New movies available On Demand
From Oscar-winning hits to horror flicks and comedies, the list of movies On Demand is jam-packed with new releases each month. Watch your favorite films again and again or discover new ones. All titles are available on all cable and satellite systems.
Men In Black: International Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the stars of "Thor: Ragnarok," reteam in this spin-off about MIB's London branch. It's harmless summer fun with a few nice moments between the two leads, though that is definitely a minority opinion. The movie has a brutal 22% rating at RottenTomatoes. Read our 3 star review here.
Disney's Aladdin Disney's umpteenth remake of an animated classic, starring Will Smith as the purple-blue Genie, is a prime example of what's wrong with movies today: a loud, overstuffed, charmless, $1 billion hit. Read our 1 1/2 star review here. (Available Sept. 10)
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Keanu Reeves returns in this sequel about a hitman gone rogue. The pacing can be slack but the stunt-work – which is really what you came to see -- is always dazzling. The film's best set-pieces include a fistfight in a plexiglass maze and what might be cinema's first instance of death by library book. Read our 3 star review here. (Available Sept. 10)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix The origin story of the mysterious mutant Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) could have been a cultural event for "X-Men" fans. Instead, this badly botched movie feels like the coffin-nail in a once-vibrant franchise. Disney singled it out as a big reason for a $170 million quarterly loss this year. Read our 1 1/2 star review here. (Available Sept. 17)
Shaft Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as that bad cat John Shaft, which sounds like a pretty good time. If only! In this reboot, Shaft is saddled with a goody-goody son (Jesse T. Usher), which means a lot of macho talk about masculinity, femininity, violence, etc. Very little of it is offensive; mostly it just feels outdated and trite. For a better time, revisit the 1971 original. Read our 1 1/2 star review here. (Available Sept. 24)
Yesterday (3 stars, Sept. 24) A struggling musician (Himesh Patel) wakes up to find he is the only person who remembers the Beatles. It's a terrific premise, but don't expect a deep dive into music history a la "High Fidelity" or "Walk Hard." This is a pleasant-enough rom-com that happens to have a few amusing Beatles in-jokes. Disappointing for hard-core fans, perhaps, but fine for casual ones. Read our 3 star review here. (Available Sept. 24)
Amazing Grace Aretha Franklin's 1972 gospel concert, held during two nights in a small church in Los Angeles, was filmed by Sydney Pollock with plans for a theatrical release, but sound-synch problems made it impossible to edit. Nearly 40 years later, with new technology, Franklin's show comes back to life — and it's glorious. Don’t miss it. Read our 4 star review here.
The Curse of La Llorona The title refers to the Mexican version of Bloody Mary, a figure to be conjured at your peril. The movie, glancingly connected to the "Conjuring" franchise, has a strong lead actress (Linda Cardellini) and a colorful Hispanic L.A. backdrop, but that's about it. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Poms A terminally ill woman (Diane Keaton) decides to form a cheerleading squad of elderly retirees (Jacki Weaver, Rhea Perlman, Pam Grier and others). With a cast like that, this should have been a gem. Instead, the movie is unforgivably lazy and checked-out. Would you believe nobody ever gives the squad a cute name? Oh, well. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Tolkien Nicholas Hoult plays the man behind "The Lord of the Rings" in this bio-pic. It's well-acted, nicely written and handsomely dressed, like a bigger-budget BBC offering. It's also only marginally interesting. Directed by Dome Karukoski. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Pokemon Detective Pikachu In a world where humans and fanciful creatures co-exist, a teenager (Justice Smith) teams up with a little yellow Pikachu (the voice of Ryan Reynolds) to solve the case of a missing cop. Whatever — your kids will love it, which is all that matters, and Reynolds' non-stop riffing will give you a chuckle. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Avengers: Endgame Marvel's big send-off to some of its most iconic characters isn't quite the awe-inspiring, soul-shattering experience it could have been. It's still a solid superhero spectacle, though, with moments of pathos and strong performances from all your favorites. Read our 3 star review here. Available August 13.
A Dog's Journey The third canine weeper based on a W. Bruce Cameron novel is actually the best yet, with believable characters played by a good cast (Betty Gilpin, Dennis Quaid). Prepare for sniffles. With the voice of Josh Gad as the four-legged hero, Bailey. Read our 2 1/2 star review here. Available August 20.
