Latest news with #BongJoonHo
CNET
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
How to Watch Bong Joon Ho's 'Mickey 17' at Home
A new Bong Joon Ho movie is streaming and that's a big deal. After all, he's the director of critically acclaimed flicks such as Memories of Murder, Snowpiercer and the Oscar best picture winner Parasite. In Bong's new dark comedy Mickey 17, which is now available on Max, Robert Pattinson's main character applies to be an "expendable." As the official trailer reveals, the unconventional occupation involves missions that often result in death, with Pattinson's body reprinted every time he croaks. The sci-fi -- Bong's eighth feature film -- also stars Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo. Mickey 17 is based on Edward Ashton's 2022 novel Mickey7. Other noteworthy Max premieres this month include The Brutalist (already streaming), season 3 of And Just Like That... (streaming May 29) and the new movie Mountainhead (streaming May 31). Max will soon take on the title HBO Max again, but for now, it's still using the one-word moniker. When to watch Mickey 17 on Max Mickey 17 hit Max on May 23 and is available to stream now. If you want a Max subscription, you can choose from a $10 per month Basic with Ads, $17 per month ad-free Standard or $21 per month ad-free Premium. Max also carries one of Bong's other movies, the 2006 monster flick The Host. You don't have to get Max to watch Mickey 17 at home -- your other option is to rent it at Amazon or Fandango at Home. That will cost you $6.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘There's no chance an American will laugh': Tim Key on his very British new film and the US Office sequel
No, Tim Key doesn't know why he's dressed as a pigeon either. In Mickey 17, triple-Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho's recent sci-fi blockbuster, the comedian plays a man desperate to join a mission to colonise the ice planet Niflheim. The next thing he knows, he's on the spaceship – inexplicably trussed up in a luxuriant pigeon suit and acting as the expedition leader's lackey. Can Key shed any light on this turn of events? 'No I can't,' he says, decisively. He enquired about his character's outfit during his first meeting with Bong. 'And he laughed and didn't answer.' On set, Key says he 'shuffled over in my costume' and asked again. 'And he laughed again.' At the premiere, the Parasite director gave Key 'a big hug, and then I said: 'Just going back to this pigeon thing … ' and he laughed again. I don't think I'm going to ask him any more.' Despite not being privy to even the most basic information about his character, Key certainly made Pigeon Man his own. It's difficult to describe his performance in the film, which stars Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo, as anything other than very Tim Key-y: it's the velocity of his sentences, the raising of the eyebrows, the combination of boyish eccentricity, melting desperation and a tendency, when pushed, towards bone-dry belligerence. This singular mode is the common denominator in the 48-year-old's sprawling CV: present in everything from his criminally underrated sketch show Cowards to his Edinburgh award-winning live act to his pitch-perfect stint as Alan Partridge's Sidekick Simon. There is something ineffable about Key's comedic presence – even a legend like Steve Coogan has admitted that upon meeting his future co-star he struggled to work out 'why what he was doing was funny'. While the Partridge gig did give Key a profile boost, this unpinpointable idiosyncrasy has kept him a cult figure, even within British comedy. Now, improbably, it looks as if it might make him a mainstream global star. It's not just decorated directors who have become enamoured of Key (Bong recently described a collection of his poetry – which renders the surreal, the extreme and the utterly mundane in pithy yet jarringly prosaic verse – as 'one of the most amazing things I've ever read'). America is cottoning on, too. The US's embrace of offbeat UK comedy talent has been gathering steam for a while (those in particularly high demand include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jamie Demetriou, Richard Gadd, Will Sharpe, Brett Goldstein and Richard Ayoade), but Key's inordinately wry stylings seemed particularly unlikely to translate. Apparently, not the case. Key spent last autumn in LA filming The Paper, the much-anticipated sequel to the US version of The Office, in which he has a major role. Soon after, his new film The Ballad of Wallis Island premiered at Sundance to a standing ovation ('One of the more overwhelming things that's happened to me') and has since been released across the Atlantic to glowing reviews. Based on Key and his Cowards colleague Tom Basden's 2007 Bafta-nominated short, the film sees reclusive lottery winner Charles (Key) pay his favourite musician, indie-folk has-been Herb McGwyer (Basden, who also wrote all the film's legitimately beautiful songs), to play a gig on a tiny Welsh island. Unbeknown to McGwyer, Charles has also invited his ex-collaborator and old flame Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) in an attempt to get the band back together. Key admits it's a 'quirk' that this deeply British film was released in the US first, but is 'surprised and delighted' at its reception. So am I, considering it shouts out Monster Munch, Mick Hucknall and BBC 6 Music presenter Gideon Coe. Key is still unsure how many of the jokes will land, 'because there's no chance an American would laugh at any of those things'. Ultimately, though, the film's quintessential Britishness – it also features Olympic levels of emotional constipation – 'felt like a positive rather than a negative'. With that thought, he begins to doubt himself. 'Maybe we've accidentally made a film that only works in America.' Time will soon tell. Key is now back on home turf, his local coffee shop in Kentish Town, north London, ahead of the film's imminent UK release. It's a scorching May day and he is dressed for it: T-shirt, shorts, bright stripy socks, colourful trainers. Softly spoken and given to sudden, bashful smiles, he is feeling 'self-conscious' about chatting in the silence of the cafe's informal co-working space, where he sometimes writes himself. On stage, Key's alter ego is petulant, commanding and bemusingly elliptical. In real life, only the latter remains. Last night, he tells me, he went to see the hit Gareth Southgate play Dear England, which he describes as 'absolutely fine' and 'not a problem' – a verdict that could be glowing, neutral or damning, I honestly have no idea. Generally, though, Key plays it straight. He certainly doesn't have the same compulsion to crack jokes as his character Charles, who seems powerless to stop the stream of dubious puns and inane chatter that spools out of him as he tries to smooth things over between Herb and Nell. Yet, alongside this general buffoonery, Key manages to convey Charles's gradually revealed grief with the utmost subtlety and poignancy, in what I tell him is quite an incredible dramatic performance. 'Oh wow,' he whispers, drowning the compliment in absurdly intense embarrassment. Seriously, though, he does 'think there's less difference between comedy acting and [dramatic] acting than you'd think. It's all about finding the truth.' Having spouted such a luvvie cliche, he puts his head in his hands. 'Oh my God.' Key began his comedy acting career on a strange but indisputably triumphant note. After graduating from the University of Sheffield, he moved back to his home city of Cambridge and successfully auditioned for the Footlights comedy troupe – without mentioning his lack of student status. His peers – including Mark Watson, Peep Show's Sophie Winkleman and his future Cowards comrades – did eventually find out, but by that point he was indispensable; they ensured he was still able to perform in their 2001 Edinburgh fringe production, which was nominated for the festival's newcomer award. In the intervening years, Key has worked steadily: there have been Radio 4 shows, the sketch series, a sitcom (2022's The Witchfinder), a double act called Freeze with Basden, various Partridge iterations and myriad TV appearances. But his success has never felt like 'a runaway thing' – at no point has he been 'swept away' by a powerful industry tide and found himself 'in a long-running sitcom or playing Lewis or something'. This means, at the end of every onscreen project, he still goes back to his solo work: the poetry books, the live shows. There are upsides and downsides. 'You never feel like you've lost your way creatively; you might have lost your way financially …' A case in point: Key has spent recent months finishing his new book, LA Baby, a semi-fictionalised, poetry-peppered account of his time spent filming The Paperin Hollywood last year. He looks panicked when I bring up the show – a mockumentary set at a failing Midwestern newspaper – and insists The Paper itself is 'not relevant' to the book. So let's just say LA Baby is a hilarious and often dreamlike chronicle of Key's mounting insecurities about his inability to fit into his costume, do an American accent and generally act on an unnamed big-budget TV series. Last September, Key arrived in LA for the first time, feeling 'petrified', stressed by the city's ongoing heatwave and failure to cater for pedestrians ('I love walking around'). Living alone, he initially had no social circle and was only required on set half the week. The writing started as a 'very enjoyable form of therapy' in the face of loneliness, clammy discombobulation and homesickness (the last one manifests in the book in imagined sightings of BBC news presenter Nicholas Witchell and an extended fantasy about an Only Fools and Horses cuckoo clock). It was a period that echoed his experience of the pandemic, when he started writing 'to stay afloat' during months by himself in his north London flat: his anthology He Used Thought As a Wife covers Key's time chugging beer, craving hugs and losing touch with reality during the first lockdown, interspersed with grotesque vignettes sending up governmental incompetence. Mercifully, his isolation in LA was far more short-lived: by the end of the three-month stint, he was filming more frequently, had befriended his castmates and connected with one or two English expat comedians he knew from back home 'who generously introduced me to their circle of friends. By the end of it, I had quite a nice little group.' In The Ballad of Wallis Island, Key embodies another cartoonishly lonely character: Charles's heartbreakingly solitary existence is best summed up in the image of him aggressively playing a solo game of swingball. Does Key consider isolation a recurring theme in his work? He seems doubtful. 