Wonka, The Beekeeper, and every new movie to watch at home this weekend

Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week, we spherical up essentially the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the most important and finest new films for you to watch at home. So quiet up and hear down; no, scratch that, reverse it!

This week, Wonka, the musical fantasy starring Timothée Chalamet because the irrepressibly whimsical chocolatier, is lastly obtainable to stream on VOD. There’s different thrilling new releases obtainable to lease as effectively, like David Ayer’s newest motion thriller The Beekeeper starring Jason Statham and Makoto Shinkai’s fantasy romance anime Suzume. There are a ton of different new films on streaming to watch as effectively, like Orion and the Dark on Netflix, Freelance on Hulu, Past Lives on Paramount Plus with Showtime, and extra!

Here’s all the pieces new to watch this weekend!

New on Netflix

Orion and the Dark

Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix

Image: DreamWorks Animation

Genre: Fantasy comedy
Run time: 1h 30m
Director: Sean Charmatz
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett

Written by cerebral screenwriter-director Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) and primarily based on the youngsters’s e book by Emma Yarlett, this animated fantasy journey follows the story of a kid with an overactive creativeness and a relentless concern of the long run who’s befriended by the anthropomorphic personification of darkness. Together, the pair embark on an journey to conquer Orion’s concern of the unknown and embrace the numerous wonders the world has to supply.

From our evaluation,

By the tip, Orion and the Dark has boldly reworked right into a delightfully eccentric story, taking up much more metatextual layers. But it by no means loses its coronary heart: It’s nonetheless a bedtime story, a mother or father and baby working collectively to assemble an ending that satisfies the each of them. Their voices mix in a convincing manner, with zany, kid-fueled concepts on one hand, and the cautious guiding hand of an grownup on the opposite. But baby and mother or father each study one thing from the opposite, and that turns Orion and the Dark from a easy fairy story right into a superbly weird journey, and lastly right into a movie with a message that hits deeply for each adults and youngsters.

The Greatest Night in Pop

Image: Netflix

Genre: Music documentary
Run time: 1h 36m
Director: Bao Nguyen
Cast: The greatest music stars of the Eighties

A behind-the-scenes doc of the making of one of the in style singles of all-time, The Greatest Night in Pop takes you behind the scenes of the star-studded lineup that recorded “We Are the World.”

From our evaluation out of Sundance:

It doesn’t fairly attain the heights of documentary classics, falling in need of the perception into the tortured circumstances and annoyed manufacturing of Original Cast Album: Company, or the pure musical excellence of Monterey Pop. But there’s one thing particular about seeing these stars mingle that makes this movie an enchanting doc on fame and the folks behind it.

Shortcomings

Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix

Image: Sony Picture Classics

Genre: Romance comedy
Run time: 1h 32m
Director: Randall Park
Cast: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki

Justin H. Min (The Umbrella Academy) stars in this new comedy from actor-director Randall Park (WandaVision). Shortcomings follows the misadventures of Ben, a struggling filmmaker residing in Los Angeles. When his girlfriend, Miko, strikes to New York for an internship, Ben is compelled to assess his way of life selections up to this level so as to study to develop as each a romantic associate and an individual.

New on Prime Video

Fist of the Condor

Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video

Image: Well Go USA Entertainment

Genre: Martial arts drama
Run time: 1h 20m
Director: Ernesto Díaz Espinoza
Cast: Marko Zaror, Eyal Meyer, Gina Aguad

One of my (Ed. notice: PV) very favourite motion films of a stacked 2023, Fist of the Condor is at as soon as a throwback to the Shaw Brothers period of old fashioned Hong Kong martial arts filmmaking, and a new thrilling step for Chilean martial arts cinema.

From our evaluation:

At the tip of the day, Fist of the Condor is the Marko Zaror present. And boy, does he ship. The movie is at its finest when it’s a collection of jaw-dropping fights, one after one other, leaning on his unimaginable star energy. As an actor, Zaror brings life and deep ache to the star-crossed brothers, and as a fighter and acrobat, he’s unmatched. He appears to have the ability to alternate from uncooked animalistic actions to robotic, hypnotic protection (he calls it an “electrical impulse” within the movie) and balletic, gravity-defying spinning kicks which might be merely poetry in movement.

