Weekend streaming guide is full of viewing choices
Beyond “Jungle Cruise,” there’s drama, redemption, horror and hidden gems.
Need to escape nonstop Olympics coverage and watch a new movie this weekend? There are plenty of places to see them with theaters back up and running for the summer season and new films still streaming at home to entertain you and your family.
This weekend is packed, starting with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt teaming up for an action-adventure based on a Disney theme-park ride. Dev Patel saddles up for a dark Arthurian fantasy, Matt Damon plays a desperate dad in a French-set thriller, and “Black Panther” star Winston Duke gets a lead role as a chooser of souls in an existential drama.
Here’s a guide to movies that’ll satisfy every cinematic taste, whether you want to mask up for a trip to the nearest big screen or you’re fine hunkering down on the couch:
If you want to see The Rock do his best Indiana Jones impression: ‘Jungle Cruise’
Never been on the (recently updated) Disneyland ride? This is pretty much the experience, but with a lot more computer-generated critters. Set during World War I, the goofy and enjoyable journey centers on a punny skipper (Johnson) taking an eager explorer (Blunt) down the Amazon to find an ancient mystical tree artifact and running afoul of a crazy German prince (Jesse Plemons) in a submarine and a cursed conquistador (Edgar Ramírez).
Where to watch: In theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access
If you enjoy a proper fantasy quest: ‘The Green Knight’
David Lowery, who directed the best movie of 2017 (“A Ghost Story”), scores again with this dazzling Camelot tale – and new addition to the Christmas movie canon, since it involves a holiday celebration – about honor, heroism and mortality. King Arthur’s nephew (Dev Patel) ventures to confront the mysterious title knight and runs into obstacles that test his bravery, from a temptress (Alicia Vikander) to a ghostly damsel in distress (Erin Kellyman).
Where to watch: In theaters
If you want to chew on the meaning of life: ‘Nine Days’
Writer/director Edson Oda’s debut feature is a deep, insightful and uplifting drama about the human experience. Duke plays a quiet and reserved man in a desert afterlife who chooses which souls should be born on Earth. When a vacancy opens up, he begins a nine-day process to pick from a crop of newbies, including one (Zazie Beetz) who reminds him of what it means to live.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you live for Matt Damon and/or family dramas: ‘Stillwater’
Director Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”) and his A-list star are on their games for this film that juggles a couple of genres splendidly. Damon plays an unemployed Oklahoma roughneck who moves to France to help get his estranged daughter (Abigail Breslin), a convicted murderer, out of jail. But he also finds redemption – and a larger world view – befriending an actress (Camille Cottin) and her 8-year-old.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you could use a good horror movie: ‘The Boy Behind the Door’
In this excellent survival chiller with a cool twist, Lonnie Chavis (“This Is Us”) stars as boy named Bobby who has to rescue his best pal Kevin (Ezra Dewey) when they’re kidnapped and taken to a strange house in the country. The youthful heroism smooths out the film’s visceral and all-too-real nature as Bobby escapes and stealthily avoids his captor while trying to save the day.
Where to watch: Shudder
If you’re a Jake Johnson superfan: ‘Ride the Eagle’
More serious than it should be, the comedy-drama gets a boost from “The New Girl” star as a directionless bongo player whose estranged mom (Susan Sarandon) dies and leaves him her cool Yosemite mountain cabin – but only if he crosses every item off a wish list she left, from calling up his old flame (D’Arcy Carden) to realizing the natural wonders around him.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV,Vudu, Fandango Now
If you dig retro teen comedies: ‘The Exchange’
The 1980s-set film stars Ed Oxenbould as an awkward Canadian teen who feels like an outcast and agrees to host a French exchange student, thinking the new kid might be a cultured, academic sort. What he gets instead is an ultrasmooth, cologne-drenched dude (Avan Jogia) who quickly becomes the coolest guy in school. Justin Hartley costars as a porn-stached P.E. teacher in the quirky charmer.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Fandango Now
If you need a solid redemption story: ‘Lorelei’
Director Sabrina Doyle’s drama is a heartfelt affair with a fabulous turn from Pablo Schreiber as a biker fresh off a 15-year prison sentence for bank robbery. Trying to get his footing, he runs into his high school sweetheart, a single mom (Jena Malone). When she turns out to be a bit of a mess, he steps in to become a father figure for her three kids while navigating his own struggles.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango Now
If you like stranger-than-fiction documentaries: ‘Enemies of the State’
Sonia Kennebeck’s fascinating film chronicles the story of the DeHarts, a seemingly ordinary Indiana family, but one where the protective mom and dad are both ex-military intelligence. Their 25-year-old hacker son is targeted by the government for having some fairly juicy confidential CIA documents, they seek asylum in Canada, and the details get crazier and twistier from there.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play