Want to know what’s coming soon to digital and what to watch right now on Vudu? Here is your weekly guide to the latest releases:
What are the latest new releases to watch right now?
Lamb is one of this year’s most unusual yet alluring movies, and it is now available to rent digitally from Vudu. The less you know about it going in, the better, but I’ll try to sell you the best I can: Noomi Rapace (Prometheus) and Hilmir Guðnason (101 Reykjavik) star as a childless couple living on a remote sheep farm in Iceland. One day, their lives change forever when they take in a newborn lamb from the barn and raise her as their own.
It’s a fairly quiet and measured movie but also haunting and magical and sweet. Director Valdimar Jóhannsson constantly teases danger around the corner, particularly when another character shows up unannounced, but he keeps you guessing until the end. Like I said, it’s best to go into Lamb entirely in the dark about the plot, so feel free to avoid the trailer below.
For something a whole lot more real and even more charming, I highly recommend the documentary Julia, which is now available as a prestige rental in the Theater At Home section of Vudu. Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, the Oscar-nominated duo behind RBG, this new feature chronicles the life and celebrity of another iconic woman: famed chef and TV personality Julia Child.
From her days working for British intelligence during World War II through her introduction of French cuisine to America, the movie covers everything you ever wanted to know about Child and more. And you’ll find yourself whisked along through the biographical story at an enjoyable pace aided by Carla Gutierrez’s editing and the whimsical original score by Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma). Don’t watch it on an empty stomach!
What movies are great to pair with those new releases?
While there’s nothing quite like Lamb, there are some movies out there that could make for a decent double feature. Most lean more into the horror genre, though, such as the dead-child-surrogate movies Orphan and The Boy and the genetic-experiment thriller Splice. Also, the first acts of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence fit into the mix.
As for Julia, the easiest recommendation is Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as a young writer inspired by the celebrity chef. You can also pair the documentary with Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s RBG or any number of other foodie docs, such as Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Spinning Plates and fellow new release Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
C’mon C’mon, the latest from filmmaker Mike Mills (Beginners, 20th Century Women), makes its digital debut this Thursday, December 23. The black-and-white feature stars Joaquin Phoenix in his first movie role since his Oscar win for Joker last year. Here, he plays a journalist who is forced by his sister (Gaby Hoffman) to bond with his precocious nephew during a cross-country road trip.
Woody Norman plays the kid, and he’s earning tons of acclaim and accolades for his breakthrough performance. But as a whole, C’mon C’mon is also just one of the best movies of the year, with Phoenix receiving plenty of buzz to be in the Best Actor race again. It’s much better and more moving than your typical drama about a child changing the life of a disagreeable man.
And arriving the next day, on December 24, is Disney’s Encanto. The feature is arguably the studio’s best animated release of the year — that’s saying a lot, considering Raya and the Last Dragon and Luca also both came out in 2021. It’s also arguably the catchiest movie musical of the year, which is also saying a lot. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new tunes for the soundtrack are fantastic.
The story follows the Madrigal family, who live in the Columbian mountains in a magical house. Most of them also have special powers, from super strength to a heightened sense of hearing. But these gifts are starting to fade for some explicable reason. Watch the movie with your whole clan — the larger the better — as you identify what makes each of you distinct yet also imperfect.
What are some great modern sci-fi movies to buy this week?
With The Matrix: Resurrections out in theaters this week, I’d like to direct your attention to Vudu’s Modern Sci-Fi Sale, which indeed includes deals on all three of the previous Matrix feature films (available together in a bundle) plus the documentary The Matrix Revisited. You can also get the Matrix 4-Film Collection, which adds in the Animatrix short film compilation.
There’s also plenty of Star Trek, both the movies and the TV series, as well as Godzilla films, a mix of Terminator installments and animated features such as Disney’s Big Hero 6. Among the lesser-known picks, though, I recommend Aniara, Synchronic, Timecrimes, Europa Report, Melancholia, Sea Fever, The Lobster, Monsters, Little Fish and the documentary A Glitch in the Matrix.
Are we celebrating any big movie and TV anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 25th anniversary of Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-nominated, four-hour Shakespeare adaptation Hamlet. Also turning 25 are the John Travolta movie Michael, Milos Forman’s The People vs. Larry Flynt, Albert Brooks’ Mother, the presidential comedy My Fellow Americans, the historical drama Ghosts of Mississippi and the George Clooney rom-com One Fine Day.
