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?
Michael Myers continues to wreak havoc on Haddonfield in Halloween Kills, which is now available to purchase on Vudu. But this isn’t quite the same horror sequel you saw in theaters. The digital release includes a new version called “The Extended Cut,” which adds more kills and an alternate ending that would have changed the setup for the next installment had it been kept in.
Following the events of the 2018 Halloween, this follow-up sees the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as the original “Final Girl,” Laurie Strode along with Judy Greer and Andi Matichak as her daughter and granddaughter, respectively. The movie also brings back a few familiar faces from the 1978 original, including Kyle Richards, plus Anthony Michael Hall as the now-grown-up Tommy Doyle.
Wes Anderson’s latest, The French Dispatch, is also newly available on Vudu as a digital purchase. Inspired by the staff and the contents of The New Yorker magazine, the anthology film consists of a handful of vignettes set in or based around the French bureau of a fictional American newspaper called the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. Anderson regular Bill Murray stars as its editor.
Other recurring collaborators in the extensive ensemble cast include Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban and Frances McDormand. Newcomers to his troupe of actors in this love letter to journalists include Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright and No Time To Die’s Léa Seydoux.
Also now out on Vudu, to rent or buy digitally, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is one of the best animated features of the year. The movie is produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and employs a unique mix of visual styles to depict a science fiction story involving evil humanoid robots taking over the world.
At its center, though, is a hilarious and heartwarming adventure following the titular family on a cross-country road trip to deliver daughter Katie (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) to film school. Along the way, the Mitchells realize they have to learn to get along better than they ever have before in order to defeat the machines and save the human race. Watch the first 10 minutes below.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
The animated feature Ron’s Gone Wrong is coming to Vudu for digital purchase this Wednesday, December 15, and it makes for a perfect pairing with The Mitchells vs. The Machines. In this movie, though, the malfunctioning robot doesn’t try to take over the world. He just tries so much harder than the other robots to do a good job and earn the love of his assigned human companion.
Also, Olivia Colman voices a character in both movies. This one focuses on a preteen boy (Luca’s Jack Grazer) whose family can’t afford the hot new tech that every other kid has — an ovular AI that functions as a best friend, social media hub and vehicle, all in one. So he winds up with a discounted damaged version (voiced by Zach Galifianakis), whose mishaps are both funny and sweet.
What are some great new National Film Registry titles to buy this week?
The Library of Congress just announced this year’s additions to the National Film Registry: 25 movies selected for preservation due to their “cultural, historic or aesthetic significance.” The new picks include such fan-favorite franchise hits as Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the Star Wars Original Trilogy closer Return of the Jedi.
One of the earlier selections inducted is Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense thriller Strangers on a Train, while the most recent new entry is the Pixar animated feature WALL-E. Other classics include the Bette Davis and Joan Crawford psychological horror flick What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Robert Altman’s neo-noir The Long Goodbye, the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, the music biopic Selena and the teen comedy Cooley High.
Are we celebrating any big movie and TV anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Scream, Wes Craven’s meta horror movie, which has spawned a franchise of sequels and TV series, including a new installment coming soon. Other movies that premiered 25 years ago this week include the Madonna-led musical Evita and the animated feature Beavis and Butthead Do America, based on the hit MTV series.
A number of other movies were released in theaters 25 years ago this week, including Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, the Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger movie Jerry Maguire, the Denzel Washington-led remake The Preacher’s Wife, Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, the early Leonardo DiCaprio drama Marvin’s Room and the World War I-set Ernest Hemingway biopic In Love and War.
Going back further, Oliver Stone’s JFK, Tony Scott’s The Last Boy Scout and Warren Beatty’s Bugsy all turn 30, Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War drama Platoon and the horror-musical-comedy Little Shop of Horrors both turn 35 and the prehistoric drama Quest for Fire, the Burt Reynolds action movie Sharky’s Machine and the John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd comedy Neighbors all turn 40.
