Looking for new movies to watch this week? We literally have "something for everyone."
Let's start with Cocaine Bear. The over-the-top star-studded comedy is finally coming to a streaming service (Peacock is great for recent releases), so you can check it out if a movie ticket's price was too costly the first time.
There's also Emma Mackey starring as Emily Brontë in Emily. In and out of theaters too quickly, this intentionally-inaccurate biopic got high marks from some critics for Mackey's work in the titular role. Other say it's a Brontë biopic made to feel like it's Wuthering Heights.
Over on Netflix, we've got a war epic that concludes The Last Kingdom TV series, while Prime Video brings George Clooney and Julia Roberts' most-recent film to its large audience.
Ticket to Paradise (Prime Video)
You may remember seeing the Julia Roberts and George Clooney-led Ticket to Paradise on previous editions of this weekly roundup. This will likely be the last time, as it's made the jump from Peacock (a service we love, but isn't exactly popular) to Prime Video, which has a much larger audience.
In Ticket to Paradise, David (Clooney) and Georgia (Roberts) fly to Bali — not for love or for romance, but to talk their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) out of a marriage. The girl's found love with a seaweed farmer named Gede (Maxime Bouttier) she just met, and since David and Georgia are bitterly divorced, the only thing they can agree on is stopping Lily.
Ticket to Paradise got mixed reviews, but the general consensus is that Clooney and Roberts are still worth your time — especially for those of us who already pay for Prime.
Watch on Prime Video right now (arrived Tuesday, April 11)
Emily (Digital)
Emma Mackey (Sex Education's Maeve) stars in Emily, an intentionally-inaccurate version of how novelist Emily Brontë could have written Wuthering Heights. The point, it seems, is to appeal to both Ms. Brontë's fans and those who are new to her life.
The movie also presents its titular heroine as a protagonist who feels out of place in her own era — a mood many can relate to. That vibe ratchets up when Emile faces angry reactions to her works, and being told she's "the strange one" of her sisters.
Mackey got plenty of applause for her compelling performance in the titular role, while debuting director Frances O’Connor also got points for making such a strong film out of the gate. And even the critics who didn't like Emily admit that it has a strong visual style, too.
Buy digitally on Amazon right now (released today, April 11)
Cocaine Bear (Peacock)
I say this without qualification: Cocaine Bear is turning out to be one of my favorite movies of 2023 so far (ranked at No. 3 behind Scream VI and John Wick Chapter 4). And I never expected this to be the case. Far from perfect but practically exactly what it should have been, Cocaine Bear follows handfuls of civilians, cops and drug dealers as a bear that tried cocaine wreaks havoc.
A standout movie in a year of weird cinema (M3GAN, Skinamarink and Missing all come to mind), Cocaine Bear is the third movie from director Elizabeth Banks, who could have starred in it, too. Instead, she's got a fantastic cast filled with stars such as Kerri Russell, playing a mom looking for her missing kids, and Margot Martindale as a forrest ranger who cares more about about impressing her crush (Modern Family alum Jesse Tyler Ferguson). It's even got The Wire's Isiah Whitlock Jr. as a frustrated cop, Alden Ehrenreich as a depressed criminal and — in his last role — Ray Liotta as the drug kingpin obsessed with tracking down the bags of lost cocaine.
Funny, chaotic and quite goofy, Cocaine Bear is exactly what some people want — and the last thing others will want to watch.
Watch on Peacock starting Friday (April 14)
Seven Kings Must Die (Netflix)
The Last Kingdom TV series hasn't drawn its last breath. Seven Kings Must Die, from director Edward Bazalgette, is the conclusion of the BBC/Netflix series, which has kept fans waiting since March 2022. Here, Alexander Dreymon reprises the role of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, and he's been given a heck of a prophecy: "seven kings die, all of Britain will unite."
In order to off those kings, Uhtred and his comrades will adventure and fight, going across seas and plains. Looks like the perfect movie for those who like to mix period-piece drama with tons of brawls.
Watch on Netflix starting Friday (arrives April 14)
A Good Person (Digital)
We all make mistakes, but forgiveness for those mistakes is the hardest lesson to learn. Nobody's learning that more than Allison (Florence Pugh), who was at the wheel during a tragic accident that she survived, while her future brother- and sister-in-law did not.
And while Alison has a lot of trouble dealing with the grief of their deaths — as well as an oxycontin problem — she finds solace with the help of her would-be father-in-law (Morgan Freeman). Directed by Zach Braff (Garden State), A Good Person tackles redemption, rebellion and addiction, and it looks like the cathartic film many might need.
Buy digitally on Amazon right now (released today, April 11)
Personality Crisis: One Night Only (Showtime)
And now for something completely different. David Johansen, the lead-singer of the 1970's glam punk band New York Dolls takes the stage at NYC's iconic Café Carlyle for a performance that explains his career.
A mix of live performance and documentary footage (not entirely dissimilar to The Beastie Boys Story on Apple TV Plus), Personality Crisis is both a history lesson and one-man-show. And, thankfully, it thrives as both. Unsurprisingly, critics praise Johansen for showmanship and charisma.
Watch on Showtime starting Friday (April 14)
One Fine Morning (Digital)
Sandra (Léa Seydoux) is doing her best to raise her daughter on her own and visit her ailing father (Pascal Greggory) in the hospital as much as she can. It's a lot to handle, especially as familial fights drag her spirits down, but she suddenly finds a little more to life. That comes in the form of Clément (Melvil Poupaud), a friend she fell out of touch with whose current relationship doesn't stop he and Sandra from beginning an affair.
Praised for how it evokes incredible emotion in a completely natural manner, without being sappy or melodramatic, One Fine Morning is revered for how its plainness is also excellence.
Buy digitally on Amazon right now (released today, April 11)
