Happy December, Polygon readers.
This week sees a slate of new movies arriving on streaming platforms and VOD. There’s the Brad Pitt action movie set on a train, Bullet Train, from director David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2), coming to Netflix this Saturday. There’s comedian Billy Eichner’s gay rom-com Bros, making its streaming debut on Peacock.
There’s plenty more, too — Norwegian monster movie Troll, the excellent little horror movie A Wounded Fawn on Shudder, and the usual group of new Christmas movies that come every week this time of year.
So huddle up, get under a warm blanket, and get ready to watch some movies this weekend.
Netflix
Bullet Train
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix Dec. 3
Genre: Action/comedyRun time: 2h 7mDirector: David LeitchCast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
David Leitch is one half of the superstar directing duo that brought us the massively influential John Wick, and his latest action movie boasts a superstar cast led by Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, and Bad Bunny. A good cast means a good blooper reel.
From our review:
Fights in Bullet Train are brief and full of character, with blows in the place of (or alongside) quips and Jackie Chan-esque prop work. Inspired staging, like a seated scuffle between Ladybug and Lemon in the train’s quiet car (a centerpiece of the film’s trailers), is some of the best of what Bullet Train has to offer, with John Wick-style choreographic precision employed in the service of comedy. The worst of the film is when it abandons that precision for bombast, like in its wildly destructive finale, which is kind of expected, but still disappointing.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Musical/comedyRun time: 1h 36mDirector: Stephen DonnellyCast: Jessie Buckley, Luke Evans, Olivia Colman
A “time-traveling, musical” adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, this animated adventure stars Luke Evans as Ebenezer Scrooge, Jonathan Pryce as Jacob Marley, and Olivia Colman as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Troll
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Fantasy/actionRun time: 1h 41mDirector: Roar UthaugCast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen
Roar Uthaug, the director of the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot starring Alicia Vikander, returns with a new action-adventure film that could basically be summed up as Norwegian version of Kong: Skull Island and a spiritual companion to André Øvredal’s 2010 film Trollhunter. When a massive explosion in the Norwegian mountains awakens a centuries-old giant from its slumber, a paleontologist and their team must work together to pacify the beast and avert a global catastrophe.
Sr.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: DocumentaryRun time: 1h 30mDirector: Chris SmithCast: Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr.
Filmed during the final year of his life, this irreverent documentary explores the life and work of Robert Downey Sr., the acclaimed anarchic director known for the 1969 satire Putney Swope, and his relationship with his son.
My Name Is Vendetta
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Crime/dramaRun time: 1h 30mDirector: Cosimo GomezCast: Alessandro Gassmann, Ginevra Francesconi
Alessandro Gassmann (The Transporter 2) stars in this John Wick-style action thriller as a reformed criminal who, along with his teenage daughter (Ginevra Francesconi), must come out of hiding when his former associates track him down with the intent to kill them. Training his daughter how to become a killer herself, the pair embarks on a vendetta (ay, that’s the title!) to track down their pursuers and exact vengeance on them.
A Man of Action
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Biographical dramaRun time: 1h 51mDirector: Javier Ruiz CalderaCast: Juan José Ballesta, Liah O’Prey, Luis Callejo
This biographical action drama centers on the story of Lucio Urtubia, a Spanish anarchist compared to Robin Hood in his heyday, who carried out a series of elaborate, high-profile bank robberies and forgeries throughout the 1960s and ’70s. Spanning five decades, this fast-paced film follows Lucio’s life from his humble beginnings as a bricklayer to his rise to notoriety and infamy for robbing one of the biggest banks in the world.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Romance/dramaRun time: 2h 6mDirector: Laure de Clermont-TonnerreCast: Emma Corrin, Jack O’Connell, Matthew Duckett
Based on D.H. Lawrence’s 1928 erotic romance novel, this film stars Emma Corrin (My Policeman) as Constance Chatterley, the newlywed wife of the wealthy Sir Clifford Chatterley. After Sir Chatterley returns home from fighting in World War I without the ability to walk, Constance must tend to his needs, and their romance slowly begins to wane.
