OUT NOW:
'Cherry' (Apple TV+)
After successfully pulling off the biggest movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame, filmmaking duo Anthony and Joe Russo are looking to take a break from the sleek and polished look of Disney’s Marvel universe in favor of something a bit smaller and grimier. Spider-Man star Tom Holland, also looking for a change of pace, has been brought along for the ride. The result is Cherry, a gritty crime drama about an opioid-addicted Army veteran who begins robbing banks.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Nico Walker and has been getting consistent buzz over Holland’s powerful performance. It will be released in theaters before being added to Apple TV+ in March.
‘The Block Island Sound’ (Netflix)
The Block Island Sound made its premiere at last year’s Fantasia Film Festival, where it received rave reviews and was promptly picked up by Netflix. Written and directed by creative duo Kevin and Matthew McManus (American Vandal, Cobra Kai), it’s an eerie horror thriller that takes several unexpected turns.
The film follows Audry Lynch (Michaela McManus) as she returns home to Block Island only to discover her father, Tom (Neville Archambault) is suffering from a series of blackouts and hallucinations. After a particularly stressful night, her father goes missing, leading Audry and her brother, Harry (Chris Sheffield), to search for answers. But a strange and menacing force is lurking off the coast, influencing the behavior of the island’s residents and its wildlife.
‘Vampyres’ (Shudder)
Spanish director José Ramón Larraz was infamous for his exploitative horror films, and his 1974 movie Vampyres is his most definitive work. Noted for its graphic and unabashed depictions of violence and sexuality, the film received an X rating in the United States and steadily grew a cult following.
Vampyres is about a pair of undead bloodsuckers named Fran (Marianne Morris) and Miriam (Anulka Dziubinska). The two lovers lure numerous unfortunate travelers to their home in order to feast on their blood.
‘Triggered’ (Hulu)
Don’t let the title fool you, Triggered mercifully has nothing to do with the kind of inflammatory online discourse that’s been tossing that word around for the past few years. Instead, director Alastair Orr has described this action horror flick as Battle Royale meets Saw; the kind of gruesome fun where most characters are only there to meet their demise.
ACTRESS REINE SWART DISCUSSES ‘TRIGGERED’ AND SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST ON SCREEN CRUSADES
Triggered follows a group of nine friends who go camping together, only to wake up with suicide vests strapped to each of them. There are countdowns on the vests that are different for each person, and as they try to determine who’s behind their ordeal and how to survive it, they discover that they may have to kill each other.
LIESL AHLERS (TRIGGERED) DISSECTS THE HIGH STAKES OF LIFE AND DEATH ON SCREEN CRUSADES
‘Stay Out of the Attic’ (Shudder)
Shudder keeps delivering a steady stream of smart horror for its subscribers, and the simplistic yet brilliantly titled Stay Out of the Attic is no slouch. With tons of body horror and notable social commentary, it’s not one to miss.
The film follows a diverse group of ex-cons who form a moving company. One of their elderly clients, Vern Muller (Michael Flynn), offers a generous sum of money for the movers to work through the night in order to clear out his mansion. As the night progresses and rooms are cleared, they slowly uncover the horrors that exist inside his old Victorian house, including boobytraps, human experimentation, Nazi monsters and more. It’ll be a miracle if they survive the night.
‘Prey’ (Shudder)
While Stephen King’s Cujo is basically the definitive rabid dog movie, filmmaker José Luis Montesinos latest film, Prey, is full of thrills that are just as terrifying and just as claustrophobic, and possibly even more heartbreaking.
With the sorrow for her sister’s death still very recent, Elena (Paula del Rio), a young quadriplegic, has retired to a country house along with her father. There she has the help of Athos, a Belgian Shepherd Dog specially trained to help her. But the creature who is supposed to be her best friend has contracted a strange disease… and has turned into her worst enemy.
