New movies this week: Stream Tom Hanks’ ‘Pinocchio’ on Disney+, buckle up for bonkers ‘Barbarian’
fall movie season out with a new take on a classic.
This weekend, Disney+ rolls out a fresh live-action/CGI version of “Pinocchio” starring Tom Hanks, while the Mouse House also releases a bonkers horror movie probably not for kids, wooden or otherwise. Queen Latifah hits the road with “Fast and Furious” regular Chris “Ludacris” Bridges for a Netflix thriller, and British actress Ruth Wilson (“The Affair”) plays a woman looking for love – and finding a flighty boyfriend – in an English drama.
Here’s a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts:
Fall movie preview:10 must-see films, from ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ to Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’
If you miss seeing Tom Hanks play a very Hanksian role: ‘Pinocchio’
After his odd turn as Colonel Tom Parker in “Elvis,” Hanks is back in “America’s Dad” mode as kindly Italian woodcarver Geppetto in a decent revamp of the 1940 cartoon. Director Robert Zemeckis marries broad comedy and pop-culture references with the title wooden boy’s adventurous quest to become a real one. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a so-so choice for Pinocchio’s dapper insect conscience Jiminy Cricket, but as the Blue Fairy, Cynthia Erivo sings a stellar “When You Wish Upon a Star” that dares you to stop the waterworks.
Where to watch: Disney+
If you’re curious to see the most messed-up movie Disney has ever released: ‘Barbarian’
In director Zach Cregger’s head-scrambling chiller, a researcher (Georgina Campbell) rents an Airbnb in suburban Detroit and finds it’s been double-booked when she meets a strangely polite guy (Bill Skarsgård) already staying there. They decide to figure things out in the morning, there’s something not right in the basement, and that’s all you should know to best experience this unpredictable and freaky gem, which co-stars Justin Long as a canceled movie star who picks the wrong time for a trip home.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’re a Ruth Wilson superfan: ‘True Things’
Wilson and fellow Brit Tom Burke have a winning chemistry in this immersive, mature character study. Kate (Wilson) has her hum-drum office life revved up when she meets and becomes entranced by a bleached-blond ex-con (Burke). Dating clients is against the rules – Kate’s one screwup from being fired anyway – and an unexpected sexual encounter leads to a one-sided relationship that plays on her weaknesses and leads her down a path of poor decisions, until she finds a way to build herself back up.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’re down for the feel-bad movie of the year: ‘Speak No Evil’
Have “Pinocchio” at the ready for a chaser after seeing this slow-burn European thriller of manners. Well done if utterly depressing, the horror film centers on a Danish family who befriends a Dutch clan on an Italian vacation and later are invited to their new friends’ place for a weekend getaway. The houseguests feel something’s wrong but stick around instead of escaping, leading to an unbelievably brutal third act.
Where to watch: In theaters (and on Shudder Sept. 15)
Also on streaming
- Two Thors are better than one, as Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel thunder god reconnects with old flame – and now mighty superhero herself – Jane (Natalie Portman) in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” available to watch on Disney+.
- The Southern mystery drama “Where the Crawdads Sing,” an adaptation of the Delia Owens novel, is now streaming on Apple TV, Vudu and Google Play.
- The super-sweet comedy “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” starring Jenny Slate as the voice of an adorable, sneaker-clad shell, is on Apple TV and other on-demand platforms.
- And also on demand is the body-swap comedy “Mack Rita,” with Elizabeth Lail as a 30-year-old who wishes she was more like her grandma and Diane Keaton as her 70-year-old wish-fulfilled self.