Streaming guide: What to watch this weekend
Renée Zellweger goes up, over the rainbow and soars to stratospheric heights in her portrayal of Judy Garland and it’s a sight you need to stream. Here’s what else to watch this weekend.
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THE ONE THE KIDS ARE GOING TO LOVE
MISSING LINK (PG)
***1/2
FOXTEL
A recent Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature. While it seems there have been a sizeable number of cartoons trading in the legend of Bigfoot, none of them have ever got it right. Or been all that memorable. Until now.
This spectacular stop-motion adventure is the work of Laika Animation, a boutique studio whose track record (ParaNorman, Coraline) suggests they just don’t know how to do a dud. Hugh Jackman and the whole of the voice cast bring it in fine style as well.
Zach Galifianakis has the role of Mr Link, a thoughtful and inquisitive Sasquatch who wants to live among his own kind instead of as a recluse whose actual existence is merely a rumour.
Enter Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman), a fearless 19th century British explorer who will guide Mr Link a journey to find his long-lost yeti cousins in the fabled valley of Shangri-La.
An emphatic yes for this one across all ages, particularly primary schoolers and toddlers.
THE ONE WHERE THERE THE SHOW MUST GO ON
JUDY (M)
***
GOOGLE, ITUNES, YOUTUBE MOVIES
This portrait of showbiz legend Judy Garland has problems with consistency. However, the same cannot be said of a stunning portrayal of the erratic entertainer by a revived and relentless Renée Zellweger, who goes up, over the rainbow and soars towards stratospheric heights of performance.
The bulk of the movie unfolds in the late 1960s, where Garland has taken on a punishing season at a London theatre so she can pay for a home for her kids back in Los Angeles.
Pills, booze, loneliness and self-doubt ghost Garland’s every move, with the seeming knowledge every show could be her last sometimes inspiring her, and just as often, conspiring against her.
Can get a bit tacky and too flash-backy, but Zellweger’s immaculate work – which deservedly scored her a Best Actress Oscar – saves the day repeatedly.
THE ONE WHERE A FRIEND IN NEED MAKES A FRIEND IN STEED
LEAN ON PETE (M)
***1/2
FOXTEL
A down-and-out teenage boy befriends a done-and-dusted racehorse. It sounds like a formulaic weepie just waiting to happen. The only thing is, the cliches just never kick in during a serenely calm, clear-headed and authentic drama.
Charley Thompson (a remarkably grounded performance from promising youngster Charlie Plummer) is 15 years old, and fending for himself. His dad means well, but the women and the drink mean more to him.
In need of some money, Charlie scores a job with a jaded racehorse trainer (Steve Buscemi) and soon befriends one of the lesser lights in the stable: a nuggety nag named Lean on Pete.
Upon learning his new pal may soon be getting a one-way ticket to the glue factory, Charlie takes the reins and makes a run for it with Pete trailing close behind.
Actually, if you’re being picky, the pair make a walk for it, slowly crossing the American West in search of nothing but a better day. Very low-key, but very lovely stuff.
THE ONE WITH A SECOND SPOONFUL OF SUGAR
MARY POPPINS RETURNS (G)
****
DISNEY PLUS
It is most important to note the delightful Mary Poppins Returns is an original sequel, and not some kind of second-hand remake.
This refreshing new Poppins adventure is set 20 years after the events of the original film, which lands us somewhere near the Great Depression. Deducing her no-nonsense fixing skills are needed once more by the Banks family, Mary (charmingly played by Emily Blunt) descends from the skies and gets straight down to business.
The production design is gorgeous here, never once going in for the visual overkill that blights so many modern movies.
Same goes for the occasional blending of live-action with animation, and also a style of costuming and make-up that is gloriously simple and strikingly evocative of old-timey London.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, each and every new musical composition stands up to lengthy scrutiny (and instant hummability) when measured against the immortal Mary Poppins songbook.
Co-stars Colin Firth, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer.
THE ONE STRIKING A BLOW FOR SUPERHERO EQUALITY
CAPTAIN MARVEL (M)
****
AMAZON, DISNEY PLUS
It only took the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) twenty-one movies to finally try making one led by a female.
Best Actress Oscar winner Brie Larson (Room) steps up in emphatic style, delivering a different brand of MCU superhero.
Larson crafts a character that channels more individuality than your typical Marvel he-man, displaying a resilience, a resolve, a humour and an honesty that courses deeper than many viewers will expect.
A fun and lively script set in the mid-1990s maps out a compelling origin story for Captain Marvel and her human alter ego, former fighter pilot Carol Danvers.
Co-stars Ben Mendelsohn, Samuel L. Jackson.
THE ONE WHERE A CLIMB JUST MIGHT PAY
TOWER HEIST (M)
***
NETFLIX
Those in the market for quality think-nothing pulp should be putting Tower Heist at the top of their to-gawp-at list.
The set-up could pass muster as an Ocean’s Eleven caper. Though a majority of the crooks are rank amateurs, the high-stakes burglary they plan – and also, their motivation for doing so – churns up plenty of pro-level thrills.
Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy (both in solid form here) spearhead a team of first-time crims looking to get square with the crooked tycoon that ripped them all off.
The particulars of the smash’n’grab are so ridiculous – just how do you swipe a priceless car from a 50th floor apartment? – you just have to keep watching to see how they are going to pull it off.
THE ONE WHERE A LITTLE FELLA MAKES A BIG CALL
CAPHARNAUM (M)
****
SBS ON DEMAND
In this absorbing and often heartbreaking drama, we learn why 12-year-old Zain (an astonishingly uninhibited and downright tough portrayal by Zain al Rafeea) is done with his family.
After witnessing what he, his siblings and friends have endured at the hands of parents, guardians and law officials on a daily basis, you won’t dispute a single one of Zain’s reasons for wanting out.
Shot on the busy streets of the most poverty-stricken quarter of Beirut, this is filmmaking with a big heart, a caring conscience and a belligerent belief that there is still some hope for the Zains of this world.
A recent Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.
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10 (BEARABLE) MOVIES TO WATCH FOR V-DAY