Happy weekend! It’s a big one for theatrical releases, with Tom Cruise’s Digger finally out. While divisive, Cruise is expected to be featured somewhere in the awards conversation, although an abysmal box office performance could torpedo those dreams. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Verity, a throwback to the beloved erotic thrillers of years past, following an affair between a struggling writer and a hot dad. Somewhere in all of this, there’s his paralyzed wife.
But if you’re not feeling like leaving your house, there are plenty of movies to choose from across streaming platforms and VOD. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is now streaming. We published a couple of features on it, from a breakdown of its amazing opening credits to a conversation with the movie’s production designers about how they revived the dead art of matte painting to achieve the movie’s surreal look.
Coyote vs. ACME is also available to stream, concluding a long saga of behind-the-scenes shenanigans. Other highlights include The Uprising, the medieval action movie that was initially promoted as a story of rebellion, then as a Robin Hood origin story, and then back to the rebellion angle. We close it all out with The Last First: Winter K2, a mountain-climbing documentary on the perils of the sport, following climbers as they attempt to climb the world’s second-highest mountain peak in the middle of winter.
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Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
- Available on Mubi
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 52m
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Jack Haven
Kris (Hannah Einbinder) is a buzzy indie director who lands her dream gig: rebooting the slasher franchise she’s been obsessed with since she was young, cleaning up its legacy in the process. She seeks out Billy Preston (Gillian Anderson), the original film’s reclusive final girl, who still lives at the abandoned camp where it was shot.
Per our Polygon interview with Jane Schoenbrun:
All great horror movie franchises go through a similar life cycle. The breakout hit. The surprisingly good sequel that expands the mythology in questionable ways. The godawful third, fourth, or fifth movie that drives even the hardcore fans away. And the eventual reboot/remake/requel or whatever the kids in the next Scream movie will call it. For Jane Schoenbrun, there’s one more rule when it comes to making a long-running horror franchise: “If you keep the shitty horror franchise running long enough, eventually, they’re probably gonna go to space.”
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Coyote vs. ACME
- Available on VOD
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 1h 43m
- Director: Dave Green
- Cast: Lana Condor, Will Forte, Tone Bell
In the vein of the great live-action and animated hybrid movies, Coyote vs. ACME follows a fed-up Wile E. Coyote, who, after years of rockets, anvils, and explosive gadgets, hires a down-on-his-luck lawyer (Will Forte) to sue the ACME Corporation for its dangerously faulty products.
Per our Polygon review:
The first thing to love about Coyote vs. ACME is that it’s funny — like, really funny. The jokes in the film vary from big physical gags, background jokes, sharply-written one-liners, and Easter eggs for Looney Tunes fans. They also come at a rapid-fire pace that would best be compared to Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker comedies like Airplane and The Naked Gun. And if every single gag doesn’t land, it’s okay because another one is coming right around the corner.
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Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle I
- Available on Hulu
- Genre: Animation
- Run time: 2h 35m
- Director: Haruo Sotozaki
- Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle was one of Japan’s biggest box office hits of all time. The film is a sequel to four seasons of anime, following the Demon Slayer Corps as they hunt a demon called Muzan through a pocket dimension. The movie is the first part of a planned trilogy, so if you’re interested in jumping on board, now’s the time.
Per our Polygon review:
If I have to judge Infinity Castle as a movie, it has one big issue: pacing. The action, which should be the focus of this specific arc of the story, is constantly interrupted by flashbacks, memories, reflections, visions, and digressions. As a manga and anime consumer with 25 years of experience, I am aware this is the bread and butter of the shonen genre. Demon Slayer’s secret is that it did not reinvent the wheel. The manga followed in the footsteps of classics such as Naruto and Bleach, where, even during the most apocalyptic duels, the action is interrupted to let the characters tell more about themselves and their motivations. It’s how you make them relatable, and Demon Slayer is a masterclass, making readers and viewers feel empathy even for flesh-eating monsters.
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The Uprising
- Available on VOD
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 2h 8m
- Director: Paul Greengrass
- Cast: Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Katherine Waterston
Inspired by the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, The Uprising is set in England under the rule of 14-year-old King Richard II. With the country ravaged by the Black Plague and commoners facing rising taxes, a farmer (Andrew Garfield) kills a soldier in a rage, sparking a revolt in which thousands demand fairer treatment from their king.
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Soulm8te
- Available on Hulu
- Genre: Sci-fi
- Run time: 1h 39m
- Director: Kate Dolan
- Cast: Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, Claudia Doumit
Set in the world of the killer yet brilliant doll M3gan, Soulm8ate follows another AI bot, with this story taking its cues from the erotic thriller. It follows a grieving engineer (David Rysdahl) who designs an AI lovebot (Lily Sullivan) with the hopes of creating a truly sentient life partner. Things don’t go according to plan, with the bot having other plans.
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Evil Dead Burn
- Available on HBO Max
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 50m
- Director: Sébastien Vaniček
- Cast: Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan.
Evil Dead Burn continues in the style of the new wave of the Evil Dead movies; just as gory as the originals, with more realism and less goofiness. The story follows Alice (Souheila Yacoub), a woman who’s just lost her husband. As she grieves, she stays with her distant in-laws at their isolated home, where they’re hunted by vicious Deadites.
Per our Polygon review:
The script could use more work, but on a technical level, the film has some exciting moments. The camera flies through the sets like a demon on the prowl. A few sequences frame the classic encounters between our final girl and the Deadites in new ways: one is shot from above, allowing the choreography to shine; another is a long take, trailing a character on the floor as they try to escape the chaos caused by the undead. The sound design is worth noting, making numerous gory and nasty details shine brighter.
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Lockbox
- Available on MGM+
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 45m
- Director: Daniel Stamm
- Cast: Carla Gugino, Katherine Isabelle, Lou Taylor Pucci
Lockbox follows Ellen (Carla Gugino), a woman who moves to a quiet town after the death of her mother, hoping to have some space to grieve. Her plans are interrupted by the arrival of her cousin (Lou Taylor Pucci), a traumatized war veteran who’s withdrawn and behaves strangely.
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Infirmary
- Available on Shudder
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 25m
- Director: Nicholas Pineda
- Cast: Paul Syre Lee, Mark Anthony Williams, Danielle Kennedy
Infirmary follows a pretty reliable horror formula. A former Marine turned rookie security guard (Paul Syre) finds a terrible job, pulling night shifts at a decaying and abandoned psychiatric hospital. When a mysterious break-in occurs, all manner of supernatural and scary occurrences start happening.
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Union County
- Available on VOD
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 1h 37m
- Director: Adam Meeks
- Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Emily Meade
Set amid the ongoing opioid crisis in the US, Union County follows Cody (Will Poulter), an addict who’s recently been released from prison and must fulfill a court-mandated recovery program. The film was shot on location and has been praised for blending professional actors with citizens and counselors involved in the local recovery programs.
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The Last First: Winter K2
- Available on Apple TV
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 1h 37m
- Director: Amir Bar-Lev
- Cast: Nirmal Purja, Sajid Sadpara, Muhammad Ali Sadpara
The Last First: Winter K2 follows the 2020–2021 race to make the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second-highest peak and one of its deadliest, and mountaineering’s last great “first.” What starts as a handful of elite climbers chasing history turns into a crowded and chaotic scramble of influencers and commercial clients, leading to the deaths of five people.