OUT NOW:
‘Hellbender’ (Shudder)
16-year-old Izzy leads an isolated life on a lonely mountaintop. All she’s learned is from her protective mom and the wilderness that swallows them. Izzy dreams of a live gig, but her mother thinks she’s too sick and mustn’t be around others. Questioning her illness and starved for companionship, Izzy sneaks down the mountain where she befriends brazen Amber. Izzy is in heaven until a cruel drinking game with a live worm unleashes a new kind of hunger. Hellbender, which had its world premiere at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival in August 2021, is the sixth feature film written and directed by the filmmaking Adams family, Toby Poser, John Adams, and their daughter Zelda Adams (The Deeper You Dig, Halfway to Zen, The Shoot). Zelda stars in the film, along with her mother and sister Lulu, and took home the Best Actress award at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Watch the Screen Crusades interview with the 'Hellbender' filmmakers HERE
‘VIkings: Valhalla’ (Netflix)
Set over a thousand years ago in the early 11th century, Vikings: Valhalla chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings who ever lived — the legendary explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), his fiery and headstrong sister Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and the ambitious Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter). As tensions between the Vikings and the English royals reach a bloody breaking point and as the Vikings themselves clash over their conflicting Christian and pagan beliefs, these three Vikings begin an epic journey that will take them across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England and beyond, as they fight for survival and glory.
‘No Exit’ (Hulu)
In No Exit, Havana Rose Liu makes her feature film leading role debut as Darby, a young woman en route to a family emergency who is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers. When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper. Directed by Damien Power (Killing Ground) from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man and the Wasp) based on Taylor Adams’ 2017 novel and produced by PGA Award winner Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit), the film stars Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Dale Dickey, Mila Harris and Dennis Haysbert.
‘Free Guy’ (HBO Max / Disney+)
This smash hit from last year stars Ryan Reynolds as a mild-mannered bank teller named Guy, who learns he's really a background character in an open-world video game. Every day, Guy is under assault by players and objects within the game, where he's robbed, hit by cars, and otherwise mistreated as an NPC. To make matters worse, the game's owner has decided to end the game. Teaming with a woman (Jodie Comer) who's both a human and a character in the game, Guy decides to become the hero of his own story. Now, in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way before it's too late.
‘The Protégé’ (Amazon Prime Video)
Rescued as a child and raised by legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson), Anna (Maggie Q) was trained to become the world's most skilled contract killer. When Anna learns that Moody has been brutally killed, she vows revenge. On the murderer's trail, Anna is entangled with an enigmatic hit man (Michael Keaton) and, as their confrontation turns deadly, the loose ends of a life spent killing weave themselves ever tighter in this adrenaline-fueled action-thriller from Martin Campbell, the director of Casino Royale.
‘Come to Daddy’ (Shudder)
Norval Greenwood (Elijah Wood), a privileged man-child arrives at the beautiful and remote coastal cabin of his estranged father, who he hasn't seen in 30 years. He quickly discovers that not only is dad a disapproving jerk, he also has a shady past that is rushing to catch up with him. Now, hundreds of miles from his cushy comfort zone, Norval must battle with demons both real and perceived in order to reconnect with a father he barely knows.
‘How It Ends’ (Hulu)
In this feel good apocalyptic comedy; freewheeling Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) scores an invite to one last wild party before the world ends. But making it there won't be easy; after her car is unceremoniously stolen; and the clock is ticking on her plan to tie up loose ends with friends and family. With a little help from her younger self (Cailee Spaeny); Liza embarks on a hilarious journey across Los Angeles; running into an eclectic cast of characters; including ex-boyfriends; frenemies and street performers along the way. Directed and written by Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein; and featuring a who's who of comedic favorites-including Fred Armisen; Lamorne Morris; Helen Hunt; Olivia Wilde and Nick Kroll – How it Ends is a poignant and unexpected take on what truly makes life worth living.
‘The French Dispatch’ (HBO Max / Disney+)
Following the death of Arthur Howitzer, editor of The French Dispatch, Howitzer's staff convenes to write his obituary, leading to the creation of four stories: One, inspired by writer Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), is an unsettling travelogue of the seediest sections of the city. J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton) offers "The Concrete Masterpiece" about Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro), a criminally insane painter, and his prison guard and muse ( Léa Seydoux). "Revisions to a Manifesto" by Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand, whose character is an homage to The New Yorker's iconic writer Mavis Gallant), is a chronicle of love and death at the height of student revolt. And writer Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) pens a suspenseful tale of drugs, kidnapping and fine dining, cop style, with "The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner." The French Dispatch is filled with the intriguing, visually rewarding, complex, detailed and funny elements audiences have come to expect from writer-director Wes Anderson.
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ (Disney+)
The iconic animated series has officially returned in a new revival that's well, louder and prouder. With much of the original cast reprising their roles, the new series will be more direct in discussing relevant social issues rather than using "coded language" as in the original show. The series has parts of the horror, sci-fi, and Western genres and is rated TV-PG, marking the first Disney animated series to carry that rating.
‘Halloween’ (Netflix)
Rob Zombie's vicious take on John Carpenter's landmark horror film is a bloody masterpiece in its own right. Nearly two decades after being committed to a mental institution for killing his stepfather and older sister, Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) breaks out, intent on returning to the town of Haddonfield. He arrives in his hometown on Halloween with the indomitable purpose of hunting down his younger sister, Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton). The only thing standing between Michael and a Halloween night of bloody carnage is psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell).
