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5 top new movies to watch on Prime Video, Apple TV Plus and more (August 6-12)
By Rory Mellon,
17 hours ago
This week's slate of new movies arriving across the best streaming services has been revealed, and it’s the turn of less popular platforms like Peacock and Apple TV Plus to shine while the big players such as Netflix and Max take a week off.
The week's biggest new release is family favorite “Despicable Me 4” which leaps from the theaters to watch-at-home services, and the switch is well-timed if you need a distraction for the little ones during the final weeks of the summer break. Other notable movies to watch include “The Bikeriders” on Peacock and “The Instigators” on Apple TV Plus, and those aren’t the only new options debuting this week.
If you fancy streaming something brand new this week, all the top new movies arriving across streaming services are listed below. And be sure to also check out our guide to the best new TV shows this week including the final season of Netflix’s “Umbrella Academy”.
“Despicable Me 4” (PVOD)
Love them or loathe them, the Minions are back in “Despicable Me 4”. Despite the number four in the title, this is actually the sixth installment in the franchise, and it follows the series' now very well-established blueprint. If you’ve seen a “Despicable Me” movie before you know the drill, and if you haven’t, expect zany humor, colorful characters and lots of screentime for the little yellow irritates. Older viewers might find “Despicable Me 4” a little hard to tolerate, but there’s a reason that kids adore this franchise, it’s perfectly formulated to entertain young minds with slapstick gags that always verge on the right side of cheeky.
In “Despicable Me 4”, supervillain turned superdad Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is being tormented by the newest addition to his family, Gru Jr. And if an unruly infant wasn’t enough to handle, his former school rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), has broken out of prison and swore revenge on Gru for an incident in their past. To evade this vengeful villain, Gru and his family must enter the witness protection program and assume new identities in a new town, and naturally, chaos ensues.
“One Fast Move” is an interesting mix of ideas. It’s mainly an adrenaline-spiking motorsports adventure, but it’s not afraid to go beyond burnt rubber and look at real human emotions and the scars that troubled adolescents can leave behind. This blend of ideas gives this Prime Video original an extra boost in its effort to finish top of the podium. The flick centers on Wes Neal (KJ Apa), a gifted but self-destructive motorcycle racer, who’s just been kicked out of the military. Desperate to build himself a life in the fast lane, he tracks down his estranged father, Dean Miller (Eric Dane), a former racing champion, to recruit him as his coach.
Determined to turn pro no matter the cost, Wes's reunion with his father is far from easy. Not only does Dean push him to his physical and mental limits, but the pressure of meeting his extreme expectations reopens old wounds. While pursuing his dream of racing professionally, Wes also falls for a local waitress (Maia Reficco) and gets some sage advice from his father’s former mentor Abel (Edward James Olmos). Eventually, Wes must risk everything he loves for a shot at on-track glory.
It’s a big week for fans of motorbikes, as “The Bikeriders” is another movie all about the thrill of riding an oversized hog. Inspired by photographer Danny Lyon’s book that chronicled the exploits of the real-world Outlaws Motorcycle Club, “The Bikeriders” is an oil-slick period drama that looks at a period of American history that is still revered to this very day. Starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon, it’s got the stellar cast to match its fleet of awesome motorbikes and will have you desperate to buy your own Harley by the time the credits roll.
Opening in the 1960s, Kathy Bauer (Comer) is not your typical biker chick, but when she meets Benny (Butler), a member of the Chicago-based Vandals motorcycle club, she leaves her old world behind for a new one dominated by engine exhausts, leather jackets and boisterous cookouts. The club’s leader and founder Johnny (Hardy) wants to keep things as they always have been, but over several decades new members challenge the peaceful status quo and threaten the Vandals' way of life as they seek to turn the gang towards criminal activity.
“The Instigators” teams Matt Damon with the other Affleck brother, Casey. But don’t worry fans of Matt and Ben’s long-running bromance, Ben Affleck is at least on producing duty. Furthermore, this Apple TV Plus original is helmed by Doug Liman who’s got a pretty solid action filmography having directed “The Bourne Identity," “Mr. & Mrs. Smith," “Edge of Tomorrow” and this year’s well-received “Road House” remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal. On the other hand, Liman also made 2008’s sci-fi misfire “Jumper”, but hey, nobody is perfect!
Rory (Damon) and Cobby (Affleck) are in a sticky situation. One is a desperate father, the other an ex-con, and the two have become unlikely partners in stealing a politician’s ill-earned fortune, but the job goes south and the two must go on the run. Evading police, bureaucrats and a vengeful crime boss, the pair have a lot on their plate. But at least they should be able to keep a cool head as they manage to convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) to come along for the ride. On paper, it all sounds like the perfect ingredients for a thrilling action-comedy but the early reviews aren’t encouraging (it’s just 39% on Rotten Tomatoes ), which is very disappointing.
“Force of Nature: The Dry 2” sounds like a fake movie title you’d see in an animated comedy or an episode of “Entourage”, but don’t let the extremely generic name fool you. This isn’t a shlocky disaster movie trying to cash in on the “Twisters” hype (Which I’ll admit may have been my first assumption upon reading the title), instead, it’s an Australian mystery thriller based on the novel of the same name by author Jane Harper, and it could be a surprise gem for the often overlooked AMC Plus service.
In “The Dry 2," federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns, and this time, he’s looking to solve one of his most difficult cases yet. After receiving a tip-off about a large-scale money laundering scheme from a woman named Alice Russell (Anna Torv), the informant suddenly goes missing the following day during a corporate hiking retreat. Suspecting that foul play is involved, Falk and his partner, Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie), head into the mountains to find answers. Plus, the stakes are personal as Falk has a tragic family connection to the area.
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