March 5th, 2024

ARGYLLE - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Who is the real Agent Argylle? Well…it turns out…no one really cared all that much. In a movie season desperate for an action-packed, star-studded hit, Argylle landed in theaters like a wet fart (yes, crude phrasing, but we’re foreshadowing something later in the column). Audiences rejected it. Critics loathed it. And not even the tantalizing prospect of the possibility that Taylor Swift wrote it (she didn’t) could get moviegoers excited about this Matthew Vaughn production. It’s hitting PVOD much faster than Apple’s two previous theatrical swings: Killers of the Flower Moon went to digital after 45 days; Napoleon after 47 days. Argylle arrives a mere 31 days after its theatrical release. If you rent or purchase the film, make sure you check out the deranged mid-credits sequence, which sets up the the sequel they’ve threatened us with.

THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER - Hulu

A terrific cast in this one: Daisy Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Garrett Hedlund, and The Florida Project’s Brooklynn Prince! Unfortunately, reviews were not kind. The film was orphaned by STX Film’s financial woes and eventually landed with Roadside Attractions, who released it in theaters and then quickly scuttled it to PVOD a few weeks later. The film will likely gain some traction when it hits Hulu this week. It’s the perfect Sunday afternoon movie to cue-up when you’re folding laundry, or something like that. Fans of Daisy Ridley need only to hold out one more week, when a much better vehicle for her talents is released.

PERFECT DAYS - $14.99 Sale / $5.99 Rental

A co-production between Japan and Germany, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days was an immediate critical hit when it premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Lead Kōji Yakusho ended up winning the Best Actor prize, and the film is now nominated for Best International Feature at the Oscars. This is the fourth nomination for Wenders, but surprisingly, his first for a narrative feature. His previous three nominations all came in the Best Documentary category (Buena Vista Social Club, Pina, The Salt of the Earth). He’s unlikely to take home the award this year, as The Zone of Interest is the overwhelming favorite to win. It’s great that NEON is releasing it on digital before the Oscars. Well worth checking out this terrific film.

March 7th, 2024

POOR THINGS - Hulu

Speaking of catching up on Oscar nominees, Searchlight Pictures is generously premiering Poor Things on Hulu a few days before the awards are handed out. It’ll be interesting to see how many statues the film takes home: Best Picture and Director are unlikely. Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone feel like they’re neck-and-neck (we’re leaning towards Gladstone). Where it could really clean up is Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Unless Oppenheimer steamrolls, those feel like the film’s best bets. Any way you look at it, this film was a smash success. Now let’s let Emma Stone eat in peace.

RICKY STANICKY - Prime Video

No reviews yet for this Peter Farrelly comedy, but we’re crossing our fingers it’s a return to outrageous form for the Oscar-winner. We admit we weren’t fans of Green Book, and didn’t find much to get excited about for The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Ricky Stanicky is going straight to streaming, which feels like the fate of most comedies these days. The Farrelly Brothers comedies of the 90s and 2000s were a blast to see in theaters, even if some of them haven’t aged particularly well. We have fond memories of the roars of laughter during the hair gel scene in There’s Something About Mary. One of the biggest reactions we ever witnessed in theaters was during a scene in 2011’s Hall Pass. If you’re squeamish, ignore the clip. The audience we saw this with went absolutely bonkers:

March 8th, 2024

AMERICAN FICTION - MGM+

Another Oscar nominee arriving on SVOD before the ceremony, American Fiction is gaining some momentum heading in to next Sunday. Geoffrey Wright picked up the Best Lead Performance prize at last weekend’s Spirit Awards, and writer-director Cord Jefferson won Best Adapted Screenplay at the BAFTAs. We think Wright will likely lose out to either Cillian Murphy or Paul Giamatti, but Jefferson looks to have a real shot in the adapted screenplay category. Will the Academy want to reward Greta Gerwig and Barbie? Or will Oppenheimer sweep? It’s one of the more interesting races. Whatever happens, we’re excited to see what Jefferson does next.

DAMSEL - Netflix

Millie Bobby Brown is to Netflix as Lacey Chabert is to Hallmark. We’re guessing the compensation is not the same, but just as you can count on two or three Lacey Chabert Christmas movies on Hallmark every year, you can bank on two or three MBB movies on Netflix. In Damsel, she plays a dutiful, sheltered young noblewoman who agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to discover that his family intends to sacrifice her to repay an ancient debt. Trapped in the cave of a fearsome dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive. If you set the film during Christmas, Lacey Chabert would fit in nicely (and we would watch).

WONKA - Max

Warner Bros continues to fast-track its titles to SVOD. Wonka arrived in US theaters on December 15th, 2023, and now hits Max less than three months later. We suppose that’s much better than their 2021 day-and-date strategy, but man, they’re still training their audiences to wait for streaming. It’ll be interesting to see how they window Timothée Chalamet’s current Warner Bros hit, Dune: Part Two. It was smart of them to partner on an output deal with A24, as those titles are filling out their streaming release schedule nicely. And their 2024 slate looks extremely promising: Furiosa, Godzilla x Kong, Beetlejuice 2, Joker: Folie à Deux. All the more baffling they decided to shelve Coyote vs. Acme. The market is starved for kids movies! Wonka is proof! Dumb Dumb Dumb.

March 10th, 2024

WHAT HAPPENS LATER - Paramount+ w/Showtime

Meg Ryan’s return to romantic comedy didn’t set the world on fire last year in theaters, but with a reported production budget of $3M, it likely won’t have much problem turning a profit. Ryan co-wrote (with Steven Dietz and Kirk Lynn) and directed the film, and she’s paired with David Duchovny as her romantic sparring partner. Reviews were pretty brutal, but Meg Ryan is a national treasure. We need more Meg Ryan in movies, not less. The film is based on Dietz’s 2008 play Shooting Star, and from the sound of it, it feels a bit stagey. But we’ll be checking it out now that it’s coming to Paramount+ w/Showtime.

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.