Happy June, Polygon readers.
Each week, we round up the most notable releases new to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home. This week sees a lot of new VOD releases, as well as a few on streaming platforms.
To Leslie, which resulted in one of the year’s most interesting Oscar campaigns, arrives on Netflix, while the trilogy-capping Magic Mike’s Last Dance finally makes its debut on the recently renamed Max platform. There’s also an exorcist movie on Hulu, a Sydney Sweeney movie on Max, and the VOD debuts of BlackBerry, Charlie Day’s Fool’s Paradise, Robert Rodriguez’s bewildering Ben Affleck psychological thriller Hypnotic, and a few other new movies.
Let’s get into it.
New on Netflix
To Leslie
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Image: Momentum Pictures
Genre: Drama
Run time: 1h 59m
Director: Michael Morris
Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Andre Royo, Owen Teague
Andrea Riseborough stars in this 2022 drama as Leslie Rowland, an alcoholic from West Texas who wins the lottery only to squander her money on liquor and drugs. With nowhere and nothing left to turn to, Leslie works to rebuild her life and reconnect with loved ones estranged by her addiction. Even if you’re not familiar with the film, you might be familiar with the unconventional Oscar nomination campaign for Riseborough’s performance, which sparked a controversy among the awards committee.
New on Hulu
The Devil Conspiracy
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24691104/the_devil_conspiracy_peter_mensah_01.png)
Image: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Genre: Horror fantasy
Run time: 1h 51m
Director: Nathan Frankowski
Cast: Alice Orr-Ewing, Joe Doyle, Eveline Hall
A biotech company run by Satanists comes into possession of Jesus’ DNA and plots to clone the messiah to sacrifice them to the devil. Upon learning this, the archangel Michael (Peter Mensah) is sent to Earth with the express goal of recovering Jesus’ DNA and putting an end to the devil’s conspiracy. Imagine the Left Behind series crossed with the 2010 apocalyptic action film Legion and that’s pretty much The Devil Conspiracy in a nutshell.
New on Max
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Where to watch: Available to stream on Max
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24691122/Magic_Mikes_Last_Dance_salma_hayek_channing_tatum_01.jpg)
Photo: Claudette Barius/Warner Bros.
Genre: Comedy drama
Run time: 1h 52m
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek Pinault
Channing Tatum reprises his role as Mike “Magic Mike” Lane, a retired male stripper turned furniture store owner turned bartender turned male stripper, in the third and final installment of director Steven Soderbergh’s comedy-drama series. This time, Mike is enlisted by a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek) to travel to London and produce a special dance production.
Reality
Where to watch: Available to stream on Max
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24691127/reality_sydney_sweeney_01.jpg)
Image: HBO
Genre: Drama
Run time: 1h 23m
Director: Tina Satter
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Marchánt Davis, Josh Hamilton
Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) stars in this 2023 biopic drama based on the life of Reality Winner, an American intelligence officer who received the longest prison sentence ever imposed for leaking unauthorized documents to the media, regarding an investigation into Russian tampering of the 2016 U.S. election.
New on VOD
BlackBerry
Where to watch: Available to rent for $6.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24691132/BlackBerry_jay_baruchel_01.jpg)
Image: IFC Films
Genre: Biographical comedy-drama
Run time: 1h 59m
Director: Matt Johnson
Cast: Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel, Matt Johnson
Did you like Air, the biographical drama about the origin of Nike’s business relationship with Michael Jordan? Well, buckle up for BlackBerry, a biographical drama about the rise and fall of the eponymous handheld communications device. 2023 is the year of the brands, baby!
Fool’s Paradise
Where to watch: Available to rent for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24691166/fools_paradise_charlie_day_01.jpg)
Image: Lionsgate
Genre: Satirical comedy
Run time: 1h 38m
Director: Charlie Day
Cast: Charlie Day, Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale
Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) stars in his directorial debut in the dual role of Sir Tom Bingsley, a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer, and a mute transient released on the streets of Los Angeles by an uncaring mental hospital. When the producer of Tom’s latest film (Ray Liotta) discovers the mute man on the street, he hatches a plan with Tom’s publicist (Ken Jeong) to have the man impersonate Bingsley in a biopic about Billy the Kid. Shenanigans ensue!
Book Club: The Next Chapter
Where to watch: Available to rent for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24696112/Book_Club_The_Next_Chapter_01.jpg)
Image: Focus Features
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1h 47m
Director: Bill Holderman
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen
Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen reprise their roles as Diane, Vivian, Sharon, and Carol in the sequel to the 2018 romantic comedy Book Club. Meeting in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the four friends travel to Italy to celebrate Vivian’s upcoming marriage.
Hypnotic
Where to watch: Available to rent for $19.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24691149/Hypnotic_Ben_Affleck_Alice_Braga_Everett_01.jpg)
Image: Ketchup Entertainment
Genre: Sci-fi thriller
Run time: 1h 33m
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo
Ben Affleck stars in Robert Rodriguez’s psychological action thriller as Danny Rourke, an Austin police detective haunted by the abduction of his 7-year-old daughter. When brought onto the case of a criminal (William Fichtner) with the bizarre ability to warp the perceptions and memories of his victims to assist in crimes, Danny inadvertently stumbles upon an insidious government program that may have ties to his daughter’s disappearance. Stay for the bizarre post-credits sequence!
The Black Demon
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24696113/black_demon_movie_shark.jpg)
Image: The Avenue Entertainment
Genre: Sci-fi horror thriller
Run time: 1h 40m
Director: Adrian Grünberg
Cast: Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, Julio Cesar Cedillo
Adrian Grünberg’s (Rambo: Last Blood) 2023 horror thriller centers on an environmental inspector (Josh Lucas) and his family, who travel to a small town in Baja, Mexico, to investigate the damage left by an oil spill. Upon arriving aboard the oil rig, they find themselves stranded and terrorized by a megalodon shark known locally as “The Black Demon.”
Monica
Where to watch: Available to rent for $6.99 on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24696127/monica_movie_review_2023.jpg)
Image: IFC Films
Genre: Drama
Run time: 1h 46m
Director: Andrea Pallaoro
Cast: Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Browning
Trace Lysette stars in this 2022 drama as Monica, a trans woman who returns home to care for her ailing mother after years of being estranged from her family. Upon her arrival, Monica is forced to reconcile the pain of her past and forge renewed connections in order to embrace the future.
