Want to know what’s coming soon to digital and what to watch right now on FandangoNOW? Here is your weekly guide to the latest releases:
What are the latest new releases to watch right now?
Emperor, a biopic about Shields “Emperor” Green, is now available to rent or buy on digital. The 19th-century-set historical drama follows the titular American legend (played by Dayo Okeniyi) as he escapes slavery in the pre-Civil War South and travels to the North in an effort to also free his family.
Following its home premiere release earlier this summer solely as a digital rental, Jon Stewart’s Irresistible is now available for purchase. The political comedy stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne as rival campaign strategists working a small-town mayoral election in rural America.
What movies are great to pair with those new releases?
The Shields Green biopic, Emperor, would go well with other films about 19th century Black historical figures. Check out Cynthia Erivo’s Oscar-nominated performance as Underground Railroad icon Harriet Tubman in Harriet and also Nate Parker’s portrayal of slave rebellion leader Nat Turner in The Birth of a Nation.
Irresistible is only Jon Stewart’s second feature film as a director, so it’s easy to plan a career retrospective by pairing it with his more serious first film, Rosewater. But if you want something similar to Irresistible, as in another small-town mayoral election comedy, there’s Welcome to Mooseport starring Gene Hackman.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
Another drama centered on Black history arrives on digital this Friday, August 21st. Titled The 24th, the film is co-written and directed by regular Spike Lee collaborator Kevin Willmott (BlacKkKlansman) and depicts the story of the Twenty-Fourth United States Infantry Regiment and the Houston Riot of 1917.
Also out this Friday, The Vanished stars Thomas Jane and Anne Heche as a couple whose young daughter suddenly vanishes while the family is on vacation. And Stage Mother stars Jackie Weaver as a conservative Texan who inherits a San Francisco drag club, which she helps save from bankruptcy.
What are some great classic documentaries watch now?
Need more nonfiction in your lives? FandangoNOW has a number of classic documentaries available to rent or buy, including one of the oldest: 1922’s Nanook of the North. Also, one of the first big documentary box office hits, Michael Moore’s Roger & Me, and two films that kicked off a new era of doc appreciation this century, Spellbound and Capturing the Friedmans.
There’s also Jonathan Demme’s Talking Heads doc Stop Making Sense and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, both of which are widely considered to be the best concert films of all time. Don’t forget about Errol Morris’ Oscar-winner The Fog of War or Werner Herzog’s hauntingly iconic Grizzly Man, plus Crumb, about eccentric comic book artist Robert Crumb.
Can you recommend some great binge bundles to rent?
In honor of Emperor and The 24th releasing this week, I recommend watching more historical dramas, specifically three binge bundles pairing them up, two by two. Firstly, there’s a double feature of the intense military movies Black Hawk Down and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.
Then you can also rent the Clint Eastwood-helmed biopics American Sniper and Sully together as two-film collection. Finally, check out the binge bundle two-pack including the skater biopic Lords of Dogtown and the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, which chronicles the same story.
Are we celebrating any big anniversaries this week?
Thirty years ago this week, we saw the release of the Steve Martin witness-protection comedy My Blue Heaven and the popular horror sequel The Exorcist III. And out in theaters exactly 35 years ago this week was the high school comedy Teen Wolf, which stars Michael J. Fox as a young werewolf.
Also celebrating anniversaries this week, Mortal Kombat turns 25, The Cell turns 20, Red Eye and Judd Apatow’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin both turn 15 and the very bloody horror remake Piranha turns 10. Going back much further, the romance classic Love is a Many Splendored Thing turns 65.
Which must-see movies are coming soon to FandangoNOW?
In just over one week, the long-awaited sequel Bill & Ted Face the Music arrives on digital as a home premiere rental. The time-travel comedy reunites Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as the titular rockers fated to change the world with their songs. And if you pre-order, you can get a special deal on more movies.
What are the 10 most popular new movies on FandangoNOW?
1. The Tax Collector
2. The Silencing
3. The Secret: Dare to Dream
4. The King of Staten Island
5. Trolls World Tour
6. Deep Blue Sea 3
7. The Secret Garden
8. Scoob!
9. You Should Have Left
10. The Invisible Man
