Yahoo Finance What to watch this weekend: 'F9,' Netflix's 'The Ice Road,' Hulu's 'False Positive'
Need a new movie to watch this weekend? There are plenty of places to see them with theaters back up and running for the summer season and new films still streaming at home to entertain you and your family.
This weekend, