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Movie theaters were coincidentally closed up during a time when fewer blockbuster movies are scheduled, and studios quickly delayed many of their biggest budget films to aim for more favorable ticket sales. While many movies have been pushed back to later in the year, and as much as 2 years out, we’re drawing close to the summer months and some mainstream movies are still on the books. We’ve organized a huge list with many of the newly added films and some upcoming releases.
New this week: The true blockbuster season is upon us, but most major titles have been delayed until they can make grand theatrical appearances, so we’re getting whatever is left over. And just like last week, the list leans into a combination of titles intended for niche audiences and some movies that were always destined to be direct-to-video. Given that many people have their attention turned elsewhere, production companies may not be eager to rush anything out at the moment. However, don’t forget that the Criterion Channel is offering free access to several titles made by Black filmmakers or centered around Black characters, and Google Play has also joined in with a few entries of its own.
Free to rent in honor of Black Lives Matter
In honor of Black Lives Matter, Google Play is offering free rentals for a few movies, plus discounts on many more. The free rentals are listed below, but you can see the full collection here. Amazon is also offering a couple of the same movies for free, but also featuring a few movies that are free with Amazon Prime. It’s likely other services will also have their own libraries to share, so keep an eye out for that.
June 5
Shirley
Upon moving to a small Vermont college town, Fred and Rose get an offer for free room and board from a professor, as long as Rose agrees to look after his wife, acclaimed horror author Shirley Jackson. At first, they detest the rocky household of the eccentric couple, but eventually establish deep bonds with their counterparts, which will test the limits of their young love.
Starring: Elizabeth Moss, Logan Lerman, Michael Stuhlbarg
A Clear Shot
An electronic store erupts into chaos as four gunmen storm the premises. Rick Gomez, Sacramento Police Departments’ top negotiator, realizes he needs to talk down the gunmen and keep everyone safe, all while juggling government politics. The gunmen leader doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but his brother is a different story. A peaceful surrender quickly turns this sleepy city into a national tragedy. Inspired by the true story of the 1991 Good Guys Electronics Store siege in Sacramento, California–the largest hostage siege negotiation ever attempted in the United States–A Clear Shot examines a bizarre turn of events as law enforcement attempt to save the hostages, as well the emotional trials and social pressures of immigrant assimilation into the American culture.
Starring: Mario Van Peebles, Mandela Van Peebles, Jessica Meza, Marshal Hilton, David Hernandez, Jr., Lance Woods, Tony Dew, Kevin Bach, Sandra Gutierrez, Hao Do, Dang Tran, Jeanna Carr
The Blackout: Invasion Earth
An unexplained phenomenon turns the earth into complete darkness. However, a small area in Eastern Europe is the only location that still has electricity. When military forces venture outside, they find corpses everywhere. Now it’s a battle against time to find out who is behind all this. (Note: Russian language, subtitles available)
Starring: Yuriy Borisov, Svetlana Ivanova, Konstantin Lavronenko
End of Sentence
After being widowed, Frank Fogle reluctantly embarks on a journey to honor his wife’s last wish of spreading her ashes in a remote lake in her native Ireland and a promise of taking his estranged son, Sean, along for the trip. As Sean steps out of prison the last thing on his mind is a foreign road trip with his alienated father. What he needs is a fresh start in California. But when his travel plans collapse he reluctantly accepts his father’s proposal in return for a ticket to the West Coast and a promise that they never have to see each other again. Between a disconcerting Irish wake, the surfacing of an old flame, the pick up of a pretty hitchhiker and plenty of unresolved issues, the journey becomes a little more than father and son had bargained for.
Starring: John Hawkes, Logan Lerman, Sarah Bolger
Inheritance
A patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family suddenly passes away, leaving his daughter with a shocking secret inheritance that threatens to unravel and destroy the family.
