Want to know what’s coming soon to digital and what to watch right now on Vudu? Here is your weekly guide to the latest releases:
What are the latest new releases to watch right now?
Julia Ducournau's Titane, the winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious top honor, the Palme d’Or, as well as an Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, is now available to rent or buy on Vudu. The body-horror drama stars newcomer Agathe Rousselle as a car model who, as a child, was in an automobile accident that resulted in her receiving a metal plate in her head. And, well, it is best to go into it knowing as little as possible beforehand. But it’s a movie you can’t miss, so just trust me.
What movies are great to pair with those new releases?
If you’re new to the work of Titane writer-director Julia Ducournau, you’ll want to check out her previous effort, Raw. Another bold horror movie, this one follows a vegetarian college student who uncontrollably develops a craving for flesh — to disturbing levels. I would also recommend Jumbo, another international drama involving a woman who is attracted to an inanimate object.
What are some great new documentaries to buy this week?
This week, nominees for the 2021 Critics Choice Documentary Awards were announced, and many of the contenders are available on Vudu. They include Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers and fellow music docs Tina, which is about Tina Turner, Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James and the uniquely told Billy Tipton biography No Ordinary Man.
Other titles recognized among the best documentaries of the year include the political films Not Going Quietly, Influence and Enemies of the State, histories Final Account, A Crime on the Bayou and Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, sports docs Tiger (in two parts) and The Day Sports Stood Still and science film The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52. You’ll love the honored subject of Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.
Are we celebrating any big movie and TV anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Swingers starring Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn in their breakthrough roles. Barry Levinson’s Sleepers also turns 25 while the comedy sequel House Party 2: The Pajama Jam!, the Vanilla Ice vehicle Cool as Ice, and Pedro Almodóvar’s High Heels all turn 30 and Stuart Gordon’s horror cult classic From Beyond turns 35.
Going back further, Larry Cohen’s God Told Me To and the music doc Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same both turn 45 years old this week. Also, the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show and the Bruce Lee movie The Big Boss all turn 50 and the Western sequel The Return of the Magnificent Seven turns 55.
Plus, the Best Picture-winning musical West Side Story turns 60, the film noir Detective Story turns 70, John Huston’s version of The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and the Disney animated classic Dumbo turn 80, the historical action drama The Charge of the Light Brigade turns 85 and the Frank Capra-helmed Jean Harlow rom-com Platinum Blonde turns 90.
More recent titles with anniversaries include the Drew Barrymore comedy Riding in Cars with Boys, Richard Linklater’s animated feature Waking Life, the graphic novel adaptation From Hell and Rod Lurie’s The Last Castle, which all turn 20. Plus, Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, Clint Eastwood’s World War II drama Flags of Our Fathers all turn 15.
Also, Steven Spielberg’s animated feature The Adventures of Tintin, the Aardman animated feature Flushed Away, the horror sequel Paranormal Activity 3, the financial drama Margin Call and the Elizabeth Olsen indie Martha Marcy May Marlene all turn 10. Then there’s Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture-winning drama Moonlight, which is already five years old!
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
With Halloween coming up, Vudu has a huge “Scare Central” sale on holiday-themed movies and TV series. There are deals on family-friendly flicks like Hocus Pocus and The Witches, and action-horror movies like Aliens and Predator. Also, find plenty of horror comedies such as Ready or Not and The Hunt, and sci-fi horror such as Alien and The Thing.
Don’t forget the bundles, whether franchises like Child’s Play (a.k.a. Chucky) and Final Destination or the Stephen King or Universal Monsters collections. And if you’re on a budget, try the $4.99 and under titles, which include The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, or even the free films (with ads), including such classics as House on Haunted Hill and Carnival of Souls.
Vudu also has a sale on movies with amazing stunts. You can pick up anything from the original Oscar-winner Wings to installments of the Fast & Furious or Mission: Impossble franchises. You can’t go wrong with the car chase sequence from The French Connection or the spectacular truck sequence from Raiders of the Lost Ark or any of Jackie Chan’s feats in Drunken Master and Project A. And if you want something more real, how about some Jackass TV episodes or movies? Or the documentaries I Am Evel Knievel and Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story?
The latest “Talent Spotlight” on Vudu features sales on movies involving Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis, actresses Meagan Good and Eliza Dushku, as well as the late horror filmmaker Wes Craven. Here are my under-appreciated picks for each: A Fish Called Wanda and its semi-sequel Fierce Creatures, for Curtis; Eve’s Bayou and Brick, for Good; This Boy's Life and City by the Sea, for Dushku; and Deadly Friend and Shocker, for Craven.
What must-see movie is coming soon to Vudu?
Clint Eastwood’s latest movie, Cry Macho, is heading to Vudu in early November following its successful theatrical release, and you can pre-order it now. The 91-year-old Eastwood also stars in the neo-Western character drama as a former rodeo star who takes a job escorting his former boss’ teenage son (Eduardo Minett) home from Mexico. Dwight Yoakam co-stars as the father.
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
Ryan Reynolds continues to hold the high score on the digital charts, as Free Guy is currently the top movie on Vudu for the third week in a row. One new release ranked within the top 10: the Gerard Butler action-thriller Copshop, which landed in fifth place. The Western action flick Old Henry and the musical Dear Evan Hansen, meanwhile, debuted in the 12th and 13th spots.
Immediately behind those newcomers, in 14th place, is a three-year-old movie: Halloween. The David Gordon Green-helmed sequel surely picked up heat because its follow-up, Halloween Kills, arrived in theaters this weekend. Also returning to the chart this week are the horror sequel Don’t Breathe 2, the animated feature PAW Patrol: The Movie and Marvel’s Black Widow.
See the full top 10 list below.
1. Free Guy
2. The Addams Family 2
3. Old
4. Jungle Cruise
5. Copshop
6. Don’t Breathe 2
7. F9: The Fast Saga
8. PAW Patrol: The Movie
9. Black Widow
10. Candyman
