Stream on Demand: Can’t decide what to watch? There’s always the latest “Mission Impossible”
What’s new for home viewing on video-on-demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services.
Pay-Per-View / Video-On-Demand
In “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” the fifth film in Tom Cruise’s spy movie franchise, he meets his equal in British agent Rebecca Ferguson. Cruise continues to do his own stunts, and director Christopher McQuarrie tops Bond with an elegant opera house assassination scene. PG-13. Also on DVD and Blu-ray.
“He Named Me Malala” is an inspirational portrait of Malala Yousafzai, the courageous Pakistani teenager who defied the Taliban and became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. An Oscar contender for Best Documentary. PG-13. Also on DVD.
Also new: the comedy “Ted 2” with Mark Wahlberg and a foul-mouthed teddy bear (R and unrated versions), the superhero reboot “Fantastic Four” with Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan (PG-13), and “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” the second film in the young adult sci-fi action franchise (PG-13).
Plus you can turn your screen into a virtual fireplace with the “Yule Log.” No rental charge for this and other holiday videos on participating cable systems.
Netflix
“Making a Murderer: Season 1,” a true-crime documentary series filmed over 10 years, explores the case of Steven Avery, who was exonerated of a violent crime after serving 18 years, then accused of another on dubious evidence. Fans of HBO’s “The Jinx” and the “Serial” podcast may want to check this one out. 10 episodes, parental guidance suggested.
“Time Out of Mind” (2014), a powerful drama starring Richard Gere as a homeless man in Manhattan, hits Netflix the same day as disc and Redbox. Not rated.
Also new: “F is for Family: Season 1,” an animated sitcom from comedian Bill Burr and the 2006 hit “The Da Vinci Code” with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou (PG-13).
Amazon Prime Video
Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” is a clumsy human drama, but Neil deGrasse Tyson gave it high marks for its inventive visualization of relativity and quantum physics. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain star. PG-13. It’s also on Hulu.
For an additional monthly fee, you can now subscribe to Showtime Anytime, Acorn TV, Starz and other streaming services through Amazon Prime.
HBO Now
The original documentary “Very Semi-Serious” explores the cartoons and cartoonists of The New Yorker. No rating.
“The Divergent Series: Insurgent” (2015), the second film in yet another young adult dystopian epic, features Shailene Woodley leading the rebellion against conformity. PG-13.
Showtime Anytime
Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens go wild in “Spring Breakers,” a Day-Glo teen crime blast from the provocative Harmony Korine. R.
Now available at Redbox
“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” “Time Out of Mind,” “We Are Your Friends,” “Finders Keepers,” “Wolf Totem”
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at http://streamondemandathome.com.