What To Watch this weekend in theaters and streaming (Nov. 19, 2021)

Nov 19, 2021, 10:18 PM | Updated: 10:24 pm

KSLTV.com

SALT LAKE CITY — Welcome to one of the busiest weeks of entertainment content of the entire year! Many people will be gorging themselves on turkey, stuffing and pie this week, and they’ll have a similar smorgasbord of new movie and streaming content to choose from as well!

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE

First up is a movie some fans have been waiting over 30 YEARS for…Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Written and directed by Jason Reitman, the son of the original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, the story picks up 35+ years after the guys defeated Gozer in Manhattan. A single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town in Oklahoma and discover they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and a secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

No spoilers, but if you’ve watched the trailers you’ll realize which Ghostbuster the main characters in Afterlife are related to. McKenna Grace plays Phoebe, a girl who’s really interested in science, much to the annoyance of her older brother, (Finn Wolfhard from “Stranger Things”) and even her mother (Carrie Coon).

Despite Phoebe’s eccentricities, she manages to bond with a couple of people: Her summer school teacher (Paul Rudd) who is also into science and thinks it is cool that she’s the granddaughter of a Ghostbuster; and a classmate named Podcast, who—no surprise—has an ongoing podcast about weird happenings in his town.

The movie relies heavily on nostalgia and callbacks to the original Ghostbusters movie, and also kind of just ignores that Ghostbusters 2 even happened. The little Stay Puft Marshmallow mini-men were hilarious. You’ll get to see the OG’s (that’s original Ghostbusters). The casting was good–especially McKenna Grace–and who doesn’t like Paul Rudd?

I had a great time watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife and was pleasantly surprised at how kid-friendly it actually was. It’s rated PG-13 but you’re probably OK to take kids ages 7 or 8 and up.

No streaming at home though, this one is playing ONLY in theaters.

THE WHEEL OF TIME

This highly anticipated streaming TV series is based on a very popular set of books. “The Wheel of Time” is set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it. Rosamund Pike plays a character named Moiraine, who is a member of an incredibly powerful all-female organization.

She heads out on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save humanity, or destroy it.

Fans should be pleased that this is a series, rather than a single movie. That will give it time for the story to unfold like the books. Season Two has already been ordered.

The first three episodes of “The Wheel of Time” premiered today on Amazon Prime, and new episodes will come each week on Fridays, leading up to the season finale on Christmas Eve. It is rated by Amazon for ages 16 and up, though, so parents may want to preview this one before they watch it with their younger kids.

PSYCH 3: THIS IS GUS

If you’re looking for some laughs and plenty of pop culture references, though, you may want to check out Psych 3: This is Gus on the Peacock streaming channel. It’s another TV movie sequel to the hilarious TV series Psych that ran for years on USA Network.

This movie sees Gus (Dule Hill) getting ready for a shotgun wedding before the birth of his new baby. In the meantime, Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) lauches an investigation into Gus’ fiancee’s mysterious past when she delays signing the divorce papers from her previous marriage.

Fans of the series will be happy to know that the whole rest of the gang returns for this movie, and that it’s directed and produced by series creator Steve Franks.

Don’t judge me, but my kids have watched and loved the entire Psych series and are more excited for this movie than for Ghostbusters.

Psych 3: This is Gus is rated TV-PG and even though the series aired on USA Network, this movie is streaming exclusively on Peacock.

HARRIET THE SPY

Something for the youngest of kids is a new animated adaptation of the classic book “Harriet the Spy” comes to Apple TV Plus today. Produced by the Jim Henson Company, this animated series tells the coming-of-age adventures of the irrepressible Harriet M. Welsch, who is voiced by Beanie Feldstein.

Set in 1960’s New York when the original book was published, perpetually curious 11-year old Harriet wants to be writer. She believes if she is going to be a good writer, she’ll have to know everything. But to know everything, she decides she’ll have to spy…on everyone! The show also features the voices of Jane Lynch and Lacey Chabert.

The first half of the series (five episodes) debuted today, and the second half will come to Apple TV Plus early next year. It’s rated TV-G and is safe for all ages.