The Sun Is Also a Star On the eve of her deportation, an immigrant girl (Yara Shahidi) falls for a budding poet (Charles Melton). Despite the premise, don't expect anything "topical" out of this YA romance. The film, like its characters, is good-looking and shallow. Read our 1 1/2 star review here. Available August 20.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters This big-budget dud, co-starring Kyle Chandler and Mothra, is one of the gooniest things ever to come out of Hollywood. You could turn the sound down and crack jokes, but the Ed Wood-level dialogue is funnier than anything you'd come up with. Almost recommended. Read our zero star review here. Available August 27.
Rocketman Dexter Fletcher's companion- piece to "Bohemian Rhapsody" casts Taron Egerton in a leave-it-all-on-the-field performance as Elton John. The musical numbers vary in quality, but the film has energy and insight, thanks perhaps to personal input from John, an executive producer. With Bryce Dallas Howard. Read our 3 star review here. Available August 27.
The Best of Enemies In the rural south of 1971, a black activist and a Klansman find themselves co-chairs of a council on school segregation. A bit predictable, but great performances from Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. Based on a remarkable true story. Read our 2 1/2 stars review here.
Little An abusive CEO (Regina Hall) is suddenly transformed into her 13-year-old self (Marsai Martin, who came up with the idea). It's a twist on "Big," of course, with a few amusing moments and a standout performance from Martin as a wine-chugging woman trapped in a girl's body. With Issa Rae. Read our 2 1/2 stars review here.
Pet Sematary In rural Maine, a newly-arrived family discovers a burial ground that can bring dead animals to life. The schlocky 1989 adaptation of Stephen King's novel gets a solid do-over here, with updated effects and an extra layer of darkness. Directed by Long Islanders Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. Read our 3 star review here.
Breakthrough A teenage boy, submerged in a frozen lake and lacking a pulse for 45 minutes, comes to life after his mother's prayers. This dramatization of a true story has more nuance than the usual faith-based film, mixing its central miracle with a bit of hard reality. With Chrissy Metz and Topher Grace. Read our 2 star review here.
Shazam! A runaway boy (Asher Angel) discovers he can become a superhero (Zachary Levi) by uttering a single word (the film’s title). There’s much kid appeal in this upbeat, enjoyably cheesy DC release, though young viewers should be warned of a few rough deaths. With Mark Strong. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Hellboy The horned superhero returns, torn between his good and evil impulses. Without Ron Perlman in the title role and Guillermo del Toro behind the camera, this reboot offers little but ugly gore and leaden snark. David Harbour, the new lead, deserves better. Read our 1/2 star review here.
Alita: Battle Angel A waifish cyborg (Rosa Salazar) with massive eyes and super-strength looks for clues to her identify. Robert Rodriguez’s sci-fi film is flashy, weird and oddly childlike, a possible companion piece to the Wachowskis’ “Speed Racer.” Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Missing Link An intrepid explorer (the voice of Hugh Jackman) discovers a large but well-meaning Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis). Great stop-motion animation from the Laika wizards (“The Boxtrolls”), with a few moments of wackiness and whimsy. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Long Shot A presidential candidate (Charlize Theron) begins dating her slovenly speechwriter (Seth Rogen) in this shambling, amusing-enough rom-com. It’s rather sweet, though, and even has a touch of Old Hollywood thanks to Theron. Jonathan Levine, of “Warm Bodies,” directs. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Gloria Bell A single woman (Julianne Moore), middle-aged but still an avid clubgoer, meets an intriguing but problematic man (John Turturro). Dependably strong performances, plus wry observations on the weirdness of modern life, make this one a gem. Read our 3-star review here.
Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel Brie Larson takes on the mantle of a somewhat obscure Marvel hero, with mixed results. Who is this character, what are her powers, what does she stand for and why is she here? All unclear. Then again, the movie became a $1.1 billion hit. Read our 2-star review here.
Five Feet Apart In a hospital ward for cystic fibrosis patients, a rule-following girl (Haley Lu Richardson) and a rebellious boy (Cole Sprouse) fall in love. As young-adult weepies go, this one is quite good, with strong performances and sensitive dialogue. Contrived, of course, but affecting. Read our 3-star review here.
Wonder Park An animated feature about a young girl whose dreams of starting her own theme park fade when her mother falls ill. The story seems potentially engaging, but it’s wrecked by several very weird characters, most notably Peanut, a handsome chimpanzee who becomes a reclusive hoarder. The voice cast includes Mila Kunis and John Oliver. Read our 1 1/2star review here.
