Venom 2, Netflix’s Hand of God and 11 new movies you can now watch at home

It’s the much-awaited weekend! Spider-Man has no way home finally swings on to theater screens, in addition to Guillermo del Toro’s psychological thriller Nightmare AlleyStarring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett. You don’t feel like you can go out for the weekend. No problem, there’s still tons of great movies and no shortage of superheroics to enjoy on VOD and streaming from the comfort of your home.

Venom: There Must Be Carnage finally lands on VOD this weekend along with Wes Anderson’s latest comedy anthology French Dispatch. There’s plenty more in the way of streaming releases as Netflix’s God’s Hand, Hulu’s Mother/Android, and Apple TV Plus’ Swan SongAlso, all the premieres are this weekend.

To help you get a handle on what’s new and available, here are the new movies you can watch with the click of a button this weekend.

French Dispatch

You can rent a watch for as low as $19.99 from Amazon, Apple, or Vudu

Image: Searchlight Pictures

Wes Anderson’sFrench Dispatch is a self-proclaimed “love letter to journalists,” and a comedy anthology following the misadventures of a group of hapless columnists working for the eccentric editor of an American newspaper in the fictional French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé (Boredom-upon-Apathy). Anderson’s proclivity for fastidiously detailed set, bright colors, irreverent deadpan humor, and quirky characters has won him both acclaim and criticism throughout his career. Here’s how it works French DispatchWhat is the difference between his past work and this one? From the review

Each vignette is a column from a particular newspaper section. Some sections are better than others, as is the way with anthology films. Anderson’s penchant for dry comedy used to explain grief, the inner workings of dysfunctional people, and children experiencing the loss of innocence comes to the forefront once again. And yet this is the director’s least digestible work. It’s supposedly a love letter to the New YorkerOf yore but while French Dispatch features Anderson’s familiar aesthetic style, it’s often a distant omnibus that might appeal only to his most ardent fans.

Venom: There Must Be Carnage

What to Watch:Amazon, Apple, Vudu and Vudu are all available for rent at $5.99

Image: Sony Pictures

Andy Serkis’ follow-up to 2018’s antihero action comedy Venom follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), investigative journalist-turned-human-host of the alien symbiote Venom, as he attempts to rejuvenate his career by interviewing Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), a psychotic serial killer with an infatuation for Venom. Eddie and Venom must work together when Kasady is made the host for Carnage, a new symbiote. Our review shows that

A lean 97 minute workout Venom: There Must Be Carnage doesn’t suffer from the kind of slack mid-section that weighs down so many action-forward superhero movies. The second act, however, is where Venom shines as a character. He’s fed up with living in a host that doesn’t appreciate what he does for him and won’t let him eat the criminals they stop, so he decides to take his gifts elsewhere. Full of self-righteous anger, Venom digs his claws into the side of Eddie’s pretty little souped-up two-wheel drive and explores the city on his own, jumping from body to body and presumably killing each new host along the way.

God’s Hand

What to Watch:Netflix streaming available

Gianni Fiorito

The Young Pope director Paolo Sorrentino’s 2021 drama God’s HandFollow the tale of Fabietto Schisa (Filippo Scoti), a boy growing up in Naples during the turbulent 1980s. With few friends and no lover to call his own, Fabietto’s maturation into young adulthood is punctuated by both serendipitous joys and startling tragedies, culminating in a story that’s as achingly poignant as it is deeply relatable.

Mother/Android

What to Watch:Hulu is available to stream

Image: Hulu

Chloë Grace Moretz (Please Let Me InAlgee Smith and ).We Hate U GivingThe sci-fi thriller Mother/Android stars Georgia and Sam (ex-parents who are on an desperate quest for survival in a world in which androids rebel against human rulers). They are just days from giving birth to their first child. Now, they must traverse dangerous terrain in search of a human enclave that will allow them to safely rear their child. The trailer looks exciting and oddly reminiscent of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy, albeit with androids that resemble the robots in 2018’s Detroit: Become Human.

Swan Song

What to Watch:Apple TV Plus can stream the video

Photo: Apple TV Plus

Mahershala Ali (True DetectiveStarring as Cameron Turner in sci-fi drama Swan Song, Cameron Turner is a father and husband who learns that his terminal illness has taken him to hospital. Cameron, who is devastated by the prospect of losing his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris), and leaving their child alone as a widow, receives an experimental suggestion from Glenn Close (his doctor) to create a carbon-copy clone (a copy of him) that will allow him to continue living in his place. As Cameron struggles with the emotional toll of his decision, he’ll come to learn more about life, love, grief, and happiness than he had ever imagined.

The Novice

Watch: Rentable for $5.99 at Amazon, $6.99 at Apple and Vudu

Image: IFC Films

Think about it Whiplash Or Black Swan, but instead of jazz drumming or ballet, if it was a film about a queer college freshman’s arduous physical and psychological ordeal to become the best novice rower on her school’s varsity boat team. Trailer for The NoviceIsabelle Fuhrman makes it feel claustrophobic, and that is why she’s unnerving.OrphanAlex Dall is portrayed by ) in a riveting performance.

