I’ve started to use Mondays to highlight movies that have just come out on streaming services. If you’ve ever spent more time scrolling through a home page rather than actually wanting something, I hope this will help. If you’ve seen something great that you think people ought to know about it, drop it in the comments!
“Pressure” (Peacock) – This World War II pressure cooker looks at the D-Day invasion from a little-known but riveting angle – the Allied meteorologists who had to decide when to launch the invasion. Andrew Scott is great as the prickly scientist warning General Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser, a little miscast) to delay the attack or risk calamity. My full review is here.
“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” (Netflix) – The arrival of a new Liam Neeson action movie is not considered a major cinematic event. But hang on. Amid the glut of indistinguishable movies out there that bear Neeson’s mug, “Saints and Sinners” stands apart as a gritty, grounded thriller. Neeson plays a 1974 hitman in a small Irish town who runs afoul of a vicious IRA terrorist (Kerry Condon beautifully playing against type). My full review is here.
“Eighth Grade” (Netflix) – Bo Burnham, make another movie! The comedian delivered a surprisingly sensitive debut in this closely-observed film about the trials and tribulations of being an eighth-grade girl. Ellie Fisher is wonderful as an ordinary kid weathering every awkward encounter and lunchroom snub, and the movie is an empathetic and universal story of loneliness and belonging. My full review is here.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (Prime Video) – It’s an all-ape review in the latest installment of the long-running franchise, as a young primate (Owen Teague) journeys across the verdant ruins of a post-human feature to rescue his tribe from a brutal despot (Kevin Durand). The visual effects are incredible, but this is still an old-fashioned adventure story, like “The Searchers” with apes. My full review is here.
“The Runaways” (Criterion Channel) – Part of their “Music Biopics That Don’t Suck” series, Criterion revives this brash 2010 film about The Runaways (“Cherry Bomb”). The movie throbs with aggression and energy, and Kristen Stewart’s turn as Joan Jett was her first big turn away from her “Twilight” years. My full review is here, but paywalled. I also had the thrill of interviewing the late Runaways singer Cherie Currie about the movie, but unfortunately that’s also paywalled!
“Ex Machina” (Hulu) – In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have been rooting for the robot (Alicia Vikander) over her aggro-bro creator (Oscar Isaac) in Alex Garland’s chilly and prescient 2014 sci-fi thriller about AI? Either way, this is still a great movie, with out of nowhere has one of cinema’s great dance sequences to boot. My full review is here.
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