Us During a beach vacation, an affluent family of four are attacked by another family that looks exactly like them. Jordan Peele’s follow-up to his horror hit “Get Out” tackles race only glancingly; this one’s going after much bigger thematic fish. With Lupita Nyong’o and Elisabeth Moss. Read our 3-star review here.
Burn Your Maps An 8-year-old suburban kid (Jacob Tremblay) tells his parents he was born to be a Mongolian goat-herder — and will not rest until he becomes one. This quirky, lovely movie from director Jordan Roberts vanished after playing at festivals in 2016 (including the Hamptons). Now that it’s here, don’t miss it. With Vera Farmiga.
Disney’s Dumbo The live-action version of the 1941 animated classic invents a whole new cast of human characters — a dad, his kids, a pretty trapeze artist, a sinister millionaire — and reduces the big-eared baby elephant to a computer-generated afterthought. The movie doesn’t fly. Read our 2-star review here.
The Hummingbird Project In 2011, two Wall Street brainiacs (Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard) attempt to install 1,400 miles of underground cable that, if laid perfectly straight, will give them a millisecond’s edge on the stock market. Sound like a true story? It actually isn’t. That, and a lack of dramatic tension, make Kim Nguyen’s drama a tough sell. Read our 2-star review here.
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part A Lego figure named Emmet (the voice of Chris Pratt) must once again save the world from deconstruction. This animated sequel to the 2014 hit “The LEGO Movie” is all about jokes and pop-culture references, which younger fans may find reasonably amusing. Read our 2 1/2-star review here.
The Prodigy A mother begins to suspect that her gifted son actually has been taken over by the spirit of a murderer. This horror movie is more shivery than scary, but it puts an imaginative wrinkle on the usual possession tale and features a fine lead performance by young Jackson Robert Scott (2017’s “It”). Also with Taylor Schilling. Read our 3-star review here.
What Men Want Adam Shankman’s gender-reversal of the Mel Gibson comedy “What Women Want” features Taraji P. Henson as a woman who finds herself able to read men’s minds. If you guessed that they think a lot about sex, you’re right, and you’ve just saved yourself two hours. With Tracy Morgan and Aldis Hodge. Read our 2-star movie here. Read our 2-star review here.
Cold Pursuit Liam Neeson fans hoping for another “Taken” will be disappointed in this movie that begins as a revenge-thriller but quickly turns into a snarky black comedy. The endless jokes about death and murder aren’t as shocking as the movie thinks they are; it all feels a bit sub-“Fargo.” With Laura Dern. Read out 1-star review here.
Happy Death Day 2U A college girl (Jessica Rothe) who once solved her own murder must now help others avoid becoming victims. This sequel isn’t as inspired as 2017’s “Happy Death Day,” but the film’s dorky humor and young adult appeal are hard to resist. Read our 2-star review here.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World The animated franchise from DreamWorks comes to an end as young Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) tries to find a safe haven for his endangered dragons. A must-see for fans, but this scattered finale lacks the emotional oomph of the first films. Read our 2-star review here.
Isn’t It Romantic Rebel Wilson plays a cynical single woman who suddenly finds she’s become the star of a romantic comedy. The humor is generally hit-and-miss, but Wilson is a charmer and so are her castmates, particularly Adam Devine as an overlooked Mr. Right and Brandon Scott Jones as the obligatory gay best friend. Read our 2-star review here.
The Upside Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart play a wealthy quadriplegic and his inexperienced caretaker, respectively, in this American version of the French hit “Intouchables.” There’s no chemistry here, only contrived humor and dramatics; you’d never know this was based on a true story. Read our 1 1/2-star review here.
Greta A young New Yorker (Chloë Grace Moretz) returns a lost handbag to its owner (Isabelle Huppert), only to discover she’s fallen into the clutches of a psychopath. This semi-effective thriller is a B-movie through and through, but Huppert is an A-plus as a charming eccentric with a sadistic streak. Neil Jordan, of “The Crying Game,” directs. Read our 2-star review here.
Bumblebee Hailee Steinfeld, in a lovely performance, helps turn this “Transformers” spinoff into a surprisingly touching story about a teenage girl and her vintage VW Bug. Kudos to director Travis Knight for bringing a gentle touch to the franchise. Read our 2.5-star review here.
The Mule An elderly man (Clint Eastwood, also directing) becomes an unlikely drug runner for a Mexican cartel. Funny and endearing but also mildly racist, much like the film’s cranky old protagonist. Based on a true story. Read our 3-star review here.
