It’s a very fanciful week for streaming. Cosmic Princess Kaguya!, a modern spin on the same Japanese folktale that inspired Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata’s final film, lands on Netflix. SpongeBob has a haunted pirate adventure in The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, which sails onto VOD.
Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie go on a romantic tour of their memories in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which drives onto Netflix. Hear stories from Mel Brooks and the comedians and filmmakers he inspired in the HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
Here’s a rundown of the most notable new releases on streaming and VOD, including the biggest, best, and most popular new movies you can watch at home right now.
New on Netflix
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
- Genre: Romantic fantasy
- Run time: 1h 49m
- Director: Kogonada
- Cast: Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline
After meeting at a wedding, David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) share a scenic drive guided by the strange GPS in David’s rental car, which leads them to a mysterious door in the woods. Their journey takes the pair through their memories as they grapple with the concerns they have about starting a relationship and look for a way to be happy. Kogonada (After Yang) offers a poingant take on magical realism with a time-travel twist that’s equal parts emotionally effective and annoyingly saccharine.
Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
- Genre: Anime musical
- Run time: 2h 22m
- Director: Shingo Yamashita
- Cast: Yūko Natsuyoshi, Anna Nagase, Saori Hayami
Writer-director Shingo Yamashita blends sci-fi and fantasy for a story about Kaguya (Yūko Natsuyoshi), a girl from the moon taken in by stressed high school student Iroha (Anna Nagase). Kaguya’s sense of wonder inspires Iroha as they journey through a virtual world to compete in a livestreaming competition for the chance to collaborate with an AI idol.
From our review:
All the beautiful scenarios and uplifting music in Cosmic Princess Kaguya! make the 143-minute movie entertaining, but it isn’t enough to compensate for the underwhelming narrative resolutions. Iroha is just a young girl, in spite of the responsibilities that forced her to become an adult too soon. The chaos Kaguya and her childish, dreamy side bring are a catalyst for transformation, as Iroha gradually finds the strength to pursue happiness again. But Iroha’s baggage gets unpacked too easily and hastily, considering how heavy it is.
New on HBO Max
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 3h 36m
- Directors: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Superbad and Knocked Up director Judd Apatow interviews comedy legend Mel Brooks about his long career in this two-part documentary. The film chronicles Brooks’ childhood, World War II service and early work in the Borscht Belt and how those experiences helped him write iconic satires like The Producers and Blazing Saddles.
New on Shudder
Mother of Flies
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 32m
- Director: John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser
- Cast: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Mickey (Zelda Adams) seeks an unconventional treatment delivered by the mysterious witch Solveig (Toby Poser). Asked to spend three days in the woods undergoing death magic rituals, Mickey learns about Solveig’s deep relationship with the land and how thin the veil between life and death can be.
New to rent
Savage Flowers
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 38m
- Director: Brad Watson
- Cast: Roxanne McKee, Nick Moran, Meesha Garbett
In a world where young women are feared as carriers of a deadly disease, an orphan finds safety in a remote, dilapidated foster home. But the other girls prove to me far more frightening than the world outside as they engage in twisted rituals to alleviate the boredom of their isolation.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
- Genre: Adventure comedy
- Run time: 1h 36m
- Director: Derek Drymon
- Cast: Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass
Cursed to sail the Underworld until he can swap places with an innocent soul, the ghost pirate The Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill) believes that SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) is the key to his salvation and encourages SpongeBob to train to become a swashbuckler by facing numerous dangers. SpongeBob’s friends will have to rescue him before it’s too late.
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