'I hadn't noticed that. I don't know. I don't think those two things are linked. Maybe they are.' Does he find loneliness a creatively fertile state? 'Dunno. Maybe. I think that's more for you to say.' He doesn't seem overly keen on analysing the prospect (or perhaps he's just not a fan of introspecting in the company of journalists, which would be fair enough), yet it's clear he does funnel his psyche into his work: he would be 'interested' he says, to to re-read He Used Thought As a Wife, which he wrote during lockdown, 'because I probably was going out of my mind, and it would be interesting to go back into it'. Charles, on the other hand, isn't especially autobiographical. For a start, he's an obsessive fan – a compulsion Key doesn't share: he never had any comedy heroes, let alone musical ones. That said, in a different life he can imagine himself 'on the outskirts of comedy trying to make friends with [Taskmaster co-host] Alex Horne'. Also, he did get starstruck bumping into ex-England cricket captain Mike Atherton. 'So I've definitely got it in me to fanboy.' Another person Key seems slightly starstruck by is his co-star Mulligan. He and Basden co-wrote the film during lockdown, and the Oscar nominee topped the list of dream Nells. Key happened to have her personal email address; a few years prior she'd asked him to host a fundraiser she was organising. He'd actually declined – MCing a big event being something he'd 'find really, really hard to do'. Still, he took a punt. Mulligan was unexpectedly keen; it turned out she was a longtime admirer of Key and Basden's work – specifically, the pair's Radio 4 series, Tim Key's Poetry Programme. 'It's a deep cut,' he nods, mystified. During their US press tour, Mulligan would sometimes reference the show. 'And I'd just be shaking my head thinking: 'This is insane: the esteemed Hollywood actress is now talking about my poetry show with Tom Basden.'' Mulligan may be the headline name, but The Ballad of Wallis Island's real charm patently stems from Key and Basden's decades-honed dynamic. This is perhaps why its wholesome parting message – meaning over money, kindness over ego, the true and the good over the shallow and the starry – packs such a punch. For Key, the achievement of having made the film is inextricably bound up with that bond. The first time he was asked in an interview to pick his favourite scene, he chose one with Mulligan. The second time, one with Basden. But 'I found it really difficult to say it – I got really emotional. It's easy to get blinded by the new and the fun. It's also easy to get complacent and take for granted a friend who's really, really talented. Not everyone has that.' For all the lavish, baffling blockbusters, A-list co-stars and LA stints, making The Ballad of Wallis Island is proof of his longstanding good fortune – and a reminder 'that the other, more famous people aren't better than this person you had all along'. The Ballad of Wallis Island is in UK cinemas on 30 May.
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Shark-obsessed killers and musings on masculinity: Here's what Aussies brought to Cannes this year
Every year during May, hundreds of the world's biggest stars and thousands of film industry workers descend on a sunny, French seaside town. That's right, it's the Cannes (pronounced like can, not like the FNQ city) Film Festival. On the surface it might seem like an excuse for celebs to step in front of the camera, but Cannes has historically allowed a peek into what will be rocking cinemas and award ceremonies over the next year. As the festival wraps up today, here's what you need to know. What is the Cannes Film Festival? Now in its 78th year, Cannes is one of the 'big five' international film festivals, alongside Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto. Hundreds of filmmakers submit their projects to a jury in the hope they'll be selected to be a part of the official competition. Only around 20 are chosen (22 for 2025) to be officially "un competition" but there are numerous screenings and premieres outside of the official race. At the end of the two-week festival, a number of awards are given out, including Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director), Prix d'interprétation masculine and Prix d'interprétation féminine (Best Actor and Actress) and the highly coveted Palme d'Or for the best film of the whole festival. While the Palme has always been a prestigious award, in recent times it's also been a crystal ball for Oscar nominees and winners. The trend began bubbling over with Bong Joon Ho's Parasite, which rode a 2019 Palme win all the way to Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards —the only foreign language film to ever do so. Last year, Sean