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase There’s only one reason to watch this clumsy kiddie flick: The title role is played by Sophia Lillis, the standout star of Stephen King’s “It.” Honestly, though, even she may not be worth the pain. Read our 1 1/2-star review here.
Vice Adam McKay’s biopic of Dick Cheney (a bald Christian Bale) seems designed not to illuminate or educate, but to tickle leftist funny bones. The humor is mean-spirited and often below-the-belt, but the movie earned eight Oscar nominations (and won for makeup and hairstyling). Read our 1-star review here.
A Dog’s Way Home This follow-up to the serviceable tear-jerker “A Dog’s Purpose” misses nearly every target it aims for: The road-trip plot is contrived, the animal actors are as bad as the human ones and a CGI cougar (!) provides a bizarre coup de grace. Even dog-lovers may find this one taxing. Read our 1-star review here.
Holmes and Watson (With Gag Reel) Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly take on Arthur Conan Doyle with unexpectedly awful results: The jokes aren’t just leaden, they’re virtually unrecognizable as a attempts at humor. The film became famous for briefly attaining a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our zero-star review here.
On the Basis of Sex Felicity Jones plays Ruth Bader Ginsburg in this slightly hagiographic but historically interesting biopic. It was written and executive produced by Ginsburg’s nephew, Daniel Stiepleman. Read our 2 1/2-star review here.
Welcome to Marwen Critics mostly panned this true-life tale of a troubled artist (Steve Carell) who lives his own fantasy-world, but the film’s flaws — weird artwork, garbled themes and a problematic hero — are precisely what make it interesting. For the full story, find the documentary “Marwencol.” Read our 3-star review here.
Glass A psychopath (James McAvoy), a superhero (Bruce Willis) and a self-made arch-villain (Samuel L. Jackson) find themselves imprisoned together in a psych ward. M. Night Shyamalan’s capstone to “Unbreakable” and “Split” can be uneven and anticlimactic, but it crackles with ideas and imagination. Read our 2 1/2-star review here.
The Kid Who Would Be King Another tale of Arthurian legend brought into the modern day, but this one turns out to be a charmer. Its young cast is wonderful (some from famous parents, others unknowns) and writer-director Joe Cornish (“Attack the Block”) gives the whole affair an endearingly loopy humor. It’s rated PG and perfect for younger viewers. Read our 2 1/2-star review here.
Apollo 11 The 1969 moon-mission is recreated before your eyes in this masterful assemblage of existing and newly discovered footage, some of it in dazzling widescreen format. Director-editor Todd Douglas Miller delivers something special here, a kind of artifact-documentary that feels almost like virtual reality. (Did you know it’s still in theaters? Just saying.) Read our 3 1/2-star review here.
Destroyer A burnt-out cop (Nicole Kidman, unrecognizable in face-widening prosthetics) scours Los Angeles for her partner’s killer. It’s an ultra-dark noir with a gritty performance from Kidman and a brief but fine turn from Toby Kebbell as a charismatic bank- obber named Silas. Read our 2 1/2-star review here.
Miss Bala Gina Rodriguez stars as a woman forced to join a Mexican drug cartel. This could have been good pulpy fun from director Catherine Hardwicke (“Lords of Dogtown,” “Twilight” but the stakes feel low and the heroine is too passive. Disappointing. Read our 2-star review here.
Serenity Matthew McConaughey plays a fisherman whose ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) needs her current husband killed. What starts as a standard noir becomes, through a series of bizarre plot twists, easily the most lunatic film of the past 10 years. It’s almost worth seeing just to say you saw it. Read our 1/2-star review here.
Creed II It’s the 1980s all over again as Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) battles Viktor Drago, son of the Cold War heavyweight Ivan Drago. Not as crackling as 2015’s “Creed,” but solid and satisfying, with moments of poignancy from Sylvester Stallone’s aging Rocky. Read our 3-star review here.
The Favourite Olivia Colman won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Anne in this wickedly funny period comedy, but Rachel Weizs and Emma Stone, as power-hungry women, are equally fine. Highly recommended. Read our 3 1/2-star review here.
Vox Lux Natalie Portman goes for broke as a drugged-up pop star in this often electrifying, if occasionally obtuse, fable about modern fame. Daring direction from Brady Corbet, plus an excellent soundtrack of Sia originals. Read our 3-star review here.
Green Book Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen play a sophisticated musician and his street-wise chauffeur, respectively, who tour the segregated South in 1962. Formulaic but pleasurable, with an Oscar-winning turn from Ali. Read our 3-star review here.