The comedy sequel Pink Panther Strikes Again, the monster movie remake King Kong, the musical drama remake A Star is Born, the Dirty Harry sequel The Enforcer and the Disney family films Freaky Friday and The Shaggy D.A. all turn 45. Also, The James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever, Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, the historical drama Nicholas and Alexander and Arthur Hiller’s black comedy The Hospital all turn 50.
Even further back, the Western classic El Dorado and Michael Antonioni’s Blow-Up are both turning 55, while The Children’s Hour, and Disney’s Babes in Toyland are turning 60 and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man, the romantic drama The Rainmaker, Elia Kazan’s Baby Doll and the historical drama Anastasia all turn 65. Plus, the family film The Yearling celebrates its 75th anniversary.
More recent titles with anniversaries include Ron Howard’s Best Picture-winner A Beautiful Mind, Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and the spoof Not Another Teen Movie, which all turn 20 years old this week.
Also, the Will Smith drama The Pursuit of Happyness, the YA adaptation Eragon, the musical Dreamgirls, the slasher remake Black Christmas, the live-action version of Charlotte’s Web, Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German and Zhang Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower all turn 15.
Plus, the action sequel Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, the drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and the documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel all turn 10. And Denzel Washington’s Fences is already 5 years old!
Can you recommend some great movie deals on Vudu?
Starting this week, Vudu has a gigantic End of the Year Sale. That includes old movies and new, but first I’d like to highlight the best of 2021 releases included in the bunch: for big laughs, there’s Free Guy and Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar; for scares, there’s A Quiet Place Part II and Candyman; for action, they’ve got Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and F9: The Fast Saga; and for the little ones, Paw Patrol: The Movie and Luca.
To see some of this year’s greatest performances, check out Zola, The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Wild Indian. And if you’re looking forward to the upcoming 2021 blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, you can find all seven previous live-action Spidey movies (individually or bundled) as well as the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in the All-Time Favorites section. You can also find more bundles and tons of titles priced at $4.99 and under.
Vudu’s latest Director’s Spotlight focuses on movies by Sam Raimi, his pals the Coen brothers, Robert Rodriguez and John Singleton. All of them have some popular favorites, but here are my recommendations for under-seen or under-appreciated gems from each: A Simple Plan, for Raimi; The Hudsucker Proxy, for the Coens; Once Upon a Time in Mexico, for Rodriguez; and the college-set drama Higher Learning, for Singleton.
What must-see movie is coming soon to Vudu?
If you’re a fan of the Ghostbusters movies, then you’re in for a happy new year because Ghostbusters: Afterlife is expected to arrive on Vudu on January 4. The funny and thrilling sequel revisits some characters and plot elements from the 1984 original while also introducing a lovable new cast of mostly kids — including the exceptional McKenna Grace — plus Paul Rudd.
This installment is co-written and directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, who helmed the first two Ghostbusters movies, and he comes from a respectful place of familiarity with and nostalgia for the franchise yet also brings plenty of fresh ideas, too and a lot of heart. While you wait out the next three weeks in anticipation of the digital release, you can pre-order your copy today.
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
The latest James Bond adventure, No Time to Die climbed back to the top spot on Vudu this week, while Joe Carnahan’s Copshop made its way into the top 10 in 7th place. As for other new releases, the musical adaptation Dear Evan Hansen, which is available to rent for $5.99, and the romantic comedy The Hating Game, landed in the 12th and 20th spots, respectively.
Meanwhile, holiday movies continue to rank in the top 10, namely the live-action Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the animated Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy Elf. Outside the main listings, though, were National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (#15), The Polar Express (#16), Christmas with the Kranks (#17), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (#19), A Christmas Story (#29) and Home Alone (#31).
See the full top 10 list below.
1. No Time to Die
2. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
3. Dune
4. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
5. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
6. The Last Duel
7. Copshop
8. Free Guy
9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
10. Elf
