TV and movie casts have used their downtime to reunite virtually including "Melrose Place," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "The Goonies." USA TODAY
Theaters are still closed, but newstreaming movies are coming to entertain you and your family duringsocially distanced times.
This weekend, Netflix premieres ateen love story and a social drama, Rob Morgan (who impressed in last year's "Just Mercy") plays an aging bull rider, plus there are a couple of horror flicks to keep you on the edge of your well-worn isolation couch. Andif you're in the mood for giving back, Lionsgate is rolling out its latestFriday night movie livestream, the Oscar-nominated musical "La La Land"(9 EDT/6PDT), hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis and raising money for theater employees affected by the coronavirus crisis.
Here's a rundown of new movies hitting streaming this Friday for every cinematic taste:
Need a cinema binge?: The 20 best movie series to watch during quarantine (including 'Star Wars,' of course)
Staying Apart, Together: A newsletter about how to cope with the coronavirus pandemic
Ellie (Leah Lewis) is a texting Cyrano for Paul (Daniel Diemer) in "The Half of It."(Photo: KC BAILEY/NETFLIX)
Weve seen plays on Cyrano de Bergerac many times before (Roxanne, anyone?), yet writer/director Alice Wu brings something thoughtful and refreshing to her romantic comedy. Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is an introverted and closeted Chinese American girl in a working-class small town who writes papers for classmates to earn some money on the side. Painfully inarticulate tight end Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) hires her to write a love letter for him to the very popular Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire), thoughit turns out Ellies also crushing hard on Aster. Wu brings Cyrano kicking and screaming into the age of texts and emojis, and while Half of It hits some familiar teen-movie beats, the characters arent cookie-cutter archetypes. Ellie and Paul especially, through embracing their individual spirits and connections with others, become enjoyable personas to watch grow.
Where to watch:Netfix
After committing a double homicide, Jahkor (Ashton Sanders, left) gets sent to the same jail as his father (Jeffrey Wright) in "All Day and a Night."(Photo: MATT KENNEDY/NETFLIX)
Like a contemporary Boyz N the Hood with the emotional depth of The Irishman, All Day is an excellent, empathetic and fearless look by director Joe Robert Cole (co-writer of Black Panther) at systemic racism and a generational, seemingly unending cycle of violence. Moonlight standout Ashton Sanders stars as Jahkor, a reserved Oakland youngster who wanted to avoid the gang life of his abusive father J.D. (Jeffrey Wright) but, after committing a double homicide, ends up in the same prison yard as his dad. Jahkor doesnt reveal the reasons for the murder but they gradually rise to the surface as he narrates his rough childhood, the evolving relationship with his best friend (Isaiah John) and their dealings with a charismatic kingpin (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) in a bloody gang war. In that coming-of-age narrative, Jahkor is not only determined to stay alive as a marked man in jail but also to make sure his newborn son doesnt follow hispath.
Where to watch:Netflix
Abe (Rob Morgan) helps Kris (Amber Havard) learn how to ride a bull in "Bull."(Photo: SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS)
Writer/director Annie Silversteins drama is the latest in a recent string of stellar performances from Rob Morgan, who stars as a legendary black bull rider in Texas whos feeling every bit of his years getting knocked off and thrown around by huge animals but refuses to give up that life. Hes taking gigs as a rodeo clown and wrangler when his place is broken into by his young neighbor, troubled 14-year-old delinquent Kris (Amber Havard). Her mom is incarcerated and she hangs out with racist, drug-dealing kids. But forming a friendship with the grumpy cowboy next door lets her empathetic side come out and a fledgling interest in bull riding offers her a way to stabilize her life. Havard holds her own with Morgan and their scenes together drive the emotional heart of Bull, which succeeds as an introspective character study of two people desperate to find their way amid difficult circumstances.
Where to watch: iTunes, Google Play, Fandango Now
A tribal sheriff (Michael Greyeyes) and his two sons (Forrest Goodluck and Kiowa Gordon) try to keep their Canadian reservation zombie-free in "Blood Quantum."(Photo: SHUDDER)
While gore hounds will adore how much guts, viscera and spatter appear on screen in Canadian director Jeff Barnabys horror film, Quantum makes a mark in the undead subgenre focusing on timely issues of contagion with an indigenous population north of the border. Members of the Migmaq tribe on Red Crow reservation including the sheriff (Michael Greyeyes) and his two sons (Forrest Goodluck and Kiowa Gordon) discover that theyre immune to a zombie virus turning folks into flesh-eating monsters. Thats all fine and dandy until refugees want to come to their place for sanctuary and theFirst Nationpeople dealing with the crisis have to weigh morality vs. survival, even among their own family. The brains in this flick arent just for eating, as Barnabys deftly crafted movie puts his characters through their existential paces and leaves a trail of corpses in their wake.
Where to watch:Shudder
A witch next door haunts a teenage boy in the horror film "The Wretched."(Photo: IFC FILMS)
Theres a definite throwback vibe think The Goonies or The Lost Boys with a hint of Rear Window to this surprisingly clever and entertaining coming-of-age chiller by writing-directing duo Brett and Drew T. Pierce (Deadheads). John-Paul Howard (Hell or High Water) stars as teenage Ben, whos spending the summer with his dad in a coastal tourist town after the kids parents separate. His fish-out-of-water feelings working at the marina and helping posh, belittling fellow youngsters dont compare, though, to the weirdness that occurs when a witchy spirit from the forest inhabits the woman next door. Wholly spooked, Ben tries to communicate the nefarious darkness afoot but (of course) no one listens, and he teams up with a snarky co-worker/love interest (Piper Curda) to make things right. Theres plenty of unnerving visuals and dread in Wretched, as well as some neat plot turns, to buoy the scary-movie satisfaction.
Where to watch: iTunes, Google Play, Amazon
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What to stream this weekend: Netflix love story 'The Half of It,' Rob Morgan's 'Bull' are worth the ride - USA TODAY
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