Weekend streaming guide bows to the Queen of Soul
Jennifer Hudson’s “Respect” headlines the offerings this weekend.
Labor Day is sneaking up on us, kids are getting in their back-to-school routines, but you can escape the summer season winding down by watching a new movie this weekend. There are plenty of places to see them with theaters back up and running and new films still streaming at home.
This weekend, Ryan Reynolds is a video game good guy on a mission in a colorful action comedy, Jennifer Hudson channels the Queen of Soul in a musical biopic, John David Washington goes on the lam in a Netflix action thriller, and a deaf family with a hearing daughter are at the center of a heartwarming Sundance fave.
Here’s a guide to new movies:
‘Free Guy’
Reynolds stars as Guy, a bank teller in an ultra-violent “Grand Theft Auto”type game living every day surrounded by chaos and destruction until he meets a cool and mysterious British woman (Jodie Comer). Guy gets a crash course in being his best self and learning how to be a hero in a fun and feel-good flick filled with A-list cameos, clever references and a surprisingly deep message about free will.
h Where to watch: In theaters
‘Respect’
An otherwise conventional and so-so musical drama about two formative decades in Aretha Franklin’s life gets lifted every time Hudson hits the screen, belts out a number and takes you to church as the legendary soul singer. The story follows Franklin from childhood to her 20s, dealing with an overbearing preacher father (Forest Whitaker) and abusive manager husband (Marlon Wayans) on the way to finding her voice. h Where to watch: In theaters
‘CODA’
Director Siân Heder’s fabulous dramedy features newcomer Emilia Jones as Ruby, the hearing child of two deaf parents (Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur). A key part of her family’s fishing business, Ruby’s torn between those obligations and exploring her singing talent. A focus on inclusivity and the deaf community give familiar comingof-age and teen romance tropes a welcome refresh in a movie that’ll make your heart grow at least a few sizes.
h Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV+
‘Naked Singularity’
He didn’t get much time with a lightsaber in the recent “Star Wars” movies but at least John Boyega gets busy with a samurai sword in this quirky effort, which starts as an intriguing satire about the legal system before turning into a middling crime thriller. Boyega plays a stressed-out New York City public defender questioning his career when he gets pulled into a drug heist by an erratic former client (Olivia Cooke).
h Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play
‘Beckett’
Washington is an everyman on the run in a European landscape in this decent throwback to 1970s paranoia thrillers with a Hitchcockian edge. He plays an American tourist vacationing in Greece with his girlfriend (Alicia Vikander) when they get into a gnarly car accident, and soon our hero is sucked into a conspiracy that finds him pursued by dogged villains and grabbing various modes of transportation to stay alive.
h Where to watch: Netflix