New movies to watch this weekend: See 'The Smashing Machine' in theaters, rent 'Caught Stealing,' stream 'The Lost Bus' on Apple TV+
Usher in spooky season with "V/H/S Halloween," easily the best entry in the long-running horror franchise.
Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I'm back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything.
The biggest movie of the weekend wasn't screened for critics — that's Taylor Swift's The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, her nationwide theatrical album celebration — but it will certainly debut at No. 1 at the box office.
Swift's not the only megastar with a new release, though. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson's much-buzzed-about The Smashing Machine makes its way to theaters. It opens alongside indie horror flicks Good Boy and Bone Lake.
If you missed it in multiplexes, Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing makes its way to digital, as does Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
As for what's newly available to watch on streaming services you're likely already paying for, consider The Lost Bus starring Matthew McConaughey, which hits Apple TV+; the horror anthology film V/H/S/ Halloween is on Shudder and a new Mark Wahlberg vehicle, Play Dirty, is on Prime Video.
Read on, because there's more where that came from, and there's always something here for everyone!
🎥 What to watch in theaters
My not-quite-a-recommendation: The Smashing Machine
Why you should see it: Dwayne Johnson is as good as you've heard in The Smashing Machine, which is an extremely calculated attempt to earn him an Oscar, more so than a coherent and exciting film.
Johnson plays real-life MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, whose issues with substance abuse and relationship troubles with his then-girlfriend were the centerpiece of an HBO documentary in 2002, also titled The Smashing Machine.
The 2025 film does not pass the "is it better than the documentary on the same subject?" test. It lacks the momentum needed to get the audience invested in the character and his personal and professional battles. It never justifies why you're watching a biopic about Kerr, who isn't incredibly well-known. Is it really that interesting that an athlete who is ruthless in the ring is kind and genial outside of it?
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It doesn't help that Emily Blunt is essentially playing an earnest version of the Heidi Gardner Saturday Night Live character, "Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever," with no element of self-awareness.
The Smashing Machine is a disappointment considering the pedigree of talent of all involved, though it will likely succeed in its mission statement of getting its star attention on the awards circuit.
What other critics are saying: Most agree that Johnson is at his career-best. Liz Shannon Miller at Consequence writes that he "never fully disappears into the role, but were he to do so, it might almost diminish his performance — one which never distracts from the narrative, but keeps present the awareness that Johnson is really going through it here." The Daily Beast's Nick Schager says "at every juncture, The Smashing Machine pulls its punches, and that’s truest when it comes to presenting a three-dimensional portrait of its protagonist."
How to watch: The Smashing Machine is now in theaters nationwide.
Bonus sort-of recommendation: Good Boy
Why you should see it: When the trailer for Good Boy went viral, the plans for the movie went from a limited engagement to a full-blown wide release. It's easy to see why the movie captured public interest — it's an indie horror movie starring a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.
In it, a loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.
It's a clever take on the idea that in horror movies, animals are usually the first to notice that something is amiss. Indy, the dog who stars in the film, somehow manages to turn in a genuinely incredible performance, which is easily the highlight. Move over, Air Bud!
While the film is admirable in its ambition and conceit, there's simply not enough meat on the bone.
What other critics are saying: They like it more than I do! The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck writes, "what comes across most strongly, and gives the film its emotional power, is Indy’s unfailing loyalty to his beloved owner and his willingness do practically anything to protect him." Chase Hutchinson at TheWrap says it gets less interesting the longer it goes on, "but there remain enough inventively staged and shot sequences to make it worth taking in."
How to watch: Good Boy is now in theaters nationwide.
But that's not all...
Bone Lake: In this twisted horror-comedy, a couple's romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. It picks apart relationships and asks, can you really trust your partner? It's a fun-enough diversion, despite some dodgy acting, though nothing in the movie is as kick-ass as its provocative poster. Marketing win! Get tickets.
💸 Movies newly available to rent or buy
My recommendation: Caught Stealing
Why you should watch it: Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing is about as fun as it is deeply unpleasant.
Based on the book of the same name, the movie is set in New York City in 1998 and stars Austin Butler as an ex-baseball player turned bartender who was once set for a career playing professional ball before his alcoholism got in the way. He hasn't stopped drinking since that setback, which seems to define his life.
While looking after his neighbor's cat, some gangsters show up and beat the hell out of him, and he's thrust into a criminal underworld he wants no part of, and has no business being involved in, as everybody seeks a pile of money his neighbor hid somewhere.
What makes the film stand out is that it's not just that wacky plot driving the narrative; it's the fact that we care about Butler's journey and want him to survive the night.
Caught Stealing is somehow both an exciting change of pace for Aronofsky and a film that fits comfortably within his oeuvre of movies about sad protagonists with some sort of addiction that gets the better of them.
What other critics are saying: There's a mixed bag of responses, but they skew positive. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw clocked it as "a very enjoyable spectacle." IndieWire's Kate Erbland, however, writes that "it doesn’t pop, at least until the film’s final act, which finally brings together Aronofsky’s disparate parts and shows an inkling of what the filmmaker was attempting to capture."
How to watch: Caught Stealing is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other VOD platforms.
Bonus recommendation: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Why you should watch it: I must admit I've never seen an episode of this show or any of the other movies, but I'm listing it here because it's clearly wildly popular and fans of it deserve to know that it's available!
