Streaming guide: Movies to watch this weekend in lockdown
An unapologetically blunt take on disgraced movie mogul and serial abuser Harvey Weinstein is a must-watch for your weekend in lockdown.
Leigh Paatsch
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Leigh Paatsch reviews the new movies on Netflix, Binge, Disney+ and more.
The one that’s ready, willing and enabled
THE ASSISTANT (M)
★★★★
BINGE, FOXTEL or RENT
This is a monster movie where you never actually get a direct line of sight on the belligerent beast. In this case, you do not need to. The unseen, unnamed creature in question is disgraced studio boss and serial sex abuser Harvey Weinstein. In a faintly fictionalised and unapologetically blunt manner, writer-director Kitty Green trains her focus on those who enabled the likes of Weinstein to exploit a staggering number of women. In particular, it is a female film production assistant named Jane (a mesmerising performance from Julia Garner) that we see reluctantly, yet relentlessly covering the tracks of her pathological philanderer of a boss. A movie that unfolds in a chilling ethical vacuum that says more about the #MeToo movement than you wish to know. Just as unsettling is the tough question posed to people such as Jane: will those who spent their days looking the other way be able to look at themselves in the mirror when those days are done?
The one that’s a who’s who of who-are-you?
FREAKY (MA15+)
★★★½
BINGE, FOXTEL, AMAZON or RENT
The title accorded this highly enjoyable and consistently clever horror flick falls ever so slightly short of perfection. Had it been called Freaky Friday the 13th, everybody would have sensed immediately where the filmmakers were coming from with their deceptively inventive premise. For what transpires here is unashamedly concocted from a winning blend of a body-swapping Freaky Friday and a body-chopping Friday the 13th. Not a dull minute is clocked as we work through the strange case of a serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn). Fresh from dispatching a quartet of his high schoolers to an early grave, this lanky streak of pure evil accidentally falls victim to a spell that sees him switching bodies with a meek, mild young lady named Millie (Kathryn Newton). Once the changeover is in play, both actors have a field day playing one another. Newton’s transformation from wallflower to psychopath is both chillingly convincing and archly amusing. Same goes for Vaughn’s highly skilled work heading in the opposite direction.
The one that has a bloom with a view
THE SECRET GARDEN (PG)
★★★
BINGE, FOXTEL
Sent to live with her uncle after the death of her parents, young Mary and her sickly cousin discover a wondrous hidden garden, and start exploring. The wonderful children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett has already been adapted over 10 times for film and TV. This solid new addition to the ranks does not diminish the quiet charm and appreciation of nature that are key to the tale’s enduring appeal. An excellent ensemble cast is led ably by Colin Firth and Julie Walters.
The one that’s a welcome blast from (and to) the past
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC (PG)
★★★½
STAN or RENT
Did there really have to be a third Bill & Ted movie? No. Is there any reason, then, to see the third Bill & Ted movie? Yes, quite a few, actually. This big-hearted, dumb lug of a movie simply puts you in a warm bro-hug from the start, and doesn’t let go until the credits roll. As the story begins, Ted (Keanu Reeves) and Bill (Alex Winter) are middle-aged hack-muso dads staring down the mother of all mid-life crises. This dynamically distracted duo have just over an hour to write the song that will save the world. Which is not enough time. And because this is a Bill & Ted movie, the pair ultimately elect to paradoxically travel into the future to steal the song from themselves. Of course, it does not make a lick of sense. But this is a screen universe where logic, the laws of physics and the books of history will only wipe that dopey grin on your face. File this under ‘minor movie miracle’ : Bill and Ted have actually improved with age.
The one that’s off the leash, but doesn’t stray far
A DOG’S WAY HOME (PG)
★★½
NETFLIX
This here’s one of those movies where one dog must travel solo for many thousands of kilometres to be reunited with their rightful owner. While this type of fare is so old-fashioned it should be heritage-listed, it rarely fails to draw the full emotional involvement of any viewer predisposed to pooches. Therefore the epic long-distance trek of a make-do mutt named Bella (whose many thoughts are articulated in the voice of Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard) will captivate canine enthusiasts from beginning to end. After an affable opening act establishing the star’s undeniable adorability, Bella is banished far from her idyllic home by mean city-council types for having a bit too much pit-bull in her pedigree. Younger viewers in particular will enthused by Bella’s many antics (she loves chasing squirrels, chewing sneakers and swiping steaks) and adventures (which include surviving an avalanche, staring down a pack of wolves, and becoming best buds with a cougar).
The one where one good steed deserves another
BLACK BEAUTY (PG)
★★★
DISNEY+
Anna Sewell’s timeless tale of a wild horse and a teenage girl forging a powerful friendship is well handled here, and will particularly appeal to kids with a love of animals of all kinds. Little ones may found it a touch on the drab side, but there is no faulting the intelligence and sensitivity on display in all departments. The anchoring presence of Kate Winslet keep an unknown cast on the right track.
The one that’s gonna party like it’s 1945
A ROYAL NIGHT OUT
★★½
ABC IVIEW
A ferociously fluffy light comedy set on VE Night, 1945. World War 2 is over. The whole of London has lost its stiff upper lip, and is now off its face. Meanwhile, inside Buckingham Palace, King George VI (Rupert Everett) is keeping all high times on the down-low. Getting blitzed on champers and dancing in a fountain like the common folk just isn’t the done thing. Which, of course makes it the very thing teenage princesses Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and Margaret (Bel Powley) will covertly be doing on this once-in-a-lifetime evening. None of this feather-brained malarkey actually happened, but it doesn’t really matter. A movie as silly, charming and utterly disposable as you allow it to be. Co-stars Emily Watson.
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Originally published as Streaming guide: Movies to watch this weekend in lockdown
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