Stream on Demand: ‘A Quiet Place,’ rebooted ‘Twilight Zone’ bring terror home
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
“A Quiet Place” (2018, PG-13), starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski (who also directs) as parents in the apocalypse, is a horror film with a high-concept premise (alien invaders hunt humans by sound) but behind the jumps and monster-movie spectacle is a terrific cinematic used of sound and a drama rooted in guilt and love and the drive to protect family at all costs. On Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
The first two episodes of the reboot of “The Twilight Zone,” produced and hosted by Jordan Peele, are now streaming, with new episodes each Thursday on CBS All Access.
Also returning are new seasons of supernatural “Archie” comic spin-off “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” on Netflix and superhero spoof “The Tick” on Amazon Prime Video.
True stories: the natural history series “Our Planet,” which features spectacular nature footage, comes from the director of “Planet Earth” with narration by Sir David Attenborough. 8 episodes on Netflix.
Foreign language pick: “The Burial of Kojo” (Ghana, 2019, not rated, with subtitles), a mix of thriller and fable about a girl who embarks on a magical journey to save her father trapped in a collapsed illegal mine, debuts on Netflix after a limited theatrical release.
Classic pick: the Oscar-winning “All the President’s Men” (1976, PG), starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, is uncomfortably timely. Streaming on Netflix.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
“Vice” (2018, R), a satirical political biopic starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won the Oscar for makeup. Bale’s transformation is impressive but I find Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” (2018, R), based on the true story of an octogenarian drug runner for a Mexican cartel, more moving and resonant.
Also new: “Transformers” prequel “Bumblebee” (2018, PG-13) with Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena; “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase” (2019, PG) with Sophia Lillis as the teenage detective; coming-of-age drama “No Alternative” (2018, not rated) set in the early 90s culture of grunge.
Available same day as select theaters nationwide is the British drama “Mum’s List” (2019, not rated) based on best-selling novel by St John Greene and starring Rafe Spall and Emilia Fox; the thriller “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” (2019, R) with Hilary Duff; the romantic drama “My Days of Mercy” (2019, R) with Ellen Page and Kate Mara; frontier horror thriller “The Wind” (2018, R).
Netflix
Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson makes her directorial debut with the quirky modern fairy tale “Unicorn Store” (2017, not rated) and costars with her “Captain Marvel” buddy Samuel Jackson. It comes to Netflix over a year after its Toronto Film Festival debut.
Classics: Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds are weekend warriors in “Deliverance” (1972, R), John Boorman’s harrowing adaptation of James Dickey’s novel, and Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967, R) in the Oscar-winner from director Arthur Penn.
Foreign affairs: “Suzzanna: Buried Alive” (Indonesia, 2018, not rated, with subtitles) is a ghost story with a revenge plot and “In the Shadows” (India, 2017, not rated, with subtitles) follows the psychological of a loner in Old Dehli.
More streaming TV: “How to Get Away with Murder: Season 5” with Viola Davis; the high school sports drama “All American: Season 1” from CW; the Netflix Original historical drama “Roman Empire: Season 3 - Caligula, The Mad Emperor.”
Animated TV: “Ultraman: Season 1“ (Japan) follows the son of the famous protector of Earth as he takes up his father’s mantle. Also new is “Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series,” which picks up where the long-running live action Canadian comedy left off.
Foreign language TV: A high school girl (Hanna Ardéhn) goes on trial for murder in “Quicksand: Season 1” (Sweden, with subtitles), based on the award-winning Nordic crime novel by Malin Persson Giolito.
Also new: the four-part anthology series “Persona: Collection” (South Korea, with subtitles) starring Doona Bae; the sexy crime drama “Bitter Dasies: Season 1” (Spain, with subtitles); the gritty thriller “Tijuana: Season 1” (Mexico, with subtitles); and the historical drama “Resurrection (Ertugul): Season 4” (Turkey, with subtitles).
