December has flown by and the Christmas vacations are just around the corner. But in between shopping for those on your gift list and entertaining family and friends, figuring out what to watch during the vacations can feel like another task on the never-ending to-do list. [That's where Tom's Guide comes in, as the best streaming services, including Netflix and Prime Video, share their gifts of new movies to curl up and watch while the weather outside is frightful. And this week, several big titles are coming to streaming.

If your kids are as obsessed with "Trolls" as my nieces and nephews are, they'll be happy to know that "Trolls Band Together" is now available on paid video-on-demand services. The latest "Hunger Games" film, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" (a prequel to the story of the series' antagonist and future President Snow's rise to power) will also be available digitally for the first time. Some of these titles can only be rented or purchased digitally, while others are available with the appropriate streaming subscription.

Still looking for recommendations. Be sure to check out our favorite new shows available for streaming this week and the best of what's new on Netflix. Without further ado, here are the top new movies available for streaming this week.

The Trolls are back! Trolls Band Together is the latest in DreamWorks' animated series based on the wild-haired toy doll of the same name. If you don't have a youngster in your life who wants to see the "Trolls" movies over and over again, it's a simple but delightful treat for the eyes and ears. A stellar cast, including real pop stars, come together to sing karaoke to the kaleidoscopic, colorful visuals and playful humor.

In "Trolls Band Together," Branch (Justin Timberlake) and Poppy (Anna Kendrick) embark on a journey to rescue their brother Floyd (Troye Sivan), but in the process, the grumpy, music-phobic Branch discovers that the boy band Brozon He learns of his past as a member of the boy band Blozon. Eric Andre, David Diggs, and Kid Cudi voice the other members. This latest "Trolls" film is also a de facto NSYNC reunion, with the boy band performing their first original songs in decades in the film.

Buy or Rent Now on Amazon

This prequel to the "Hunger Games" film series takes us back to the early days of Panem, long before Katniss Everdeen lit the flames of revolution. Tom Bryce (Scott & Sid, Benediction) plays 18-year-old Coriolanus "Corrillo" Snow (played by Donald Sterling in the previous film).

With the 10th Hunger Games just around the corner, Snow is unwillingly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird in District 12. As the last hope of the once prosperous Snow family, he ruthlessly pursues victory at any cost. His thirst for power sets off a chain of events that eventually leads to the tyrannical presidency of Panem, the main antagonist of The Hunger Games series. The film received middling reviews from critics, but audiences have so far praised it as a faithful adaptation of the 2020 novel by series creator Suzanne Collins.

Buy or Rent Now on Amazon

The Snyderverse has just made its Netflix debut, revitalized once again by the prolific director's new space fantasy franchise, Rebel Moon. In the first installment, "Part 1: Child of Fire," Sofia Boutella stars as Kora, a former soldier living peacefully on a farm colony at the edge of the galaxy.

Together with her disgraced fellow commander Titus (Djimon Hounsou), she recruits warriors from across the galaxy to sow the seeds of rebellion against the oncoming army. Child of Fire is part of a trilogy, the second of which will be released on April 19, 2024. Fans of Zack Snyder's work are likely to like "Rebel Moon."

Watch it now on Netflix

Written and directed by Emerald Fennel, "Salt Burn" is the new dark comedy everyone will be talking about this holiday season. Following the award-winning director's Promising Young Woman, the film stars Barry Keehan as Oliver Quick, a scholarship student at Oxford University.

Another student (Jacob Elordi) takes Oliver under his wing, unaware that Oliver is attracted to his charming personality and schoolboy antics. When Oliver grows so likable that he is invited to spend the summer at his family's estate, Saltburn, that same obsession reveals itself to be something far more sinister that turns family life upside down.

Watch it now on Prime Video

Frankly, I'm not sure a Monk movie was necessary, but there is a pleasant sense of nostalgia in seeing Tony Shalhoub reprise his iconic role as the obsessive private detective Adrian Monk.

Given the events of the past few years, Monk's germophobic tendencies seem less extreme in retrospect. Pandemic gave everyone a taste of what it's like to see the world through Monk's eyes, as he eagerly wipes down shopping carts, keeps antibacterial wet wipes on hand, and shudders at the sight of a crowded place; in The Last Case of Mr. Monk, he see the world: the day before her wedding, her daughter-in-law's fiancé died in a bungee jumping accident. Convinced that it was no accident, the stepdaughter asks Monk to get to the bottom of it, along with his former assistant Natalie Teager (Traylor Howard) and Lieutenant Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford), all familiar faces in the series.

Watch it now on Peacock

"Maestro" marks Bradley Cooper's return to the director's chair following the huge success of "A Star Is Born." In this biopic, Cooper also stars as Leonard Bernstein, the acclaimed American conductor/composer/multi-expressionist.

While the film certainly examines Bernstein's life, it is largely about the relationship between Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Maestro was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, including performances by Cooper and Mulligan.

Watch it now on Netflix

Cooper and Mulligan are not the only Golden Globe nominees for films streaming this week; A24's "Beau is Afraid" is streaming this week, with Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for his role as the titular character, Beau. In this surreal horror film, Beau is trying to attend his mother's funeral, but hits a series of obstacles along the way, including his own paranoia.

If you are not a horror fan, "Beau is Afraid" has something for you. While at times frightening and unsettling, it also has elements of comedy. If you want to see some of the best acting of the year, don't miss this one.

Watch it now on Paramount Plus with Showtime

Don't be afraid to watch this film, which is entirely in Arabic. This award-winning film about Orfa Hamrouni and her daughters is a unique and unmissable story. Part documentary, part fictional drama, "Four Daughters" tells the story of how two of Orfa's daughters were radicalized and eventually joined the Islamic State in Libya against their mother's wishes. To tell their story, director Kauter Ben Hania has enlisted two professional actresses to play the missing daughters, along with other members of their real families. You've never seen anything like it.

Buy or Rent on Apple TV

For better or worse, "The Creator" has at least breathed new life into the science fiction genre. The Creator, in which John David Washington plays Sergeant Joshua Taylor, is set in a world rocked by a nuclear attack by a rogue artificial intelligence. In the aftermath of this attack, Taylor must hunt down Nirmata, the creator of numerous advances in the AI-friendly superstate of New Asia, which the U.S. considers its greatest threat. The Creator doesn't necessarily stick the landing, but at least its premise is brilliant and beautifully shot. I'll definitely give it a look when it comes out on Hulu this week.

Watch it now on Hulu