In the summer of 1930, the Crawleys grapple with the threat of social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble.
What other critics are saying: It is beloved! Stephanie Zacharek at Time writes, the film "transports you to a time and place that seems so much more glamorous than our own, and to see it all splashed out on the big screen is almost overwhelming." Though, David Fear at Rolling Stone says "extremely little actually happens in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — certainly not enough to justify a third feature. It barely even feels like a TV episode with benefits."
How to watch: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other VOD platforms.
But that's not all...
The Threesome: One of the most interesting things about this movie is that it's not at all the raunchy sex comedy you'd expect it to be from its title. Instead, it's a thoughtful and thoroughly modern rom-com that uses the titular incident as a jumping-off point to tell a story about these characters and their incredibly complex relationships. Rent or buy.
The Toxic Avenger: This long-awaited Peter Dinklage-led remake of the Troma cult classic is about as good as a bigger-budget, studio-backed version of Toxie could ever be, retaining the over-the-top and cheap-looking gore of the original. Even though it's marred by cheap CGI, it does possess the energy and spirit of the original in a way that fans should enjoy. Rent or buy.
📺 Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have
My recommendation: The Lost Bus
Why you should watch it: Immersive filmmaker Paul Greengrass, best known as the guy who directed a couple Bourne movie sequels and United 93, returns with his first film since 2020's underrated News of the World starring Tom Hanks, and it's intense!
Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrara star in this ripped-from-the-headlines disaster movie based on the devastating 2018 Camp Fire, which became the deadliest fire in California history. It's about a bus driver forced to navigate a bus carrying children and their teacher in the midst of the growing blaze.
The craft of the filmmaker here being a cut above — the way the camera becomes the wildfire, imitating a Sam Raimi Evil Dead-style POV shot, for example — really makes it sing, but the script is so over-the-top cliche-ridden in its building of personal stakes for these characters and really lays that on thick. It's distracting, but whenever the danger kicks in, you forget about that and enjoy the ride, pun intended.
The use of actual footage from the fires is also chilling and effective. It plays like an action movie like Speed fused with an apocalyptic end-of-the-world, race-against-time thriller. The fact that it's based on a true story just makes it all the more captivating and terrifying.
What other critics are saying: Feedback is positive, mostly! AP's Lindsey Bahr writes, "The Lost Bus is about a few ordinary people in an impossible situation just trying to survive. While it's not hard to wring emotion out of an audience watching kids in peril, it also, in some ways, gets right to the very heart of the matter." TheWrap's Steve Pond says, "there are times when the fiery landscape is staggering and times when it screams CG, but few directors can rev up a movie and keep it at a fever pitch the way Greengrass can."
How to watch: The Lost Bus is now streaming on Apple TV+
Bonus recommendation: V/H/S Halloween
Why you should watch it: V/H/S/ Halloween is far and away the best entry in the long-running horror anthology franchise. Best of all, there's no need to double back and catch up on the previous installments, as they are disconnected from one another and simply are vehicles for genre filmmakers to flex their spooky muscles.
This one is truly all killer, no filler. It consists of five shorts and a wraparound segment, and boasts an impressive résumé of both established and up-and-coming talent behind the camera. Saying any more would ruin the lo-fi magic.
What critics are saying: They agree it's a hoot! Indiewire's David Ehrlich specifically calls out Alex Ross Perry's creepy segment, writing "rooted in reality, the mere premise of Alex Ross Perry’s Kidprint is scarier and more grounded than anything the “V/H/S” franchise has seen in a long time." Jarrod Jones at the AV Club says it "has enough standouts to be more treat than trick."
How to watch: V/H/S Halloween is now streaming on Shudder
But that's not all...
Play Dirty: Screenwriter and filmmaker Shane Black returns to do what he does best: a mismatched buddy action-comedy set around Christmastime. Mark Wahlberg is miscast as the lead, and the movie plays like the streaming-era mockbuster it is and less like the Black classics it's imitating. It's mostly just a lot of boring plotting. It's a far cry from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys. Now streaming on Prime Video
Steve: Cillian Murphy stars in this small indie film set over a single stressful day in 1996 at a last-chance boarding school for delinquent teenage boys. We watch him deal with the daily stressors of the job as well as his deteriorating mental health. It's moving in its best moments, but ultimately gets overwhelmed by its many plot threads. Now streaming on Netflix
The Naked Gun: The funniest movie of the year is now available to stream! The movie has a singular goal: to make you laugh. A lot. It succeeds better than any studio comedy in recent memory. Now streaming on Paramount+
Bring Her Back: The filmmakers behind A24's hit horror film Talk to Me are back with another unsettling genre flick about a foster mother with a terrifying secret. Now streaming on HBO Max
That's all for this week — we'll see you next week at the movies!
- New movies to watch this weekend: See 'One Battle After Another' in theaters, rent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps', stream 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina'
- New movies to watch this weekend: See 'Him' in theaters, rent Ron Howard's 'Eden,' stream 'Superman' on HBO Max
- 'One Battle After Another' review: New Paul Thomas Anderson movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio is an instant Oscar frontrunner
Looking for more recs? Find your next watch on the Yahoo 100, our daily-updating list of the most popular movies of the year.
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