What’s Streaming This Week (1/21 - 1/28)
January 23rd, 2024
AMANDA - Criterion Channel
Amanda is an Italian comedy-drama written and directed by Carolina Cavalli, which premiered in the Horizons Extra section of the 79th Venice Film Festival and later screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Great reviews on this one, it currently sits at 95% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Terrific to see it added to the Criterion Channel.
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
According to Wikipedia, this is the 15th and final installment in the DC Extended Universe. We’re not good a keeping track of these things, so we’ll take their word for it. James Wan’s sequel to his 2018 Aquaman was not as beloved as the original, but it certainly didn’t tank like many predicted it would. We admit we prefer Wan when he’s a bit unhinged. Still waiting on that Malignant sequel! Anyway, Warner Bros is putting this on PVOD a mere one month after its theatrical launch, so they’re likely as anxious as anyone to turn the page on this chapter of the DCEU. We’re estimating it’ll arrive on Max sometime in March.
FERRARI - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Michael Mann’s biographical drama was one of the big casualties of the holiday movie season, grossing only a bit under $18M at the US box office. Distributor NEON bought the domestic rights from beleaguered studio STX earlier this year, so it’ll need to perform well on PVOD to recoup some of their investment. The film could snag some Oscar nominations when they are announced on Tuesday, with Penelope Cruz (who got a SAG nomination for Best Supporting Actress) and Best Sound Design being the best bets. Please note: NEON has not announced or confirmed this release date. While we have good sources, dates are always subject to change.
MIGRATION - $29.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Illumination’s track record at the box office is incredibly impressive. The Despicable Me/Minions franchise, The Secret Life of Pets 1&2, Sing 1&2, The Grinch…every one of them a blockbuster. And earlier this year, they had their biggest hit yet with The Super Mario Bros Movie. Unfortunately, Migration seems to have ended that streak for them. Not exactly a flop (it’s still hanging in there in theaters), but certainly not at the level of their other films. We’re curious to check it out, especially since the screenplay is written by The White Lotus creator Mike White. And it’s only 83 minutes!
NIGHT SWIM - $29.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Lightning did not strike twice for Universal and Blumhouse in early January. Last year, murderous robot M3GAN danced her way in to our hearts and became a bit hit for the studio. It proved audiences were hungry for some quality trash after the onslaught of end-of-year prestige offerings. So Night Swim seemed well-positioned to repeat that success. But ‘haunted, murderous pool’ is much harder to sell than ‘murderous robot doll.’ You can have 8 dancing M3GANs at an NFL game. You can’t have 8 dancing haunted pools. Still, we appreciate Blumhouse cranking out these high-concept thrillers. Night Swim might not be among their best, but it’ll definitely be something we check out on PVOD.
WISH - $19.99 Sale Only
There’s no way to sugarcoat it, Disney has had a rough year at the box office. Title after title underperformed, all culminating in the shrug Wish received from audiences when it premiered in November. It’s hard to overstate how much damage Disney did to its brand by sending their titles directly to Disney+ during the pandemic. They’ve since righted the ship, giving each film a proper theatrical and PVOD window. But the toothpaste is out of the tube, and you can’t put it back in. Five years ago, it would be inconceivable for an animated Disney film not to reach $100M at the US box office. Wish will struggle to reach $70M. A disaster.
January 25th, 2024
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING - Paramount+
Tom Cruise exudes success. His enthusiasm for making movies, and for the theatrical experience, makes it easier to ignore some of the less savory aspects of his persona. So it’s notable when a chink in the armor is revealed. An admission that something wasn’t a 100% success. We’re referring, of course, to the fact that Paramount dropped ‘Part One’ from the title of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. It’s silly, really. Who cares? Yes, they’ll likely retitle the next installment in the franchise. But did anyone really steer clear of M:I 7 because it was a ‘Part One’? We think this terrific film likely underperformed (slightly!) because of its proximity to Barbenheimer. Anyway…we’re looking forward to Mission: Impossible Not Dead Reckoning Part Two.
January 26th, 2024
THE SEEDING - TBD Sale / TBD Rental
The feature directorial debut of Barnaby Clay (great name!), The Seeding received mostly positive reviews when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. The premise (taken from Magnolia Pictures website) sounds intriguing: ‘When a hiker gets lost in the desert, a gang of feral children propelled by haunting legacies traps him in a sadistic battle of survival with a frightening endgame.’ You had us at ‘feral children!’
SUITABLE FLESH - Shudder, AMC+
25 years after her unforgettable performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, Heather Graham continues to be a compelling screen presence. Sure, she hasn’t really been in a hit movie since The Hangover series, but she's earned a lifetime of goodwill from memorable turns in Drugstore Cowboy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and the criminally underrated Bowfinger. Graham’s role in Suitable Flesh might not become iconic like Roller Girl, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for her to show she can still anchor a film. And the reviews out of Tribeca and Fantastic Fest were stellar. We’ll definitely be checking this one out.
THE UNDERDOGGS - Prime Video
Arriving on Prime Video on Friday, The Underdoggs was originally scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 20th, 2023. Considering there are no wide releases scheduled for theaters next weekend, the move is puzzling. Why not drop it in theaters when there’s very little competition? No matter how terrible it might be (or maybe it’s great?), an R-rated comedy geared toward an African-American audience could be a hit right now. And it would only increase the perceived value of the film when it hits SVOD. Look at Saltburn! Look at Foe (ummm…maybe don’t look at Foe)! Anyway, The Underdoggs will likely come and go without much of a cultural ripple.
YOU HURT MY FEELINGS - Paramount+ w/Showtime
Nicole Holofcener’s terrific comedy/drama hits SVOD this week, 8 months after it debuted in US theaters. We’re all for proper PVOD/VOD/SVOD windows, but we have to admit, we’re relieved the A24/Paramount+ w/Showtime deal is winding down. Having a movie hit SVOD 8 months later does no favors for the film’s cultural footprint. It feels like an afterthought. A24’s new output deal with Max will have reduced SVOD windows, with both Dicks: The Musical and Priscilla premiere dates already announced. Having said that, You Hurt My Feelings is definitely worth catching up on if you missed it.
Happy Streaming Everyone!
*We are an Amazon affiliate, and do receive a very small commission for any purchases made from this website. If you’d like to support our work, and you’re looking to buy through Amazon, we’d appreciate it if you’d click through.
