This week's new streaming movies to watch together
This week's new streaming movies to watch together
Monday, January 25, 2021 | From Theater to the Home
Do you remember the first time you watched a movie at the cinema? For me, it was when I was 7 years old. It was my first trip to the states from Jamaica and my cousin took me and my sister to see George of the Jungle. George of the Jungle is definitely not the movie a snob like me would have chosen to introduce anyone to the full experience of cinema and certainly not how I would have chosen to initiate my movie-going career. Still, as a kid I thoroughly loved that experience and even now...even though I've never seen that movie again since, I can still remember Brendan Fraser's ridiculous Tarzan yell.
I can count on one hand the amount of times I watched a movie at the cinema before I got my drivers license - and freedom. That first time I just mentioned - watching George of the Jungle during my inaugural visit to the states. Another time, my sister took me with her when she went to see Man on Fire. Another time, through some stroke of luck, my sister let me tag along to see Bad Santa. And finally, the time when my brother took me to see The Aviator. Going to the movies in my early teenage years was challenging. Friends would invite me to join them to go see something new that was coming out and always I would have to say no. I knew I wouldn't be allowed to join because my mom wouldn't allow it. In her mind and in the mind of my church at the time most movies and especially Hollywood movies would only serve to sully my mind and weaken my faith. Thinking back, they were probably right.
Loving movies but not having the opportunity to watch them as they were created to be seen instilled in me a certain reverence for the theatrical cinematic experience. Watching the trailers for movies I knew I wouldn't get to see made me frustrated. Hearing my friends at school talk about what they saw over the weekend made me jealous. Not only did I have to go through hellish puberty, I had go through it while not being able to watch all the cool movies my friends got to see. It was maddening, but that frustrating experience I had growing up is also the reason you're reading these words right now. I knew that if I couldn't go to the movies, I would have to bring the movies home and that is exactly what I did.
In my introduction to this newsletter, I described the unexpectedly great experience I had watching a movie in a hot, muggy classroom packed with my schoolmates. That experience taught me that watching content together with friends is more fun than watching alone. I also knew from that experience that I didn't need to go to the cinema to have a great time watching movies. But I quickly found out that if I wanted to have fun watching movies at home, there would have to be some (albeit self-imposed) prerequisites. That's how my journey with home theater began.
In the next several issues of this newsletter, along with sharing a list of the best movies being released to watch together, I'll share my journey learning about home theater and give some insight into how to create the best experience for watching movies like the ones in these weekly lists. For now, here are the best movies to watch together that are being released this week on streaming.
The Little Things (2021)
Available Friday, January 29 on HBO Max
The Little Things is the second movie (first was Wonder Woman 1984) in Warner Brothers and Warner Media's theatrical + streaming simultaneous release experiment that turned Hollywood on it's head last month. All eyes are on how these movies perform because it'll predict both HBO Max and the cineplexes future success or failure. This film features Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto in a story about two detectives hunting a serial killer. On its surface, the movie seems to take a lot a queues from Seven. It certainly has the star power to rise to that stature.
Remember you only have one month to watch this one with only your subscription!
The Dig (2021)
Available Friday, January 29 on Netflix
Set in pre-WW2 Britain, The Dig follows the story of a widow that hires a self-taught archaeologist to dig up mysterious formations on her property. The Dig looks like a movie made for Oscar season, featuring a talented cast in Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes. Performances are sure to be phenomenal. Also, looks like a love story is hiding somewhere in there.
Finding Ohana (2021)
Available Friday, January 29 on Netflix
Want to go to Hawaii? Me too! But traveling is not so fun these days so you'll have to settle for this Netflix movie. Finding Ohana looks like a fun family film set in Hawaii. It follows two siblings that go on a daring adventure for lost treasure to help their family overcome financial hardship.
Other movies available this week
Below Zero (2021) on Netflix
Penguin Bloom (2021) on Netflix
Chick Fight (20201) on Amazon Prime Video
Fatima (2020) on Netflix
Mortal (2020) on Amazon Prime Video
The Mummy (1999) on HBO Max
The Mummy Returns (2001) on HBO Max
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Thanks for reading!