Ever since the lockdowns as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic began, streaming services and the video-on-demand market has skyrocketed in popularity, and understandably so. More and more films are now bypassing cinemas entirely and going straight for digital, and the studios are seeing impressive results.
Indeed, until the world returns to normal – which may not be for some time yet – streaming exclusives and VOD releases will continue to be very important avenues when it comes to delivering fresh content to those who remain stuck at home. And though a lot of the straight-to-video calendar consists of your usual bargain basement genre movies, we do have three new releases this weekend that are certainly worthy of your attention. If for no other reason than they probably would’ve hit theaters had COVID-19 not come along.
First up, there’s You Should Have Left. Available on all the usual digital platforms as of yesterday, this new horror flick from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures re-teams Kevin Bacon and David Koepp, who previously brought us Stir of Echoes all those years ago. Unfortunately, though, this haunted house thriller pales in comparison, offering up a bland, generic and mostly scare-free viewing experience. Or at least, that’s what our own Matt Donato said in his review. Feel free to check it out for yourself though if you’re looking for a new horror release.
For something that’s been a bit more positively reviewed, we have Amazon Prime’s original movie 7500, a thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. With a respectable 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems critics are mostly digging this flick about a pilot who faces “an excruciating test” when his plane is hijacked by terrorists.
And finally, there’s Saint Frances, the winner of the audience award at SXSW 2019. Though this one did technically see the inside of a theater, it was a very, very limited release and it’s unlikely many people caught it. Especially since it was right before the pandemic struck, forcing it to leave cinemas early. But now it’s on digital, allowing everyone to check out this tale of a “deadbeat nanny who finds an unlikely friendship with the six-year old she’s charged with protecting.”
So, there you have it. Three new releases to watch this weekend if you’re in the mood for a new movie. But tell us, do any of these titles interest you? As always, let us know by dropping a comment down below.
