Want to know what’s coming soon to digital and what to watch right now on FandangoNOW and Vudu? Here is your weekly guide to the latest releases:
What are the latest new releases to watch right now?
John-Paul Davidson and Stephen Warbeck’s The Man in the Hat, which is now available to rent or buy on FandangoNOW and Vudu, stars Ciarán Hinds (Martin Scorsese’s Silence, Zack Snyder’s Justice League) as the titular fellow driving around France in a very small car and being chased by a group of angry men. If you’re longing for some light laughs coupled with a virtual trip to Europe to leisurely experience some gorgeous landscapes, this British indie comedy may be just what you’re looking for.
What movies and series are great to pair with that release?
Given the touristy nature of The Man with the Hat, I’d like to recommend some actual travelogue programs helmed by the movie’s co-director John-Paul Davidson, such as Himalaya with Michael Palin and Brazil with Michael Palin. But if you want more virtual travel specifically in France, I recommend Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot Le Fou or one of Agnes Varda’s cinematic journeys, like Agnes Varda: From Here to There; or, there’s Eleanor Coppola’s Paris Can Wait starring Diane Lane and Alec Baldwin.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
The sci-fi action blockbuster Godzilla vs. Kong will be available to buy on FandangoNOW and Vudu beginning this Friday, May 21, but you can pre-order your digital copy today. The fourth installment of the MonsterVerse franchise brings together the King of the Monsters and the 8th Wonder of the World for the brawl to end them all. Because when Titans clash, cities are smashed, but it’s not all about the giant beasts and destruction spectacle, as nerdy beefcake Alexander Skarsgård and scene-stealing young Kaylee Hottle make the humans worth watching as well.
Also coming to digital this Friday are the true-story-based drama Four Good Days, which stars oft-Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) as the mother of a young woman (Black Swan’s Mila Kunis) recovering from drug addiction, and Seance, the feature directorial debut of You’re Next and The Guest screenwriter Simon Barrett starring Suki Waterhouse (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) and following schoolgirls at a private school as they attempt to conjure the spirit of a dead former student.
What are some great zombie movies to buy this month?
With Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead in select theaters this week, I want to recommend more zombie movies to eat — er, satisfy — your brain. Fortunately, Vudu has a sale on the undead-driven horror sub-genre right now. You’ll want to pick up the funny favorite Shaun of the Dead and pair it with the Christmas-set comedy Anna and the Apocalypse. If you want to stick with humorous zombie movies, go with Warm Bodies and Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die with Bill Murray and Adam Driver.
If you’re more interested in action than comedy, go with a double feature of World War Z and the original Resident Evil (or buy the whole Resident Evil franchise in a six-movie bundle). If you want more scares, pick up 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later and/or Train to Busan and its new sequel, Peninsula. Also, for updated takes on the George Romero-helmed zombie classics, you can do a double feature of the 1990 Night of the Living Dead remake and Zack Snyder’s 2004 redo of Dawn of the Dead.
Are we celebrating any big movie anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the first Mission: Impossible movie starring Tom Cruise as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Schizopolis. Other big movies with anniversaries this week include the Bill Murray comedy What About Bob?, the Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink and the feminist road movie Thelma & Louise, which all turn 30. Also, the Sylvester Stallone action vehicle Cobra, the Robert De Niro period action epic The Mission and the horror sequel Poltergeist II: The Other Side all turn 35 this week.
Going back further, the Sean Connery sci-fi western Outland turns 40 this week while Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic drama 1900 and Gene Kelly’s musical documentary sequel That’s Entertainment, Part II both turn 45. Also, Nicolas Roeg’s Walkabout turns 50, the Steve McQueen western Nevada Smith turns 55, the John Wayne western masterpiece The Searchers and Alfred Hitchcock’s second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much both turn 65, the Kirk Douglas western Along the Great Divide turns 70 and the matador drama Blood and Sand starring Rita Hayworth turns 80.
More recent movies with notable anniversaries include David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. and Michel Gondry’s feature directorial debut, Human Nature, which both turn 20 years old this week. Additionally, the superhero movie sequel X-Men: The Last Stand, the adaptation The Da Vinci Code, the animated feature Over the Hedge, the anthology film Paris, je T’aime, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Babel, William Friedkin’s Bug, Richard Linklater’s Fast Food Nation and Bong Joon-ho’s The Host all turn 15.
Also this week, the Disney sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive all turn 10. Meanwhile, The Angry Birds Movie, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Shane Black’s The Nice Guys, David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water, Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson, Jeff Nichols’ Loving, Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, Paul Verhoeven’s Elle and the Oscar-nominated animated feature The Red Turtle are all already five years old!
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
Speaking of anniversaries, this week, Vudu has a mix-and-match deal for anniversary titles. You can choose three movies for the total price of $14.99, and I have some recommendations for great triple features: if you want a trio of dramatic films, grab Madame X, Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear and the Coen brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There; or, check out Raggedy Man, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Pariah; and for comedy fans, I’d go with The Money Pit, Happy Gilmore and Wet Hot American Summer.
This week, Vudu’s Actor’s Spotlight series celebrates the work of Chris Rock, Emma Thompson, Djimon Hounsou and Ming-Na Wen. Here are my early-role double-feature picks for each of them: New Jack City and CB4, for Rock; In the Name of the Father and The Remains of the Day, for Thompson, who received an Oscar nomination for each, both in the same year; In America and Blood Diamond, for Hounsou, who received an Oscar nomination for each; and the animated features Mulan and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, for Wen, who voices the lead in both.
Which must-see movies are coming soon to FandangoNOW?
Luke Sparke’s Occupation: Rainfall, a sequel to his 2018 sci-fi movie Occupation, is arriving on digital next month. Dan Ewing and Star Wars actor Temuera Morrison both return for the follow-up to the alien invasion flick, now co-starring with Ken Jeong (The Hangover) for a continuation of the story of the human resistance to an intergalactic takeover. Early reviews of this second part of the franchise highlight the spectacular special effects and explosion-heavy action sequences. Look for it on June 11.
What are the 10 most popular new movies on FandangoNOW?
1. The Marksman
2. Nobody
3. Raya and the Last Dragon
4. The Little Things
5. Chaos Walking
6. Together Together
7. The Croods: A New Age
8. Tom & Jerry
9. Above Suspicion
10. Voyagers
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
1. The Marksman
2. Nobody
3. Chaos Walking
4. Raya and the Last Dragon
5. The Croods: A New Age
6. The Little Things
7. Wonder Woman 1984
8. Above Suspicion
9. Tom & Jerry
10. Land
