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?
Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, featuring an all-star cast including Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Irons is now available on Vudu. The award-winning drama follows the shocking true-crime story of the titular family and the woman who marries into it — and then murders her way out. Singer-turned-actress Gaga (A Star is Born) delivers another iconic leading performance as the infamous Patrizia Reggiani.
The rest of the ensemble is fabulous, too. Among the other delights to be found in this lengthy and sometimes campy biographical epic are the costumes, of course, given that the movie involves the clan behind the glamorous Gucci fashion brand. Also, the makeup, which has rendered Leto (Suicide Squad) ridiculously unrecognizable in the role of Paolo Gucci.
Another one of this year’s big awards contenders, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee, is also newly available on Vudu, to rent or buy digitally. The tearjerking nonfiction animated feature tells the story of Amin, a gay man who left his home in Afghanistan with his family in the 1980s only to encounter other hardships in Russia and, later, in pursuit of a better life in Denmark. Shortlisted for multiple Oscar categories, it’s one of the best films of any kind of 2021.
There are more must-see documentaries that are new to purchase on Vudu. Lynne Sachs’s Film About a Father Who spotlight’s the filmmaker’s dad, Ira Sachs Sr., employing tons of home movie footage shot over a period of 35 years. Also, Julia, from Oscar-nominated directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West (RBG) chronicles the incredible life of legendary TV chef Julia Child.
A few other new releases that were already on Vudu are now available to rent, including Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The second sequel to the 1984 paranormal comedy classic is my favorite of the many legacy sequels or “requels” to come out this past year, thanks to the goofy presence of Paul Rudd, the handful of returning cast members for cameo appearances and, most of all, for the star-making performance by young lead McKenna Grace.
Another is Mike Mills’s C’mon C’mon, starring Joaquin Phoenix in his first movie role since Joker. Here, he plays a journalist who is forced by his sister (Gaby Hoffman) to bond with his precocious nephew (breakthrough performer Woody Norman) during a cross-country road trip. It’s much better and more moving than your typical drama about a child changing the life of a disagreeable man.
What movies are great to pair with those new releases?
Ridley Scott made two great movies released in 2021, and I recommend checking out the even better The Last Duel to pair with your viewing of House of Gucci. You could also pick up these other excellent historical and biographical dramas directed by Scott: American Gangster and All the Money in the World, which similarly deals with an extremely wealthy, well-known family.
For Flee, I recommend a double feature with that and Ari Folman’s Oscar-nominated animated documentary Waltz with Bashir, about veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War. Another great film worth pairing with Flee is the animated feature Persepolis, which is co-directed by Marjane Satrapi and based on her own autobiographical coming-of-age graphic novel of the same name.
Are there any other big movies coming out this week?
If all the biographical and historical movies mentioned above aren’t enough for you, American Underdog arrives on Vudu this Friday, February 4. The sports drama follows the life and career of Kurt Warner, portrayed by Zachary Levi. Warner was a football player who got a second chance at playing professionally and wound up a legendary quarterback. Obviously, this release is perfectly timed to pump Rams fans up for the Super Bowl this month.
And if you like biographical sports dramas, King Richard is already on Vudu to rent and purchase digitally, but it will be available to rent at a cheaper cost later this week. Will Smith stars in the movie as the titular Richard Williams, father of tennis phenomenons Venus and Serena Williams. It’s one of the most entertaining movies of the past year and also features an outstanding performance by Aunjanue Ellie as the Williams’ mother.
What are some great movies to watch for Black History Month?
Black History Month begins today, and Vudu is showcasing relevant movies throughout February with a few deals. The Black History Month sale features more than 250 titles, including such essentials as Ava DuVernay’s Selma, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and these biopics starring the late Chadwick Boseman: 42, Marshall and Get On Up. And don’t forget the classic documentaries King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis and Malcolm X.
Not all the movies are about real people or history but some are at least historical entities themselves, such as the Sidney Poitier dramas In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and landmark releases such as Do the Right Thing, Super Fly, Beverly Hills Cop, the TV sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the indie film Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. and the musical The Wiz.
A number of the titles in the Black History Month sale are also highlighted in the Movies That Celebrate Black Joy curation, based on a Rotten Tomatoes list. Here are my favorite picks from the lot: the Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America, the Marvel superhero showcases Black Panther and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Pixar’s jazzy animated feature Soul and the stand-up documentary The Original Kings of Comedy.
Then there’s the grouping of The Best Black Movies of the 21st Century. My personal recommendations here include Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, David Gordon Green’s George Washington, Spike Lee’s Inside Man, Denzel Washington’s Fences and the documentaries I Am Not Your Negro, Presenting Princess Shaw, Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, Whose Streets? and Hale County This Morning, This Evening.
Are we celebrating any big movie and TV anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Christopher Guest’s hilarious mockumentary Waiting for Guffman. Also turning 25 are Clint Eastwood’s Absolute Power, the Iranian family film masterpiece Children of Heaven and the Jet Li action movie Once Upon a Time in China and America. Also, the LGBT Olympian romance drama Personal Best turns 40.
Going back further, Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi flick A Clockwork Orange was released 50 years ago this week. Also turning 50 is Andrei Tarkovsky’s psychological sci-fi drama Solaris while the John Wayne-led Naval biopic The Wings of Eagles turns 65 and the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn rom-com Woman of the Year and the Ronald Reagan drama Kings Row both turn 80.
More recent titles with anniversaries include the Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie Collateral Damage and Phillip Noyce’s biographical drama Rabbit-Proof Fence, which both turn 20 this week. Plus, the found-footage-style superhero thriller Chronicle and the sketch comedy series Key & Peele, starring Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, both turn 10.
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
With the Winter Olympics coming up in a few days, Vudu also has an Olympics Sale. You’re best off choosing the movies related to the Winter Olympics and winter sports, such as Miracle (ice hockey), Cool Runnings (bobsled), I, Tonya (figure skating), Eddie the Eagle (ski jump), Olympic Dreams (cross-country skiing) and the classic Downhill Racer (downhill skiing).
Vudu is also celebrating “Anime Month” with a sale on Japanese animation films and television series. I have to recommend the fantastical films of Mamoru Hosoda, which include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (also available in a dubbed version) and The Boy and the Beast (also dubbed), plus Makoto Shinkai’s body-swap feature Your Name. (also dubbed) and the terrifying monster movie Shin Godzilla (also dubbed).
You can also find some anime essentials in Vudu’s extended Lunar New Year Sale, focused on Asian cinemas. There’s Hosoda’s Mirai and Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies, for two examples. Here are some more underrated and/or under-seen picks I recommend: Zhang Yimou’s Hero, the Jackie Chan classics Drunken Master and Project A, Justin Lin’s Better Luck Tomorrow and the documentary love story My Love, Don’t Cross That River.
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
The biggest new release of the past seven days also, unsurprisingly, topped this week’s Vudu chart: the meta-sci-fi-action sequel The Matrix Resurrections, which placed first among all digital titles. Action fans also checked out The 355, starring Jessica Chastain at the center of an international team of women spies. That debuted at #5 while the Adrian Brody-led Clean came in at #9.
See the full top 10 list below.
1. The Matrix Resurrections
2. Sing 2
3. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
4. No Time to Die
5. The 355
6. Dune
7. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
8. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
9. Clean
10. Clifford the Big Red Dog
