New streaming highlights for the week of May 29 - June 4, 2023
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It's a somewhat odd week as far as digital releases go as your main options are "Book Club: The Next Chapter," "The Pope's Exorcist," and "The Black Demon." At least two of the three fall within the horror genre. However, I do find drama "Blackberry," comedy "Fool's Paradise," and documentary "River" tempting.
On the physical format side of things, I highly recommend recent theatrical releases like "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," and "A Good Person." There are also some great 4K UHD releases worthy of your attention. I'd recommend "The Last Starfighter," "The Night of the Hunter," and "Thelma & Louise." That said, if you're a fan, "Cliffhanger" looks great in 4K, Stephen King's "Maximum Overdrive" is too frequently overlooked, and Wes Craven's "The People Under the Stairs" is better than you might remember.
New to Rent & Own
Book Club: The Next Chapter
Studio Synopsis:The highly anticipated sequel follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.
The Pope's Exorcist
Studio Synopsis:Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe; 2000, Best Actor, "Gladiator"), The Pope's Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy's terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
The Black Demon
Studio Synopsis: Josh Lucas ("Ford v Ferrari," "Yellowstone") stars in this edge-of-your-seat action thriller from the director of "Rambo: Last Blood." Oilman Paul Sturges' (Lucas) idyllic family vacation turns into a nightmare when they encounter a ferocious megalodon shark that will stop at nothing to protect its territory. Stranded and under constant attack, Paul and his family must somehow find a way to get his family back to shore alive before it strikes again in this epic battle between humans and nature.
Blackberry
Studio Synopsis:The true story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone, "Blackberry" is a whirlwind ride through a ruthlessly competitive Silicon Valley at breakneck speeds.
Buddy Games: Spring Awakening
Studio Synopsis:Dan Bakkedahl ("Veep"), Kevin Dillon ("Entourage"), Josh Duhamel ("Transformers" Franchise), James Roday Rodriguez ("Psych"), and Nick Swardson ("Grandma's Boy") reunite for the hilariously outrageous sequel to the hit comedy. Faced with their biggest challenge yet, the gang sets out to honor a lost friend only to find themselves in the middle of where it all began – Spring Break – where they learn their old school ways of partying hardly compete with today's generation.
Fool's Paradise
Studio Synopsis:Starring Charlie Day ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") in his directorial debut, this hilarious comedy follows an ordinary guy (Day) who happens to be a dead ringer for a hot-headed movie star. When he replaces the movie star in a major film, he becomes an accidental celebrity thrown into a fever dream of Hollywood fame brought to life by a stellar cast including Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Jason Sudeikis, Edie Falco, Jason Bateman, Common, and Ray Liotta.
Hypnotic
Studio Synopsis:Determined to find his missing daughter, Austin detective Danny Rourke instead finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole investigating a series of reality-bending crimes where he will ultimately call into question his most basic assumptions about everything and everyone in his world. Aided by Diana Cruz, an unnervingly gifted psychic, Rourke simultaneously pursues and is pursued by a lethal specter - the one man he believes holds the key to finding the missing girl - only to discover more than he ever bargained for.
Monica
Studio Synopsis:A woman returns home to care for her ailing mother who she hasn't seen in years in this tender portrait of family, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Padre Pio
Studio Synopsis: In this drama directed by acclaimed filmmaker Abel Ferrara, Padre Pio (Shia LaBeouf) struggles with his faith while an Italian town is racked by political unrest at the end of WWI.
River
Studio Synopsis:An exploration of the timeless relationship between human civilization and Earth’s rivers. Spanning six continents, this visual and musical tour-de-force is by turns celebratory, cautionary, and ultimately hopeful that we are beginning to understand rivers in all their complexity and fragility. Narrated by Oscar Nominee Willem Dafoe. With music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Radiohead.
Blu-ray & DVD
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Studio Synopsis:A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people in this hilarious and action-packed adventure.
65
Studio Synopsis:After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he's actually stranded on Earth 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.