Baker's Anora took the Palme before coming from behind in a stacked category to take 2025's Best Picture statue. In fact, 40 per cent of the gongs at this year's Oscars were won by films that were awarded at Cannes. That's not to say there haven't been controversial Cannes choices: last year's Jury Prize went to Emilia Perez, kicking off one of the most chaotic Oscars campaigns of the 2020s. Outside the competition, Cannes also dabbles in more blockbuster fare — this year saw the premiere of the final Mission Impossible. It's also how we got this historic picture of Jerry Seinfeld dressed as a giant bee, zip lining into the 2007 festival to promote his starring role in The Bee Movie. Yes, that is internationally renowned comedian Jerry Seinfeld in a fluffy bee suit. ( Getty: George Pimentel ) Australians at Cannes 2025 While no Australian films are competing in the official section of Cannes this year, there are several selected to premiere at independent competitions running parallel to Cannes. Australian creatives have also been honoured at this year's festival: Nicole Kidman was presented with the 2025 Women in Motion award for her commitment to working with female directors; and Academy award-winning Australian cinematographer Dion Beebe (Memoirs of a Geisha; Chicago; The Little Mermaid) was presented with the 2025 Pierre Angénieux Tribute for his contribution to cinematic imagery. Jai Courtney stars in Dangerous Animals. ( Supplied: Kismet Films ) Shark-infested horror Dangerous Animals is the first Australian film to compete in independent Cannes sidebar the Director's Fortnight in more than a decade. The movie follows American tourist Zephyr (Hassie Harrison; Yellowstone) as she is abducted by a deranged shark enthusiast (Jai Courtney) who imprisons her on his cage-diving boat. With great whites circling and a serial killer at the helm, Zephyr has to figure out how to escape before she becomes fish food. Directed by Sean Byrne — the Tasmanian creative who also helmed 2009's cult classic The Loved Ones — Dangerous Animals was filmed on the Gold Coast with backing from Screen Queensland. Early reviews out of Cannes have been warm, with Deadline saying the exploitation flick is "tailor-made for summer movie-going" and Roger Ebert critic Brian Tallerico giving it three out of four stars. Dangerous Animals will be released into Australian cinemas on June 12. The Plague Joel Edgerton stars in and co-produces The Plague, which had its premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. ( Supplied: Cannes ) While ~technically~ a shared production with the US, The Plague stars Aussie staple Joel Edgerton and is the first feature under his Five Henry's production house — so we're pulling a Russell Crowe and claiming it. Set in 2003, Edgerton stars as Daddy Wags, the coach of a pre-teen water polo team. The Plague delves into the murky world of teen masculinity and coming-of-age queasiness through the setting of a teen sports camp. The Plague premiered as a part of Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, which highlights more eclectic and non-traditional stories. The debut feature from Charlie Polinger, the writer/director took inspiration from his own experiences at an all-boys summer camp to create the black comedy/horror. The Body (short film) The poster for The Body short film. ( Supplied: IMDB ) Also debuting in the Director's Fortnight section, The Body is the first short film from Melbourne playwright Louris van de Geer. Laura Wheelwright (Animal Kingdom) stars as Jane, an actor cast as a dead body in a crime show — but as she settles into the role she comes to realise that the role has settled into her. Other films to look out for
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After Sinners, I've Seen All Four Major Dual Performance Movies So Far In 2025, And There's A Clear Best And A Clear Worst
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains some spoilers for Sinners. If you have not yet seen the film, A) what are you waiting for?!, and B) proceed at your own risk. In the early decades of cinema, having a single actor play two different characters performing together in a single scene was a magical feat that blew the minds of audiences… but on a technical level, it has become pretty basic in modern Hollywood. Between visual effects, advanced editing procedures, and cameras that can be programmed to repeat precise movements in multiple takes, contemporary filmmaking has taken the shine off that particular apple. What can still make dual performances stand out, however, is the caliber of the actor pulling double duty – and we've seen a fascinating array of them in the first four months of 2025 alone between Christian Convery and Theo James in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey, Robert Pattinson in Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17, Robert De Niro in Barry Levinson's Alto Knights, and Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's Sinners. It's been a bit odd to see all of these movies released in close proximity to one another, and each employs the cinematic trick differently, but along the titles, there is a standout that executes it best