Baby Yoda won an Emmy! Or rather, The Mandalorian won a handful of Creative Arts Emmys, including an award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. To build up even more Baby Yoda hype, the trailer for the second season of the show has been released, giving eager viewers a look at new characters in a seemingly more intense story.
In other news, there’s a small shift happening on the streaming front. CBS All Access is going to be rebranded as Paramount Plus next year, as ViacomCBS tries to expand and generally raise its profile. It joins Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus in using “Plus” to denote its status as a new streaming service. DC Universe will also be rebranding next year, this time as DC Universe Infinite, and adding a bunch of DC comics to its offerings.
Speaking of Disney Plus, Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany has been cast as She-Hulk for Disney Plus’ upcoming series. While we wait for the She-Hulk series to land, here are the new movies you can watch at home this week.
Antebellum
Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $19.99 on Amazon, Google Play and Apple
Antebellum stars Janelle Monáe as a successful modern Black author who becomes caught up in a horrifying scheme that seems to bend the rules of time. It looks like horror or science fiction, but it’s something more tedious: a gory film about the horrors of American slavery. From our review:
In Antebellum, Bush and Renz desperately prod around in the dark, trying to discover the gravity of prestige slave movies like 12 Years a Slave. Slaves whistle “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in the cotton fields; one Confederate soldier calls another “snowflake”; grey-coats chant the Nazi refrain “blood and soil”; a statue of Robert E. Lee materializes on a foggy battlefield. The directors evoke these images as symbols, but don’t have the next-level horror-film ability to match symbolism with meaning. The narrative’s metaphorical thud resounds as loudly as the rolling sea.
No Escape
Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $6.99 on Amazon, Google Play and Apple
Keegan Allen stars as Cole, a social-media personality who travels to Moscow with his friends in a bid to generate even more content. But as the line between reality and content begins to blur, the trip takes a deadly turn. Teen Wolf’s Holland Roden co-stars as Cole’s girlfriend Erin.
Blackbird
Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $6.99 on Amazon and Apple
Susan Sarandon stars in Blackbird as Lily, with Sam Neill as her husband Paul. Lily has been battling ALS, and has decided to end her life on her own terms. As a final farewell, she assembles her whole family for a last weekend together. The reunion becomes difficult as unresolved issues start to surface. Kate Winslet, Rainn Wilson, and Mia Wasikowska co-star.
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Where to watch it: Streaming on Amazon
All In: The Fight for Democracy, directed by Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?) and Lisa Cortés, focuses on the issue of voter suppression in anticipation of the upcoming election. Former Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader Stacey Abrams serves as the documentary’s central figure, addressing both historical and current issues with laws about voting.
New on Netflix this weekend
- Antonio Campos’ new thriller The Devil All the Time
- The comedy special Michael McIntyre: Showman
- Volume two of Taco Chronicles
- The documentary Challenger: The Final Flight
And here’s what dropped last Friday:
Rent-A-Pal
Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $5.99 on Amazon, $6.99 on Apple
The new thriller Rent-A-Pal stars Brian Landis Folkins as David, a man who, while trying to find love through a video dating service, comes across a mysterious VHS tape labeled “Rent-A-Pal.” The video features the charming Andy (Wil Wheaton), who, as the video’s name suggests, offers to be David’s friend. But Andy’s companionship doesn’t come for free.
Unpregnant
Where to watch it: Streaming on HBO Max
When Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) discovers she’s pregnant, she enlists the help of her former best friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) to drive to Albuquerque to get an abortion, as she can’t get one in her home state of Missouri without her parents’ permission. The trip tests the two young women’s relationship, but also begins to mend the broken bond between them.
The Owners
Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $6.99 on Amazon, Google Play and Apple
At first, the group of youngsters led by Mary (Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams) think they’ve found the perfect house to rob. The house is empty, and there’s a safe full of cash inside. However, the elderly couple who live in the house (Sylvester McCoy and Rita Tushingham) return home early, and the would-be robbery turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
I Am Woman
Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $6.99 on Amazon, Google Play and Apple
Tilda Cobham-Hervey stars in this biopic of Australian singer Helen Reddy. The film follows her involvement with the 1970s feminist movement and her rise to fame, with eight number-one singles and a TV show. Evan Peters co-stars as Jeff Wald, her husband and manager, alongside Danielle Macdonald as Lilian Roxon, the author of Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia.