Do you prefer movie stars who go airborne via webs or take flight for a slam dunk?
This weekend, the much-anticipated animated sequel to Oscar-winning superhero adventure “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” arrives in cinemas with enough Spider-people to populate a basketball league. And if you dig hoops legends as much as comic-book icons, a new biopic about LeBron James’ days as a high school phenom is streaming on Peacock. All that plus Stephen King and Mike Tyson, too.
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:
If you ever rocked Spidey Underoos: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’
Just like 2018’s spectacular original “Into the Spider-Verse,” the follow-up is a glorious piece of visual storytelling spinning a new take on a classic hero’s mythos. Brooklyn teen Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) got a taste of the multiverse of Spider-people before and now gets the main course, teaming again with friend/crush Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), meeting new folks like the futuristic Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and getting thrown into a high-stakes interdimensional adventure that tests the kid’s mettle and maturity.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Spider-Verse’ review:Most ‘Spider-Man’ movie ever doesn’t disappoint
If you’re one of Stephen King’s Constant Readers: ‘The Boogeyman’
A loose adaptation of a 1970s King short story centers on two sisters (“Yellowjackets” breakout Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair) who, after their recently widowed therapist dad (Chris Messina) sees a disturbed new client (David Dastmalchian) in his home office, are haunted by a nasty shadow monster. While effective with its lighting and offering a few decent jump scares, Rob Savage’s mainstream follow-up to his much better indie horror fare (“Host,” “Dashcam”) is a mélange of scary-movie tropes more ridiculous than actually unnerving.
Where to watch: In theaters
Review:Stephen King weaves a profound ‘Fairy Tale’ filled with heart (and, yes, some horror)
If you’re interested in seeing LeBron James’ origin story: ‘Shooting Stars’
Since he’s still actively playing, James is some years off from a “This is your life” biopic, but it probably won’t be as solid and focused as this coming-of-age drama, which widens the spotlight from the hoops star to his tight-knit group of childhood friends. After playing on the same youth team for years, LeBron (Mookie Cook) and his pals (Caleb McLaughlin, Avery S. Wills Jr. and Khalil Everage) eschew going to their local high school so they can keep the “Fab Four” together at a private academy in a sports flick that charts their path to becoming the No. 1 squad in the country.
Where to watch: Peacock
If you’re wondering what Mike Tyson has been up to: ‘Medellín’
Imagine “The Hangover” with way more firearms, or the Three Stooges in a “Fast and Furious” movie. When his little brother is captured by the Medellín drug cartel after dressing up as Pablo Escobar in a social-media post, a boxing trainer (Ramzy Bedia) and two of his friends (writer/director Franck Gastambide and Anouar Toubali) kidnap the son of a vicious cartel leader as part of a bonkers rescue mission. The silly French action comedy features a cameo by Tyson as an ex-special forces operative who outfits the inept heroes with heavy weaponry.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
If you want to see Shia LaBeouf as a holy man: ‘Padre Pio’
Based on the life of a real-life saint, LaBeouf stars as the title priest who begins a stint at an Italian monastery after the end of World War I. While he struggles with strange visions and his own faith within church walls, soldiers returning home from battle are caught in the turmoil between rich landowners and socialists leading up to the first free election in the country’s history. The two storylines don’t quite mesh in Abel Ferrara’s historical drama though LaBeouf gives a heartfelt performance and the scenes of political unrest are awfully timely.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon
Also on streaming:
- The romantic comedy sequel “Book Club: The Next Chapter,” starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen as best friends on an Italian adventure, is now available to buy/rent on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon and Google Play.
- Robert Rodriguez’s sci-fi mystery “Hypnotic,” featuring Ben Affleck as a Texas detective searching for his missing daughter and hunting a mind-controlling villain, is available to buy/rent on Apple TV and other on-demand platforms.
- If you want to catch up on the Indiana Jones films before “The Dial of Destiny,” all four previous movies including “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – plus the 1980s TV series “The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones” – are streaming on Disney+.
