This week on streaming and digital, one of the best shows on streaming returns, and an Academy Award-winner hits VOD. In theaters, Kevin Costner takes us back to the West, while Blue Lock reminds us why sports anime is so iconic. From A Quiet Place: Day One to My Lady Jane, here is everything you need to watch this weekend.
7 ‘The Boy and the Heron’
Image via Studio Ghibli
Where To Watch: On VOD
Related ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Was More Autobiographical Than You’d Think
This is Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal film yet.
Hayao Miyazaki is back with another masterpiece. Academy Award-winner The Boy and the Heron is finally available on streaming. The film follows Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy who struggles to settle in a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.
Even all these years later, Miyazaki still finds a way to surprise us. Ross Bonaime explains: The Boy and Heron’s biggest surprise might be just how magical and unique his work still feels after all these years. It cements Miyazaki as a talent who will go down as one of the greatest directors ever, regardless of when he decides to call it quits.
The Boy and the Heron
A young boy named Mahito, yearning for his mother, ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
Release Date December 8, 2023
Cast Soma Santoki , Masaki Suda , Takuya Kimura , Aimyon
Runtime 124 minutes
Production Company Studio Ghibli, Toho Company
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6 ‘The Bear’ Season 3
Where To Watch: On Hulu
Related ‘The Bear’ Season 3 Review: Chef, This Story Is Undercooked and Underseasoned
This is not what I ordered.
FX and Hulu’s Emmy-winning series back. The Bear Season 3 dropped all episodes on the streamer earlier this week and continues the story of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto as he attempts to run a restaurant in the heart of Chicago.
Unfortunately, this season of The Bear needed a little more time in the oven, says Therese Lacson: In the end, producer Christopher Storer focuses too much on the industry and forgets that the people who fell in love with this show weren’t memeing “yes, chef” TikToks because they wanted to work in a restaurant; it’s because they loved the complex characters he created. What’s devastating is that the season ends with a bizarre celebration [REDACTED] before we are reminded that one of the key subplots of the season was about [REDACTED’s] journey at The Bear and whether [REDACTED] wants to stay there or not.
The Bear
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a young chef from the fine dining world, returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after a tragedy. As he navigates the chaotic environment of the small kitchen, Carmy must manage the struggles of turning around the failing business while dealing with his own grief and personal demons. The series dives deep into the intense world of culinary arts, highlighting the challenges of running a restaurant, the bonds formed among staff, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Release Date June 23, 2022
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 3
Story By Christopher Storer
Writers Christopher Storer
Streaming Service(s) Hulu , Disney+
Directors Christopher Storer
Showrunner Christopher Storer
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Watch on Hulu
5 ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’
Where To Watch: In Theaters
Related ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Review: Lupita Nyong’o & Joseph Quinn Elevate Horror Prequel
The third movie in the A Quiet Place franchise takes the story back to the very beginning.
A Quiet Place has quickly become one of the best modern horror franchises thanks to its fantastic characters and incredible suspense. This prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, takes us back to when New York City was attacked by the now-infamous alien invasion.
Like the first two movies, Day One features a talented cast, and they are the highlight of the film, according to Emma Kiely: Without a shadow of a doubt, the film’s greatest asset is its cast. Lupita Nyong’o manages to never get lost in the chaos around her, always reminding the audience that this is Sam’s story — not the world, not the aliens, but hers. She’s able to mix her hardened weariness with a genuine zest for what life has left for her, making her quest to fulfill her one last dream as tense as the end of the world.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Experience the day the world went quiet.
Release Date June 28, 2024
Director Michael Sarnoski
Main Genre Drama
Studio(s) Platinum Dunes , Paramount Pictures , Sunday Night Productions
Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
Sequel(s) A Quiet Place , A Quiet Place: Part II
Franchise(s) A Quiet Place
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4 ‘Blue Lock -Episode Nagi-‘
Where To Watch: In Theaters
Related ‘Blue Lock’ Movie: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and Everything We Know About ‘Episode Nagi’
The spin-off movie for the ‘Blue Lock’ anime series will be released in 2024.
Thanks to its incredible first season, Blue Lock has skyrocketed to become one of the biggest anime in the world. With its intense matches and unique roster of characters, the show has already cemented itself as one of the premier sports anime.