and a standout that executes it worst. Dual Performances Of 2025! The Monkey Review: Gory, Wild Madness Unlike Any Other Stephen King Movie--The Alto Knights Review: I Never Imagined A Robert De Niro-Led Gangster Movie Could Be This Epically Bad--Mickey 17 Review: Bong Joon Ho's Parasite Follow-Up Is Goofy And Smart But Also Flawed--Sinners Review: I Don't Know If I Love It More As A Crime Movie Or A Horror Movie. That's Awesome As far as capturing a dual performance is concerned, Ryan Coogler flexes his filmmaking skills early in Sinners, with the very first scene between Michael B. Jordan's twin brothers Smoke and Stack featuring a moment where one lights the other's cigarette. There isn't a drop of artifice to it (certainly no faint line down the middle of the screen that the characters never cross), and the work has you see the two men independently, wearing stylish, color-accented suits and waiting for the opportunity to close the real estate deal that is the first step towards achieving their dream. Our eyes tell us that we are watching two brothers, but it's truly Jordan's performance that maintains the illusion throughout the horror/crime epic. A lot of movies that utilize a dual performance in their storytelling use it as an opportunity to showcase a star's range. The same actor plays two characters who look alike but otherwise have wildly divergent personalities – and it's often the case that they will be protagonist and antagonist (The Monkey presents a textbook example of this, with the shy, introverted Hal presented in contrast to the bullying, aggressive Bill). This is a significant part of what makes Michael B. Jordan's work in Sinners stand apart, however. They aren't a study of opposites; it's a masterpiece of realistic subtlety. Let's quickly examine who Smoke and Stack are. Elijah and Elias Moore are twin brothers who grew up together in the Mississippi Delta and are forever bonded from the trauma of their abusive father. They found freedom from that horror together, and when they matured, they chose to move to Chicago together to find their fortune. Their lives are intertwined from birth, and through their shared experiences, they developed shared goals. This is not a story for twins who mature in extreme contrast. But it's not as though Michael B. Jordan is playing two incarnations of the same character. If I can loosely play on the significance of music in Sinners, they are variations on a theme. Every person is wired differently, looks at the world through different eyes, and has experiences that impact their filters and behavior. In a dependent relationship, one's shortcomings can be compensated for by the other's skill. The blue and red accents of the costuming by Ruth E. Carter give away how Smoke and Stack fit this reality. We see this best expressed in their romantic relationships: the former having his history with his estranged wife, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), the tragic loss of their child permitting Jordan to add extra layers of emotional depth; and the latter carrying on a fiery affair with the once-spurned Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), which ultimately leads to his monstrous transformation. Sinners presents an atypical version of the dual performance, and while I love what Christian Convery and Theo James do in The Monkey and how Robert Pattinson plays the various clones Mickey 17, Michael B. Jordan pulls off something special. And all of them are leagues better than what was attempted by all of the legendary talent behind the gangster film Alto Knights. To be blunt, there is no real reason why Robert De Niro plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in Alto Nights, and that does nothing to help the performance's standing in this conversation. Unlike with The Monkey or Mickey 17 or Sinners, the characters are neither twins nor clones, and the real people on whom they are based have some shared features but are hardly identical. The filmmakers could have easily paired De Niro with another renowned actor from the gangster movie genre to amplify marketability, but they went with De Niro in a dual role as a hook. Or to use a more loaded, (very) purposefully negative term, a gimmick. Without a natural justification for the double duty part, there is an onus put on the characterization and performance to make it make sense, and that test is failed. The personalities come down to 'equanimity' versus 'anger management issues,' and neither possesses any particular charisma or dynamism to remind audiences of what made De Niro a legend in the genre. This particularly becomes clear in scenes where Frank and Vito sit down in scenes together, which never feel like anything more than a cinematic trick with the actor in costume and makeup talking to himself. It's been strange to see high-profile dual performances at a rate of one per month in 2025 so far, but it has successfully showcased fascinating utility for storytelling and has exemplified the best and worst way to do things. I'm not sure how many more of these movies we'll get in the rest of the year 2025, but I'll certainly be hopeful that they will all be more Sinners than Alto Knights.
