See Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme' in theaters, rent 'The Prosecutor,' stream 'Captain America: Brave New World,' plus more movies to watch this weekend
This week, there are two great options in limited release theatrically, The Phoenician Scheme and Tornado. There's also a super-fun rental in The Prosecutor, a moving one-man show on Apple TV+ Bono: Stories of Surrender and the box-office smash Captain America: Brave New World makes its way to Disney+. That's not all — there's something for everyone so keep reading for the full weekly what to watch guide.
What to watch in theaters
Movies newly available to rent or buy
Movies debuting on streaming services you may already have
Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have
My recommendation:
Why you should watch it: Wes Anderson and his trademark aesthetic are back just two years after the profoundly moving and deeply personal Asteroid City. This time, the writer/director is delivering perhaps the silliest movie he has ever made, or at least the goofiest one in a long while, and I mean that as a compliment. In fact, the movie is as sincere and emotional as anything he's ever made!
Benicio Del Toro is sublime as 'Zsa-Zsa' Korda, an industrialist and arms dealer who, after surviving his sixth assassination attempt, finally realizes he needs to appoint an heir to his fortune. He has nine sons he doesn't pay attention to, but he also has an estranged child (played by Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton in a wonderfully deadpan performance) and decides that she's the one to take on his business dealings, which amount to the very specific and titular scheme.
This has to be the first Anderson movie to feature a fighter jet sequence and it's every bit as delightful as that sounds. The joys here, and some of the film's biggest laughs, come from not only the eccentric characters and beautiful compositions we've come to expect from Anderson, but also from the surprising things you don't expect to see in a movie like this. I didn't know I needed to see a man violently (and bloodily!) explode in Wes Anderson's signature style, but I absolutely did, and I likely haven't laughed harder at anything this year.
The cast features a ton of A-listers and Anderson regulars like Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch, with the standout supporting player Michael Cera, who fits perfectly into Anderson's overall aesthetic. Fans are in for a hilarious treat!
🍿 What critics are saying: They're mostly on board here, with Rolling Stone's David Fear calling it one of his best films and William Bibbiani at the Wrap praising its leading man, saying "Del Toro hasn't had a role this juicy in ages, and he's captivating at all times." The BBC's Nicholas Barber, however, says "it feels as if Anderson and his team were enjoying it more than audiences ever will."
👀 How to watch: The Phoenician Scheme is currently playing in limited release and expands wide next week.
Get tickets
➕ Bonus recommendation:
Why you should watch it: Tornado is just your average Scottish samurai-western ... wait, what?!
Clearly inspired by Japanese cinema (with a side of Quentin Tarantino), Scottish filmmaker John Maclean returns with Tornado, a decade after his 2015 indie debut, Slow West, with Michael Fassbender.
Actress Kōki stars as Tornado, a Japanese puppeteer's daughter who gets caught up with criminals when their traveling circus show crosses paths with an infamous gang of criminals, led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden).
It's as riveting as it is efficient, running a brisk 85-minutes and wastes no time setting up the stakes. The story is familiar but imbued with enough specific quirks and eye-catching style that it feels entirely unique.
🍿 What critics are saying: Critics largely agree that it's worth a look. IndieWire's Josh Slater-Williams dug it and praised the performance of Takehiro Hira, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on Shōgun while Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian praised the distinctive "film-making language." On the other side of things, David Jenkins at Little White Lies says that ultimately "we're left with a film which leaves only a superficial impression and little sense of purpose."
👀 How to watch: Tornado is now playing in limited release theatrically.
Get tickets
🤔 If those aren't for you...
: A legacy sequel that's basically just another remake as the plot is the exact same one we've seen twice now, in the original 1984 and the 2010 flick, not to mention the other sequels and the massively popular Netflix spinoff series Cobra Kai. It attempts to unite the two main entries in a very perfunctory way and the movie is so briskly-paced that there's no real time spent setting up stakes, yet somehow it still finds time for strange subplots. It's a shame the movie is such a mess because the new karate kid Ben Wang is great and the fights themselves are entertaining, but the inclusion of both Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio feels forced. Kids, however, will likely be entertained, but nothing here touches the original, which is a classic for a reason. — Get tickets.
:The filmmakers behind A24's hit horror film Talk to Me are back with another unsettling genre flick about a foster mother with a terrifying secret. The Philippou brothers again prove their ability to craft genuinely shocking moments, but this is pretty familiar stuff. — Get tickets.
