New Releases – Vudu Blog

NEW THIS WEEK: THE EQUALIZER 2, SEARCHING, AND MORE

Posted on November 13, 2018Author Kyle Kubo

MISSING PIECES

The game is afoot this week, with mysteries involving murder, mayhem, and missing persons. Time to put on your thinking cap and get a clue.

When you fight for the little people, you’re never off the clock. That’s what retired spy Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has come to learn in his time as a freelance do-gooder, and it’s never been more true than after the mysterious death of one of his few remaining friends.

With skin in the game and nothing to lose, he’ll find that confronting the past may prove to be the only way forward in The Equalizer 2.

Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden, but in 2018 those things are often hidden in plain sight.

At least, that’s the hope of David Kim (John Cho) as he desperately tries to retrace his missing daughter’s steps from her social media presence. Digital footprints may not be visible, but they can reveal a lot with a little Searching.

We’ve all heard a bump in the night only to convince ourselves it’s only a trick of the imagination, but when people start dropping like flies even the most skeptical mind may reconsider.

Is The Little Stranger a hostile supernatural presence, or the sum effect of one family’s bottled up negative feelings? Watch and discover for yourself.

NEW TO RENT

Jurassic World, eat your heart out. The Meg, 75 feet of shark-flavored nightmare fuel, is the true king of the prehistoric deep, and its back and taking no prisoners. When it comes to Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), though it may have bitten off more than it can chew.

There are plenty of stories exploring the bond between a boy and his dog, but what about the very first one? In Alpha, one young hunter and one injured wolf must fight to survive the elements, overcome their differences, and ignite a partnership for the ages.

NEW THIS WEEK: CRAZY RICH ASIANS, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, AND MORE

Posted on November 6, 2018Author Kyle Kubo

THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

Singapore. Oakland. The Hundred Acre Wood. This week’s new releases are all about places, as well as the people, feelings, and stuffed bears that come and go.

With Hollywood finally starting to recognize the importance of representation, movie theaters are showcasing a wider variety of stories than ever before.

But not every story is received as warmly or widely as Crazy Rich Asians, the international love story that has made critics and audiences alike stand up and cheer. Come for the breathtaking visuals, stay for the parade of star-quality performances.

Winnie the Pooh’s humble home is never far for those in touch with their inner child.

Pooh, Tigger, and company’s latest grand adventure will take them to uncharted territory (modern day London) in a quest to save their old friend Christopher Robin from the scariest monster of all: adulthood.

Progress that leaves people behind is no progress at all. Blindspotting tells the story of two friends in a neighborhood that is both rapidly changing and frustratingly staying the same.

The film speaks for the people left in the margins by discrimination, apathy, and hate, and it speaks loudly.

NEW TO RENT

In a world with no superheroes allowed, who do you call when a giant mechanized drill is hurtling through the city?

Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 picks up where the beloved original left off, with the first family of heroism fighting to regain the public’s trust and support each other as a super family.

One black cop, one white cop, and one shot to take on the Klan from the inside.

The one and only BlacKkKlansman is turning the screws on the local white supremacists, but they won’t go down without a fight.

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT WITH INCREDIBLES 2

Posted on October 27, 2018Author Kyle Kubo

SUPER SEQUEL

Audiences have waited 14 years for The Incredibles (Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack) to be back in action, and Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 has finally arrived in power-packed, crime-stopping style. The first family of fun is back and ready to run, stretch, sneak, and smash their way to another happy ending for the good people of Metroville and the world.

Packed with action and laughs and available in up to 4K + UHD quality on Vudu, Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 is an incredibly good reason to gather the kids for a family movie night that everyone will enjoy.

POWERFUL LESSONS

The high-flying stunts, dastardly villains, and classic characters like Frozone and Edna Mode aren’t the only reasons to share Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 with younger family members.

Behind the super suits and Elasticycles are some great messages about family, strength, and the world today that are worth discussing with any young superhero-in-training.

One of the most powerful themes in Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 is the importance of pitching in to do your fair share and support the people you care about. When Elastigirl is called to resume her crime-fighting duties, it’s up to Mr. Incredible to take over household duties and take care of the kids while she’s serving justice to evil-doers.

It doesn’t matter that he’s used to being the one who goes out and works; when duty calls he steps up to look after his family and support his wife, an important example for any kid.

Elastigirl’s new responsibilities also offer a teaching moment. Elastigirl was already a top superhero when she met Mr. Incredible, but when heroes became outlawed she devoted herself to taking care of the family. Now that she’s back in the super suit, we get to see her display the abilities and crime-solving expertise that made her such a great hero in the first place.

