The fall traditionally sees the release of the many of the prestigious movies that are awards-contenders, and 2018 is no different. Over the next few months, expect to see films such as First Man, Widows, and If Beale Street Could Talk hitting theaters, while many of the big summer movies move to VoD and streaming. Of course, the big talk in Hollywood this week was the Emmy awards which rewarded the biggest and best TV shows of the past year. But there's still several great movies being released.
This week, the fantasy adventure movie The House With a Clock in Its Walls hits theaters, which stars Cate Blanchett and Jack Black in the lead roles. John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix star in the comedy western The Sisters Brothers, and there's violent teen satire in the over-the-top Assassination Nation. On digital formats, the thriller Sicario: Day of the Soldado and horror sequel The First Purge are out to buy, while dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is now available to rent.
The landscape for consuming movies has really changed over the past few years. The biggest films still debut in the old fashioned-way--in theaters, with home releases still a few months off. But with the rise of streaming and Video on Demand, we are increasingly seeing simultaneous releases for smaller movies, with films getting a limited theatrical release on the same day that they are available to buy and rent digitally.
The rise of Netflix and Amazon as major players in film production has also disrupted standard release patterns. Netflix in particular has attracted some major directors, and their movies will bypass theaters entirely and premiere worldwide on the streaming platform. And of course, movies that did get a theatrical release continue to move to digital platforms after a few months. This is a great way to catch up on movies you might have missed on the big screen--or are keen to rewatch. So here's our look at the best and most interesting new movies in theaters and available to watch at home this week.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls
Watch it in theaters on September 21
After a brief diversion into action territory with this year's Death Wish remake, Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) returns to the genre he is best known for with this gothic fantasy. It's an adaptation of the much-loved 1973 novel of the same name about a young orphan boy who helps his uncle and a friendly witch find a magical clock with apocalyptic powers. This is a more family-friendly slice of gothic chills than Roth's usual brand of gruesome horror, and the impressive cast includes Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, and Kyle MacLachlan.
The Sisters Brothers
Watch it in theaters on September 21
While the western is far from the popular genre it once was, there are still great movies within the genre released each year. The dark and brooding Hostiles was released back in December, and the Coen brothers' much-anticipated The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs is due on Netflix soon. Before that we have The Sisters Brothers, an offbeat western based on Patrick deWitt's acclaimed novel. It stars John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as a pair of mercenaries who are hired to track down a chemist (Riz Ahmed), who has invented a mysterious formula that allows prospectors to find where gold is hidden. The strength of the cast, which also includes Jake Gyllenhaal, and rave festival reviews makes this well worth checking out.
Assassination Nation
Watch it in theaters on September 21
This dark satire takes the high school movie into some wild places. A group of teenage girls are targeted by the older members of their town when their phones are mysteriously hacked, and things soon descend into chaos and violence. Assassination Nation is sure to play well to horror fans and those who like their movies a little dangerous, and many of its themes are relevant to what is going on society today. The movie’s tongue-in-cheek content warning says it all: "drug use, sexual content, toxic masculinity, homophobia, transphobia, guns, nationalism, racism, kidnapping, the male gaze, sexism, swearing, torture, violence, gore, weapons, and fragile male egos."
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
Own it digitally on September 18
The drug cartel thriller Sicario was one of the most gripping movies of recent years, and this sequel continues to deliver the brutal goods. This time the movie focuses on attempts by the CIA to incite an all-out war between rival drug gangs in Mexico, and Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro reprise their roles as a shady CIA operative Graver and vengeful Mexican mercenary Gillick respectively. In his review for GameSpot, writer Michael Rougeau said that Day of the Soldado is “well written, well acted, tense, topical, and complex, and in every way a worthy follow-up to Sicario--even if it wasn't needed to begin with.”
Siberia
Own it digitally on September 18
Keanu Reeves has remained one of Hollywood's most prolific and popular stars for 30 years now, and with the third John Wick movie now in production, he shows little sign of slowing down. While we wait for that, we have Siberia, a crime thriller in which he plays a diamond merchant who finds himself in trouble with gangsters when a mission to Russia to sell some dubious rocks goes wrong. Reviews from its theatrical release suggest it's more of a drama than the John Wick movies, but Keanu gets to flex his action muscles too.
The First Purge
Own it digitally on September 18
The Purge series has become one of the most successful horror franchises of recent years--there have been four movies since 2015, and the TV show is currently airing weekly. The First Purge is the latest film and its hits digital formats this week. It's a prequel that looks at the creation of the single night of legalised crime known as The Purge. While reviews weren't as good for this one as previous entries (GameSpot's review said that “Whatever thin veil of subtlety this series ever possessed is gone from this movie”), the series goes from strength to strength commercially and fans will want to check this out.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Rent it digitally on September 18
The latest movie in the series of dinosaur thrillers is now available to rent at home. Fallen Kingdom sees Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprise their roles from 2014's Jurassic World, and features the welcome return of Jeff Goldblum's Dr Ian Malcolm. Director J.A. Bayona takes the action to the island of Isla Nublar and uses his previous experience in horror to deliver perhaps the scariest movie in the franchise so far. Back in June, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau said in his Fallen Kingdom review that the movie was "a hell of a ride, an exciting, terrifying, and funny follow-up that will have you at full attention until it ultimately sags in its third act."
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