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?
The fifth installment of the Scream franchise is new to digital this week and now available on Vudu for the first time. Simply titled Scream, the meta horror sequel brings back the surviving members of the original cast (Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette) and introduces some newcomers to the series (including Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Jenna Ortega and Jasmin Savoy Brown) with all of them hoping to survive Woodsboro’s latest attack by the slasher known as Ghostface.
Two of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Picture are also new to Vudu. Licorice Pizza, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights), hilariously follows the coming of age of two friends (Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim) as they navigate the world of early 1970s Los Angeles.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car is an adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, tackling a deep and sentimental tale about a theater director and the young woman tasked with chauffeuring him to and from work.
What movies are great to pair with those new releases?
The obvious recommendation for Scream is the original movie that started the franchise (there’s also a bundle collecting the first and latest movies), along with Scream 2, Scream 3 and Scream 4 (you can find them all in Vudu’s current horror sale as well).
Also, since this installment has new directors at the helm of the franchise, I have to give a shout out to Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s previous horror movie, Ready or Not, which is a blast. You should also check out some other great movies featuring the new cast members, such as In the Heights for Barrera and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood for Madison.
Licorice Pizza pairs well with other PTA movies, most notably Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love and Inherent Vice. It also reminds me of Almost Famous and Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, which are coming-of-age movies that would make for a suitable double feature. Or see one of the real movies referenced within the movie: Yours, Mine and Ours or The Bridges of Toko-Ri.
As for Drive My Car, you might want to check out another film by Ryusuke Hamaguchi: Vudu has his other brand new drama, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
Another Best Picture nominee is joining Licorice Pizza and Drive My Car later this week: West Side Story. And it is good timing for those of you paying attention to awards season in general since Ariana DeBose just won a SAG Award for her excellent supporting performance as Anita in the movie.
Steven Spielberg’s version of the show, itself a take on Romeo and Juliet, is as spectacular as musicals come, especially when it comes to the dance numbers. Look for this one on Vudu on Wednesday, March 2.
Then on Thursday, March 2, you can find Blacklight on Vudu following its theatrical release. The latest action vehicle for Taken star Liam Neeson, this movie is about a freelance agent working with the FBI who becomes involved in a government conspiracy.
Aidan Quinn (Legends of the Fall) co-stars as the head of the FBI while Emmy Raver-Lampman (Dog) plays an investigative journalist who teams up with Neeson’s character.
Can you recommend some great movies for Women’s History Month?
March is Women’s History Month, and Vudu is taking the occasion to spotlight hundreds of movies led by women characters, including blockbusters such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and biopics about important women such as Hidden Figures.
I would like to focus on the truly historical efforts. There are the music biographies Selena and Coal Miner’s Daughter. Also, Erin Brockovich, Frida, Elizabeth, Jackie, The Sound of Music and the documentary RBG are about real important people as well.
I also recommend these highlighted movies directed by women: Jane Campion’s The Piano, for which she was nominated for her Best Director Oscar; Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Little Women; Patty Jenkins’ serial killer biopic Monster, starring Charlize Theron in an Oscar-winning performance; Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone, starring Jennifer Lawrence in her breakthrough role; Neasa Hardiman’s new sci-fi horror flick Sea Fever; and Sarah Polley’s personal documentary Stories We Tell.
And don’t forget about movies written by women. There are a number of classics and modern essentials in the bunch, such as the family favorites The Wizard of Oz, E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial, Singin’ in the Rain, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Toy Story 4.
Also, the horror flicks Halloween, The Babadook and A Girl Walks Home at Night, the Hitchcock suspense thrillers Strangers on a Train and Shadow of a Doubt and the Western dramas Rio Bravo, First Cow and The Rider.
Are we celebrating any other big movie anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 30th anniversary of John Carpenter’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man, starring Chevy Chase in the titular role. Also, the virtual reality horror movie The Lawnmower Man and the adventure TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles both turn 30 as well. And the first Lethal Weapon, the Coen brothers’ Raising Arizona and Alan Parker’s Angel Heart turn 35. Plus, Barry Levinson’s hangout classic Diner and Werner Herzog’s astonishing historical drama Fitzcarraldo both turn 40.
Going back further, the spy comedy In Like Flint and William Wyler’s suspense drama The Collector both turn 55 this week, while the Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck pairing The Two Mrs. Carrolls turns 75. Also, Fritz Lang’s sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis was released in the U.S. 95 years ago, and F. W. Murnau’s iconic vampire film Nosferatu premiered 100 years ago.
More recent titles with anniversaries include Troma’s Shakespeare-inspired horror comedy Tromeo and Juliet, featuring a script by James Gunn. Also, the black comedy Death to Smoochy turns 20 while David Fincher’s Zodiac, Craig Brewster’s Black Snake Moan, the Jane Austen biopic Becoming Jane and the Aardman animated series Shaun the Sheep all turns 15. Plus, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax turns 10 and the X-Men movie Logan turns 5.
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
You can find two more women-directed movies for Women’s History Month in Vudu’s Marvel Sale this month: Chloe Zhao’s Eternals and Cate Shortland’s Black Widow. This deal goes all the way back to the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008’s Iron Man and includes last year’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Don’t forget that Spider-Man: No Way Home is out on digital soon (March 22) and you can currently pre-purchase the movie alone or in a bundle with the other two Tom Holland Spider-Man films or in an 8-pack set with other Spideys. Also, you can catch up with the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies on their own, too.
And while you’re picking up titles from one Disney brand, why not another? Vudu also has a Pixar sale now in anticipation of the release of the studio’s latest animated feature, Turning Red.
This deal goes all the way back to the original Pixar feature, Toy Story, and includes the best of their bunch, namely Wall-E, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up and Inside Out. There are also bundles collecting whole series, including Toy Story (four films), Cars (three films), The Incredibles (two films) and Monsters (two films).
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
The animated sequel Sing 2 took over the top spot on Vudu’s best-sellers chart this week with Ghostbusters: Afterlife dropping to second place. Also, The 355, starring newly minted SAG Award-winner Jessica Chastain, landed at #5, and Denzel Washington’s A Journal for Jordan rounded out the the top 10.
Going past the list below, King Richard, for which Will Smith just won a SAG Award, ranks #11, while new releases The Ledge and The Desperate Hour debuted at #12 and #19, respectively.
See the full top 10 list below.
1. Sing 2
2. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
3. The King’s Man
4. Dune
5. The 355
6. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
7. American Underdog
8. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
9. House of Gucci
10. A Journal for Jordan
