Civil War, Wolfs and More

Alex Garland’s “Civil War” earned critical acclaim earlier this year and a strong $122 million at the worldwide box office, and now it’s making its streaming debut on Max. Kirsten Dunst plays a jaded war photographer who journeys through a war-torn America in order to get one of the last interviews with the U.S. president. The supporting cast includes Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nick Offerman. From Variety’s review: “The press are the good guys, but also kind of the bad guys, in Alex Garland’s virtuosic ‘Civil War,’ a jarring ground-level account of what a near-future disunification of the United States might look like.”

Brad Pitt and George Clooney team up once again on screen in the action comedy-drama “Wolfs,” directed by Tom Holland’s “Spider-Man” trilogy helmer Jon Watts. The film is getting a one-week theatrical release starting Sept. 20 after its Venice Film Festival world premiere and before it debuts globally Sept. 27 on Apple TV+. Pitt and Clooney play rival fixers who are forced to work together when they discover they’ve been hired for the same job.

Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” finally makes its U.S. streaming debut on Max this month where it joins the streamer’s huge collection of Studio Ghibli movies. Miyazaki’s latest won the Oscar for best animated feature and grossed nearly $300 million worldwide. The film centers on a young boy named Mohito, who copes with the grief from losing his mother by embarking on an adventure through a fantastic world where the living and the dead converge.

Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow” was one of A24’s biggest Sundance premieres and earned $5 million at the domestic box office this summer. The film stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine as two troubled high school students who bond over their mutual love over a cult television series. But the show and mysterious events in their real lives lead them to question their reality and identities. From Variety’s review: “The character-centered setup is where ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ is most affecting, grounded by the tense, tacit bond between two highly guarded people — and given an electric jolt by Lundy-Paine’s fragile, volatile performance as someone certain there’s no accepting place for them outside the rectangular confines of the TV set.”

Alex Gibney’s acclaimed two-part documentary “Wise Guy” will be a must-stream this month for fans of “The Sopranos.” Per HBO’s synopsis: “On a replica set of Dr. Melfi’s psychiatrist’s office, Gibney flips the script on creator David Chase, excavating and analyzing the origins of ‘The Sopranos,’ his creative process, and the intimate connections between his own life and many of his characters. Joined by show writers, producers, executives, and actors, including Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, and Michael Imperioli, the documentary offers insight and inspiration along with a stunning array of clips from the show, early audition videos from many of the cast members, and behind-the-scenes footage to take the viewer into the vibrant ‘Sopranos’ world.”

“Green Room” and “Blue Ruin” director Jeremy Saulnier returns this month with the Netflix original “Rebel Ridge.” The official synopsis from the streaming giant reads: “Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) enters the town of Shelby Springs on a simple but urgent mission– post bail for his cousin and save him from imminent danger. But when Terry’s life’s savings is unjustly seized by law-enforcement, he’s forced to go head-to-head with local police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) and his combat-ready officers. Terry finds an unlikely ally in court clerk Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) and the two become ensnared in a deep-rooted conspiracy within the remote township.”

Joey King has become a superstar of Netflix originals thanks to “The Kissing Booth” movies and the recently-released “A Family Affair.” Now she’s back on the streamer with “Uglies,” based on the book of the same name by Scott Westerfeld. The film’s official synopsis reads: “In a futuristic world that imposes a cosmetic surgery at 16, Tally is eager for her turn to join the rest of society. But when a friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted.”

Azazel Jacobs’s acclaimed family drama “His Three Daughters” is certainly one of the best movies new to streaming this month. The family drama stars Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne as three sisters who converge in a New York City apartment to care for their ailing father and smooth over their rocky family history. From Variety’s review: “It’s a drama that’s funny, moving and true…The film is a finely observed, winningly unsentimental memory play about three adult sisters who have come together to take care of their father, who is dying of cancer and approaching his final days. It’s like ‘Cries and Whispers’ recast as a fast-talking tale of sibling rivalry.”