They Shall Not Grow Old Peter Jackson’s documentary on World War I is a revelation, using digital technology to bring century-old footage to life. If you missed it in theaters -- where it proved a surprise success -- make sure to catch it now. Read our 3 1/2-star review here.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald The “Harry Potter” spinoff franchise that began so gloriously in 2016 takes a dive with this utterly so-so sequel. The cast, including Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston, is still appealing, but the story meanders and the pace drags. Not terrible, but we expect better from screenwriter J.K. Rowling. Read our 2 1/2 star review here.
Mortal Engines Critics and audiences alike joined hands to turn this fantasy-adventure into a scathingly reviewed box-office bomb. Some of us, however, rather enjoyed the movie’s loopy premise (cities that eat each other) and Dickensian-steampunk aesthetic. With Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan. Read our 3-star review here.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse A black-Hispanic kid from Brooklyn (the voice of Shameik Moore) takes on the Spidey mantle. This year’s Oscar winner for best animated film is so colorful, flashy, stylish and sophisticated that it may change your expectations for what an animated film should do. With Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld and Nicolas Cage. Read our 3 1/2 star review here.
Climax In 1996, a dance-rehearsal spirals into an LSD-fueled orgy of sex and death. Writer-director Gaspar Noé (“Into the Void”), delivers another stylistic triumph, with woozy camerawork, brain-pounding music and moments of shock-horror, though the whole thing feels a bit empty and more than a little judgmental. With Sofia Boutella.
Mary Poppins Returns Emily Blunt gamely replaces Julie Andrews as the practically perfect nanny, but this sequel is charmless and clumsy. The oddly sexual dance-number (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) suggests the filmmakers have completely forgotten who Mary Poppins is. With Colin Firth and a briefly enjoyable Dick Van Dyke. Read our 2-star review here.
A Private War The story of Marie Colvin, the Long Island-raised journalist who risked and ultimately gave her life to report on wars, conflicts and abuses of power around the world. She’s played with swagger and sensuality by a terrific Rosamund Pike. Read our 3-star review here.
Widows A group of women whose criminal husbands have been killed, decide to pull a job of their own. The excellent actresses -- including Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez -- get woefully lost in the hazy plot. Read our 2 1/2-star review here.
Bohemian Rhapsody Here’s the polarizing film about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) that you’ve been hearing about. Crowd-pleasing rock biopic, or stilted self-parody? Loving tribute, or laughable caricature? Read our 2-star review here.
The Front Runner If you’re old enough to remember the downfall of the Democratic golden boy Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman), you’ll love this well-crafted dramatization. With Vera Farmiga as Hart’s wife, Lee. Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”) directs. Read our 3-star review here.
Nobody's Fool Tyler Perry’s latest stars Tika Sumpter as an upscale snob, Tiffany Haddish as her ex-convict sister and Omari Hardwick as a handsome barista. It might be a comedy, or maybe it’s a drama, but it definitely goes nowhere. Read our 1-star review here.
A Star Is Born Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, about a singer (Cooper himself) who falls for a rising talent (Lady Gaga) is full of great music, electrifying chemistry and swooning romance. It’s the total Hollywood experience. Read our review 3-star review here.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? In an Oscar-nominated performance, Melissa McCarthy plays a real-life author who turns to literary forgery to pay the bills. Marie Heller’s film is a bittersweet comedy-drama with a nostalgia for the mean old New York City and a great turn from Richard E. Grant, also nominated, as a irrepressible down-and-outer. Read our 3 1/2-star review here.
Overlord On the eve of the Battle of Normandy, American troops land in occupied France to discover -- gaaah! -- Nazi zombies! Julius Avery’s action-horror film is an entertaining throwback to the “Weird War Stories” comics, full of sharp dialogue and gory humor. With Jovan Adepo and Mathilde Ollivier. Read our 3-star review here.
Robin Hood To make the 15th-century outlaw Robin of Loxley seem modern, this film focuses on his hood, which looks like the hoodies people wear today. Reported budget: $100 million. With Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx. Read our 1/2-star review here.
Free Solo The Oscar-winning documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold, who attempts to scale Yosemite’s towering El Capitan formation without ropes or equipment, is everything you’ve heard -- and then some. Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. Read our 3 1/2-star review here.
Mary Queen of Scots Fans of historical biopics should be pleased by this sumptuous-looking drama about the doomed 16th-century queen. Fine work from Saoirse Ronan in the title role and Margot Robbie as the beleaguered Queen Elizabeth. Read our 3-star review here.