Happy Friday, Polygon readers!
Each week, we round up the most notable releases new to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home. This week we have a new supernatural horror film starring Russell Crowe, a raunchy sex comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence, and much more.
The Pope’s Exorcist finally comes to streaming on Netflix after premiering in April, as well The Monkey King, a new animated fantasy comedy from the director of The Boxtrolls. Miguel Wants to Fight lands on Hulu alongside the new serial killer crime thriller To Catch a Killer starring Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn. Then there’s all the new releases on VOD this week, like the romantic comedy No Hard Feelings and Pixar’s latest animated film, Elemental.
Let’s dive in!
New on Netflix
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Supernatural horror
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe
One of the surprise best movies of 2023 lands on Netflix this week, bringing the exorcism thrills and laugh-out-loud jokes only a hyper-Italian Russell Crowe could bring to a horror movie. And when you’re done, we ranked movie exorcists in celebration of this event.
From our review:
The big surprise is that The Pope’s Exorcist is extremely well made, with constantly creative shots and setups from Avery, who has previously turned B-movie material into something exceptionally fun. (See: 2018’s Overlord.) The scares are exciting and inventive, while Crowe hams up his Italian accent to full-on prosciutto. And by the time the demons really arrive, they look and sound great — the latter thanks to the reliable, gravelly voice of The Green Knight’s Ralph Ineson.
The Monkey King
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Fantasy action-comedy
Run time: 1h 32m
Director: Anthony Stacchi
Cast: Jimmy O. Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Nan Li
The Boxtrolls director Anthony Stacchi takes on the classic Chinese tale of the Monkey King in this co-production between Netflix and China’s Pearl Studio, which worked with DreamWorks on Kung Fu Panda 3. The sprawling voice cast stars Jimmy O. Yang as the Monkey King himself, with Bowen Yang, Stephanie Hsu, BD Wong, and Hoon Lee among the many other talents featured.
New on Hulu
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Coming-of-age comedy
Run time: 1h 15m
Director: Oz Rodriguez
Cast: Tyler Dean Flores, Christian Vunipola, Imani Lewis
This new coming-of-age comedy follows Miguel (Tyler Dean Flores), a fun-loving teenager who loves hanging out with his friends and watching anime. After learning his parents plan on moving away from his hometown, Miguel becomes self-conscious over the fact that he has never gotten into a fight — a common occurrence in his neighborhood that’s seen as an unofficial rite of passage. Determined to get into and win a fight, Miguel begins training, but the reality of actually getting into a fight is much harder than it seems.
To Catch a Killer
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Crime thriller
Run time: 1h 59m
Director: Damián Szifron
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, Jovan Adepo
Shailene Woodley (Divergent) stars in this new crime thriller as Eleanor, a promising yet troubled Baltimore police officer. After a series of sniper attacks and bombings rocks the city, Eleanor is tapped by the FBI’s chief investigator (Ben Mendelsohn) in order to track down the culprit and bring them to justice.
New on Peacock
Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 32m
Director: Julie Cohen
Cast: Sean Saifa Wall, Alicia Roth Weigel, River Gallo
Julie Cohen’s latest documentary centers on the stories of three intersex individuals who reject societal stigma and come out to openly advocate for the rights of the intersex population.
New on Shudder
Where to watch: Available to stream on Shudder and AMC Plus
Genre: Horror
Run time: 1h 23m
Director: Stewart Thorndike
Cast: Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones
This new horror film follows a group of friends who stay at a hotel for a free weekend getaway, only to realize that the history of the hotel is riddled with stories of women who unexpectedly lose their minds and do, well, bad things. The trailer gives off the vibe of “The Shining, but make it about female intergenerational trauma,” which is an interesting premise to say the least.
New to rent or buy
No Hard Feelings
Where to watch: Available to purchase for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti
Jennifer Lawrence stars in this raunchy, hilarious sex comedy as Maddie, a frustrated and financially insecure bartender and Uber driver in New York. When Maddie responds to an unusual Craigslist ad to “date” Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), the socially awkward son of a wealthy couple, in an effort to boost his confidence ahead of college, she pulls out all the stops to become the boy’s new beau.
From our review:
Mostly, No Hard Feelings is a reminder that Lawrence — an actor who exploded in popularity thanks to the strength of unforgettable dramatic roles in films like Winter’s Bone, Silver Linings Playbook, and the Hunger Games series — is extremely funny. Whether it’s the physical comedy of Maddie’s over-the-top come-ons, her quippy and sweary put-downs directed toward ex-boyfriends and other teenagers, or her barely simmering rage at the rich vacationers that flood her hometown every year, Lawrence is funny in several registers, and the entire movie is held together by her sheer charisma.
Where to watch: Available to purchase for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Romantic comedy-drama
Run time: 1h 41m
Director: Peter Sohn
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen
Set in a world inhabited by the anthropomorphic manifestations of the four elements, Pixar’s latest animated comedy centers on Ember (Nancy Drew’s Leah Lewis) and Wade (Archive 81’s Mamoudou Athie), a fire and water element, respectively, who unexpectedly meet and fall in love despite their cultural differences.
From our review:
The core of Elemental is about cross-cultural relationships and the pressure of being a second-generation immigrant living up to parental expectations, while trying to figure out what you actually want out of life. The characters and their relationships are vibrant and fully fleshed out. Visually, Elemental is up there with Inside Out in just how dang cool it looks. But every tender, heartfelt moment in Elemental immediately raises a million world-building questions. While fantasy movies certainly don’t have to address every single wrinkle of their settings, there comes a point where the cool aesthetic and zany elements erode the heart of a story.
Kokomo City
Where to watch: Available to rent for $7.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 13m
Director: D. Smith
Cast: Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell
The first film from Grammy-nominated producer D. Smith follows the stories of four transgender sex workers living in New York and Georgia. Shot in black and white, the film offers insight into the embattled nature of not only their profession, but the cultural fault lines of gender and identity that intersect with their daily lives.
This content was originally published here.
