Last week might have been one of the most stacked lineups for new movies on the major streaming services. Four of our five movies premiered on their respective services for the first time, including an Earth, Wind & Fire documentary on HBO Max; Lorne on Peacock; and México 86 on Netflix.
As for this week, an original movie on Netflix tops our list. It’s a stop-motion animated movie that garnered critical acclaim at various film festivals. The other four movies have all been released in theaters. However, they have new homes on different streaming services, including an action movie featuring a pilot who must save his passengers and a musical drama with two extremely famous actors. All five movies can be streamed in the U.S.
I’ll be honest. It’s difficult to speak about It Ends with Us and not discuss the ugly legal battle between star Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. This is an article about movies, so I won’t get into the ramifications of the lawsuit. What I will say is that It Ends with Us shattered financial expectations during its theatrical run — grossing over $350 million worldwide on a $25 million budget.
In Boston, Lily Bloom (Lively) enters a relationship with an attractive neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni). As the courtship heats up, Lily discovers Ryle’s abusive tendencies, which reminds her of her parents’ unhealthy marriage. When her high school boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), reenters her life, Lily is forced to make a decision that will shape her future. It Ends with Us hails from the novel by Colleen Hoover, who specializes in page-turning dramas. That’s the perfect description of the movie.
It Ends with Us starts streaming on Hulu on June 9.
If you look up the word sweet in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Kelly Fremon Craig’s coming-of-age movie is based on Judy Blume’s landmark novel of the same name. The life of 11-year-old Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) is about to change dramatically when her parents, Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny Safdie), announce their move from New York City to the New Jersey suburbs.
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As Margaret attends a new school, she questions her relationship with God while navigating puberty and adolescence. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is warmer than a blanket. It’s easily one of the most tender and loving coming-of-age movies this decade and should satisfy Blume fans who waited years for this adaptation on the big screen.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret streams on Prime Video on June 11.
Song Sung Blue is not a Neil Diamond biopic. Instead, it’s about two hapless performers searching for purpose and a big break. Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) is a down-on-his-luck entertainer who wants to be a professional musician. Claire Stengl (Kate Hudson) works as a hairdresser, but she performs in her spare time. The two meet, fall in love, and start a successful Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder.
I’ll attempt not to spoil things too much if you haven’t seen it, but there is a dramatic shift in tone in the film’s second half. I don’t feel bad for saying that Claire is involved in an accident since it’s teased in the trailer. I did not expect a movie set to the infectious songs of Neil Diamond to tackle addiction, grief, and trauma. If you like Diamond’s music, then Song Sung Blue will transport you into a familiar world featuring a lively performance from Jackman and an Academy Award-nominated turn from Hudson.
Song Sung Blue begins streaming on Netflix on June 13.
I am unapologetic about my love for Gerard Butler’s action movies. Butler became a star in the wrong decade. If Butler were coming up 35 years ago, he could have positioned himself with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Instead, Butler is one of Hollywood’s top guys for 1990s-inspired action movies. He’s the guy with a gun who gets out of impossible situations. One of his latest offerings was 2023’s Plane.
While flying over the Pacific Ocean, pilot Brodie Torrance (Butler) is forced to crash-land on a remote island in the Philippines. Unbeknownst to Brodie, he landed the plane in hostile territory. While Brodie explores the island for help, terrorists abduct the surviving passengers. Forced to team with a convict (Mike Colter), Brodie must infiltrate enemy territory, save his passengers, and somehow fly the plane away to safety. If that doesn’t sound like a perfect action movie from the 1990s, then I don’t know what is.
Plane lands on Prime Video on June 12.
If you’re a Mexican filmmaker and want to make an animated stop-motion movie, then securing the mentorship services of Guillermo del Toro, who won an Oscar for his stop-motion Pinocchio, is a smart step. That’s what directors Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz did for their new stop-motion movie I Am Frankelda. The movie serves as a prequel to the television series Frankelda’s Book of Spooks.
Set in 19th-century Mexico, a writer named Frankelda (Mireya Mendoza) becomes trapped in her subconscious and witnesses her monstrous creations come to life. With the help of Prince Herneval (Arturo Mercado Jr.), Frankelda must use her ingenuity to save the human realm and the fictional world she helped create. It’s an amazing accomplishment for this talented duo.
I Am Frankelda hits Netflix on June 12.
If you’re interested in a rom-com, head to Netflix to watch Office Romance, a charming comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein. Additionally, Netflix has intriguing thrillers available to stream right now. They include Dead Man’s Wire and The Girl on the Train.
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