“Will & Harper,” one of the buzziest documentaries to debut at Sundance earlier this year, centers on the relationship between Will Ferrell and his best friend Harper Steele as they take a road trip. The two met during their days on “Saturday Night Live,” which Harper wrote for from 1995 to 2008. Harper came out as transgender in 2022. From Variety’s review: “You’ll laugh and you’ll cry as ‘Barb and Star Go to Del Mar’ director Josh Greenbaum shadows Ferrell and Steele on a revealing (entry-level) road trip. Structured as an on-camera road trip between two longtime friends, fueled by laughs and tears and the occasional ‘Borat’-style stunt, ‘Will & Harper’ gives the general public a chance to meet this incredible woman. Technically, Ferrell is meeting her for the first time, too.”

For Bill Skarsgård fans underwhelmed by “The Crow” reboot, the actor’s far-better 2024 action movie “Boy Kills World” arrives on Hulu this month. The actor plays Boy, a mayhem machine who’s been trained from childhood by his mentor (Yayan Ruhian) to assassinate the bloodthirsty Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen) and avenge his family’s murder. Guided by his little sister’s spirit, Boy uncovers one revelation after another as he kills his way to get to Hilda. Variety called the movie “so ultra-violent that it’s like ‘John Wick’ gone ‘Clockwork Orange’… Moritz Mohr’s first feature draws on a great many sources, from video games to ‘The Hunger Games,’ to build a world all its own.”

Pamela Adlon’s directorial effort “Babes” stars Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau and lifelong friends tested by pregnancy. From Variety’s review: “Adlon delivers an unapologetically crude homage to motherhood, presented here as the awe-inspiring phenomenon by which a human grows another human inside her body. How can something so beautiful be crude, you wonder? Co-writers Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz (a fellow ‘Broad City’ vet) spill as many perinatal secrets — and secretions — as they can think of, obsessing over practically every bodily fluid women produce, except tears.”

The official synopsis for “Parallel” reads: “The film tells the story of Vanessa (Danielle Deadwyler), who takes refuge at her family’s lake house to grieve after suffering the loss of her child. Accompanied by her husband, Alex (Aldis Hodge), and his brother, Martel (Edwin Hodge), Vanessa attempts to regain her sense of normalcy after the tragedy. But soon after their arrival, she experiences an aberration when she is attacked by a parallel universe’s version of herself. Faced with the reality that multiverses exist, she must reconcile the fact that these parallel gates will either hold the key to releasing her grief or trapping her forever.”

The Paramount+ original movie “Apartment 7A” is a prequel to Roman Polanski’s iconic horror movie “Rosemary’s Baby.” Julia Garner stars as Terry Gionoffrio, a young dancer whose career is threatened by a devastating injury. She’s taken in by a wealthy older couple (Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally) who lives in the Bramford, a place horror movie fans know is full of evil secrets. Disturbing circumstances soon have Terry second-guessing the sacrifices she’s willing to make to get her dancing career back on track. 

Paramount+ will be the home for the streaming premiere of “We Will Dance Again,” a documentary about the October 7th Hamas terror attack at the Nova Music Festival that left more than 400 dead and dozens kidnapped. Per the official synopsis: “The Nova Music Festival was supposed to be a celebration of life, love, and music for thousands of young people but became one of the first targets when Hamas launched the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history. ‘We Will Dance Again’ is told through the eyes of more than a dozen survivors, many of whom videotaped their experiences as the massacre unfolded. The film weaves together eyewitness accounts from over a dozen survivors, along with footage captured by both the victims and Hamas.”

“The American Society of Magical Negroes” made its streaming debut on Peacock earlier this year but now becomes available to Prime Video subscribers at no extra cost. From Variety’s review: “In Kobi Libii’s audacious comedy, a young artist is drawn into a secret society whose goal is to please white people. The film’s puckish daring is that it pretends this is a good thing…The film is a comedy of racial images that’s every bit as witty and scandalous as ‘American Fiction,’ only this one follows through on the outrage. The writer-director, Kobi Libii, wants to make us laugh and twist our heads at the same time. He brings it off. ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’ is a deftly observant fantasy comedy that stays true to its own irreverence.”

“Night of the Kings” filmmaker Philippe Lacôte directs Prime Video’s adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s 2021 short story “The Jealousy Man.” The film centers on twin brothers (“Game of Thrones” favorite Richard Madden) caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island, and a damaged detective known as “The Jealousy Man” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is called in to investigate. Shailene Woodley also stars.