What’s Streaming This Week (12/14 – 12/21)

EYE FOR AN EYE – Starz

Cast: Whitney Peak, S. Epatha Merkerson, Golda Rosheuvel, Finn Bennett and Laken Giles

Synopsis: Anna, grieving the sudden death of her parents, relocates from New York to a small Florida town to live with the grandmother she has never met. Isolated, vulnerable, and in need of friends, she finds brief solace in the company of two local teens. But when she becomes complicit to their unforgivable act of violence, she finds herself ensnared by Mr. Sandman – the twisted soul of a tormented child who haunts bullies’ dreams before feasting on their eyeballs when they finally wake – Anna must right her wrong before becoming a victim of this gruesome curse.

What we like:

• Director Colin Tilley, known for his music video work with superstars like Cardi B, Justin Bieber, and Nicki Minaj, makes his feature film debut.
• The story is adapted from Mr. Sandman, a dark adult horror picture book by Elisa Victoria. She co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Tully.

What we don’t like:

• Kinda bums us out to see Emmy-winner S. Epatha Merkerson in straight-to-streaming schlock like this, but we hope she had fun. And maybe it’ll be good schlock!

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Vahid Mobasseri

Synopsis: Night driver Eghbal, en route with his pregnant wife, kills a dog. Stranded, he seeks help at Vahid’s garage, unaware his rescuer believes him to be the prison officer who tortured him. Convinced, Vahid abducts Eghbal to bury him alive, but doubts soon arise. To confirm Eghbal’s identity, Vahid enlists fellow victims. During their ride, they contemplate the morality of killing their captive and whether he actually is who they believe him to be.

What we like:

• Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s film was a sensation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the filmmaker the coveted Palme d’Or.
• At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it became the first Iranian film to be nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.
• The film was selected as the French entry for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, where many pundits say it’s the odds-on favorite to win the award.

What we don’t like:

• Just last week, Panahi was given a one year prison sentence by the Iranian government on charges of creating propaganda against the political system. The filmmaker has served two previous spells in prison in his home country, and said in an interview shortly before receiving his latest sentence that he planned to return to his home country.

MEGADOC – The Criterion Channel – 8p ET

Cast: Francis Ford Coppola, Eleanor Coppola, Talia Shire, Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Chloe Fineman, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Shia LaBeouf, George Lucas, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight

Synopsis: A raw, fly-on-the-wall documentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long journey in creating his self-financed passion project, MEGALOPOLIS. The bold and unrelenting epic returns in Mike Figgis’ portrait of Coppola’s creative process – weaving together archival material, unfiltered cast interviews, and a close-up view of how the legendary filmmaker drew from Roman history, political allegory, and his own singular vision to shape the world of Megalopolis. This isn’t a record of a production on the brink, it’s a personal memoir unfolding in real time.

What we like:

• Mike Figgis’ behind-the-scenes look at the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is a fascinating historical document that is a must-see for film lovers.
• The film will inevitably be compared to Eleanor Coppola’s Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, which is a masterpiece (and newly restored!). This doc is not as groundbreaking, mostly because the film it chronicles is kind of an incoherent (but lovable) mess. But that does make Megadoc a very entertaining watch.

What we don’t like:

• It’s tough to catch Coppola’s Megalopolis on streaming these days. It has yet to hit any SVOD platforms, and was offered for rent at digital retail for a short window. The only platform still carrying it is Plex, which offers a $3.99 rental. The film is returning to theaters on New Year’s Day in select Alamo Drafthouse locations.

NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, with Rosamund Pike, and Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film.

What we like:

• The third film in the Now You See Me franchise brings back the original Four Horsemen: Jesse Eisenberg (J. Daniel Atlas), Woody Harrelson (Merritt McKinney), Dave Franco (Jack Wilder), and Isla Fisher (Henley Reeves).
• This time the Horsemen team up (and mentor) a new trio to steal the “Heart Diamond” from villainous diamond heiress Veronika Vanderberg, played by Rosamund Pike, who looks like she’s having a blast workshopping her South African accent.

What we don’t like:

• We have to be honest…we’ve never seen any of these films. Our apathy comes mostly from watching filmed magic tricks. Watching a magician’s act in person can be very entertaining, but how can we be wowed in the age of CGI? We love the cast…and Rosamund Pike especially. Are we missing out?

PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK – $12.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Sepideh Farsi, Fatima Hassouna

Synopsis: An Iranian filmmaker participates in a series of video calls with a young Palestinian photojournalist who describes her life confined in Gaza during the current regional conflict.

What we like:

• This heartbreaking documentary had its world premiere at the ACID parallel section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
• The title of the film comes from a description by the interviewed photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, revealed in one of her video conversations with director Sepideh Farsi, about the ever-present danger of observing that every second she went out in the Gaza streets, “you put your soul on your hands and walk.”

What we don’t like:

• Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike alongside nine members of her family on 16 April 2025, the day after the film was selected for the ACID section at Cannes. An open letter published in the run-up to the Cannes opening ceremony, condemning Hassouna’s killing and denouncing the industry’s “passivity” and “silence” regarding the events in Gaza, was signed by more than 350 actors, directors and producers, among them Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Joaquin Phoenix, Guillermo del Toro, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen and Javier Bardem.

THE RUNNING MAN – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Cast: Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Daniel Ezra, Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, David Zayas, Sean Hayes, and Colman Domingo

Synopsis: Set in an oppressive future where the government controls the media, Ben Richards volunteers to participate in a deadly game show, which will see him hunted by professional killers over 30 days. Should he survive, he’ll win a cash prize that will help save his sick child and lift his family out of a horrid living situation.

