Welcome to What To Watch, a viewing guide for the weekend to come and beyond. This is a list compiling all the new releases across theatrical, streaming, and Blu-Rays.
Theatrical
Haunted Mansion
Synopsis: Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, “Haunted Mansion” is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.
Runtime: 2h 2m
Director: Justin Simien
Starring: LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon and Daniel Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.
Should You Watch It?: Haunted Mansion is not a movie for kids, and adults might get bored by it. Still, it is entertaining enough that if you wanted to escape the heat this weekend, you can do far worse than this. In our review, reviewer Jessica Lancaster said:
Put simply, Haunted Mansion clocks in at just over 2 hours, and that feels too long. There are comedic bits that definitely overstay their welcome, as well as expository scenes which feel repetitive and redundant. Sometimes it felt like the movie just couldn’t stop itself from doing things the hard way. (Why did the gang have to travel to a different haunted house to capture the final MacGuffin? This haunted mansion has plenty of room to hold more secrets! Did we really need this detour?)
Talk To Me
Synopsis: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Starring: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, and Miranda Otto
Should You Watch It?: Yes. In our review, reviewer Lizzie White said:
The entire young cast is impressive when having to do the heavy lifting that this story asks for. However, Sophia Wilde, who plays Mia, had to do some major heavy lifting. We learn that Mia’s mother has semi-recently unalived herself. Throughout the film we see Mia struggle with the idea of her mother’s death, her grief, and her disconnection from her father. While also dealing with possession addiction, and a demon who contacts her that might be her mother…or is it? Wilde’s performance is absolutely magnificent.
Streaming
How to Become a Cult Leader
Service: Netflix
Synopsis: Narrator Peter Dinklage reveals the playbook to achieving unconditional love, endless devotion, and the power to control people’s minds, bodies and souls.
Should You Watch It? Yes, if you’re a fan of True Crime, this one’s for you!
Good Omens (Season 2)
Service: Prime Video
Synopsis: Now exiled from Heaven and Hell, Aziraphale and Crowley must team up once again after the mysterious arrival of a familiar face.
Should You Watch It? Yes. Good Omens is one of Prime Video’s best shows, and if you’ve seen Season 1 then you’ll enjoy Season 2; and if you haven’t seen either, well now’s a good weekend to binge both seasons!
How To with John Wilson (Season 3)
Service: HBO Max
Synopsis: An anxious New Yorker who attempts to give everyday advice while dealing with his own personal issues.
Should You Watch It? Yes. The show is ending with it’s third season and while it’s not been given a ton of love, it’s one of the weirdest and most fun shows to watch on HBO Max.
Twisted Metal
Service: Peacock
Synopsis: Follows a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Should You Watch It? Yes. In our review, reviewer Hunter Bolding said:
Twisted Metal is firmly rooted in the ’90s, just like the video games. From the fashion, music, themes, and humor, it feels all very ’90s. Right from the opening scene, Twisted Metal shows you exactly what it is, and what it isn’t. It’s not high-brow television. This isn’t prestige TV. It’s a show about cars exploding and clowns; so many musclebound clowns. Mackie gives off a performance that just oozes charm and fun. He and everyone else on this show know what they signed up for. They execute these humorous and almost silly scenes with plenty of energy.
Honorable Mentions:
The Witcher (Season 3, Volume 2)
Harley Quinn
Blu-Ray
After Hours
Format: 4K UHD and Blu-Ray
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Thomas Chong, Griffin Dunne, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Richard Cheech Marin, Catherine O’Hara
Synopsis: An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho he met that evening at a coffee shop.
Where To Buy: Criterion Website
Should You Buy It? Yes. While this is not Martin Scorsese’s most popular movie, it’s certainly one of his most daring and inventive. If you like the comedic style of Scorsese in movies like The King of Comedy then you’ll also likely enjoy this. This has a new 4K digital restoration that was approved by editor Thelma Schoonmaker. With a sleu of special features, both cinephiles and fans of this movie will find a lot to enjoy.
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