Your plans are all set this weekend. One of the year’s biggest blockbusters has finally made its way to streaming, along with some great Japanese films in the medieval and horror genres, and a couple of fun creature features. So there are plenty of movies to watch at home no matter what type of story you’re craving.
After making over $681 million at the global box office, Project Hail Mary is available to stream on MGM+. There are also two great Takashi Miike films available to stream on Prime Video: Blade of the Immortal and Audition.
We’ve also included a couple of fun movies that you can watch on Netflix: Steven Soderbergh’s twisty Side Effects, and one of Kevin Smith’s strangest black comedies, Tusk, starring Justin Long as a podcaster interviewing a loner obsessed with a walrus nicknamed Mr. Tusk.
Here’s a rundown of the most noteworthy movies available on streaming and VOD, which you can watch from the comfort of your home all through the weekend.
10
Project Hail Mary
- Streaming on MGM+
- Genre: Sci-fi
- Run time: 2h 36m
- Director: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, James Ortiz
Based on the beloved Andy Weir novel, Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a junior-high teacher who wakes up in space, with no recollection of how he got there. Throughout the film, we explore his life at different points, diving into Ryland’s past, present, and future, and learning how he ended up on this mission and why it’s so important.
9
How to Make a Killing
- Streaming on HBO Max
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 1h 45m
- Director: John Patton Ford
- Cast: Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Ed Harris
How to Make a Killing is inspired by the 1949 British film Kind Hearts and Coronets, taking the original story’s premise and adapting it to the modern day. In it, Glen Powell is a guy from a working-class background who learns that he’s the distant heir of a $28 million fortune. He crafts a plan to kill off seven of his wealthy relatives to take over the family fortune.
8
Tokyo Drift
- Streaming on Peacock
- Genre: Action
- Run time: 1h 44m
- Director: Justin Lin
- Cast: Lucas Black, Bow Wow
The entire Fast and the Furious franchise is streaming on Peacock, but we’re highlighting Tokyo Drift because it’s one of its most accessible stories, highlighting a guy who has a limited connection to the long-running franchise and its sprawling cast of characters. The story follows Sean Boswell, a troublemaker who moves to Tokyo to live with his military father. Instead of steering clear of trouble and following his dad’s rules, he joins the underground world of Tokyo drift racing, as one does.
7
Blade of the Immortal
- Streaming on Prime Video
- Genre: Historical fantasy
- Run time: 2h 20m
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Cast: Takuya Kimura, Sota Fukushi, Hana Sugisaki
Blade of the Immortal is based on a beloved manga series, following a legendary cursed samurai in feudal Japan who, in order to regain his mortality, agrees to protect a teen on a quest for revenge. Their journey takes them to many dangerous encounters with all manner of warriors and master swordsmen as they try to avenge the girl’s parents.
6
Audition
- Streaming on Prime Video
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 55m
- Director: Takashi Miike
- Cast: Eihi Shiina, Ryo Ishibashi, Tetsu Sawaki
Audition is perhaps Takashi Miike’s most famous film. Released in 1999, it has inspired dozens of horror films and genre filmmakers from all over the world. The story is based on the Ryu Murakami novel of the same name, following a lonely widower who concocts a scheme with his film producer friend to find the perfect woman: staging fake auditions for his next partner.
5
Side Effects
- Streaming on Netflix
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 1h 46m
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Cast: Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum
A lot of stuff happens in Side Effects, making for one of Soderbergh’s twistiest movies in a filmography of great work. The story starts with Emily, a woman struggling with depression who, after hitting a rough patch with her illness, is prescribed with an experimental drug, triggering some sleepwalking episodes that result in the death of her husband. The episode throws the life of her psychotherapist completely off course.
4
Tusk
- Streaming on Netflix
- Genre: Horror comedy
- Run time: 1h 42m
- Director: Kevin Smith
- Cast: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment
Tusk is one of Kevin Smith’s strangest films, inspired by a story he shared on his podcast. It stars Justin Long as a narcissistic American podcaster who travels to the remote Canadian wilderness to conduct an interview. Through his trip, he meets a retired, reclusive sailor who becomes a better subject, revealing an obsession with a walrus nicknamed Mr. Tusk.
3
Deep Water
- Available to rent digitally
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 46m
- Director: Renny Harlin
- Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley
A mix of a disaster and a shark movie with a strangely talented cast, Deep Water follows the passengers and crew of an airplane that crashes into the Pacific Ocean. While the plane itself remains mostly intact, a horde of hungry sharks is attracted to the crash, prompting panic and shifting allegiances among the survivors.
2
Kraken
- Available to rent digitally
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 40m
- Director: Pål Øie
- Cast: Sara Khoram, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes
Kraken is a Norwegian film in the vein of many creature features. This time around, the story centers on a marine biologist investigating the mysterious behavior of salmon in a fjord and some unexplainable deaths that begin to occur. Adding a fun twist is the fact that the monster is a Kraken, a legendary sea monster from Scandinavian folklore and mythology.
1
The Wizard of the Kremlin
- Available to rent digitally
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 2h 16m
- Director: Olivier Assayas
- Cast: Jude Law, Paul Dano
Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin is an English-language thriller based on the novel of the same name. It follows an imagined meeting between the author and Vadim Baranov, the much-discussed advisor to Vladimir Putin who is rumored to have played a key role in his rise to power. Jude Law plays Putin while Paul Dano plays Baranov, with both actors sporting thick Russian accents and wearing prosthetic makeup.
