Turn on your TV, and let everyone know you’re going to be late for this holiday party. The best new must-see movies this week have something for just about everyone. At the top of the list we have Black Adam, the latest DC movie to hit theaters, and the movie that took forever to make.
A passion project from star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Black Adam moves some big puzzle pieces into the comics world and introduces tons of new characters. This allowed her to have a stacked cast, including Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate.
But, let’s be honest, Black Adam isn’t a favorite among critics. And since it’s awards season, we’re excited to announce that one of the more accurate films released recently is now streaming. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star in The Banshees Of Inisherin’, an art film about a failing friendship. Both this movie and Black Adam are on HBO Max (really a major box office hit for fans). Only one stands at the top of the list of the best movies of 2022.
This week also gets a recent release appearing on Prime Video, with The Black Phone. Already making its way from one top streaming service to another, this horror flick (recently seen on Peacock) is about high school students trying to escape a troubled man, and relying on supernatural powers.
What’s coming to Netflix, I hear you ask? Well, he did have his own award-winning movie, with Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s BARDO. In addition, Netflix offers a couple of impressive documentaries, one full of tension and the other more relaxing.
Banshees of Inisherin (HBO Max)
Friendship can be great, but it can turn unequal faster than you realize. Such is the setting on a fictional island in Ireland where Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) used to be as thick as thieves. After repeated requests for an answer to what went wrong, Pádraic enlists the other locals to help figure out where things fall apart.
And then Colm, more and more fed up with his ex-boyfriend, threatens drastic and shocking actions if this continues. Director Martin McDonagh gets the film raved about, and the stars provide love and tension, while co-stars Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan bring it a little more life.
See HBO Max (Opens in a new tab) Now (arrived today, Tuesday, December 13th)
Black Phone (Prime Video)
The Grabber is the kind of name that doesn’t really scare you, until you hear it said by the kids in The Black Phone. Here, on the outskirts of Denver, kids are starting to disappear, and it’s the last thing siblings Vinnie (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeline McGraw) need in their lives. Their father (Jeremy Davies) is an alcoholic, their mother is missing and Vinnie is already the target of local bullies. So, when you hear students spreading rumors that someone is kidnapping local kids, and they see The Grabber’s mask, fear sets in.
Then we meet The Grabber, eerily played by Ethan Hawke, as he kidnaps more children. Throw in some supernatural elements (which make even more sense when you learn that Black Phone is based on a book by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill), and you’ve got yourself a great movie that will have you cheering for its heroes all the time.
Watch it Prime Video (Opens in a new tab) Starts now (arrived today, Tuesday, December 13th)
Kangaroo Valley (Netflix)
Mala, a newborn kangaroo, doesn’t face good odds – only one in five joey makes it to a year old. And Netflix’s new feature documentary Kangaroo Valley tells the story of how (spoiler alert) she got to her first birthday. The wonderfully illustrated Kangaroo Valley shows how the Mala family and potential threats will play important roles in its survival.
Oh, and then there’s a little easter egg for anyone who cares about the credits. Mala’s story is told by Sarah Snoke, who plays Shiv in Succession. So pay attention while listening to the trailer above, and you realize Snook is taking a break from her usual tongue-in-cheek dialogue.
Watch it Netflix (Opens in a new tab) Starting Wednesday (14 December)
Black Adam (HBO Max)
Black Adam, as you might have guessed, is about leadership. It’s also about strength. But more specifically, it’s about how an anti-hero becomes a force for good. Imprisoned in 2600 BC, Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is set free in the fictional city of Kandak, located in the Middle East. Here, people live under the paramilitary thumb of the Intergang mercenary outfit. Young Amun (Bodhi Sabungwe) wants this new super-powered individual he’s met to help free people.
However, an entire group of heroes knows that Teth-Adam, who has become “Black Adam”, is a clear threat to everyone around him. This group is the Justice Society, which is led by Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge). They train rising champions Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo).
While Black Adam’s streaming release is a major bummer for those who’ve been waiting to leave theaters, it’s not exactly a winner with the critical audience. A lot happens during Black Adam, arguably a bit too much. Still, Johnson provides the fun he alone can these days, and it’s fun to watch the character grow up a bit. Oh, and be sure to stick around for the Black Adam post-credit scene.
Stream it HBO Max (Opens in a new tab) Starting Friday (December 16th)
Bardot, The False Story of a Handful of Truths (Netflix)
Honored director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Amores Perros, The Revenant) is at it again, with a new adrenaline rush called BARDO. In this film, we meet Silverio Gama (Daniel Jimenez Cacho), an aspiring documentary filmmaker on the brink of a huge breakthrough in his career. Constantly in conflict, and still haunted by the death of his first son, Silverio doesn’t even know if he can go to receive the award he will be bestowed. Trying to explain what happens next will reveal too much, as you simply have to let Bardo show himself.
With mixed reviews from critics, the film is seen as both brilliant and very indulgent. It is clearly a personal passion project for Iñárritu.
Stream it Netflix (Opens in a new tab) Starting Friday (December 16th)
The Nanny (2022) Prime Video
A burgeoning new genre of psychological horror that treats the story of immigrants through a macabre lens rose to prominence with His House (one of the best horror movies on Netflix), and it’s continuing on Nanny. Aicha (Anna Diop) has immigrated from Senegal to the United States, and is currently caring for the child of a wealthy couple in New York City.
Aisha’s son is supposed to arrive in New York soon, but Aisha’s memories of her boy haunt her all day. Tension and pain threaten to spoil the life Aisha is preparing for her son and herself.
Stream it Prime Video (Opens in a new tab) Starting Friday (December 16th)
Volcano: The Rescue of Whakaari
At this point, a vacation may be exactly what you think you need. This documentary gives you a down-to-earth look at what it was like to be in the shoes of tourists whose vacation was ripped apart by a volcanic eruption. The 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption occurred just over three years ago, which killed 22 people in the disaster.
Interestingly, The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari could be a disguised real-life Netflix crime documentary. The New Zealand government has brought charges against organizers of tourism events who brought people to the island for violating health and safety rules. Instead, the movie feels like a celebration of the survivors and those who came to save them.
See Netflix (Opens in a new tab) Starting Friday (December 16th)
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