If there’s one joy in the world, it’s finding a great new film to watch while home on the weekend. With all the streaming services out there—Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Shudder, and more—there’s so many options that you might not even know where to start. That’s not even counting the VOD options for indie cinema.
Here at The Movie Buff we are introducing a monthly edition that will work as a one-stop shop for upcoming films that will be streaming on the aforementioned platforms, with their respective release dates and when you’ll be able to watch the film. We’ll be offering a variety of options from the world’s biggest streaming platforms.
For September, we’ve picked 10 options across these platforms, recommending some titles that struck our interest and what we think will catch yours, as well.
You’ll find those below, and if you want to see our August recommendations, go here.
‘Afterlife of the Party’ | Sept. 2 (Netflix)
Victoria Justice and Midori Francis in “Afterlife of the Party.” Photo: Advantage Entertainment.
Victoria Justice returns to the screen to star in “Afterlife of the Party,” in a comedy-fantasy where a social butterfly dies during her birthday week, and is given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth. Sounds like a very aughts, Disney Channel Original Movie premise, and that’s why I’m hesitantly in, as that’s exactly my schtick.
‘Cinderella’ | Sept. 3 (Amazon Prime)
Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Cabello in “Cinderella.” Photo: Christopher Raphael.
Coming Sept. 3, “Cinderella” is the latest rendition of the character with former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello as Cinderella. It’s a modern twist/musical on the character, with Billy Porter playing a version of the classic Fairy Godmother character, in a character called ‘Fab G’. It’s written and directed by Kay Cannon who wrote the “Pitch Perfect” films and directed the surprise comedy hit “Blockers,” so maybe there is at least some promise.
‘Martyrs Lane’ | Sept. 9 (Shudder)
Kiera Thompson in “Martyrs Lane.” Photo: @martyrs lane/bfi
Coming Sept. 9 on Shudder after premiering at Quebec’s Fantasia Film Festival, “Martyrs Lane” is a haunted house film told from the point-of-view from a young girl, Leah (Kiera Thompson), as she meets a young spectral girl who she plays with at night. That sounds like a neat enough premise to peak our interest already.
‘Malignant’ | Sept. 10 (In Theatres and on HBO Max)
A scene from “Malignant.” Photo: Atomic Monster.
Oh, yes. Yes. James Wan’s anticipated new film, “Malignant,” is finally coming. To tell you the truth, I totally forgot about this one as IMDb would always say ‘plot details unknown,’ but we now know that Annabelle Wallis plays Madison, a woman who is paralyzed by visions of grisly murders, tormented by waking dreams that she soon, terrifyingly, learns they’re real. Awesome.
‘Kate’ | Sept. 10 (Netflix)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead in “Kate.” Photo: Jasin Boland/NETFLIX.
Ah, I’m in for this with Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a “Crank”-esque premise, where she plays an assassin who has 24 hours to exact revenge on her murderer. You see, she’s been poisoned and has 24 hours before she dies. I’m all fine with the “Crank” rip-off if it has some kick-ass action scenes, and it also has Winstead and Woody Harrelson as the villain. Turn off your brain, and enjoy.
‘Nightbooks’ | Sept. 15 (Netflix)
Krysten Ritter in “Nightbooks.” Photo: Catchlight Studios.
Ah, I love a good family horror film that can let younger audiences watch horror films. In this one, a young boy named Alex gets trapped by an evil witch (Krysten Ritter) in her New York City apartment. He convinces her to tell him scary stories each night, and he tries to bide his time to escape the situation with the help of the witch’s assistant, Yasmin. We’re in for this as it sounds like a fun fantasy/horror film.
‘The Voyeurs’ | Sept. 10 (Amazon Prime)
Ben Hardy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo in “The Voyeurs.” Photo: Divide/Conquer.
Sydney Sweeney (“Euphoria”) and Justice Smith highlight a thriller called “The Voyeurs,” coming Sept. 10, where they move into their dream apartment and intervene in the lives of the attractive couple across the street. The “Rear Window” vibes are apparent, but hopefully it’s just better than “The Woman in the Window.”
‘The Mad Women’s Ball’ | Sept. 17 (Amazon Prime)
A scene from “The Mad Women’s Ball.” Photo: Légende Films.
Mélanie Laurent’s latest directing/writing project comes with the mystery/thriller “The Mad Women’s Ball,” which will premiere at this upcoming TIFF before bowing on Amazon Prime on Sept. 17. Based on the novel by Victoria Mas, it’s about a woman who’s unfairly institutionalized at a Paris asylum plots to escape with the help of one of its nurses. We’re in.
‘Cry Macho’ | Sept. 17 (In Theatres and on HBO Max)
Clint Eastwood in “Cry Macho.” Photo by Claire Folger © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Okay, wasn’t Clint Eastwood supposed to be done after “Gran Torino”? We’re glad he’s still going at 91(!), in his latest project “Cry Macho” where he directs and stars. The film’s about a rodeo star and a washed up horse breeder who take a job to bring a man’s young son away from his alcoholic mother. Eastwood’s character uses this as a journey to teach the boy to be a good man. This is Eastwood’s first acting role since “The Mule” (2018) and just his second since 2008’s “Gran Torino.”
‘Intrusion’ | Sept. 22 (Netflix)
Logan Marshall-Green and Freida Pinto in “Intrusion.” Photo: © 2021 Netflix, Inc.
Freida Pinto and Logan Marshall-Green star in a home invasion thriller where the couple move to a new town and become the target of home invasion. I’m a sucker for a good home invasion film; Chris Sparling writes this one, (who wrote 2010’s “Buried” when Ryan Reynolds is buried alive in a coffin), so we know that he knows how to make the best out of a chamber piece and a situation in a small space.
Join us next month for our picks for October, which should be interesting for all you horror fans out there.