Based on the Blue Lock Episode Nagi spin-off manga, the film follows Nagi Seishiro, who is introduced to the beautiful world of football. One day, he receives an invitation to the mysterious BLUE LOCK Project. What awaits him there is an encounter with the finest strikers assembled from across the country. Nagi’s dream of becoming the best, alongside his best friend Reo, will take this prodigy to a world he’s never known.
Blue Lock
High school soccer players from across Japan gather for a controversial project designed to create the best and most egoistic striker in the world.
Release Date October 8, 2022
Creator Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura
Cast Ricco Fajardo , Aaron Dismuke , Drew Breedlove , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Aaron Campbell
Seasons 1
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3 ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’
Image via Warner Bros.
Where To Watch: In Theaters
Related ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ Review: Kevin Costner’s Epic Western Is Slow on the Draw
If this is how this series of multiple movies is going to start, then it has its work cut out for it.
Kevin Costner is back in the Old West in this new film. Horizon: American Saga – Chapter 1 is the first part of a new film series about families, friends, and foes discovering the Old West’s lure as the Civil War divides the country.
While the first half of the saga was meant to be a grand introduction, it gets off to a shaky start. Chase Hutchinson explains: For a film that plays as one long prologue for what’s next, tacking on what amounts to a glorified trailer is a fitting finale. Not fitting in any exciting way, but more as one final shrug until the next one releases. Consider it less a character riding off into the sunset and more them turning to camera to remind you to tune in next time.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.
Release Date June 28, 2024
Main Genre Western
Writers Jon Baird
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2 ‘My Lady Jane’
Image via Prime Video
Where To Watch: On Prime Video
Related ‘My Lady Jane’ Review: Prime Video’s Revisionist, Romantic Look at the Nine-Day Queen
The series, based on the novel by Bodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows, expertly walks the line between humorous and heartwarming.
The tragic tale of Lady Jane Grey gets a brand-new take in My Lady Jane. Gird your loins as Prime Video gives this 1553 story a modern twist in this great rom-com. Based on the novel by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows, My Lady Jane is a solid adaptation you’ll fall in love with.
Arezou Amin says in her review: The humor of the series does fall in line with that of the book, some of the story elements are similar, though I can’t recall the source material well enough to speak to how good an “adaptation” the series is. What I can say is I walked away with the same feeling I had then. My Lady Jane fully embraces the heart and the message of the story it is trying to tell, with comedy and romance woven in masterfully. In the end, isn’t that all we want in an adaptation, anyway?
My Lady Jane (2024)
Release Date June 27, 2024
Cast Emily Bader , Edward Bluemel , Jordan Peters , Anna Chancellor , Dominic Cooper , Jim Broadbent , Will Keen , Rob Brydon , Kate O’Flynn , Máiréad Tyers , Robyn Betteridge
Main Genre Comedy
Seasons 1
Creator(s) Gemma Burgess
Writers Jodi Meadows , Brodi Ashton , Cynthia Hand
Streaming Service(s) Prime Video
Directors Jamie Babbit , Stefan Schwartz
Showrunner Gemma Burgess , Meredith Glynn
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Watch on Prime Video
1 ‘I Am: Celine Dion’
Image via Prime Video
Where To Watch: On Prime Video
Related ‘I Am: Celine Dion’ Review: A Rare, Searing Look at an Icon Facing the Fight of Her Life
Dion is as raw as ever in a personal, and deeply sensitive depiction of an artist unable to do her craft.
Serving as a love letter to her fans, Celine Dion highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit as she struggles with a life-altering illness.
Isabella Soares praised the documentary, saying: By weaving in old footage with present-day shots, it far exceeds expectations in terms of formatting and structure attributed to music docs. It also benefits from Dion being fully committed to exposing her vulnerability and inviting fans to see past the glamour.
I Am: Celine Dion (2024)
Following the journey of global music icon Celine Dion, the film explores her rise from humble beginnings to international stardom. Through personal interviews and archival footage, viewers gain insight into her extraordinary career, the challenges she faced, and her enduring impact on the music industry.
Release Date June 25, 2024
Director Irene Taylor
Runtime 102 Minutes
Watch on Prime Video