New on Hulu

Freelance

Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

Image: Relativity Media

Genre: Action comedy
Run time: 1h 48m
Director: Pierre Morel
Cast: John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba

Taken director Pierre Morel strikes to a extra comedic mode in this movie a few former Special Forces officer (John Cena) and a journalist (Alison Brie) who journey to a fictional nation collectively to interview the nation’s dictator.

New on Max

Dicks: The Musical

Where to watch: Available to stream on Max

Image: A24

Genre: Musical comedy
Run time: 1h 26m
Director: Larry Charles
Cast: Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson, Nathan Lane

This musical comedy follows two longtime enterprise rivals who inadvertently uncover they’re equivalent twin brothers separated at delivery. Concocting a scheme to get their divorced dad and mom again collectively, they change locations so as to orchestrate a reunion. Think The Parent Trap, however with extra musical numbers, dick jokes, and Megan Thee Stallion.

From our evaluation:

Dicks takes photographs at completely different sorts of contemporary films early on, beginning with different A24 films. A24’s brand is accompanied by grandiose music, and its signature elevated horror threatens to turn into a tongue-in-cheek thematic inspiration when Trevor and Craig wonder if their predicament meets the {qualifications} for abuse and trauma. The movie’s New York-set, American Psycho-esque company saga is clearly filmed in Los Angeles, with the seams of a number of units and phases displaying within the margins, whereas the inventory footage it makes use of of NYC is all distinctly anachronistic.

New on Paramount Plus

Past Lives

Where to watch: Available to stream on Paramount Plus w/ Showtime

Photo: Jon Pack/A24

Genre: Romantic drama
Run time: 1h 46m
Director: Celine Song
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro

Greta Lee (Sisters) and Teo Yoo (Decision to Leave) star in director Celine Song’s romantic drama debut as Nora and Hae-sung, two childhood mates who’re seperated when the previous emigrates from South Korea to Toronto along with her household.

Reunited 12 years later, the pair discover themselves unmistakably drawn collectively. As their respective lives and obligations pull them additional and farther aside, Nora and Hae-sung should confront their emotions in regards to the life they may have shared collectively had their previous selections been completely different, and what to do with these emotions now within the current.

Song spoke with Polygon about how the movie is all about “the way that life reflects upon itself,” in addition to her transient foray into The Sims 4 theater manufacturing.

Kokomo City

Where to watch: Available to stream on Paramount Plus w/ Showtime

Image: Magnolia Pictures

Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 13m
Director: D. Smith
Cast: Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell

The first movie from Grammy-nominated producer D. Smith follows the tales of 4 transgender intercourse staff residing in New York and Georgia. Shot in black and white, the movie provides perception into the embattled nature of not solely their occupation, however the cultural fault traces of gender and id that intersect with their each day lives.

The Tiger’s Apprentice

Where to watch: Available to stream on Paramount Plus

Image: Paramount Pictures/Paramount Plus

Genre: Action journey
Run time: 1h 24m
Directors: Raman Hui, Yong Duk Jhun, Paul Watling
Cast: Henry Golding, Brandon Soo Hoo, Lucy Liu

Based on Laurence Yep’s 2003 novel, this motion fantasy movie follows the story of Tom (Brandon Soo Hoo), a Chinese American boy residing in Los Angeles who inherits the duty of performing because the guardian of an historical phoenix after the passing of his grandmother. Aided by a speaking tiger named Mr. Hu (Henry Golding), Tom should study to harness his new powers so as to stop the phoenix from falling into the incorrect arms.

New on Shudder

Dario Argento: Panico

Where to watch: Available to stream on Shudder

Image: Shudder

Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 38m
Director: Simone Scafidi
Cast: Dario Argento, Fiore Argento, Vittorio Cecchi Gori

This documentary unpacks the storied 58-plus-year profession of Dario Argento, one of the prolific administrators behind Italian “giallo” horror and the acclaimed thoughts behind such movies as Suspiria and Tenebrae. Featuring visitor appearances from the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Gaspar Noé, Panico additionally follows Argento as he writes the script for a new horror movie.