: A gripping ripped-from-the-headlines spy drama about a Syrian refugee pursuing the regime's fugitive leaders. It's quite good! — Get tickets.
My recommendation:
Why you should watch it: Hong Kong action star and martial arts legend Donnie Yen stars in this super-fun hybrid of an action movie and a courtroom thriller. Yes, Donnie Yen is a lawyer and yes, he kicks people's butts as well. He also directed the movie — a triple threat!
The inspired silliness here is pitched in exactly the right key, the fight scenes are impressively choreographed and shot innovatively and the wrongly-accused man plot goes down smooth. Imagine watching a serious, earnest courtroom drama like A Few Good Men, and then imagine if that movie stopped every other scene to feature an insane action sequence that was relevant to the plot. It's a riot and has plenty to say about what justice actually means.
🍿 What critics are saying: They dig it! Indiewire's David Ehrlich says its "perhaps best enjoyed as the meta story of an action star who refuses to be aged out of his metier" and Richard Kuipers at Variety similarly praised the "top notch" action prowess of its 61-year-old star.
👀 How to watch: The Prosecutor is now available to rent or buy on digital and on-demand.
Rent or buy
🤔 If that's not for you...
:Kerry Washington and Omar Sy star in this action flick from veteran of the genre Joe Carnahan. An estranged couple with a bounty on their heads must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them. — Rent or buy.
: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter star in this adaptation of the book of the same name. Muriel and her husband, Lee, begin a new life together after he returns home from the Korean War. Their newfound stability gets upended by the arrival of Lee's charismatic brother, a gambler with a secret past. It features great performances but is a little too restrained to have much impact. Rent or buy.
My recommendation:
Why you should watch it: As someone who knows very little about U2, I wasn't looking forward to this self-indulgent-sounding one-man show from Bono, the band's frontman, but I walked away from it impressed by the filmmaking, the music and by Bono's skills as an orator and his vulnerability.
Andrew Dominik's film is a movie version of Bono's Stories of Surrender, a filmed version of shows that took place at the Beacon Theater in New York City. It's a very striking-looking production, making a meal out of what could have easily been a lazy "point the camera at the stage and shoot" job,and I found myself moved by Bono's stories about his lack of a meaningful relationship with his father as well as tales of the band and their years of activism. And the songs sound great!
As a firm non-U2 fan I enjoyed this, but I feel safer saying that fans of the man and the band will love this, and more casual observers will likely get something out of it.
🍿 What critics are saying: Reviews skew positive with the Wrap's Steve Pond calling it it "bombastic" and "extravagant" in a good way and the Hollywood Reporter praising its "arresting cinematic quality."
👀 How to watch: Bono: Stories of Surrender is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Stream 'Bono: Stories of Surrender'
🤔 If that's not for you...
: What if the hit HBO show Succession was a feature-length broad comedy that allowed no time for any real character development and instead stuck with archetypes about billionaires ruining the world via AI? It would be pretty annoying it turns out! I found this to be insufferable, but you may not; it's a new original movie from Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession. Starts streaming Saturday night on HBO Max.
: A Korean animated movie set in the year 2050 in Seoul, following an astronaut with dreams of exploring Mars who must leave the love of his life when chosen for an expedition. Now streaming on Netflix.
My not-quite-a-recommendation:
Why you should maybe still watch it: Marvel's latest Captain America was the highest-grossing movie of 2025 until A Minecraft Movie dethroned it faster than you can say 'chicken jockey' and then Sinners' success pushed it to number three.
In the film, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, sporting the superhero's suit and shield) finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Ford turning into Red Hulk was the centerpiece of the film's marketing campaign, which is a real shame considering the movie treats it as a late reveal and most of the audience is likely already aware that's what's happening. That means that for most of the movie, it's just Ford taking pills to stop from Hulking out, which isn't very exciting to watch.
It's also a bizarre artifact in terms of how it fits into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe — not only is it a stealth sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk, but it also requires you to have watched the Disney+ series The Falcon & Winter Soldier to fully grasp who some of the key characters are.
The final product is poorly assembled and visually muddled, but fans of the MCU who missed it in theaters and want to stay up-to-date ahead of Thunderbolts* now have their chance to see it "for free."
🍿 What critics are saying: Reviews were not kind, with Mashable's Kristy Puchko labeling it a "wasted opportunity" and Wendy Ide at the Guardian dubbing it "a humorless drag of a picture." Even a somewhat positive review from USA Today's Brian Truitt includes this reprimand: "Captain America deserves better."