What we like:

• Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the 1982 novel by Stephen King is the second film based on the material. It was previously made as an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle in 1987. This time, Glen Powell is the titular runner.
• The film’s stacked cast includes William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo (in the role previously played by Family Feud‘s Richard Dawson), and Josh Brolin.

What we don’t like:

• Paramount took a bath on this one. With a reported $110M budget, the film has grossed only $66M at the worldwide box-office to date. That’s not great for the studio, and not great for Powell’s status as an A-list star.

THIEVES HIGHWAY – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Devon Sawa, Lochlyn Munro, Brooke Langton, Lucy Martin, Michael Shamus Wiles

Synopsis: After a deadly confrontation, lawman Frank Bennett (Aaron Eckhart) uncovers a massive smuggling operation. Cut off from cell service and stranded without his truck, Frank is forced to take on a dangerous gang led by a deranged ex-military commander. Stopping them before they reach the border isn’t just his duty, it’s his only shot at survival.

What we like:

• Despite sharing its name with a classic film noir (Thieves’ Highway from 1949), this 2025 movie is an entirely original story and not a remake.
• At about 1 hour and 23 minutes, Thieves Highway is relatively short for an action thriller. So if it’s terrible, at least it’s not terribly long.

What we don’t like:

• We’ve had a number of social media comments that said crew members on Thieves Highway did not get paid for their work. We don’t have any way of verifying that, but if it’s true, shame on the producers.

BREAKDOWN: 1975 – Netflix

Cast: Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Martin Scorsese, Ellen Burstyn, Frank Rich

Synopsis: In 1975, as America faced social and political upheaval, filmmakers turned chaos into art. This documentary explores how a turbulent era gave rise to iconic movies like “Taxi Driver,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Network.” “Breakdown: 1975” is directed by Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville.

What we like:

• Netflix quietly slips in this absolutely tantalizing documentary at the end of the year! Directed by Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal, 20 Feet From Stardom), it’s sure to be an insightful look at the crucial year in American cinema. We can’t freakin’ wait.
• The film is narrated by Jodie Foster, and features many of the top players from the era. We just watched the Rebecca Miller docu-series Mr. Scorsese on Apple, and we can’t get enough of these cultural appraisals.

What we don’t like:

• With a running time of 91 minutes, we’re worried this won’t be the deep-dive we’re looking for. Seriously…Netflix turns everything in to a series…they couldn’t do that here?

THE GREAT FLOOD – Netflix

Cast: Kim Da-mi, Park Hae-soo, Kwon Eun-seong, Kang Bin, Jeon Yu-na, Eun Su 

Synopsis: A disastrous great flood sweeps the planet. On what may be the last day on Earth, a desperate fight ensues to save a child from a flooding apartment.

What we like:

• This South Korean disaster film had its world premiere at this year’s Busan International Film Festival in the Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere section.
• The film stars Park Hae-soo, who played Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix hit series Squid Game, which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

What we don’t like:

• This early review from South Korea doesn’t inspire much confidence, but we’ll still probably check it out. The trailer looks pretty compelling.

HIM – Peacock

Cast: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies

Synopsis: After suffering a potentially career-ending brain trauma, Cameron Cade receives a lifeline when his hero, legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar Isaiah White, offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife. But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker.

What we like:

• Produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, this ambitious blend of sports drama and psychological and supernatural horror was directed by Justin Tipping, who previously helmed the acclaimed 2016 indie Kicks.
• The spec script (by Zack Akers & Skip Bronkie) was recognized on the 2022 Black List, a yearly survey of the industry’s most admired unproduced scripts.
• Marlon Wayans plays an aging quarterback in the film. How old is Marlon Wayans, the actor? He’s 53 years-old! But he pulls it off and is totally believable.

What we don’t like:

• Critics were largely underwhelmed. Him sits at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the lower-rated films associated with Peele’s brand. Audiences weren’t impressed either. The film received a C- CinemaScore.

QUEENS OF THE DEAD – Shudder

Cast: Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Nina West, Tomas Matos, Margaret Cho, Jack Haven, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Cheyenne Jackson, Riki Lindhome, Dominique Jackson, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Becca Blackwell, Eve Lindley, Tom Savini, Julie J.

Synopsis: When a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, & frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.

What we like:

• This horror comedy marks the feature directorial debut of Tina Romero, daughter of legendary zombie filmmaker George A. Romero.
• Romero honored her father’s classic zombie rules, including no running zombies and that a zombie bite spreads infection, but she still added modern touches, like zombies clutching their cell phones as they shuffle around. The social satire runs in the family!
• The cast includes drag queens, Broadway stars, and queer icons like Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Margaret Cho, Nina West, Tomás Matos, Dominique Jackson, and Cheyenne Jackson.

What we don’t like:

• Despite an enthusiastic critical response (the film currently sits at 88% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), the film failed to attract much of an audience in US theaters. To date, it has grossed a mere $133K. Still, Romero is definitely a filmmaker to watch, and the film will likely find its fans on Shudder.

RELAY – Netflix

Cast: Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald

Synopsis: A broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive.

What we like:

• Relay is directed by David Mackenzie, best known for helming 2016 Best Picture Oscar nominee Hell or High Water.
• Justin Piasecki’s screenplay, originally titled The Broker, was featured on the 2019 Black List of most-liked unproduced screenplays.
• Ash, the character played by Riz Ahmed, doesn’t speak until the 30-minute mark of the film.

What we don’t like:

• Despite Bleecker Street’s best efforts, and stellar reviews, the film earned only $3.1M at the domestic box-office. It’s great that it’ll get a huge profile boost now that it’s hitting Netflix.

Happy Streaming Everyone!