Kid stuff: Robert Rodriguez’s juvenile action comedies “Spy Kids” (2001, PG) and “Spy Kids 3: Game Over” (2003, PG) with Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara complete the quartet of juvenile spy movies streaming on Netflix.
Also new: the modern fairy tale “Penelope” (2006, PG) with Christina Ricci; the animated adventure “Monster House” (2006, PG);
animated shows “Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: Season 2“ and “Spirit Riding Free: Season 8.”
The new month brings new films to the library, including friendship drama “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” (2002, PG-13) with Sandra Bullock and Ellen Burstyn and young adult buddy fantasies “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005, PG) and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” (2008, PG-13) with Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively; “Sherlock Holmes” (2009, PG-13) with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law; World War II thriller “Valkyrie” (2008, PG-13) with Tom Cruise and Kenneth Branagh; the stoner buddy comedy “Pineapple Express” (2008, R) with James Franco and Seth Rogen; the thrillers “Fracture” (2007, R) with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling and “The Bone Collector” (1999, R) with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie; the sci-fi thriller “I Am Legend” (2007, PG-13) with Will Smith; Luc Besson’s wild sci-fi adventure “The Fifth Element” (1997, PG-13) with Bruce Willis; the fantasy epic “The Golden Compass” (2007, PG-13) with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and talking polar bears; and Peter Jackson’s remake of “King Kong” (2005, PG-13) with Naomi Watts.
Stand-up: “Kevin Hart: Irresponsible” (2019, not rated), recorded during his sold-out international comedy tour, presents the comedian in his first Netflix Original Special.
Amazon Prime Video
The anthology film “Rio, I Love You” (2016, R, with subtitles) presents romantic encounters in Rio de Janeiro from 11 international directors and dozens of actors.
Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” (1980, R) won Oscars for actor Robert De Niro and editor Thelma Schoonmaker and was named the best America film of the eighties in a poll from the American Film Institute.
Classics: Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” (1974, R) with Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway and epic western “The Magnificent Seven” (1960, PG) with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen are back in the line-up. And while it’s not exactly a classic, “Beach Blanket Bingo” (1965) with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello is as dizzy and silly as the sixties beach movies get.
More streaming TV: David Morrissey is a police detective who crosses dimensional borders in the sci-fi British mystery miniseries “The City and the City” (2018), based on the cerebral novel by China Miéville.
Also new: the British sitcom “Peep Show: Season 1” (2003) starring Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”); Idris Elba’s gritty British crime drama “Luther: Complete Series” (2010-15); the New Zealand fantasy drama “The Almighty Johnsons: Complete Series” (2011-13); the sci-fi spin-off “
Kid stuff: Chris Evans and Sarah Michelle Gellar provide voices for the animated “TMNT” (2007, PG) featuring the original heroes in the half-shell, and Dick Van Dyke stars in musical fantasy “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968, G), based on the children’s novel by Ian Fleming.
Foreign affairs: Gianni de Gregorio directs and stars in the comedy “The Salt of Life” (Italy, 2011, not rated, with subtitles) as a sad-sack retiree attempting to spice up his love life and Barbara Sukowa stars in “Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen” (Germany, 2009, not rated, with subtitles), Margarethe von Trotta’s drama about the visionary 12th century German nun.
Dozens of films join the streaming library this month, including four starring Tom Cruise, from World War II thriller “Valkyrie” (2008, R) to supernatural thriller “Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles” (1994, R) with Brad Pitt to his star-making “Top Gun” (1986, PG) and racing drama “Days of Thunder” (1990, PG-13).
Also new: the indie comedy “Song of Back and Neck” (2018, not rated) with Paul Lieberstein and Rosemarie DeWitt; the comedy “Beauty Shop” (2005, PG-13) with Queen Latifah; Michael Mann’s “Ali” (2001, R) with Will Smith and Jamie Foxx; “The Perfect Storm” (2000, PG-13) with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg; “Blade” (1998, R) and “Blade II” (2002, R) with Wesley Snipes, the first big screen hits adapted from Marvel Comics; the comic crime drama “A Rage in Harlem” (1991, R) adapted from the Chester Himes novel and starring Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines, and Robin Givens; John Waters’ rockabilly rebel comedy “Cry-Baby” (1990, PG-13) starring Johnny Depp; “
Prime Video and Hulu
Will Ferrell stars in “Everything Must Go” (2010, R), a serious comedy based on a short story by Raymond Carver (Prime Video and Hulu).
