This week, after a brief few weeks of new film releases, is probably the most busy of the year so far: the new Predator film, Prey, is out on Hulu (and its really good! ), three big animated films (Lightyear, Luck, and Belle) make their streaming debuts, Uncharted finally gets Netflix release, and two Best Picture nominees Licorice Pizza and Belfast finally land on streaming.
Then there's also a new Ron Howard film on Peacock's Thai cave rescue, a new Minions film, a new horror film starring Rebecca Hall, and more.
This weekend, here's all you can find at home.
Prey
Where to Find Hulu's Shows
Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water) is cast as a Comanche warrior in 1719 who discovers the prey she assumed she was stalking is a vicious headhunter from another planet, bent on killing humans for sport.
From our review:
Prey, a film about a young woman on a collision course with a cool skull mask, offers up predator meat. The other members of the Narus tribe are there to naysay and/or become Predator fodder, while a late-arriving band of fur traders offers up hunting corpses with a flourish: sometimes giving the camera just enough room for a spectacular mud pit.
Uncharted
Where to find movies: Netflix is offering to stream.
Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who joins forces with partner-mentor Victor Sully Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), is played by Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home).
From our review:
The filmmakers have the appropriate understanding of what makes an Uncharted action sequence, whether it's reimagining a sequence inspired by one of the games, or imagining something completely different that would fit within one of them, like a bit involving characters fighting inside pirate ships hoisted into the air by airplanes, which is mostly uninteresting. Even a simple action scene that resembles the Uncharted theme during a shootout, which is padded up to that point with generic action muza
Pixars Lightyear
Where can I find this film? Disney Plus has a subscription to watch it.
Lightyear, a 2022 Toy Story spinoff, stars Chris Evans as a human, not the toy a Star Command Space Ranger who accidentally crashes his exploration vehicle on an inhospitable alien planet. All while battling off the mysterious Zurg and his army of killer robots.
From our review:
Lightyear is a flash Gordon-style space adventure that is packed with fast-moving alien creepy-crawlies, funny banter, and a weird, silly moment about the sandwiches of the future. It's no wonder all of this would appeal to Andy and his generation, who will probably find it enjoyable as 6-year-olds do in our world: as an exciting rush through a world packed with deadly robots, creepy monsters, and cool laser swords.
Lightyear is a thoughtful meditation on the passage of time that is so clearly calibrated. All of its points focus on the need to connect with people and live in the present rather than the past. Its a warning about all the things we might miss if we focus on past mistakes rather than letting them go.
Belle
Where to find HBO Max content
Belle, a sci-fi fantasy anime created by Mamoru Hosodas, follows Suzu, a reserved high school student who mourns the death of her mother, who finds solace and validation by escaping into the massive internet world of U, where her virtual alter-ego Belle is a worldwide well-known singer. After one of her performances is interrupted by a mysterious figure known as the Dragon, Suzu sets out in search of him in an effort to understand the unspoken connection they have with one another.
From our review:
The basic truth about Beauty and the Beast (or at least the 1991 Disney remake) is that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. With the ambitious, decisively uncynical new anime film Belle, Mamoru Hosoda adds to the long list of adaptations by updating the narrative for the internet age. Enchanting singing candles transform into menacing AIs, Mirai and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time pushes the core message one step further by emphasising how vulnerability can develop
Belfast
Where to find HBO Max content: Available for streaming on HBO Max
Belfast was at one time an Oscar frontrunner, and it finally makes its streaming debut nearly a year after its release.
Oli Welsh's response to why it deserved to win Best Picture:
Belfast is a very sincere, heartfelt film that tries to honor a time and place that means a lot to Branagh. It's also a funny movie, and beautifully performed. The beautiful younger couple adds some unrealistic but far from unwelcome movie star glamor to the kitchen-sink drama.
Licorice Pizza
Where to Find Prime Video Content
Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie are among the 2022 Oscar contenders.
Joshua Riveras' view on why it was worthy of winning Best Picture:
Licorice Pizza is a film that is built around a slew of meticulous craft, with a palpable sense of effort. This is the bias that makes comedies so popular, particularly when it comes to two young people in love, as well as two people using each other to prove something to themselves in the early stages of a difficult decade. Gary and Alana are too averse to discovering what it means to be who they are in the world.
