What to watch Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving weekend lasts 96 hours. Sadly, not all of that time can be spent eating and sleeping. You have to do something during the downtime between digesting leftovers and going back for dessert.

Thankfully there's a cornucopia of great new stuff to watch. Round up your cousins and head to the theater or the couch for the best new releases in television and movies. Here's what The Week recommends.

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Where to watch: In your local theater

Director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) returns to the big screen with this female-fronted heist movie, co-written by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn. Viola Davis plays grief-stricken Veronica Rawlings, who bands together the widows of her husband's crime partners after the men are killed in a botched robbery. Take your sister; get popcorn.

Creed II

Where to watch: In your local theater

Creed was one of the best movies of 2015, and this Rocky-universe sequel reunites Sylvester Stallone with Michael B. Jordan, who plays the burgeoning boxer Adonis Creed. Although Black Panther's Ryan Coogler is no longer directing the franchise (he's got Black Panther II to turn out), this solid sequel by director Steven Caple Jr. finds Rocky's young protege out to defeat the son of the man who killed his father in the ring.

Roma

Where to watch: Select theaters in New York and Los Angeles; streaming on Netflix beginning Dec. 14

After winning an Academy Award for his nail-biting space thriller Gravity, director Alfonso Cuarón drops lightly back to Earth for Roma, a gorgeous and tender black-and-white drama. Cuarón revisits his native Mexico City to tell the semi-autographical story of a middle-class family by following their housekeeper, Cleo (played by the nonprofessional actress Yalitza Aparacio).

The Princess Switch

Where to watch: Netflix

Christmas music and movies are banned until 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday, at which point you are officially allowed to put on The Princess Switch. Violators of this rule, who have already dived into the Vanessa Hudgens-fronted story about a duchess and a baker who agree to switch places, have mocked the film for its goofy mistakes and editing problems. Nevertheless, they love it. Marathon along with your other favorite cheesy Christmas movies to officially embrace the holiday season.

Dogs

Where to watch: Netflix

This crowd-pleasing documentary series will help you get over your National Dog Show withdrawal, and be a hit with Thanksgiving guests of all ages. Focusing on stories of dogs and dog-people around the world, this is a "refreshing, therapeutic TV show," as I wrote in my review. If you only have time for one of the six hour-long stand-alone episodes, make it "Bravo, Zeus."

Homecoming

Where to watch: Amazon

Although Homecoming began streaming earlier this month, it has been criminally underpromoted despite being based on the brilliant podcast drama by Gimlet, as well as marking Julia Roberts first major television role. A maddening psychological thriller about memory, the Department of Defense, and storytelling, this show boasts a 99 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is already generating Emmy and Golden Globe buzz.

My Brilliant Friend

Where to watch: HBO

HBO's first foreign-language drama series is based on the highly acclaimed novels by Italian author Elena Ferrante. Set in Naples in the 1950s, the story follows the friendship of two schoolgirls as they grow up alongside each other. Fans of the novel will be relieved — this is a close and faithful adaptation.

Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers

Where to watch: Buy it on Amazon

The early years of film were pioneered by dozens of women, although too frequently their names have been lost to obscurity (did you know it was a woman, Mabel Normand, who mentored Charlie Chaplin?). This enormous six-disc box set features 1,710 minutes of films from as early as 1911 by the likes of Alice Guy Blaché, Lois Weber, and even ethnographic works by Zora Neale Hurston.

Ingmar Bergman's Cinema

Where to watch: Buy it on Amazon

Filmstruck may be on its last legs, but at least there is still physical media you can pop in the blu-ray player. This monster collection includes 39 movies by the Swedish film titan Ingmar Bergman as well as more than 30 hours of supplemental footage. Overwhelmed? Start with a classic like Persona or The Seventh Seal, or dive into his opulent five-hour Christmas film Fanny and Alexander. (You can also watch four of his films for free on Kanopy).