Streaming guide: What to watch on Binge, Netflix, Google and more this weekend
Art imitates life with Dustin Hoffman in a race against time to fight a contagious virus, while Shia LaBeouf is a troubled fisherman on an adventure with a stowaway. Leigh Paatsch rates the weekend viewing options on Binge, Netflix and more.
Leigh Paatsch
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THE ONE THAT NEVER SPREADS THIN
THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON (M)
***1/2
STREAM via AMAZON; or RENT via FOXTEL STORE, GOOGLE PLAY, APPLE TV etc
It is rare to see a feelgood movie so willing to take a risk, come a cropper, dust itself off, and have another crack at something else. While this unconventional buddy movie can sometimes lose its way — and lose track of its own plot — its heart remains immovably in the right place. And what a big, vibrant heart it is. Shia LaBeouf plays Tyler, a troubled fisherman being chased by some peeved and dangerous rivals up coast and down river. In making one of his getaways, Tyler discovers he has a stowaway aboard, Zak (Zack Gottsagen). This feisty interloper (a young man with Down Syndrome) is also on the run, having given the slip to the authorities supposedly caring for him. What follows is a rather shapeless, but spirited set of scrappy adventures for Tyler and Zak. These straight-talking rebels are destined to butt heads and bond big-time as their odyssey continues. A real one-off in all the right ways, thanks to both the funny, moving and motivated work of its stars, and a story that never quite conforms to the predictable.
THE ONE THAT DOESN’T WALK THE WALK, BUT DOES STALK THE STALK
GRETA (MA15+)
***
NETFLIX
Mmmm. There’s something about the way this odd duck of a thriller waddles all over the shop that keeps it watchable, if only in a guilty-pleasure, did-that-really-just-happen? kind of way. Many of the mixed signals transmitted here emanate from the mismatched combo of an elite actress slumming it (French legend Isabelle Huppert in a rare English-speaking role) and an erratic actress out of her depth (Chloe Grace Moretz, of Carrie and Kick-Ass fame). Huppert has the title role of an unhinged Frenchwoman living in New York City and stalking young women who remind her of her daughter back home. Moretz is Frances, the naive waitress who is Greta’s latest fixation.
THE ONE IN AN ESTATE OF SHOCK
THE GRUDGE (M)
**1/2
FOXTEL, AMAZON
A few decades ago, Japanese horror cut through to the mainstream with the rise of two powerhouse franchises: Ring and The Grudge. Both spawned many a sequel at home and in Hollywood. Now the Americans are at it again, popping the bonnet on The Grudge to see if the engine still runs. Turns out the motor goes alright, but just don’t go hoping this Grudge reboot is going to take you anywhere you haven’t been before. An interlinked collection of stories include a cursed piece of real estate, a detective (Andrea Riseborough) who believes it might be the missing link in a series of unexplained killings, and some of the gruesome deaths sitting inside her bulky file of cold cases. Co-stars John Cho, Jacki Weaver, Demian Bichir.
THE ONE GOING LITERALLY VIRAL
OUTBREAK (M)
***
STREAM via BINGE; or RENT via GOOGLE PLAY, APPLE TV etc
A monkey virus that started out in an African rain forest triggers a race against time for a team of scientists headed by Prof. Dustin Hoffman. The US government doesn’t really go in for social distancing as a response to the crisis. Instead, they start threatening to bomb entire towns to contain the spread!
THE ONE WITH A GOOD ED ON ITS SHOULDERS
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (M)
**1/2
STREAM via FOXTEL; or RENT via GOOGLE PLAY , APPLE TV etc
A twisty, turny and terribly complicated film noir set in 1950s New York, based on the novel by Jonathan Lethem. In only his second screen appearance in the past six years, actor Edward Norton stars as Lionel, a private detective affected by Tourette’s Syndrome. Lionel’s condition has made him a social outcast in an era not known for its understanding of such issues. However, the Tourette’s may also be what makes Lionel an effective fit for a trying job. He will find out one way or the other while investigating the mysterious death of Frank (Bruce Willis), his former boss, mentor and friend. Renowned for his deep commitment to a role — and a full-blooded embrace of all the tics, twitches and traits that come with it — Norton is his usual intensely watchable self here. However, the movie, though intense, sometimes struggles with the watchable stuff. As writer and director, Norton is again the culprit, over-stacking the plot with too many details and distractions. Co-stars Alec Baldwin.
THE ONE THAT’LL HAVE YOU HUNTING FOR A HANKY
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (M)
****
DISNEY+
Back on home streaming after a long absence. An adaptation of the young adult novel phenom by John Green that hits the tear ducts of its target audience like a weep-seeking missile. While this teen romance is indeed doomed from the outset, it also prepares viewers for the fall to come with surprising warmth, wit and positivity. Shailene Woodley (Divergent) plays Hazel, a sharp-minded 17-year-old long diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. It is not a matter of if the disease will claim her. Just a cold, hard case of when. After some considerable deliberation — and enduring some insufferably smiley support-group therapy sessions to please her worried parents — Hazel drops her guard and permits herself a boyfriend. His name is Augustus (Ansel Elgort), and as a recently confirmed cancer survivor, he understands a little bit about what Hazel is going through. But not all of it. The winning combo of the shamelessly melodramatic and the slyly mischievous that powers the movie owes much to yet another pitch-perfect lead performance from Woodley.
THE ONE THAT’S PREHISTORICALLY HYSTERICAL
EARLY MAN (PG)
***1/2
STREAM FREE on ABC iVIEW thru Friday November 27
Kids will absolutely love this clay-mated comedy from the creators of Shaun the Sheep, which jams both cleverness and silliness into every frame. An unashamedly madcap (but never too manic) story tracks the heroic exploits of Dug (voiced by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne), a primitive hunter-gatherer who will need to become mankind’s first soccer star if he is to save his village from destruction. Historically, the movie is all over the shop, mixing and matching its Stone Ages, Bronze Ages and significant prehistoric milestones (including the invention of, err, sliced bread) to suit itself. Hysterically, the whole thing makes perfectly imperfect sense. Co-stars Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams.
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