Plus, the Steve Martin-led remake Father of the Bride, the crime drama Rush and Barbra Streisand’s The Prince of Tides all turn 30 while the Neil Simon adaptation Brighton Beach Memoirs turns 35. Celebrating 40 years are the Mad Max sequel The Road Warrior and the Chevy Chase comedy Modern Problems. Meanwhile, the horror movie The Town That Dreaded Sundown turns 45.
Going back further, Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude and the Clint Eastwood action movie Dirty Harry both turn 50 this week while the Michael Caine action-comedy Gambit and the Clint Eastwood Western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly both turn 55. Plus, the Jules Verne adaptation Mysterious Island, the Rock Hudson and Doris Day rom-com Lover Come Back and the sword-and-sandals drama Barabbas, starring Anthony Quinn, all turn 60.
Also, the thrilling Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn romance drama The African Queen turns 70, Frank Capra’s holiday staple It’s a Wonderful Life turns 75, the mystery-comedy sequel After the Thin Man turns 85, the Fredric March version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Greta Garbo spy biopic Mata Hari both turn 90 and Buster Keaton’s The General turns 95.
More recent titles with anniversaries include the Jim Carrey movie The Majestic, the Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan rom-com Kate and Leopold, the boxer biopic Ali, the Oscar-winning Halle Berry drama Monster’s Ball, the animated feature Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Robert Altman’s ensemble murder-mystery film Gosford Park, which all turn 20 years old this week.
Also, the fantastical action-comedy Night at the Museum, the sequel Rocky Balboa, the period piece The Painted Veil and the Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench drama Notes on a Scandal all turn 15 while Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Angelina Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey and Spielberg’s War Horse all turn 10. Plus, Hidden Figures is already 5 years old!
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
Right now, Vudu has a sale on Illumination movies in honor of the theatrical release of Sing 2. I recommend anything with Minions. There’s also a sale on movies from the Karate Kid franchise in anticipation of the new season of Cobra Kai. And tied to this week’s limited release of Parallel Mothers, there’s a sale on Pedro Almodovar films, all of which are essentials.
Later this week, Vudu will be holding its 48-Hour Christmas Sale, starting Christmas Eve and continuing through December 26. You can find tons of bundles priced at 25% off as well as numerous 4K UHD titles on sale for $9.99 and under. Topical movies worth buying include Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Widow, The Matrix and its sequels and the 8-Movie Harry Potter Collection.
What must-see movie is coming soon to Vudu?
Want to see Spider-Man: No Way Home again or for the first time from the safety and comfort of your own home? The brand new Marvel superhero sequel starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, which just broke box office records during its opening weekend, is due to hit digital in a few months. But you can already pre-order your copy on Vudu in advance.
You can also pre-order a trilogy bundle featuring Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home. You can watch the first two now and the latest will drop into your library when it becomes available. If you’re a real diehard Spidey fanatic, though, you should order the Spider-Man 8-Movie Collection, which also includes the No Way Home reservation in addition to all of the Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland incarnations of the spectacular web-slinger.
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
While Spider-Man: No Way Home broke box office records in theaters over the weekend, one of Spidey’s biggest foes topped Vudu’s best-sellers chart with the sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage taking the #1 spot. As for digitally available Spider-Man titles, the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, Spider-Man: Far From Home, placed just outside the top 10 at #12.
Tom Holland’s first solo entry, Spider-Man: Homecoming is #19, Andrew Garfield’s two movies, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are #25 and #30, respectively, and Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie starring Tobey Maguire ranks as #41 with the animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse landing right behind it in the #42 spot.
Holiday movies continue to be popular, with the live-action Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the animated Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch at #5 and #8, respectively. Also in the ranks are the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy Elf (#15), The Polar Express (#22), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (#23), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (#28), Christmas with the Kranks (#31), A Christmas Story (#36), The Year Without a Santa Claus (#38), Scrooged (#45) and Home Alone (#46).
As for new releases arriving on the Vudu chart for the first time, the family film Clifford the Big Red Dog debuted at #2, the horror sequel Halloween Kills — available to purchase in an Extended Cut — landed in the next place (#3), and the adorable animated sci-fi comedy Ron’s Gone Wrong found the right spot at #6. None were able to knock mainstay Free Guy off the list.
See the full top 10 list below.
1. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
2. Clifford the Big Red Dog
3. Halloween Kills — Extended Cut
4. No Time to Die
5. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
7. Ron’s Gone Wrong
8. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
9. The Last Duel
10. Free Guy