Resurrection
Where to find them: Apple and Vudu are available to rent for $6.99.
Rebecca Hall (The Night House) plays Margaret, a well-known pharmaceutical executive and single parent whose carefully organized life is put in jeopardy when David (Tim Roth), a charismatic and manipulative man from her past, returns to torment her.
From our experience, here's what we've learned thus far.
Resurrection is bound to be polarizing. It's actively seeking to enrage its viewers, which some may find more troubling than anything that actually happens in the film. However, whatever the outcome, the film remains brave enough to maintain a hold on its ground despite its peculiarities.
Thirteen Lives
Where to Find Prime Video
Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton, and Tom Bateman star in Ron Howard's latest film.
Luck
Where to watch: Apple TV Plus is available for streaming.
Luck, a computer animated fantasy comedy set in 2022, follows the story of Sam, the so-called unluckiest person in the world, who unwittingly stumbles into a centuries-long conflict between the forces of good and bad luck.
Carter
Where to Find Netflix Movies
When the teaser for The Villainess was released in July, it's finally available to blow your minds (and perhaps even literally, in the case of the protagonist). Get your popcorn ready for thrilling action sequences that include high-wire stunts.
They/Them
Peacock's Where to Watch: Available to stream on Peacock
The latest horror film from Blumhouse Productions is set at a conversion camp, features Kevin Bacon, and is the directorial debut of three-time Oscar nominee John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall).
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Where to find the show: On Amazon, Apple, and Vudu, it's available to rent for $19.99.
Minions: The Rise of Gru, the sixth installment in the Despicable Me movie franchise and the harbinger of many, many memes, follows the story of a young Gru (Steve Carell) and his ascension to supervillainy with the help of a colorful army of mischief-making minions.
From our assessment:
Minions: The Rise of Gru is a fruitless thriller that benefits from low expectations. The Rise of Gru, the fifth installment of Illumination Entertainment's popular science fiction franchise, does not need to be groundbreaking, memorable, or even particularly funny to make a splash. In that respect, this film does the job. It's okay in the moment, and it vanishes as soon as the credits roll.
Buba
Netflix has a lot of content available for streaming.
This German dark comedy follows a con man who appears to be guided by karmic balance and who tries to avoid any bad things that happen to him just to be safe. When he falls in love and joins the mob, things become much more difficult for him.
Dont Blame Karma!
Where to find films: Netflix is offering free streaming services.
Netflix. This week, not one, but two karma-centric films.
This Mexican romantic comedy follows a fashion designer who is certain she has terrible luck and believes her younger sister is blessed with good fortune. That belief is tested when her sister and an old crush get engaged.
Wedding Season
Where to Find Netflix Movies
Tom Dey's romantic comedy (Shanghai Noon, Failure to Launch) follows two young people who are under tremendous pressure to get married. They decide to pretend to be in love ahead of a series of weddings to attend.
Darlings
Where to find movies: Netflix is offering movies to stream.
This Hindi dark comedy follows a woman whose alcoholic and abusive husband suddenly leaves her. The woman and her mother track him down and exact their revenge.
Allegoria
Where to find it: Shudder is now available for streaming.
Allegoria, a horror film based on a heavy metal anthology, follows an actress, a painter, a sculptor, and a rock band as their troubles, fears, and anxieties manifest into a slew of terrifying creatures.
What Josiah Saw
Where to watch: Shudder is available for streaming.
Robert Patrick and Nick Stahl star in this horror film from Vincent Grashaw, which has been touring the festival circuit. It won five awards, including Best Cinematography at Screamfest and Best Actor for Stahl at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Where to find the show: Available for rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu for $19.99.
Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, and Lambert Wilson star in the third adaptation of the 1958 novel. Manville is Mrs. Harris, a cleaning lady and a widow who receives a long-awaited sum of money from her husband's death in World War II. She decides to use it to go on an adventure to Paris, with a particular emphasis on Dior dresses, a favorite of hers.
Gone in the Night
Where to find the show: Available on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu for $6.99 per month.
Eli Horowitz and Winona Ryder co-created this thriller set in a cabin in the woods. Kath (Ryder) and her boyfriend are surprised to discover another couple in the property theyve rented, and Kath is even more surprised when her boyfriend leaves with one of them the next day.