Starring: Lily Collins, Simon Pegg, Connie Nielsen, Chace Crawford, Patrick Warburton
May 29
The High Note
Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager (Ice Cube) presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Bill Pullman, Zoe Chao, Eddie Izzard, Ice Cube
Funny Pains
Woman, stand-up comic, writer, producer, bipolar, Californian Wendi Starling takes on New York City stages with her very personal, raw, funny and inspiring comedy material, making the Big Apple her home and becoming one of the most active and funny women in the industry. On her journey, we have complete access to all the ups and downs that come with pursuing comedy in NYC, how she deals with tragic old wounds, and how those wounds start to show up into her material. A star-studded cast of famous comedians join her to share the real deal about the journey of a comedian.
Starring: Wendi Starling, Krystyna Hutchinson, Nikki Glaser
The Trip to Greece
When Odysseus left Troy it took him ten years to get back to his home in Ithaca. Steve and Rob have only six days on their own personal odyssey in THE TRIP TO GREECE. On the way they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy and biology, myth, history, democracy and the meaning of life! Featuring locations such as: Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the unique island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros, Nestor’s Palace, Niokastro Fortress in Pylos, and Ancient Stagira, as well as a lot of shooting in restaurants and hotels in Athens, Hydra, Lesvos, Chalkidiki, Pelion, Kavala, and at the Peloponnese.
Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
Military Wives
MILITARY WIVES centers on a group of women from different backgrounds whose partners are away serving in combat. Faced with their loved ones’ absences, they come together to form the very first military wives choir, helping each other through some of life’s most difficult moments, and quickly find themselves on an international stage. Peter Cattaneo (THE FULL MONTY) directs Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan in this feel-good crowd-pleaser inspired by true events.
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan
Rose, a sweet, lonely driving instructor in rural Ireland, is gifted with supernatural abilities. Rose has a love/hate relationship with her ‘talents’ & tries to ignore the constant spirit related requests from locals – to exorcise possessed rubbish bins or haunted gravel. But! Christian Winter, a washed up, one-hit-wonder rock star, has made a pact with the devil for a return to greatness! He puts a spell on a local teenager- making her levitate. Her terrified father, Martin Martin, asks Rose to help save his daughter. Rose has to overcome the fear of her supernatural gift & work with Martin to save the girl, get the guy and be home in time for a light snack…maybe a yogurt or something…
Starring: Maeve Higgins, Will Forte, Barry Ward, Claudia O’Doherty
May 22
Survive The Night
After his brother Mathias is mortally wounded in a robbery gone bad, Jamie stalks trauma doctor Rich from the hospital to his home. While holding Rich’s wife and daughter hostage, the unhinged murderer forces Rich to operate on Mathias. But in order for him and his family to survive the night, Rich must team up with his estranged tough-as-nails father, retired sheriff Frank, in order to gain the upper hand and turn the tables on the criminals.
The Lovebirds
A couple (Issa Rae & Kumail Nanjiani) experiences a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. As their journey to clear their names takes them from one extreme– and hilarious — circumstance to the next, they must figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night.
Starring: Andrene Ward-Hammond, Anna Camp, Barry Rothbart, Catherine Cohen, Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Kyle Bornheimer, Nicholas X. Parsons, Paul Sparks
Body Cam
While investigating the bizarre murder of a fellow officer, veteran Renee Lomito (Mary J. Blige) discovers a mysterious figure in their body cam footage. Haunted by visions of the event, she suspects something supernatural is targeting the cops in her unit. Now, in a race against time to find the one person she thinks can stop these killings, Rene uncovers a sinister secret among the police force surrounding the shooting and cover up of an unarmed youth. Nat Wolff also stars in this intense action thriller.
Starring: Mary J. Blige, Nat Wolff, David Zayas, Anika Noni Rose
Villain
After 10 years, Eddie Franks (Craig Fairbrass) is out of prison and trying to stay on the straight and narrow, but his drug-mule brother Sean (George Russo) has other ideas. Rival gangster brothers Roy and Johnny Garret (Robert Glenister and Tomi May) are demanding Sean repay his debt to them, causing Eddie to get tangled in the crossfire, ending up using his life savings and calling in favors with mobster friends to try and help. Following a dramatic coup at the family pub, events spiral out of control in the ultimate fight for survival. With a powerful performance from Fairbrass, VILLAIN is a gritty British thriller which depicts a dark, criminal underworld.