New on Tubi

Sri Asih

Where to watch: Available to stream on Tubi

Image: Premiere Entertainment Group

Genre: Superhero motion
Run time: 2h 15m
Director: Upi Avianto
Cast: Pevita Pearce, Ario Bayu, Christine Hakim

The second entry in Indonesia’s Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, adapting comedian e book tales, is lastly extra extensively obtainable to watch within the US. The first, Gundala, was a really enjoyable time, and director Joko Anwar returns as co-writer on this entry, which follows a younger lady who learns she is the reincarnation of a goddess.

New to lease

The Beekeeper

Where to watch: Available to lease on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu

Image: Amazon MGM Studios

Genre: Action thriller
Run time: 1h 45m
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi

Jason Statham stars in David Ayer’s newest motion movie as Adam Clay, a retired “Beekeeper” (see: black ops undercover agent) working as an precise beekeeper in Massachusetts. When Adam’s kindly employer loses her total life financial savings to a nefarious phishing operation, he embarks on a one-man mission to avenge her and carry justice to those that wronged her.

From our evaluation:

Statham is his dependable self, mixing his easy gruff appeal along with his comedy chops to assist promote the ridiculous traces he has to ship. And the movie seems to be nice — Ayer and cinematographer Gabriel Beristain cleverly infuse the visuals with a yellow/amber colour palette to match the title and the vibe, usually making you’re feeling such as you’re watching the movie from inside a honeycomb.

Suzume

Where to watch: Available to lease on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu

Image: CoMix Wave Films/Crunchyroll

Genre: Coming-of-age fantasy journey
Run time: 2h 2m
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Cast: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu

Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with You) is again with one other animated fantasy romance journey about younger folks battling supernatural forces and the overall ennui of youth. When highschool scholar Suzume crosses paths with Souta Munakata, a mysterious wanderer on a quest to seal a collection of magical doorways round Japan to avert catastrophe, she joins him on his quest in an effort to save her home.

Also, Souta is reworked right into a sentient chair by a malevolent cat. It’s difficult.

From our evaluation:

Suzume is about processing trauma and lastly studying to reside. Even after the movie’s turning level, Suzume continues to be recklessly throwing herself into hazard to save others. Like Your Name and Weathering With You, Shinkai’s newest sees its younger heroes racing towards time to cease an impending catastrophe. But some key variations in Suzume make the ultimate act cinch collectively in a manner that soars above the earlier two films. Suzume has a private connection to the looming disaster, one which snugly wraps round her total character journey. The occasion itself feels huge and all-encompassing, however as a result of the movie focuses on her as a substitute of on the motion, it offers the payoff extra emotional affect. And when Suzume steps up to struggle her battles, it’s much less about making a dramatic selection or defying all odds. She merely reframes what she’s making an attempt to do in a manner that feels extra private than most motion heroes’ journeys. She doesn’t need to give her life to save the world; she simply desires to keep in it.

Wonka

Where to watch: Available to lease on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre: Musical fantasy
Run time: 1h 56m
Director: Paul King
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key

Timothée Chalamet (Dune: Part One) stars in this new musical prequel to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as everybody’s soon-to-be-favorite chocolatier, now merely an aspiring magician trying to break into the sweet enterprise. He’ll have to discover a manner to overcome the nefarious chocolate cartel and construct a manufacturing unit of his personal if he’ll any hope of reaching his dream, although.

From our evaluation:

Normally, I take into account it unfair to evaluate two films like this, however as I mentioned, I’m an enormous fan. Yet extra importantly, Wonka instantly invokes the earlier movie in methods massive and small, going as far as to have Chalamet’s model of the character converse in the identical diction as Wilder’s, full with a “Scratch that, reverse it” line. As this is a narrative a few younger Willy Wonka, the movie should depart a little bit room to get from right here to there, so Chalamet is granted the house to make the character his personal. But this is a model of Willy that’s too sanded-down, too approachable to be really memorable.