Seeing Elastigirl, a confident and talented woman, saving the day and winning over the community is a great image for kids.

The film’s antagonist is the villainous Screenslaver, who’s use of hypnotic mind-control is also a subtle message for audiences. The Screenslaver controls the population by reaching out through the screens on their TVs, phones, and other electronics.

The zombified citizens serve as a reminder that too much screen time can have negative effects on the user, especially young children.

Even the supporting characters of Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 have some wisdom to impart. Voyd, an aspiring superhero, has strong powers but lacks confidence in her ability to be a hero. With encouragement from her mentor Elastigirl she is able to save people with her powers and assist the Incredibles in defeating evil. Her success shows kids what’s possible when you believe in yourself, as well as the important of encouraging others to do the same.

With life lessons and excitement at every turn, Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 is the perfect film for a super family movie night.

NEW THIS WEEK: INCREDIBLES 2, BLACKKKLANSMAN, AND MORE

Posted on October 23, 2018Author Kyle Kubo

PLUS RENTALS AND MOVIES STILL IN THEATERS

HIDDEN HEROES

Sometimes saving the day means seizing the spotlight and making a big splash, and sometimes it means righting wrongs from the shadows. This week’s newly arrived heroes are serving up some justice on the down low.

The year is 2004. Facebook is on its way in, Friends is on its way out, and an unassuming family with secret superpowers has taken the world by storm. Disney•Pixar’sThe Incredibles brought heart, hilarity, and a relatable realism to animated superheroes, and the long-awaited Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2 packs everything fans have been waiting for and more, in up to 4K + UHD quality.

The Parr family are back and ready to save the day from a mysterious new evil-doer, bring superheroes back from the edge of extinction, and maybe grab some takeout on the way back from soccer practice.

Sometimes when you’re really excited to meet a new person, you don’t notice the red flags signaling that they might be hiding a secret. For the Ku Klux Klan in 1979, that person was a seemingly enthusiastic new recruit, and that secret was the undercover black police detective pulling the strings.

Loosely based on a stranger than fiction true story, BlacKkKlansman weaves a tale of danger, deceit, and discovery as the hunted becomes the hunter.

NEW TO RENT

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again brings us back to the sun, surf, and singalongs that made the original a musical icon. Watch this clip for an exclusive look at the real-life church featured in the films, courtesy of travel blogger @JeanaTravels.

At the intersection of workplace drama, far-out fantasy, and social satire sits Sorry to Bother You. The post-modern fable depicting one man’s struggle for success is an eye-opening (and eye-popping) original that has to be seen to be believed.

STILL IN THEATERS

The temptation to phone it in on a tough workday can be strong, but when lives hang in the balance every wrong decision could mean tragedy.

The Guilty’s award-winning twists and turns all take place in a single room as an emergency dispatcher desperately attempts to help a stranger, but the consequences of his actions reach far beyond the four walls.

NEW THIS WEEK: THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, NEW RENTALS, AND MORE

Posted on October 16, 2018Author Kyle Kubo

DOUBLE AGENTS

Everyone imagines what it’s like to be a spy: karate chopping terrorists, infiltrating secret organizations, and jumping out of expensive foreign cars as they crash into helicopters. But what if you and your best friend had to be spies right now, with no training, no gadgets, and no idea what’s going on?

In The Spy Who Dumped Me, Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon) are two average gals on a daring (and possibly deadly) Eurotrip to clean up after Audrey’s CIA agent ex. They may be underqualified and under attack, but you can watch them fight, drive, and disguise their way to mission accomplished in up to 4K + UHD quality.

NEW TO RENT

There’s more to shrinking than swimming in cereal bowls. Justice is a dish best served hors d’oeuvre size, and Ant-Man and the Wasp are at your service.

As kids we’re told not to talk to strangers, and forgetting the lesson as adults can have deadly consequences. Unfriended: Dark Web dives deep into the dark side of the internet, with hauntingly real results.

Some adventures are too big to come back from. Coyote: The Mike Plant Story chronicles the zigs, zags, and final frontiers of a man who took American sailing where it had never been before.

STILL IN THEATERS

Casper is a harmless apparition. The ghosts of The Grudge are deadly demons. The fading phantasms of I Still See You seem to fall in the first category… until they don’t.

Practically perfect even after 20 years

Magic never ages, and neither does this cult classic as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. It’s been two decades since the Owens sisters (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) outfoxed fate, curses, and killers with a little Practical Magic. If you’ve ever wished to spirit away a parking ticket or turn their ex into a frog, it’s time to revisit this cult classic and have a bewitching time.