Whether you're in the mood for horror, family-friendly fun, or the latest superhero flick, this week's lineup for new releases has something for everyone. From the latest expansion of the DC Extended Universe to a new world from Pixar to fall in love with, here's everything coming to streaming and theaters this week.
Birth/Rebirth?
Frankenstein meets body horror meets pregnancy in this bone-chilling directorial feature debut from Laura Moss. Birth/Rebirth is a psychological horror film that follows two medical practitioners, Celie (Judy Reyes) and Rose (Marin Ireland), who find themselves bound together under the utmost terrifying circumstances. It turns out, Rose has been working on an experiment that can bring the deceased back to life. But things get twisted when she uses her knowledge on Celie's young daughter, Lila (A.J. Lister) after she abruptly passes away. As Celie finds her daughter reborn, she realizes there's a horrifying task that needs to be completed in order to keep her alive.
What we thought: "Birth/Rebirth will grab you by the guts with its mercilessly scary opening sequence. It's not just that Laura Moss's directorial feature debut delves into a terrifying Frankenstein-inspired tale. It's not just that her Sundance stunner boasts body horror with a matter-of-factness that is starkly unnerving. It's how the opening deftly illustrates an all-too-common fear that has arisen in this age of an overturned Roe v. Wade." — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor?
How to watch: Birth/Rebirth is now playing in theaters.
Blue Beetle
While the DC Extended Universe is polarizing, there's one thing a lot of people can agree on — Blue Beetle is a hit. Based on the DC comics character, Blue Beetle follows Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridue?a), a young Mexican American who stumbles upon an ancient scarab relic that can turn him into an ass-kicking superhero. The relic is made up of alien biotechnology that chooses a symbiotic host to unleash its full powers. When it chooses Jaime, he finds himself bestowed with an airtight exoskeleton armor that can do just about anything, including turning a random twenty-something into the fully-fledged superhero he was always meant to be.?
What we thought: "Blue Beetle is a breath of fresh air in a stagnant superhero landscape of gray cities, cheap fan service, and drudgery masquerading as depth…It's superhero entertainment without a chip on its shoulder, and it's about time." — K.P.?
How to watch: Blue Beetle is now playing in theaters.?
Bones and All?
Based on Camille DeAngelis' novel of the same name, Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All delves into a fervent love story loaded with romance, angst, and above all else, cannibalism. Helmed by Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, Bones and All is a literal slice-of-life that follows two young cannibals, Maren (Russell) and Lee (Chalamet), as they flee together on a road trip across the U.S. and fall in love. While the flesh-eating tangent of it all might seem off-putting (and it is), Bones and All finds its true triumph in its poignant allegory and a dizzying ending that'll rest on your heart long after the credits finish rolling.?
What we thought: "In the end, Bones and All is as radiantly romantic as it is unapologetically horrific. In this, it's not just a gem of queer horror but one of the best films of 2022." — K.P.?
How to watch: Bones and All is now available to stream on demand.?
Elemental?
Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) meet Wade, Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) meet Ember. Pixar's latest flick isn't an epic about toys with feelings, an adventure across the oceans, or about a family of superheroes, instead, it's a rom-com. In Elemental, fire, water, earth, and air all live together as residents in Element City. While long-standing prejudices exist across each of the elements, a strange twist of fate happens when two polar opposite elements find themselves falling in love. What happens when fire and water clash together? You get the feet-kicking, heart-fluttering ship that is Ember and Wade.?
What we thought: "Lewis and Athie bring Ember and Wade's initially clashing personalities to life with striking vocal chemistry, to the point that I was basically kicking my feet and giggling during their every scene together." — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter?
How to watch: Elemental is now available to stream on demand.?
Landscape with Invisible Hand?
According to Landscape with Invisible Hand, when the aliens invade Earth, we can expect them to really be into TikTok live streams. Based on M.T. Anderson's novel of the same name, Landscape with Invisible Hand is set in a near-future where an alien species called the Vuvv have occupied Earth and have severely limited humanity's career prospects and livelihood. But when two teenagers, Adam (Asante Blackk) and Chloe (Kylie Rogers), start falling in love, they realize that the Vuvv are kind of obsessed with reality TV and are willing to pay an absurd amount of money to watch the two livestream their relationship. What do Chloe and Adam do? Well, they secure that coin and livestream everything, even going so far as to feign their relationship — after they've broken up — to keep the Vuvv happy. Whatever will happen next?
What we thought: "Landscape With Invisible Hand paints a coming-of-age story that is uniquely entrancing and thrillingly unpredictable." — K.P.?
How to watch: Landscape with Invisible Hand is now playing in theaters.
No Hard Feelings?
Jennifer Lawrence is here to save the raunchy comedy from extinction. In No Hard Feelings, Lawrence plays Maddie, a thirty-something Uber driver who's trying to save her family home and is desperate for some serious cash ASAP. So when she finds a job listing on Craigslist from two parents looking for someone to date their 19-year-old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), she willingly accepts. What ensues is a series of hilarious hijinks, elevated by Lawrence and Feldman's killer comedic chemistry, and a watch so hilarious you won't even feel the time running.?
What we thought: "This summer comedy is an old-school raunch-fest with plenty of laughs that, nevertheless, might've made its way to the party one round of Beer Pong too late. Mid-budget star-centric comedies like this have now become a rarity on the big screen, and this one, sweet and totally agreeable as it is, probably isn't revolutionary enough to alter that downward trajectory." — Jason Adams, Freelance Contributor?
How to watch: No Hard Feelings is now available to stream on demand.
Strays?
You might not have asked for an R-rated version of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but alas, it's here. Helmed by a star-studded cast including Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Josh Gad, Sofia Vergara, and Dennis Quaid, Strays follows an abandoned puppy who meets other lost doggos and is determined to get revenge on his former owner…by biting off his penis. Will our flimsy crew of foul-mouthed, four-legged friends see the task through? I really hope so.
What we thought: "Beyond the broad demographic of adults, it's difficult to know the intended audience of Josh Greenbaum's Strays, a noxious narrative pushing the boundaries of low taste and garbage humor." — Robert Daniels, Freelance Contributor
How to watch: Strays is now playing in theaters.
