clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Scare Me, Eternal Beauty, and everything else you can now watch at home

On Netflix, the stupendous Dick Johnson Is Dead makes its debut

If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Dick Johnson lying on the sidewalk surrounded by shattered air-conditioner parts in Dick Johnson is Dead
Dick Johnson playing dead in Dick Johnson is Dead
Photo: Netflix

In some of the most startling cultural news of the week, Amazon announced that Sacha Baron Cohen will return as fictional Kazakh journalist Borat in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The film, which was shot during the pandemic, will hit Amazon on Oct. 23.

On the casting side of the news, Jamie Foxx is apparently set to reprise his role as Electro in the next Spider-Man movie. Foxx first played Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which starred Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Does the fact that Foxx will be battling a new Spider-Man mean there are some multiverse shenanigans going on, or just that Foxx makes a really great Electro?

Marvel has also announced that Iman Vellani is set to play Kamala Khan, or Ms. Marvel, in its upcoming Ms. Marvel TV series. While we wait to see Vellani make her debut, here are the new movies available to watch at home this weekend.

Scare Me

Where to watch it: Streaming on Shudder

aya cash and josh ruben in scare me Photo: Shudder

Scare Me stars Josh Ruben (who also wrote and directed the film) as an aspiring horror writer who ends up cooped up in a cabin with Fanny (Aya Cash), an acclaimed horror novelist. They decide to tell scary stories to pass the time, though the gap in success between the two of them becomes a sticking point as the hours go by. Chris Redd co-stars as a pizza deliveryman and horror fan who sticks around as a third wheel. From our review:

The budget constraints and the indie-movie feeling of some raw talents pushing for professionalism are nakedly obvious. While the film isn’t as grim as the Duplass brothers’ Baghead (also about aspiring actors trying to write a horror screenplay in an isolated cabin), or as manic and silly as Brett Simmons’ You Might Be the Killer (an indie that heads even further toward camp), it shares their amateurish rough edges. But Ruben does take advantage of his cast’s extreme expressiveness, as they contort their faces, bodies, and voices to take on increasingly creepy roles. Whenever they’re fully in the moment and into the stories they’re crafting, it’s easy to get swept up in the ride, if not the scares.

Eternal Beauty

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $6.99 on Amazon, Google Play and Apple

sally hawkins and david thewlis in eternal beauty Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Sally Hawkins stars in Eternal Beauty as Jane, a woman who struggles with mental illness exacerbated by a past tragedy. From our review:

Eternal Beauty’s success ultimately comes down to the strength of the film’s cast. Hawkins is masterly, as always, in a role that demands she calibrate her energy differently in almost every scene. When she suffers a particularly bad emotional blow and collapses to the floor, clutching her chest and repeatedly wailing, “Ow,” the idea that emotional pain could be so physically felt goes without question. And Morfydd Clark, as Hawkins’ younger self, doesn’t bear much physical resemblance to Hawkins, but nails her tremulous energy. Penelope Wilton, Billie Piper, and Alice Lowe play off of that fragility skillfully, building out a coherent family unit.

12 Hour Shift

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $4.99 on Amazon, $6.99 on Google Play and Apple

angela bettis in 12 hour shift Photo: Magnet Releasing

A double shift goes from bad to worse in 12 Hour Shift, which stars Angela Bettis as Mandy, a nurse whose addiction to drugs and involvement in a black market organ-trading scheme derail a particularly bad night. When a kidney delivery goes missing, it’s up to Mandy to scramble to replace it, as well as deal with an injured convict (David Arquette) who gets brought into the mix.

A Call to Spy

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $5.99 on Amazon, $6.99 on Google Play and Apple

stana katic in a call to spy Photo: IFC Films

The historical drama A Call to Spy takes place at the beginning of World War II, and focuses on the recruitment of women to act as spies in Winston Churchill’s spy agency and undermine Nazi rule in France. Stana Katic stars as the agency’s “spymistress,” with Sarah Megan Thomas and Radhika Atpe as her new recruits.

Death of Me

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $5.99 on Amazon and Apple, $6.99 on Google Play

luke hemsworth and maggie q in death of me Photo: Saban Films

Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth star as Christine and Neil, a couple whose vacation takes a turn for the worse when they wake up one morning with no memory of what happened the night before. When they check Neil’s phone, they discover a video of Neil appearing to murder Christine. In the 24 hours that remain until the next ferry arrives, and with a typhoon threatening the island, they attempt to figure out what’s going on.

New on Netflix this weekend

  • Kirsten Johnson’s new documentary Dick Johnson Is Dead
  • The third season of Carmen Sandiego
  • The anime series Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma: The Second Plate
  • The new Netflix series Emily in Paris

And here’s what dropped last Friday:

Ava

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $6.99 on Amazon, Google Play and Apple

jessica chastain in ava Photo: Vertical Entertainment

In this new action-thriller, Jessica Chastain stars as Ava, an assassin employed by a black ops organization and specializing in taking down high-profile targets. After a job goes wrong, she and her mentor Duke (John Malkovich) try to figure out what happened. But unfortunate incidents keep on piling up, drawing Ava’s family into her orbit of violence. Colin Farrell co-stars as Simon, Duke’s boss, with Common as a figure from Ava’s past.

Misbehaviour

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $3.99 on Google Play, $4.99 on Amazon and Apple

keira knightley and gugu mbatha-raw in misbehaviour Photo: 20th Century Fox

In 1970, the Miss World beauty competition was the most-watched TV program in the world. The women’s liberation movement, arguing that the show objectified women, disrupted the broadcast, taking over the stage. Keira Knightley and Jessie Buckley star as members of the women’s liberation movement, with Greg Kinnear as the competition’s host, Bob Hope, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Jennifer Hosten, competing as Miss Grenada.

Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $5.99 on Amazon, $6,99 on Google Play and Apple

beautiful cakes on a table Photo: IFC Films

The documentary Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles follows the chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he assembles a team of the world’s best pastry chefs — including Dominique Ansel and Dinara Kasko — in order to put on a Versailles-themed culinary gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His mission to bring Versailles to life through cakes includes an edible garden and posh jello shots.

Rogue Warfare: Death of a Nation

Where to watch it: Rent on digital, $5.99 on Amazon, $6.99 on Google Play and Apple

a group of soldiers in rogue warfare: death of a nation Photo: Saban Films

The Rogue Warfare trilogy comes to a close with Death of a Nation, which sees both Stephen Lang and Will Yun Lee return as part of a team of soldiers who have been recruited from all over the world. This time, they have to stop a deadly bomb from going off, and only have 36 hours in which to do it.

The next level of puzzles.

Take a break from your day by playing a puzzle or two! We’ve got SpellTower, Typeshift, crosswords, and more.