Also new: drama “Weightless” (2018, R) with Alessandro Nivola and Julianne Nicholson (Prime Video and Hulu); Oscar nominee “Up In the Air” (2009, R) with George Clooney and Vera Farminga; (Prime Video and Hulu); Lake Bell’s entertainment industry satire “In a World…” (2013, R) (Prime Video and Hulu); the twisty thriller “Primal Fear” (1996, R) with Richard Gere and Edward Norton (Prime Video and Hulu); and “Up In Smoke” (1978, R), the original stoner comedy from Cheech and Chong (Prime Video and Hulu).
True stories: Sarah Polley’s “Stories We Tell” (2012, PG-13) is a first-person documentary that explores a hidden family secret (Prime Video and Hulu).
Hulu
Maxine Peake stars in “Funny Cow” (2017, not rated), a comic drama about a female comedian fighting the male-dominated stand-up culture in 1970s and 1980s Northern England.
Siblings face increasingly extreme practical jokes in “I’m Just F***ing With You” (2019, not rated), the April Fool’s Day installment of the Hulu Original horror series “Into the Dark.”
Classics: Jack Nicholson stars in “The Shining” (1980, R), Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel and Marilyn Monroe stars in the midlife crisis comedy “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) from director Billy Wilder.
True stories: “Chef Flynn” (2018, not rated) profiles a successful 20-year-old chef in New York City, while “Project Nim” (2011, PG-13), about a seventies experiment in raising a chimp like a human child, is more revealing of human than simian behavior.
Kid stuff: “Happy Feet” (2006, PG) is an Oscar-winning animated feature, and the rousing “
Also new: crime drama “Kill the Irishman” (2011, R) with Christopher Walken; the comedy “Sunshine Cleaning” (2009, R) with Amy Adams and Emily Blunt; “The Time Traveler’s Wife” (2009, PG-13) with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana; David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises” (2007, R) with Viggo Mortenson; Chris Rock’s marriage comedy “I Think I Love My Wife” (2007, R); Christina Ricci in the modern fairy tale “Penelope” (2006, PG); Oscar-winner “Cold Mountain” (2003, R) with Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger; the prison boxing drama “Undisputed” (2002, R) with Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames; Johnny Depp in “Blow” (2001, R), inspired by the true story of the cocaine influx of the 1970s; horror sequel “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998, R) with Jamie Lee Curtis; the romantic comedy “Practical Magic” (1998, PG-13) with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman; the dark comedy “The Cable Guy” (1996, PG-13) with Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick; “Six Degrees of Separation” (1993, R) starring Will Smith in his first major dramatic role; Cannes Film Festival winner “Barton Fink” (1991, R) from the Coen Bros.; Sean Penn in the crime drama “At Close Range” (1986, R) with Christopher Walken and coming-of-age drama “Racing with the Moon” (1984, PG) with Elizabeth McGovern.
HBO Now
New seasons of the HBO Original series “Veep” and “Barry” have begun; new episodes arrive Sunday nights. Also back is “Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas.”
Available exclusively on HBO streaming services is “Golden Life: Season 3” (Hungary, with subtitles).
Available on Saturday night is the new adaptation of Richard Wright’s “Native Son” (2019, TV-MA).
Other streams
The Criterion Channel, a streaming service built from the ashes of Filmstruck, launches next week. Sign up before Monday to receive a 30-day free trial period and a reduced subscription price.
New on disc and available at Redbox this week: “BumbleBee,” “Vice,” “The Mule,” “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase,” “The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot”
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at http://streamondemandathome.com.