Movies Update: Streaming Recommendations, Comfort Viewing and More

Plus, horror movies about isolation.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 31, 2020 By Mekado Murphy Movies Editor Hey, movie fans, We have plenty of home-viewing options for you to choose from this week. Beyoncé is back with a new visual album on Disney+, “Black Is King.” Netflix has new options all over the map, including the South African comedy “Seriously Single,” the Brazilian drama “Shine Your Eyes,” the Polish thriller “The Hater” and the children’s tale “Latte & the Magic Waterstone.” Over on Shudder is a horror movie for this socially distanced moment, “Host.” If you’re looking for some free options, we recommend nine movies to stream on Peacock. And although theaters are still closed in many places, new titles are coming to the big screen. There’s the Irish gangster movie “The Shadow of Violence,” which, Manohla Dargis writes, contains “a curious, seemingly contradictory mix of beauty and danger.” And there’s the Ron Howard documentary about a California wildfire, “Rebuilding Paradise” (which is also available through virtual cinemas). Enjoy the movies, however you can see them. Jackson Finter/IFC Midnight   Critic’s Notebook The Horror of Isolation Three new movies show why this cinematic genre is best suited to the Covid-19 era, when isolation has become not just a way of life, but necessary to avoid deaths. By Jason Zinoman Alexandra Thompson/Saban Films   ‘The Shadow of Violence’ Review: Behold, the Bad Man (Again) In this Irish gangster movie, an ex-boxer who works for a vicious criminal enterprise risks destroying himself one blow at a time. By Manohla Dargis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Universal Pictures   9 Great Movies to Stream on Peacock Dive into the new NBCUniversal streaming service to discover these excellent (and free) options. By Amy Nicholson Artisan Home Entertainment   Comfort Viewing: 3 Reasons I Love ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ Killer robots may not seem like soothing fare, but unlike real life, the world’s horrors come to an end when the movie does. By Nicolas Rapold Anuj Shrestha   Your Weekend Watch With Tony And Manohla The Director Gina Prince-Bythewood Has Always Had Game Our readers and critic revisited “Love & Basketball,” the director’s feature debut about a Black girl who plays ball, falls in love and carves out her own path to happiness. By Manohla Dargis Travis Matthews   Weekend Roundup 7 Things to Do This Weekend How can you get your cultural fix when many arts institutions remain closed? Our writers offer suggestions for what to listen to and watch. AFP/Spyglass Entertainment   The World’s Greatest Directors Have Their Own Streaming Lists A French platform asked auteurs to put together their ideal cinémathèques. It turns out filmmakers with seemingly little in common share favorite movies. By Elisabeth Vincentelli ANATOMY OF A SCENE Hulu   Anatomy Of A Scene How Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti Meet Cute in ‘Palm Springs’ The director Max Barbakow narrates a wedding sequence from his comedy, now streaming on Hulu. By Mekado Murphy Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MOVIE REVIEWS Magnolia Pictures   ‘The Fight’ Review: Pressing the Case, or Cases This documentary on the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned not with simple boosterism but with showing how cases are built. By Ben Kenigsberg Brainstorm Media   ‘The Cuban’ Review: Memories Lost and Reignited Louis Gossett Jr. plays a musician with Alzheimer’s disease whose new nurse helps him reach back into his past. By Glenn Kenny Netflix   ‘Seriously Single’ Review: Celebrating the Independent Life After two failed relationships, a woman — with the help of her best friend — embarks on a journey to self-discovery. By Teo Bugbee Netflix   ‘Latte and the Magic Waterstone’ Review: A Hedgehog’s Journey Cuddly animals go on wild adventures in this animated Netflix movie. By Maya Phillips Clayton Hauck/50 Eggs Films   ‘A Most Beautiful Thing’ Review: New Life on the Water Mary Mazzio’s documentary follows a group of Black men who grew up on Chicago’s West Side and turned to rowing. By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim Shudder   ‘Host’ Review: A Zoom Séance Channels Spirits and Melancholy In this horror movie, an angry ghost rages on a Zoom call, and speaks to a moment of uncertainty. By Kyle Turner Michael Wharley/IFC Films   ‘Summerland’ Review: A Writer’s Life, Past and Present Gemma Arterton stars as a woman with a complicated past in this cloyingly sentimental World War II drama. By Jeannette Catsoulis Noah Berger/National Geographic   ‘Rebuilding Paradise’ Review: When a Town Burns to the Ground Ron Howard directs this documentary about the aftermath of the 2018 wildfire that devastated a California community. By Ben Kenigsberg Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CRITICS’ PICKS Aimee Spinks/Netflix   Critic’s Pick ‘The Old Guard’ Review: Fighting to the Death, and Beyond Charlize Theron leads a group of immortal warriors in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s fresh take on the superhero genre. By A.O. Scott IFC Films   Critic’s Pick ‘The Truth’ Review: Being Catherine Deneuve Following his Palme d’Or-winning “Shoplifters,” the Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda visits some of the glories of France. By Manohla Dargis How are we doing? 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