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?
Spiral: From the Book of Saw is now available digitally as a premium rental on FandangoNOW and Vudu following its recent debut on the big screen — now simultaneous with its continued theatrical run. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who helmed the first three sequels in the Saw franchise, this ninth installment stars Chris Rock and Max Minghella as detectives investigating the apparent return of the Jigsaw Killer. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars in the horror movie as Rock’s retired police chief father.
Another horror movie out on digital this week, for rental or purchase, is Spare Parts, in which an all-girl punk band is kidnapped and physically transformed so that they have weapons in place of their arms. And for something completely different, I also recommend Elizabeth Lo’s lovable documentary feature Stray, which follows three stray dogs around the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, filmed at their level so it feels as if we’re right there alongside the pups. That one is also available to rent or purchase.
What movies are great to pair with that release?
Are you all caught up with the Saw franchise, or do you need to refresh your memory? Ahead of renting Spiral, you’ll want to buy the Saw 8-Film Collection, which includes all of the previous installments, in their unrated versions. They’re also each available individually to rent, in unrated or rated versions (Saw, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, Saw: The Final Chapter and Jigsaw), as well as a director’s cut of Saw IV. And if you have seen all of the other Saw movies, I recommend you pair Spiral with Se7en.
With Spare Parts, I recommend Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse installment, Planet Terror, in which Rose McGowan winds up with a machine gun in place of her amputated leg. And, of course, there’s Ash’s chainsaw hand in Evil Dead 2. As for Stray, the best film to pair it with is undoubtedly Ceyda Torun’s 2017 documentary Kedi, which follows stray cats in Istanbul. But if cats aren’t your thing, there’s also another recent dog doc worth seeing called We Don’t Deserve Dogs, about canines around the world.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
Coming to FandangoNOW and Vudu this Friday, June 4, as a premium rental, is Timur Bekmambetov’s terrorism thriller Profile, the latest movie to play out on a computer screen. Also, the new mind-bending thriller Flashback, starring Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner, Love and Monsters) as a young man suddenly and inexplicably having horrible visions of a former classmate who disappeared during high school (It Follows’ Maika Monroe), will release digitally for both rental or purchase.
What are some great LGBTQ+ movies to buy this month?
June is Pride Month, and FandangoNOW and Vudu are spotlighting the best LGBTQ+ movies for the occasion, as ranked at Rotten Tomatoes. You could pick up the essential biographical documentary The Times of Harvey Milk and pair it with the biopic Milk. I also recommend pairing Brokeback Mountain with Carol, Bound with Mulholland Dr., My Summer of Love with Call Me By Your Name and the Spanish-language films All About My Mother and A Fantastic Woman, both of which involve transgender women.
Here are some more great Pride Month double features: the original La Cage Aux Folles and its Hollywood remake, The Birdcage; the groundbreaking 1970 drama The Boys in the Band and the documentary about it, Making the Boys; the film history doc The Celluloid Closet and the Hollywood history doc Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood; the coming-of-age coming out films Edge of Seventeen and Love, Simon; and the glam rock musicals The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Hedwig and the Angry Itch.
Are we celebrating any big movie anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the theatrical releases of the talking dragon movie DragonHeart and the sci-fi thriller The Arrival. Also, the comedy Soapdish turns 30, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie Raw Deal and the animated feature My Little Pony: The Movie both turn 35, Luchino Visconti’s queer film classic Death in Venice turns 50, the adventure film The Mountain turns 65, the crime films Fury and Bullets or Ballots turn 85, and the classic drama A Free Soul turns 90.
More recent movies include Moulin Rouge!, which released nationwide 20 years ago this week. Also, the comedy The Break-Up and the horror remake The Omen turn 15, while the superhero prequel X-Men: First Class, the coming-of-age comedy Submarine, Mike Mills’ Beginners and the documentaries Bobby Fischer Against the World and Make Believe all turn 10. And the sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and the comedy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping are already 5 years old!
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
Vudu is celebrating a Month of Music this June with sales on musical movies and music documentaries. For the former, I recommend the following pairings: the ‘80s originals Footloose and Dirty Dancing; the Jewish musicals Fiddler on the Roof and Yentl; and the Rodgers and Hammerstein classics State Fair and South Pacific. For docs, you can make double features out of the new films Zappa and Crock of Gold as well as the tragic stories of Amy, about Amy Winehouse, and Whitney, about Whitney Houston.
Vudu’s Actor’s Spotlight series celebrates Anthony Mackie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Hiddleston and Jennifer Jason Leigh this week. For Mackie, you’ll want a Marvel movie, such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but I also recommend the new time-travel flick Synchronic. Then you need to get Fast Color and Belle for Mbatha-Raw. The horror-adjacent pairing of Only Lovers Left Alive and Crimson Peak is a must for Hiddleston. And grab the Cronenberg father and son duo of eXistenz and Possessor for Leigh.
Which must-see movies are coming soon to FandangoNOW and Vudu?
Werewolves Within, a horror comedy based on the VR video game of the same name, arrives on digital next month, on July 2. The movie involves a small town dealing with werewolf attacks during a snow storm and features an ensemble cast of funny TV actors including Sam Richardson (Veep), Milana Vayntrub (of AT&T commercial fame), Michaela Watkins (The Unicorn), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) and Orange is the New Black co-stars Catherine Curtin and Michael Chernus.
What are the 10 most popular new movies on FandangoNOW?
1. Wrath of Man
2. Godzilla vs. Kong
3. The Unholy
4. Raya and the Last Dragon
5. The Marksman
6. Nobody
7. Tom & Jerry
8. Four Good Days
9. The Water Man
10. A Quiet Place
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
1. Wrath of Man
2. Godzilla vs. Kong
3. The Unholy
4. Raya and the Last Dragon
5. Tom & Jerry
6. A Quiet Place
7. Chaos Walking
8. Nobody
9. The Marksman
10. Four Good Days
