Happy Barbenheimer Friday, Polygon readers!
The cinematic event of the summer is finally here: Greta Gerwig’s satirical comedy Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Christopher Nolan’s apocalyptic biopic Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy have finally premiered in theaters. If neon-pink existential crises and atomic immolation aren’t your ideal form of entertainment, not to worry: There’s plenty of exciting new releases to stream and rent from home.
They Cloned Tyrone, the satirical Blaxploitation-inspired mystery thriller starring John Boyega and Jamie Foxx, is available to stream on Netflix this weekend, as is the freediving documentary The Deepest Breath. Hideaki Anno’s Shin Kamen Rider lands on Prime, the French drama Tori and Lokita is streaming on Criterion Channel, while the Stephen Curry documentary Underrated is available to watch on Apple TV Plus. Last but not least, we’ve got a slew of new video-on-demand releases, including the DC superhero action movie The Flash starring Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton, the “Swissploitation” movie Mad Heidi, as well as the much-anticipated feature-length finale of Adult Swim’s The Venture Bros.
Let’s get into it!
New on Netflix
They Cloned Tyrone
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Photo: Parrish Lewis/Netflix
Genre: Sci-fi comedy
Run time: 2h 2m
Director: Juel Taylor
Cast: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx
John Boyega stars in this new sci-fi satire as Fontaine, a street hustler who experiences an unexpected brush with death only to miraculously awaken unharmed the next morning. With the help of local pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) and retired sex worker Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), Fontaine uncovers an insidious government conspiracy involving a clandestine cloning project and subliminal mind control. I know what you’re thinking right now: All right, but who the hell is Tyrone? Great question; you’ll have to watch the movie to find out!
The Deepest Breath
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Image: Netflix
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 48m
Director: Laura McGann
Cast: Stephen Keenan, Alessia Zecchini
This breathtaking (ba-dum-tss) documentary follows the story of Alessia Zecchini, a champion freediver who trains to set the world record for the sport by diving 184 feet below the Red Sea. Director Laura McGann interweaves the stories of Zecchini and her partner safety diver to create a film that testifies to the beauty, peril, and otherworldly calm that defines the art of freediving.
New on Prime Video
Shin Kamen Rider
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video
Image: Toei Co.
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 2h 1m
Director: Hideaki Anno
Cast: Sosuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto
Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno’s reimagining of the classic tokusatsu (“special effects”) superhero series follows the story of Takeshi Hongo (Sosuke Ikematsu), a motorcyclist who discovers he has been transformed into an insect-hybrid cyborg against his will. Together with the aid of Ruriko (Minami Hamabe), a former member of the evil organization that abducted him, Takeshi embarks on a mission to stop them from conquering the world.
[Ed. note: The film is listed on Prime Video under the title of “Shin Masked Rider”]
New on Apple TV Plus
Stephen Curry: Underrated
Where to watch: Available to stream on Apple TV Plus
Image: Apple TV Plus
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 50m
Director: Peter Nicks
Cast: Stephen Curry
This documentary tells the incredible story of Steph Curry, going from the undersized son of Hornets legend Dell Curry to one of the most accomplished college basketball players players of all time to an NBA legend that completely redefined the game of professional basketball.
New on Criterion Channel
Tori and Lokita
Where to watch: Available to stream on Criterion Channel
Image: Les Films du Fleuve/Criterion Channel
Genre: Drama
Run time: 1h 28m
Directors: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Cast: Pablo Schils, Joely Mbundu, Charlotte De Bruyne
This French drama from celebrated sibling filmmaking duo the Dardenne brothers follows two young immigrants who form a close bond after leaving their respective home countries of Cameroon and Benin in search of a better life in Belgium. With nowhere else to turn, the pair resorts to performing jobs on the black market all while sending what money they can to support their families.
New on Metrograph
Wong Ping: Between Desire and Isolation
Where to watch: Available to stream on Metrograph at Home
Image: Metrograph
Genre: Experimental film
Director: Wong Ping
The Metrograph is running a series on experimental Hong Kong artist Wong Ping, and some of its programming is available to watch online through Metrograph at Home, including multiple short films from the one-of-a-kind underground auteur.
New to rent
The Flash
Where to watch: Available to rent for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 2h 24m
Director: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Keaton
The hierarchy of power in the DC universe has changed once again through the power of the latest entry in the DCEU. Ezra Miller returns as The Flash, a superheroic speedster haunted by the mysterious murder of his mother. Determined to right this wrong, the Flash runs so fast he travels back in time in order to save her, only to cause a whole mess of multiversal chaos. With all of time and existence in jeopardy, he turns to the only people available to help: An alternate version of himself, Batman (Michael Keaton), and Superman’s cousin Kara, aka Supergirl (Sasha Calle). Is the movie any good? Well…
From our review:
The Flash is a bright, colorful, imaginative film with enough verve to pop off the screen, even though it’s often nonsensical in its wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. But as fun as its imagery can be, it also signals the same priorities Muschietti showed in the It movies. So much of The Flash gives way to computer-generated effects, not just for the depiction of super-people fighting to save the world — Sasha Calle puts in a rage-fueled performance as Supergirl, even though the film leaves her with frustratingly little to do — but for its longing glances at alternate possible pasts, as Barry travels through time and space to see what might have been.
The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart
Where to watch: Available to purchase for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Warner Bros.
Genre: Action comedy
Run time: 1h 23m
Directors: Jackson Publick, Doc Hammer
Cast: James Urbaniak, Patrick Warburton, Michael Sinterniklaas
The Venture Bros. creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer return with all-new adventure set after the events of the series. With Hank still missing, Dean embarks on a cross-country search for his brother while Dr. Venture preps for a big make-or-break product launch back in New York. Meanwhile, the Guild of Calamitous Intent and OSI team up to track down a nefarious antagonist who’s throwing a wrench in the carefully maintained order of organized villainy.
Will Hank ever return home? What’s the deal between Dr. Venture and his nemesis The Monarch, and will we ever learn the true identity of Hank and Dean’s mom? The answer to all these questions and more lies at the end of this feature-length special!
Mad Heidi
Where to watch: Available to rent for $2.99 on Amazon
Image: Raven Banner Entertainment
Genre: Swissploitation
Run time: 1h 32m
Directors: Johannes Hartmann, Sandro Klopfstein
Cast: Alice Lucy, Kel Matsena, Casper Van Dien
This action thriller reimagines the classic Swiss children’s story of Heidi into a gory grindhouse-style exploitation spoof, parodying. In a dystopian Switzerland ruled by a tyrannical cheese baron (Casper Van Dien), Heidi embarks on a violent campaign to free her country and avenge her murdered lover. Mad Heidi is a frankly ridiculous time at the movies, filled with references, homages, and above all, cheese puns.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Where to watch: Available to rent for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Image: Universal Pictures
Genre: Action-comedy
Run time: 1h 31m
Director: Kirk DeMicco
Cast: Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy
This animated comedy follows an awkward high schooler who discovers that she’s descended from a long line of warrior Kraken monsters. Destined to inherit her grandmother’s throne and defend the seas from tyrannical mermaids, Ruby must master her newfound powers and choose her own path as she prepares to embrace her destiny.