👀 How to watch: Captain America: Brave New World is now streaming on Disney+.
Stream 'Brave New World'
🤔 If that's not for you...
:Based on the beloved series of kids books from the author of Captain Underpants, it's about a police officer and his dog becoming a hybrid dog man after an accident, which sounds like R-rated body horror flick but is actually cute and made for children. Now streaming on Peacock.
That's all for this week — we'll see you next Friday at the movies!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Why Prince William and Kate Skipped the Royal Family's VJ Day Service
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The British royal family is honoring an important occasion: the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which marked the end of WWII in Japan and the Pacific. King Charles III and Queen Camilla, together with other royals and leaders, attended the national Service of Remembrance, hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the government, this morning. The event took place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, and honored the British and Commonwealth troops who fought in the war. For the occasion, Charles wore his military uniform, while Camilla wore an all-white ensemble composed of a midi dress with a pleated skirt, a wide-brim hat, and low heels with black colorblock tips. She accessorized with dangly pearl earrings and a British Light Infantry bugle horn brooch covered in a diamonds—nodding to the brave British soldiers. Prince William and Princess Catherine were not present at the Victory over Japan Day, or VJ Day, service, as they are on their summer break with their children. The Waleses did, however, share a message on X to commemorate the day. 'Today, on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, we remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of all who served. Today we especially think of those British and Commonwealth troops who fought in the Asia-Pacific,' they wrote. 'We owe an enduring debt to the generation who gave so much, and to whom we will always be grateful. Lest we forget. W&C.' In May, the royals, including William, Kate, and their kids—Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7—commemorated the end of the war in Europe (named Victory in Europe Day) at a parade held outside of Buckingham Palace. Kate wore a striking magenta coatdress and matching fascinator, while husband William wore his military uniform, and their three children coordinated in navy outfits. Then, for the thanksgiving service, Kate slipped into a breezy white dress with black polka dots all over, which she styled with a black fascinator and tan accessories. You Might Also Like 4 Investment-Worthy Skincare Finds From Sephora The 17 Best Retinol Creams Worth Adding to Your Skin Care Routine Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Disney can't get ‘Hercules' right — musical doesn't go the distance again in London
Theater review HERCULES Two hours and 20 minutes at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, England. LONDON — Disney has been hammering away at 'Hercules' for eons. And more often than not, the show has toppled over like the Colossus of Rhodes. The Public put on a nice enough production of the 1997 Alan Menken and David Zippel cartoon musical back in 2019 in Central Park, but it was a one-off amusement that included hundreds of members of local community groups. Still, I saw promise in it. Then, two years ago, a more traditional staging at Paper Mill Playhouse left critics and ticket-buyers positively frozen. And now Herc's flexing and flailing once more in London at the Theatre Royal Mickey Lane. Well, technically it's the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, but the House of Mouse has annexed the West End venue of late. 4 Luke Brady plays the zero to hero, Hercules. Matt Crockett The show, directed by Schtick King Casey Nicholaw, is rougher than ever. Frustratingly so, because the material is just as strong as that of 'Newsies,' which turned into a scrappy hit for Disney at the Nederlander. There are better songs here than 'Tarzan' and, yes, 'Frozen.' But as sassy Meg sings in 'Hercules,' if there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess Diz already won that. There are so many built-in virtues from the movie that needed only to be encouraged. Our hero is a young man with a secret divine past, struggling with identity and purpose. Easily gripping, you'd think. He's in a will-they-won't-they love story with Meg, a refreshingly forward double-crossing associate of the villain. That baddie, Hades, is evil incarnate. And it's all set to a score that blends a 'Little Shop of Horrors'-style gospel choir with optimistic ballads. 