Tom's Guide
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
5 best new movies to stream this weekend on Netflix, Max, Hulu and more May 24-25)
Memorial Day weekend is here, and there's plenty of new releases across the best streaming services to keep you entertained over the holiday weekend. When you're so spoiled for choice, though, figuring out what to watch next can quickly become a headache. Leading our weekend watchlist is "Parasite" director Bong Joon Ho's madcap sci-fi adventure starring Robert Pattinson, "Mickey 17," on Max. Over on Netflix, you can find the heartwarming animated adventure "The Last Robot" or, if you're looking for '80s slasher vibes, "Fear Street: Prom Queen" is the latest entry in the streamer's blood-soaked series inspired by R.L. Stine. There's also Pamela Anderson's moving portrayal of a bygone star in "The Last Showgirl" on Hulu. Meanwhile, Apple TV Plus just got "Fountain of Youth," Guy Ritchie's take on treasure-hunting adventure classics like "The Mummy" and "Indiana Jones." So without further ado, let's dive into the best new movies on streaming to watch this weekend. Bong Joon Ho's newest film, "Mickey 17," marks a bold pivot from the grounded tension of his Best Picture-winning "Parasite." Loosely adapted from Edward Ashton's 2022 novel "Mickey7" (the movie increases the Mickey count by 10), it's easily one of the most wildly imaginative and entertaining films of the year so far. In a future where humanity is desperate to escape a dying Earth, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) joins a mission to colonize the icy wasteland of Niflheim to get a loan shark off his tail. Unfortunately, he doesn't read the fine print: That he's now an "expendable" worker assigned to the most dangerous and deadly gigs. Each time he dies, he's resurrected in a fleshy new meat mech. But when he survives a mission and comes back to his latest clone already living his life, it sets off a darkly hilarious, increasingly bonkers adventure that throws logic out the airlock — and somehow manages to stick the landing. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Watch it now on Max The latest installment in Netflix's R.L. Stine-inspired 'Fear Street' franchise, 'Prom Queen' doesn't quite stack up to its predecessors, but if you're looking for a chaotic and bloody horror movie to put on this weekend, it'll scratch that itch. We return to the cursed town of Shadyside in 1988, where wallflower Lori Granger (India Fowler) is unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight when her name lands on the prom queen ballot alongside the most popular (and bloodthirsty) girls in school. The nomination puts a target on her back, especially with long-standing whispers that her mother murdered her father on prom night decades earlier. As the big night unfolds, the glitz quickly turns to gore when a masked killer starts picking off the prom queen contenders one by one, turning the shindig into a night of terror. Watch it now on Netflix A pivotal moment in Pamela Anderson's comeback, "The Last Showgirl" stars the former "Baywatch" actress as a veteran Vegas showgirl facing a sobering reality. Due to dwindling ticket sales, it's curtains for the revue to which she's devoted the last 30 years of her life. Struggling to reinvent herself in a world of sequins and spotlights that mask deeper struggles, her journey becomes a poignant tribute to the fading glamor of Vegas and the women whose grit and grace lit up its stages. It's easily one of the most nuanced and powerful performances of her career, and her vulnerability and genuinely moving emotional acting make "The Last Showgirl" worth watching despite its lean story. "The Last Showgirl" earned Anderson Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for her standout performance, and the film also features an incredible supporting cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song and Dave Bautista. Watch it now on Hulu While "The Wild Robot" lost out to "Flow" for Best Animated Feature at the 2025 Oscars, if it were up to me, this feel-good DreamWorks film would have shared the crown. Watching Lupita Nyong'o as the robot Roz stumble through parenthood, warts and all, left me ugly crying when I saw it in theaters, and its breathtaking animation is right up there with the "Spider-Verse" movies in terms of quality. Based on the popular children's novel by Peter Brown, "The Wild Robot" is helmed by Chris Sanders, the legendary director behind "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Lilo and Stitch." (Fun fact: He lends his voice to the titular chaotic alien once again in the live-action reboot hitting theaters this weekend.) When Roz wakes up stranded on a remote island with no memory of how she got there, she sets out to find her purpose. She adapts to the strange new world by observing the wildlife around her, eventually befriending a wily fox (Pedro Pascal) and becoming the reluctant adoptive mother to an orphaned gosling (Kit Connor). Trust me, it's every bit as heartwarming as it sounds. Watch it now on Netflix Apple TV Plus has a new Guy Ritchie movie that sees John Krasinski and Natalie Portman star as a treasure-hunting sibling duo. "Fountain of Youth" clearly takes inspiration from adventure movie classics like "The Mummy" and "Indiana Jones," and though it's not likely to be counted among them any time soon, this breezy watch is still one of our most anticipated films of the summer movie season. It tells the story of two estranged siblings, treasure hunter Luke (Krasinski) and art curator Charlotte (Portman), who team up for the heist of a lifetime after an ailing wealthy benefactor, Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson), tasks them with finding the fabled Fountain of Youth. Drawing on their historical expertise, they embark on an epic quest filled with clues that could not only transform their lives but also unlock the secret to immortality. It's got just about everything you'd expect from an off-brand "Indiana Jones" flick: danger around every corner, thrilling chases, narrow escapes, ancient artifacts, stunning set pieces, and high-stakes action. Watch it now on Apple TV Plus