A Good Person
Studio Synopsis:In "A Good Person," Allison (Florence Pugh) is a young woman with a bright future - a wonderful fiancé, a blossoming career, and supportive family and friends. But her world crumbles in the blink of an eye when she survives an unimaginable tragedy and emerges from recovery with an opioid addiction and unresolved grief. In the following years, it is the unlikely friendship she forms with her would-be father-in-law (Morgan Freeman) that gives her a fighting chance to put herself back together and move forward with her life.
Cliffhanger 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:For Rocky Mountain Rescue, the mission is almost routine: locate five climbers. With the woman he loves (Turner) and his best friend (Rooker), Gabe Walker (Stallone) braves the icy peaks only to discover that the distress call is really a trap set by merciless international terrorist Eric Qualen (Lithgow). Now millions of dollars and their own lives hang in the balance. Against explosive firepower, bitter cold, and dizzying heights, Walker must outwit Qualen in a deadly game of hide-and-seek.
The Haunting 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:In the 1860's, industrialist Hugh Crain financed the construction of Hill House, a beautiful but forbidding mansion where Crain hoped to house a wife and children. However, Crain died an unexplained death at Hill House, and ever since tales have circulated that the mansion is haunted by evil spirits. 130 years later, Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson), long fascinated by the Hill House legend, brings three people there for what he tells them will be a study in sleep disorders.
The Last Starfighter 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:"Greetings, Starfighter! You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada." So begins an adventure of galactic proportions in "The Last Starfighter." After Earthling Alex (Lance Guest) conquers the Starfighter video game, he is recruited by alien Centauri (Robert Preston) to be part of an elite legion of fighters. Leaving behind his trailer park home for the outer regions of space, Alex becomes the last hope for the beleaguered Star League and hundreds of worlds - including Earth. "The Last Starfighter" is the ultimate video game fantasy come true!
Maximum Overdrive SteelBook
Studio Synopsis:After a mysterious comet turns every machine on Earth into a homicidal rampage device, the survivors at the Dixie Boy Truck Stop are making a stand, and human vengeance goes into overdrive.
The Night of the Hunter
Studio Synopsis:A tall, handsome “preacher”—his knuckles eerily tattooed with “love” and “hate”—roams the countryside, spreading the gospeland leaving a trail of murdered women in his wake. To Reverend Harry Powell, the work of the Lord has more to do with condemning souls than saving them, especially when his own interests are involved. Now his sights are set on $10,000—and two little children are the only ones who know where it is.
The Nutty Professor 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:Jerry Lewis directed, co-wrote and starred in this riotously funny movie that set a new standard for screen comedy and inspired the hit remake. Lewis plays a timid, nearsighted chemistry teacher who discovers a magical potion that can transform him into a suave and handsome Romeo. The Jekyll and Hyde game works well enough until the concoction starts to wear off at the most embarrassing times, and the professor begins to suffer hilarious symptoms of his personality split.
The People Under the Stairs 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: Wes Craven, the director of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream," takes you on a terrifying journey inside the most demented house on the street. Trapped inside a fortified home owned by a mysterious couple, a young boy is suddenly thrust into a nightmare. The boy quickly learns the true nature of the house's homicidal inhabitants and the secret creatures hidden deep within the house
Thelma & Louise
Studio Synopsis:Two women, a turquoise Thunderbird, the ride of a lifetime. With this pop-culture landmark, screenwriter Callie Khouri and action auteur Ridley Scott rewrote the rules of the road movie, telling the story of two best friends who find themselves transformed into accidental fugitives during a weekend getaway gone wrong—leading them on a high-speed southwestern odyssey as they elude police and discover freedom on their own terms. Propelled by irresistible performances from Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis (plus Brad Pitt in a sexy, star-making turn)—and nominated for six Academy Awards, winning one for Khouri—the exhilaratingly cathartic "Thelma & Louise" stands as cinema’s ultimate ode to ride-or-die female friendship.