Starring: Craig Fairbrass, George Russo, Izuka Hoyle, Mark Monero, Tomi May, Eloise Lovell, Taz Skylar, Nicholas Aaron, Michael John Treanor, Marcus Onilude, Robert Glenister
We Need to Talk About A.I.
We Need to Talk About A.I. discusses the rewards and risks of the advancement of this technology. Watch the world’s top experts debate about the promised exponential gains versus the perceived existential threats brought by artificial intelligence. Will super-intelligent robots pose danger to human beings in the near future, like what some Hollywood movies made many of us to believe?
Starring: Keir Dullea, James Cameron, Max Tegmark, Dr. Sam Harris
May 15
Capone
SCOOB!
Proximity
Samurai Marathon
The Traitor
Angelfish
May 8
Hope Gap
Blue Story
Greed
Arkansas
The Legion
Saint Frances
Walkaway Joe
Valley Girl
How to Build a Girl
Rewind
A Good Woman Is Hard to Find
Intrigo Trilogy
Intrigo: Death of an Author
Intrigo: Samaria
Intrigo: Dear Agnes
Cry Havoc
The Lodge
Working Man
Bluebird
Beanpole
May 1
The Wretched
Disturbing the Peace
The Assistant
Bull
April 24
The Photograph
Robert the Bruce
To The Stars
True History of the Kelly Gang
1BR
April 21
The Turning
April 17
Wendy
Abe
Endings, Beginnings
Bad Therapy
The Quarry
April 14
Underwater
Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island
The Rhythm Section
April 10
Trolls World Tour
Sea Fever
The Roads Not Taken
We Summon the Darkness
April 3
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
A Simple Wedding
March 27
Vivarium
I Still Believe
March 20 (and earlier)
The Hunt
The Invisible Man
Emma.
Onward
Bloodshot
Guns Akimbo
Ordinary Love
Rogue Warfare (2): The Hunt
Like a Boss
Ip Man 4: The Finale
Gretel & Hansel
Brahms: The Boy II
Rambo: Last Blood
IT Chapter Two
The Lighthouse
The Wave
Impractical Jokers: The Movie
Bad Boys for Life
Sonic The Hedgehog
Birds Of Prey And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
The Way Back
The Gentlemen
Dolittle
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Clemency
Just Mercy
1917
Cats
Jumanji: The Next Level
Hooking Up
Uncut Gems
Bombshell
Richard Jewell
The Grudge
Spies in Disguise
Little Women
Black Christmas
Playmobil: The Movie
Frozen II
Ride Like a Girl
Ford v Ferrari
Parasite
Knives Out
A Hidden Life
Charlie’s Angels
Queen & Slim
Dark Waters
Jojo Rabbit
Holly Slept Over
21 Bridges
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Playing With Fire
Terminator: Dark Fate
The Night Clerk
Midway
Doctor Sleep
Buffaloed
The Good Liar
Arctic Dogs
Upcoming
Here are some of the movies that are scheduled to come out soon. Links are added when possible, but many services won’t have pages for these services until they go live.
Up From The Streets – New Orleans: The City of Music
- Streaming: Scheduled for May 15, but late to the services we’re watching
- Ratings: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
- Amazon | Microsoft | Google Play | YouTube
Artemis Fowl
Think Like a Dog
Return to Hardwick
The King of Staten Island
- Streaming: June 12
- Ratings: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
- Amazon | Microsoft | Google Play | YouTube
Greyhound
Infamous
- Streaming: June 12
- Ratings: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
- Amazon | Microsoft | Google Play | YouTube
Burden
For as long as theaters remain closed, movie studios will continue to release more home premieres. We’ll keep this list updated frequently, so keep coming back to see what’s new.
Image credit: Mc Jefferson Agloro
