What new movies are playing this week? Idris Elba in 'Beast,' Netflix's 'Look Both Ways'
Sadly, the summer movie season is coming to a close, although Idris Elba is making sure the cinema stays wild.
This weekend, the A-list British actor plays a dad keeping his family safe from a lion (of the computer-generated image sort) in a new survival thriller. "Riverdale" star Lili Reinhart plays the same character who goes down two different paths in a "Sliding Doors"-style coming-of-age film, Isabelle Fuhrman returns as the unhinged girl Esther in an "Orphan" horror prequel, and "Parasite" standout Song Kang-ho plays a desperate cop faced with a terrorist attack in a Korean disaster film.
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:
'Beast': Idris Elba has Leonardo DiCaprio to thank for his 'realistic' lion fight
If you want to see Idris Elba punch an angry lion: 'Beast'
It's hard not to respect a man vs. nature B-movie that proudly knows what it is. Elba plays a recently widowed dad on a trip to the South African savanna when his family is attacked by a lion out to kill any human it finds. (For good reason, by the way.) Elba's game for all the CGI animal insanity, and the movie unleashes more than a few hair-raising thrills to make up for a rather lackluster plot.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you're a big 'Riverdale' fan: 'Look Both Ways'
Natalie (Reinhart) has a one-night stand with friend Gabe (Danny Ramirez), the night of their college graduation she takes a pregnancy test, and the film unravels parallel scenarios: A negative test takes her down a planned path to LA and a dream animation career, while a positive result leads her back home to raise a child. Reinhart does what she can but the predictable film lacks nuance and fails to execute a potentially insightful premise.
Where to watch: Netflix
If you dig creepy-kid movies: 'Orphan: First Kill'
The original 2009 "Orphan" was a bonkers treat, with Fuhrman as a psychopathic 30-something passing herself off as a 9-year-old. The prequel spreads that bit thin, with Esther (Fuhrman) breaking out of an Estonian asylum and impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy American family. It's an unscary and downright odd thriller that weirdly makes Esther an antihero, though it's fun to see Fuhrman back as one killer kid, thanks to camera angles, body doubles and other cinematic wizardry.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Paramount+, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play
If you love a good disaster movie: 'Emergency Declaration'
A modern take on old-school thrillers like "Airport," the sprawling Korean film centers on a father (Lee Byung-hun) taking his boy on a flight from Incheon, South Korea, to Honolulu that goes awry when a deadly virus is let loose on the packed plane. It's a gripping exercise exploring airborne bioterrorism but also the chaos caused on the ground, with police and law enforcement dealing with problems of the criminal and corporate types.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you're an Alison Brie completist: 'Spin Me Round'
Brie plays a manager at an Olive Garden-type chain restaurant picked for an all-expenses paid trip to a training program in Italy. What she finds there is sheer chaos with oddball colleagues (Zach Woods and Molly Shannon), the eatery's flirty founder (Alessandro Nivola) and his bewitching assistant (Aubrey Plaza) in a fitfully funny European travel comedy suffering from a frustrating lack of direction.
Where to watch: In theaters and on AMC+, Apple TV, Vudu
Aubrey Plaza: Actress drove 'more dangerously' than the stunt driver in 'Emily the Criminal'
If you're all about cosmic horror and/or the absolutely absurd: 'Glorious'
After a breakup leaves him living out of a car, Wes (Ryan Kwanten) stops at a rest area, gets seriously drunk and visits the restroom the next morning. He has a strange conversation with the man in the next stall (an unseen J.K. Simmons) who claims to be an ancient god and requests Wes do "a favor" to save the universe. What unravels is a trippy, bloody and funny affair that does wonders with a simple setting.
Where to watch: Shudder
Also on streaming
"Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank," an animated comedy starring Michael Cera as a canine samurai and Samuel L. Jackson as his feline mentor, is viewable for kids of all ages on demand.
"On the Count of Three," director and star Jerrod Carmichael's dark comedy that premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2021, is streaming on Hulu.
And also on demand is "Sharp Stick," Lena Dunham's coming-of-age film about a young woman who loses her virginity and goes on a journey of sexual exploration.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 10 new movies to see this week: 'Beast,' Netflix's 'Look Both Ways'
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