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
Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers! I'm Brett Arnold, a longtime writer and editor at Yahoo and film critic at my 'Siskel & Ebert' tribute podcast, Roger & Me, and welcome to Trust Me, I Watch Everything. I'm here to recommend what you should see in movie theaters, rent from the comfort of your couch or queue up from a streaming service you may already subscribe to. I watch it all so you don't have to.
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
'It's sacred': The secret friend-making power of the women's bathroom
Women spill the tea, hype each other up and find refuge in the privacy of public bathrooms. What makes them so special? Lexi Duncan and her best friend, Ashley Lawson, live in different cities, so they don't get to see each other often. But on one of their rare nights together, in Fort Wayne, Ind., a few years ago, they both went to the women's bathroom. Duncan, 33, filmed as the two looked in the mirror "because we barely spend time together and she looked so cute that night,' Duncan tells Yahoo. They primped, they posed and then another girl burst into the bathroom, clearly distressed and asked, 'How do I get rid of a guy?' Duncan and Lawson didn't miss a beat. 'We just immediately were like, yes, absolutely,' says Duncan. She and Lawson introduced themselves, announced on the spot, 'we're your friends,' and asked the new girl questions to establish a credible back story. Because, of course. The two best friends took their new bathroom buddy back to their table and called her an Uber at the end of the night. 'Ashley and I kind of sacrificed our one night together, but we chatted, got to know her, it was a chill night,' says Duncan. The whole thing was caught on Duncan's phone camera. The video — captioned 'I love meeting girls in the bathroom lmao' — generated 1.6 million likes on TikTok and comments about the safe haven that is the women's restroom. The girls' bathroom trope is familiar to many women in real life, and it's reflected in pop culture too. A friendship (to say the least) is born between Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman's characters in that bathroom scene in the first episode of Netflix's The Hunting Wives. In an episode of The Office, the male employees venture into the women's room to discover it's replete with couches and candles — the kind of place you can bond. Tears have been shed, tea has been spilled and friendships have been formed in the women's bathroom. So what is it about this ubiquitous place that imbues it with a special friend-making power that frankly, just doesn't seem to be a thing at the men's urinals? The 'platonic intimacy of women' Amid the loneliness epidemic that seems to be hitting men especially hard, there's a lot of research and general conversation happening about what makes men's and women's friendships so different. A piece of that puzzle seems to be that 'women experience more platonic intimacy compared to men,' Danielle Bayard Jackson, author of Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships, tells Yahoo Life. Research suggests there's a higher expectation for intimacy in women's friendships, which comes in part from the central role that emotional connection, openness and even physical affection play in their relationships. For Duncan, the women's bathroom is a perfect setting for platonic intimacy. 'You go in there and refresh, and tell your friend, 'Girl, you need some gum,' and it's a place where you can have more intimate conversations, even more so than when you're sitting next to one another at the bar,' she says. As one viral video last year showed, men seem to be more comfortable with side-by-side interactions, while women tend to relate face to face. Women are 'socialized from a very young age to tell others how we feel, that it's safe to cry and, when we interact with one another, it's encouraged to listen and validate one another,' says Bayard Jackson. It's even part of how girls play when they're young: They play pretend facing one another, whereas young boys do activities next to one another, says Vivian Zayas, a Cornell University psychology professor. From a young age, "we're trained to nurture, so it's natural to experience more intimacy together," Bayard Jackson says of women. With the groundwork for intimacy laid, it can happen fast in that very intimate space: the bathroom. The three S's of female friendship (and bathrooms) While writing her book, Bayard Jackson pored over voluminous research on women's friendships. She's distilled much of that work into what she calls her 'framework of the three affinities of female friendship': symmetry, support and secrecy. They also exist in male friendships, but Bayard Jackson says that women prioritize them. And, yes, she sees evidence of all three in the women's bathroom. Symmetry is the sense of sameness between women. 'What is the most humanizing factor? You gotta go to the restroom. It has this flattening effect; it doesn't matter what the other differences are, the unifier is being a woman.' Next up is support, the No. 1 element that women look for in same-sex friendships. Duncan and Lawson certainly gave it to the girl they saved from a bad date, and Duncan has received it, albeit in a lesser crisis: 'I have definitely been in the bathroom and other women have hyped me up when I'm insecure about my outfit,' she says. 'You have your own personal hype-woman when you go into the bathroom.' And in The Hunting Wives, Akerman's character asks for support (in the form of a pad) and Snow's gets some in return (a place to hide from the party). And finally, secrecy. It's not so much literal secrets (though the Hunting Wives have plenty of them) as 'the essence of it; we're in this sacred place of disclosure and sharing,' within a female friendship, says Bayard Jackson. But it's that essence that becomes literal in the bathroom, according to Duncan. 'It sounds a little goofy … but it's a sacred space: What happens in the girls' bathroom stays in the girls' bathroom,' says Duncan. It's that rare place that's both public and private, where we're alone, but together, in a vulnerable state. 'The bathroom is a physical representation, it's a vault of secrets and quick whispers, and the sharing of yourself is literally the glue of women's friendships,' says Bayard Jackson.
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Leonardo DiCaprio reveals passing on this role as his 'biggest regret'
Leonardo DiCaprio not only feels younger than his current age of 50, but he also pines for a role he passed on when he was younger: Dirk Diggler. The Oscar-winning actor told Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of the 1997 film "Boogie Nights," his "biggest regret" is not doing that film with Anderson. The actor had a good excuse in that he had already committed to the role of Jack Dawson in "Titanic," which became a blockbuster when it hit theaters the same year. DiCaprio does star in Anderson's newest film, "One Battle After Another," which hits theaters Sept. 26. A discussion between the two appears in the September issue of Esquire. What to watch: Over 30 years after its debut, this classic film is dominating streaming When Anderson, whose other films include "Licorice Pizza" and "Phantom Thread," asked DiCaprio if he had any career regrets, the actor said, according to the Esquire article, "I'll say it even though you're here: My biggest regret is not doing 'Boogie Nights.' It was a profound movie of my generation. I can't imagine anyone but Mark (Wahlberg) in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece. It's ironic that you're the person asking that question, but it's true." In the film, Wahlberg's role is that of Diggler, who becomes a porn star in the 1970s adult film industry. In a commentary track that appears on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases of the film, Anderson said he wanted Wahlberg or DiCaprio to play Diggler after seeing their performances in "The Basketball Diaries," notes movie blog Film School Rejects. Also in the Esquire interview, DiCaprio, who has been known to date much younger women, told Anderson he felt like he was 32 years old and "turned emotionally 35 last year." In the upcoming film, "One Battle After Another," DiCaprio plays a one-time revolutionary faced with rescuing his daughter, who has been captured by an alt-right group. Also appearing in the film are Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro. The film is his and Anderson's first together. "I've been wanting to work with you – Paul – for something like 20 years now, and I loved this idea of the washed-up revolutionary trying to erase his past and disappear and try and live some sort of normal life raising his daughter," DiCaprio told Anderson in their discussion. Discussing DiCaprio's role in the film, Anderson says, "He is a nice character, someone who starts out wanting to change the world on the far left but gets increasingly cranky and closed off as he gets older." Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
Yahoo
7 hours 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