Stifled by the expectations of society, she pursues a secret love affair with Oliver (Jack O’Connell), the gamekeeper of the Chatterley family estate. As their tryst develops, rumors begin to spread surrounding the pair, forcing Constance to make one of the most defining decisions of her life.
Warriors of Future
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Sci-fi/actionRun time: 1h 52mDirector: Yuen Fai NgCast: Louis Koo, Ching Wan Lau, Carina Lau
Do you like Skylines? What about Moonfall, or The Wandering Earth? You know what, I’m just going stop right there and cut to the chase: This movie is up your alley. When a meteor strikes the planet, infecting the world with a destructive plant virus that mutates and spreads across the globe, a suicide squad clad in experimental combat exo-suits must race against time to save Earth and avert the apocalypse. See what I mean? If you like Michael Bay’s Transformers films, you’ll probably dig this too.
Hulu
Darby and the Dead
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Comedy/dramaRun time: 1h 40mDirector: Silas HowardCast: Riele Downs, Auli’i Cravalho, Chosen Jacobs
Darby, a young girl who can see ghosts, is a bit of a loner and mostly hangs out with her otherworldly pals, giving them advice on how to fully depart the mortal plane. When the most popular girl at school dies and becomes Darby’s latest apparition acquaintance, Darby has to confront her biggest fear of all: socializing.
Gone in the Night
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: ThrillerRun time: 1h 30mDirector: Eli HorowitzCast: Winona Ryder, Dermot Mulroney, John Gallagher Jr.
Homecoming co-creator Eli Horowitz teamed up with Winona Ryder for this thriller set in a cabin in the woods. Kath (Ryder) and her boyfriend are surprised to find another couple in the cabin they’ve rented, and Kath is even more surprised when her boyfriend leaves with one of them the next day. Spooky!
Prime Video
Your Christmas or Mine?
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video
Genre: Romantic comedyRun time: 1h 35mDirector: Jim O’HanlonCast: Asa Butterfield, Cora Kirk
Two young people in a new relationship decide to surprise each other for Christmas, ending up stuck with each other’s families instead.
Peacock
Bros
Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock
Genre: Romantic comedyRun time: 1h 55mDirector: Nicholas StollerCast: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane
Marketed as the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio (it isn’t), Bros is about two men with commitment issues who try and make love work in modern Manhattan.
Shudder
A Wounded Fawn
Where to watch: Available to stream on Shudder
Genre: HorrorRun time: 1h 31mDirector: Travis StevensCast: Josh Ruben, Sarah Lind, Malin Barr
Comedian Josh Ruben stars as a serial killer who invites a museum curator for a romantic weekend in his creepy cabin in the woods. Anchored by strong performances and an eerie vibe aided by the tangible texture from shooting on 16mm film, it’s a memorable addition to a memorable year in horror.
VOD
Hunt
Where to watch: Available to rent for $6.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Drama/thrillerRun time: 2h 11mDirector: Lee Jung-jaeCast: Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, Jeon Hye-jin
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae wrote, directed, and starred in this period-piece spy thriller. A complex mystery with plenty of drama, you might want to consider touching up on 1980s Korean politics first in order to follow the complicated narrative.
Emily the Criminal
Where to watch: Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Crime thrillerRun time: 1h 37mDirector: John Patton FordCast: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke
A college student dealing with debt problems takes a not-exactly-legal job as a part of a credit card scam.
From our review:
Ford’s color palette for this film — an industrial composite of gunmetal grays and navy blues that recall glass-paneled skyscrapers on a cloudy day — is reminiscent of Michael Mann’s crime classic Heat. And the amoral Emily would fit right in with Mann’s roster of hardened pros. Like James Caan in Thief, she’s good at what she does. But unlike with Caan’s disillusioned safecracker, her criminal career is just beginning, and the rush of realizing she does have what it takes is both exciting and validating for a character who previously felt life had nothing to offer her but drudgery and debt. The difference here is, Michael Mann has never written such a juicy role for a woman.
The post Bullet Train, Bros, and every other movie you can stream from home this weekend appeared first on Polygon.