And here’s what dropped last Friday:

Dear Evan Hansen

What to Watch:Available streaming for as low as $5.99 at Amazon, Apple, or Vudu

Photo: Erika Doss/Universal Pictures

Adapted from the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical of the same name, Stephen Chbosky’s coming-of-age musical film Dear Evan HansenBen Platt plays a senior at high school with Social Anxiety Disorder. He embarks upon a self-discovery journey after the loss of a classmate. There’s been a lot of chatter about the film since it first came out, not the least of which directed at Platt’s, uh, questionable portrayal of an adolescent youth. Is this a “so bad it’s good” kind of musical, or just plain bad? Our review shows that

Platt’s technically accomplished, otherwise disastrous performance starts to make more sense as an act of compensation. He sings with a strained, distorted delivery. This is how he communicates his inner turmoil against the inertia and blockade of his body. Stephen Chbosky is the directorWallflowers: The PerksThe same goes for ) who struggles to find a sufficient scale to fill the screen. He illustrates Evan’s virality by throwing a bunch of phone video responses through an empty vacuum, until they combine and create an Instagram picture. As Evan searches for hints of beauty in his school’s everyday drabness — Chbosky’s aesthetic could be fairly described as “the ‘before’ part of a commercial for mood-altering medication” — the film gets stuck in the banality he’s trying to escape.

The unforgivable

What to Watch:Netflix streaming available

KIMBERLEY FRENCH/NETFLIX © 2021

Based on Sally Wainwright’s 2009 British miniseries Forgiveness is not an option, Sandra Bullock stars in The unforgivableRuth Slater plays a convict, who tries to rebuild her life following a terrible crime. As she struggles to acclimate back to a life in a place that no longer feels like home, Ruth will have to confront those who aren’t willing to forgive her for what’s she done and will stop at nothing until her sins are repaid in blood. In our opinion,

Even though he was a deeply rooted ensemble under the leadership of a transformational Bullock It is impossible to forgive It moves in a monotonous pace and does not have the emotional depth or urgency required to tell a story of redemption that will make the audience want its victim. Kidman’s version. Destroyer, Bullock’s appearance oscillates from strained and ragged in present-day scenes, to bright, in-full-make-up in sequences set in the past. Bullock presents Slater in a terse manner, with a strain at the jaw and an edge of eruption. Slater is careful to maintain a low profile. She’s often guarded — she’s served her time, but her reputation as a cop-killer will always follow her around. It’s why when a coworker at the fish-packing plant, the kind, generous Blake (Jon Bernthal, still sporting his King RichardMustache) fell for her. She initially seemed hesitant about accepting the first small act of kindness that was shown to her. Slater doesn’t believe she deserves redemption.

Begin a relationship

What to Watch:Amazon Prime is available to stream

Image: Amazon Studios

Following his soul-stirring performances in 2019’s Sound of Metal and 2020’s Mogul MowgliRiz Ahmed makes a thrilling return to sci-fi with another riveting performance Begin a relationshipMalik is a disgracefully discharge Marine, who believes alien parasites are taking over the world. After a fatal encounter with police, Malik is on the run and attempting to protect his children. But are Malik’s fears real, or a fabrication of a distressed mind? The trailer bears a resemblance to the premise and tone of 2016’s Midnight Special, with Octavia Spencer playing an equivalent role to Adam Driver’s in that film as Malik’s Parole officer.

The Hating Game

What to Watch:Rentable for as low as $6.99 at Amazon, Apple and Vudu

Vertical Entertainment

Based on Sally Thorne’s novel of the same name, The Hating Game stars Lucy Hale (4. ScreamAustin Stowell (Bridge of Spies) as Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, two co-workers who hate each other’s guts. The two professionals are fierce rivals when a position becomes available at their company. However, they soon realize there is more to them than workplace animosity.

Agnes

What to Watch:Rentable for as low as $6.99 at Amazon, Apple and Vudu

Image by Magnet Releasing

AgnesHayley McFarland starsThe ConjuringA young nun is affected by disturbing visions and violence that lead to her acting out in an uncharacteristic manner. The Sisters of St. Maud are worried about Agnes’ well-being and safety. Father Donaghue, a retired priest and Benjamin, a young aspirant priest (Jake Horowitz), help her to do an exorcism and get rid of all the evil spirits that had taken shelter in her body. If you’re looking for a psychological horror thriller in the vein of Saint Maud or an alternative to the nunsploitation du jour Benedetta, Agnes The perfect watch.

The Last Son

What to Watch:Rentable for as low as $6.99 at Amazon, Apple and Vudu

Redbox Entertainment

Funny Face Dark Night director Tim Sutton’s Western action-revenge drama The Last Son stars Sam Worthington as Isaac LeMay, a notorious outlaw haunted by the prophecy that he will be killed by one of his own children. Taking a page out of the playbook of the Greek titan Cronus, LeMay sets out to murder his estranged progeny, including his long-lost son Cal (Colson Baker aka “Machine Gun Kelly”). LeMay, who is being hunted by Sheriff Solomon and his son, must figure out a way either to end the curse or to surrender to his destiny.

Copshop

What to Watch:Amazon, Apple, Vudu and Vudu are all available for rent at $5.99

Open Road

CopshopThe latest action thriller by Smokin’ Aces The A-Team (2010) director Joe Carnahan, stars Frank Grillo (Boss LevelAs Teddy Murretto (played by ), Teddy is a con artist who escapes the clutches of Bob VIddick, an assassin ruthless bent on collecting his bounty. Unfortunately for Teddy, Bob finds a way to get locked up in the same police station as him, and on top of that, he’s not the only one gunning for his head. The trailer looks as stylish, explosive, and eccentric as you would expect from Carnahan’s previous work, with Toby Huss (King of the Hill) co-starring as deranged elderly hitman named Tony.