Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
For all the news about Scarlett Johansson and Disney’s souring relationship over her Black Widow compensation, one thing is certain: The film is still a lot of fun and we’re lucky to have one last moment with Scarlett as Black Widow and the introduction of both Florence Pugh and David Harbour into the MCU. The film is now available in wide release on VOD and if you haven’t seen it yet on Disney+, you can now pop over to iTunes to get that Romanoff backstory. Joe Bell, which was released in theaters in July, is also available on VOD this weekend. The Mark Wahlberg film tells the story of a father who walks across America to spread awareness and fight bullying after his son Jadin commits suicide. This week’s new movies on VOD run the gamut from fierce and fun to gut-wrenching to innovative.
The film Profile is one such innovative films. Profile is on our watch list this weekend for two reasons, the first being that the movie was filmed in the format known as screenlife, which is made to look as though we’re watching it via the characters’ computer screens and social media profiles. The second reason is that one of the stars is Shazad Latif, who we first noticed when he played Clem Fandango on Matt Berry’s Toast of London (“Hello Steven, this is Clem Fandango, can you hear me?”) and fans of Latif’s hilarious hipster sound booth engineer will be in for a total 180 here playing a member of ISIS who lures Western women to Syria. In the film, actress Valene Kane plays Amy, a journalist who poses as a Muslim woman online in order to bait ISIS recruiters and, as mentioned, the entirety of the film is told through their social media interactions spliced with documentary footage. The way the film is made might be more intriguing than the film itself, but it will also be incentive for anyone watching to clean up their desktop.
These are just a few of the titles that are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, YouTube, and through your cable service this week. Check out what movies are available to buy or rent on demand now!
Black Widow
Canonically, Black Widow takes place immediately following Captain America: Civil War. Natasha Romanoff has been forced to live a secret existence and distancing herself from the rest of the Avengers, hiding out in a secret RV furnished by her friend Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle). Thanks to a flashback sequence that takes place in 1995, we learn that Natasha and her younger sister Yelena (Florence Pugh) were being raised in Ohio by David Harbour and Rachel Weisz who had to flee their home. We learn that this “family” was actually just a supergroup: a super soldier, a scientist, and two young spies in training. Not only do we come to understand the circumstances in which Natasha was trained to be a Black Widow, but we learn who is behind the Black Widow program. Natasha, reunited with Yelena after being estranged for years, team up to take down the man behind the Red Room where all the Widows get trained, and the end result is an emotional roller coaster of action and family drama and plenty of black (widow) humor. Give Scarlett her money, Disney, she deserves it.
Joe Bell
Joe Bell is a real man, played by Mark Wahlberg, who made it his mission to walk from Oregon to New York City in 2013 after the suicide of his gay son, Jadin. While Joe’s love for Jadin is unquestionable and the mission he undertakes is admirable, the story is an emotional roller coaster, and heartbreaking for reasons beyond Jadin’s death. We won’t spoil it, but even more tragedy unfolds after Bell starts his walk. The role is uncharacteristic for Wahlberg, and while the film is named for his character, it’s a moving tribute to his son more than anything.
To Buy:
To Rent:
Profile
Joe Bell
Queen Bees
Dreambuilders
Night Drive
Finding You
Naked Singularity
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.
