New movies on streaming services
WHAT'S NEW ON DEMAND AND STREAMING
New movies on demand
“Irresistible”: Writer-director (and former “Daily Show” host) Jon Stewart came to Wisconsin to do research for this new comedy, about a Democratic political strategist who comes to a small town to “roadtest” a new kind of candidacy, only to get sucked into the machinations of the stop-at-nothing election economy. Steve Carell, Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace and Natasha Lyonne star. Available via digital rental and on-demand services starting Friday; also showing in a handful of theaters around the country, including, at this writing, Fox-Bay Cinema Grill in Whitefish Bay.
“Resistance”: Before he was the world’s most famous mime, Marcel Marceau played another, even more unlikely role — as a young actor and member of the French Resistance, saving thousands of orphans in Nazi-occupied France. Jesse Eisenberg plays Marceau in this historical drama, another of the movies caught in the coronavirus pandemic. Available starting Friday.
“Beyond Driven”: This new documentary relates the life and legacy of Lella Lombardi, an Italian driver who in the 1970s became the first (and so far only) woman to score a point in Formula One racing. Available starting Tuesday.
“Eating Up Easter”: Isolated Easter Island grapples with the impact of a tourism boom and climate change in this documentary. Available starting Tuesday.
“Force of Nature”: In an apartment complex in Puerto Rico during a Category 5 hurricane, an aged cop (Mel Gibson) who refuses to evacuate his apartment helps younger officers hold off a gang of robbers in pursuit of a $55 million payday. Kate Bosworth and Emile Hirsch co-star. Available starting Tuesday.
“aTypical Wednesday”: A man struggling to get over a breakup winds up on an adventure with one of his therapist’s patients. J. Lee, Michael Ealy and Seth Green co-star. Available starting Friday.
New on Sofa Cinema
Milwaukee Film’s online movie portal Sofa Cinema gives you a window through which you can rent new and recent independent movies, with part of the proceeds going to Milwaukee Film. See the website for details: New releases beginning Friday include:
“Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things”: This documentary on the remarkable “First Lady of Song,” the story of her decades-long battle against racism, sexism and sizism and the incredible music she made along the way, never made it to theaters, thanks to the pandemic. It’s opening in virtual theaters, including Sofa Cinema, this Friday.
“Spa Night”: In this Pride Month entry, a closeted Korean-American teen (Joe Seo) takes a job at an allmale spa that leads him to a world he never knew existed. The 2016 release was writer-director Andrew Ahn’s feature-film debut.
“A Touch of Sugar”: Oscar winner Viola Davis narrates this documentary examining America’s diabetes
“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”: Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams play Icelandic musicians who find themselves in the world’s biggest, and craziest music competition. Dan Stevens, Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato co-star in this new comedy. Streaming on Netflix starting Friday.
“My Spy”: A socially stunted CIA agent (Dave Bautista) meets his match in the 9-year-old daughter (Chloe Coleman) of a family he’s sent to spy on in this action comedy, which never made it to theaters thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. On Amazon Prime starting Friday.
“Guns Akimbo”: A video-game developer (Daniel Radcliffe) wakes up with guns bolted to his hands and the discovery that he’s being hunted by players in an underground live-stream death-match competition. On Amazon Prime starting Saturday.
Jesse Eisenberg plays Marcel Marceau in “Resistance.” IFC FILMS
“Scoob!”: The animated reboot of “Scooby-Doo,” which drifted to on-demand because of the pandemic, makes an early visit to the streaming realm. On HBO Max starting Friday.
“The Gallows Act II”: A viral challenge unleashes some evil in this 2019 horror sequel. On Hulu and Amazon Prime starting Tuesday.
“The Whistlers”: An undercover cop infiltrates a heist crew in the Canary Islands that uses a language based on whistling; did he join them for real? Find out for yourself in this first-rate Romanian thriller. On Hulu starting Thursday.