CONTINUED WEEKLY EPISODES:
‘Euphoria’ (HBO Max)
This HBO teen drama about love, violence, identity, sex, and drugs returns for a second season to continue the misadventures of Rue (Zendaya), Jules (Hunter Schafer), Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Nate (Jacob Elordi), and others. The first seven episodes of season 2 are now streaming, with the finale arriving on Sunday.
‘The Righteous Gemstones’ (HBO Max)
This impeccable and hilarious HBO comedy from Danny McBride follows a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. It stars McBride, John Goodman, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine, and more. The family seeks to expand their empire of mega churches, no matter who gets crushed along the way. The first eight episodes of season 2 are now streaming, with the finale arriving on Sunday.
‘The Afterparty’ (AppleTV+)
Christopher Miller and creative partner Phil Lord have become the go-to duo for wildly imaginative, genre-bending meta flair, making everything from 21 Jump Street to The Lego Movie to producing hits like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Their latest endeavor is The Afterparty, a murder mystery series. When a high school reunion’s afterparty ends in a death, everyone is a suspect. A detective (Tiffany Haddish) grills the former classmates one by one, uncovering potential motives as each tells their version of the story – culminating in the shocking truth. The first seven episodes are now streaming, with the finale arriving next week.
‘Pam & Tommy’ (Hulu)
This series follows the true story of the tumultuous, steamy and dysfunctional relationship between two superstars – Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee – following the release of their infamous honeymoon sex tape. Paving the way for a slew of other celebrity sex tapes that would follow with the rise of the internet, the scandal blew up the two to new levels of fame – for better and worse. Lily James stars as Pamela the Baywatch star with Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee the Mötley Crüe rockstar, alongside Seth Rogen playing porn actor turned electrician Rand Gauthier, the man who stole the tape and blackmailed the couple. The series also stars Nick Offerman as porn producer Uncle Miltie, who mass-produced the tape in order to sell it online, as well as Taylor Schilling playing Erica Gauthier. The first seven episodes are now streaming.
‘jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ (Netflix)
Twenty-one years ago, Clarence ‘Coodie’ Simmons met Kanye West and saw something so special that he moved from Chicago to New York City to document Ye’s journey to become the next great rapper. Neither of them had any idea where just how far that journey would take them. The lives of an emerging superstar and filmmaker intertwine in this intense, intimate docuseries charting West’s career, filmed over two decades. The first two parts are now streaming.
Also streaming now:
Netflix - ‘Cat Burglar’, ‘RACE: Bubba Wallace’, ‘Restless’
Hulu - ‘The Last Rite’
Shudder - ‘Dawn of the Beast’, ‘Dogs’, ‘Detention’, ‘Bloodline’, ‘Undergods’, ‘The Lesson’
HBO Max - ‘Robot Chicken (Season 11A)’
COMING NEXT WEEK:
Netflix - ‘21’, ‘21 Bridges’, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 & 2010)’, ‘Battleship’, ‘Contagion’, ‘Due Date’, ‘Freddy vs. jason’, ‘Gattaca’, ‘Public Enemies’, ‘Redemption’, ‘Richie Rich’, ‘Siberia’, ‘Shooter’, ‘Shrek’, ‘Shrek 2’, ‘Sorry to Bother You’, ‘Starship Troopers’, ‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’, ‘The Gift’, ‘The Green Mile’, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. ‘Top Gun’, ‘V for Vendetta’, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, ‘Zoolander’, ‘Against the Ice’, ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Season 2)’, ‘The Weekend Away’, ‘Lies and Deceit’, ‘Pieces of Her’
Hulu - ‘Blue Velvet’, ‘Casualties of War’, ‘Crash’, ‘Demolition Man’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Flatliners’, ‘Fright Night’, ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’, ‘Here Comes the Boom’, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, ‘L.A. Confidential’, ‘Land of the Dead’, ‘The Omen’, ‘Predators’, ‘The Princess Bride’, ‘The Raid 2’, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, ‘Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride’, ‘Transcendence’, ‘The Woman in Black’, ‘Oculus’, ‘Fresh’, ‘Benedetta’, ‘Lantern’s Lane’
Shudder - ‘The Town that Dreaded Sundown’, ‘Darkman / Darkman II: The Return of the Durant / Darkman III: Die Darkman Die’, ‘The Scary of Sixty-First’
HBO Max - ‘The Aviator’, ‘Boyz n the Hood’, ‘Resident Evil / Resident Evil: Afterlife / Resident Evil: Apocalypse / Resident Evil: Damnation / Resident Evil: Extinction / Resident Evil: Retribution’, ‘Blade II’, ‘Drive My Car’, ‘F9’
Amazon Prime Video - ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’, ‘Zathura: A Space Adventure’, ‘Brad’s Status’, ‘1984’, ‘A View to Kill’, ‘Billy the Kid’, ‘Bye Bye Birdie’, ‘Die Another Day’, ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’, ‘F/X’, ‘Fatal Instinct’, ‘Goldeneye’, ‘License to Kill’, ‘Moonraker’, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’, ‘The Secret of N.I.M.H.’, ‘The World is Not Enough’, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, ‘XXX’, ‘XXX: State of the Union’
Disney+ - ‘West Side Story’, ‘Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa’, ‘Russia’s Wild Tiger’
Paramount+ - ‘Scary Movie 3’, ‘Star Trek: Picard (Season 2)’
