constant period pieces and stories taking place in lavish vacations, this show attempts to tackle the modern world and its issues in a provocative way. Whether you agree with every decision that takes place, it’s worth a look.

Streaming – Apple TV+: ‘One of Them Days’

Looking for a less-intense watch filled with good vibes? “One of Them Days” is a scrappy, hilarious joyride with great style and greater music. Keke Palmer and SZA absolutely sizzle in this.

A cross of “Friday” and “Dude, Where’s My Car?” this film is a race-against-the-clock buddy comedy adventure in all the right ways. Fire it up for something more on the lighthearted side.

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