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Nostalgic
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Choked Up
Curious
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Weird
Weekend Watch is here for you. Every Friday we’re going to recommend the best of what’s new to rent on VOD or stream for free. It’s your weekend; allow us to make it better.
Best New Movie to Rent This Weekend
After writing all those Lethal Weapon movies, Shane Black has compiled quite the fascinating feature-film career as a director, with films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3. With The Nice Guys, he once again proves that he can do buddy comedy with the best of them, as he puts Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling together as two loser private eyes who team up to solve the disappearance of a young woman. That setup won’t be breaking any ground, but Black and his cast make up for a lot in the execution. Gosling is especially delightful, pulling off a couple physical bits that will have you giggling long after that scene has passed.
You can rent The Nice Guys on Amazon Video and iTunes.
Best Movie in Theaters That You Can Rent This Weekend
Morris From America was a bona fide hit at the Sundance Film Festival this year, gathering raves for writer/director Chad Hartigan, for Craig Robinson’s supporting performance, and especially for Markees Christmas in the title role, a 13-year-old kid living in Germany with his father. Robinson took home an award from Sundance for his performance, and Hartigan won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. It’s available on demand concurrent with its theatrical run, on the hopes that it will be able to reach a wider audience. Might this one pop back up during awards season? It’ll need a bunch of popular and critical support.
You can rent Morris From America on Amazon Video and iTunes.
Best Movie You Can Stream for Free This Weekend
The whole idea of a Point Break remake seems entirely vulgar, yes, and I’m not saying the 2015 version — starring Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, and a wildly sexy Edgar Ramirez — is perfect. A Kathryn Bigelow joint it’s not. But the cinematography is breathtaking, especially during the surfing and mountain-climbing stunts, and and the score (by Mad Max Fury Road composer Junkie XL) is pretty fantastic. And I wasn’t kidding about Ramirez. Every word and gesture is packed with appeal. It doesn’t hold together as a story or a film, but it has enough virtues to draw some curious eyeballs.