‘The Rocky Franchise’ (HBO Max)
Rocky Balboa is one of legendary actor Sylvester Stallone’s greatest roles, having played the character for eight movies and counting, scooping up nearly 2 billion dollars at the box office, and winning several Academy Awards. The Rocky series is pretty deeply ingrained in popular culture with its training and boxing montages, and continues to this day with Michael B. Jordan taking center stage as Stallone’s Rocky has retired to become a trainer.
HBO Max is now streaming all Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Rocky Balboa, from 1976 all the way to 2006. Stallone also notably wrote the screenplays for every single one of them.
‘Honest Thief’ (Amazon Prime Video)
Liam Neeson and action thrillers go together like peanut butter and jelly. There sure are a ton of them, so it’s completely understandable if you missed last year’s Honest Thief, not only because of the ongoing pandemic but due to the sheer number of these things that Neeson seems to churn out.
He stars as Tom Dolan, an aging bank robber who’s looking for a chance to leave his life of crime behind him. When Tom turns himself into the authorities in order to cut a deal for a lighter sentence, he realizes that he’s been set up by them and framed for murder. Now he must go on the run to clear his name and seek justice. The film also stars Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos and Robert Patrick.
‘Yes Day’ (Netflix)
Based on the children’s book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, Yes Day is the latest family film to be released by Netflix. Director Miguel Arteta has definite experience in this realm, having made 2014’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - but he’s also proved his more adult-oriented comedy chops with films like Youth in Revolt and Like a Boss.
Yes Day follows busy couple Allison (Jennifer Garner) and Carlos (Édgar Ramírez), who are constantly having to say no to their three children. They decide to give the kids an entire day where mom and dad have to agree to whatever it is they request, an idea that, when taken too literally and too far, winds up sending the family on a whirlwind adventure around Los Angeles.
‘Sword of God’ (Shudder)
Also known as The Mute, Polish film Sword of God is a dirty and primal struggle for survival. It has a minimalist approach, telling the story of two men in the early Middle Ages who come to a pagan land by order of their king.
One wishes to bring Christianity to these “savages”, the other is simply looking to find his way of living. In the fight between dialogue and force, one of them will die.
‘Coven of Sisters’ (Netflix)
Netflix has a plethora of international films to choose from, and their latest acquisition comes from Spain. Coven of Sisters (also titled as simply ‘Coven’) is directed by Pablo Agüero and is set in the Basque Country in 1609. While the region's men are at sea, Ana (Amaia Aberasturi) joins other girls from the village to dance in the woods.
Judge Rostegui (Àlex Brendemühl), given the task of purifying the region by the King, arrests the women and accuses them of witchcraft. He decides to do whatever it takes to make them confess what they know about the akelarre, a ceremony with magical connotations, during which the Devil is said to initiate his servants and mate with them. But the women have plans to postpone their execution, luring Rostegui into witnessing the witches’ Sabbath.
Also streaming now:
Netflix - ‘Paradise PD (Season 3)
Hulu - ‘Storks’, ‘Proxima’, ‘Kid 90’, ‘Farewell Amor’
Shudder - ‘Edge of the Axe’, ‘Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker’
HBO Max - ‘SouthParQ Vaccination Special’, ‘Nuestras Madres’
Disney+ - ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’, ‘Assembled: The Making of WandaVision’
Amazon Prime Video - ‘Jack and Jill’
COMING THIS WEEK:
Netflix - ‘Audrey’, ‘The BFG’, ‘The Last Blockbuster’, ‘The Lost Pirate Kingdom (Season 1), ‘Savages’, ‘Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal’, ‘Deadly Illusions’, ‘Skylines’
Hulu - ‘Intersect’, ‘Identity’, Hunter Hunter’
Shudder - ‘Slaxx’, ‘Koko-Di Koko-Da’, ‘Hosts’, ‘It Cuts Deep’, ‘Game of Death’, ‘Shakma’, ‘Nosferatu’, ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, ‘The Great Gabbo’, ‘White Zombie’
HBO Max - ‘Speed’, ‘Three Busy Debras’, ‘Superman: The Animated Series’, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’
Disney+ - ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’