4 The Muses tell the story of 'Hercules' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. Johan Persson That's a should-be winning combo. Plus, there is an obvious theatricality to ancient Greece that makes perfect sense onstage. Too bad everything good has been shoved aside in favor of pricey spectacle, a dungheap of schlocky humor and — plus ça change! — terribly weak new music and book additions to pad out the runtime. The biggest offender, though, is the title character. Hercules doesn't really come of age in the musical. He pops out, amoeba-like, from Barry's Bootcamp. The statue is never a 'zero.' Luke Brady, the actor playing him, is clearly an adult. He's muscular, clothed in athleisure and mesh tank tops (every one of the costumes is an eyesore), and the script goes too far in making him a hunky moron. It's hard to give a fig about his ambivalent quest. Brady's big number 'Go The Distance' has always been the highlight. Here, it barely flickers. Herc trains with Phil (Trevor Dion Nicholas), a retired Mr. Miyagi for heroes. Phil's a loudmouth schlub who wears a tracksuit and would be the comic relief were every character not jockeying for the same position. Their mentor-mentee relationship is an afterthought. So is the gym rat's connection to Meg (Rhianne Alleyne on the night I saw it). There is no spark, no flirty giggles, no care. 4 The love story between Hercules and Meg is meh. Matt Crockett Hades (Stephen Carlile), with slick-backed white hair and punchline-packed dialogue, becomes a goofy side act in a kiddie show, much like what Nicholaw did to Jafar in 'Aladdin' on Broadway. They go way over the top here. These villains must be fun, but not so full of helium and confetti that they lose all weight and threat. Hercules is batting a comedian's warm-up act? And then there are the Muses — the big-voiced women who belt out all the details of the tale. Fantastic tunes, 'The Gospel Truth' and 'Zero to Hero.' The actresses sound fabulous wailing them, but I couldn't make out most of the words. Their words, of course, being the plot. The set is humongous, like something out of a David Lean film, though occasionally tacky. A maxi-golf course. Sturdy pillars slide and rotate (what's with the theater's obsession with spinning things around and around?), and there is a lot of reliance on somewhat clever mosaic projections to move things along. 4 'Hercules' is not of a high enough quality for Broadway. Johan Persson It would not be Disney if there weren't any puppets. Several actors hold the heads of the hydra that Herc does battle with. There is a dinosaur-ish creature that could be shipped off to a theme park tomorrow, and a huge Hades for the climax. They're totally artless. Julie Taymor of 'The Lion King' would sleep soundly if she saw them. The West End, I imagine, is the end of the road for 'Hercules' as far as Broadway goes. The quality is much too low for New York, and the required changes are too daunting. The major one being: Make non-existent characters exist. 'Hercules' might go the distance — to cruise ships.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
It's 2025—Of Course Pamela Anderson Sells Pickles (& Of Course They're Pink)
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here. You can learn more about that process here. Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Read the original article on Purewow. If you're on the internet at all, odds are you've heard Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson are dating. Although there's much to discuss about The Naked Gun couple, as a food editor, I'm more excited about *this* news: Pamela Anderson just launched her own pickles, and they're finally available for purchase. As a Food Editor and Music Nerd, I Have *Thoughts* on Ina Garten's Spotify Playlists Flamingo Estate The 58-year-old actress developed them in collaboration with Flamingo Estate, a lifestyle and wellness brand in LA. They took nearly six months to perfect, and honestly, I'm chomping at the bit to try them. The base recipe was passed down to Anderson by her great-aunt Vie. The pickles, which are thick, crunchy cucumber spears, are packed with rose, dill, mustard and garlic for an aromatic, herbaceous and unexpected spin on everyone's favorite burger accompaniment. Think: the tangy, sour complexity you crave meets flowery delicacy. Anderson is famously vegan—and hot—like her pickles. So, it's no surprise that 100 percent of the proceeds from Pamela's Pickles go to the California Wildlife Center, a nonprofit that's rescued, rehabbed and released thousands of wild animals native to the California Coast for almost three decades. Flamingo Estate 'The hearts and brains behind Flamingo Estate are truly inspiring,' Anderson said in a press release. 'What a delicious to meet at their glorious home was a kindred becoming. The care that goes into these grounds and into sincere collaborations is authentic. Brandon, Dylan (her sons) and I are so proud to share our mutual love of condiments (especially pickles) with you. And to give the proceeds to California Wildlife Center, with so much need, is a prophetic call back to many Malibu lemonade stands and hours of volunteering. A heartfelt thank you to Richard (Flamingo Estate founder) and Harvey (his partner) for their love, genius and wildly good taste.' This release couldn't be better timed, between her aforementioned performance in The Naked Gun and the resurgence of pickle culture both online and IRL. With the crunchy snack in the middle of a renaissance, pickle fans are their pickliest selves as of late (see Selena Gomez's birthday cake, crowned with pickle-shaped candles, or Sonic's limited-time pickle menu), and Anderson is no exception. Personally, I can't wait to add these to my ever-growing collection. $38 at Flamingo Estate Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta Recipe Is Wildly Popular—but How Does It Taste? Here's a Food Editor's Review
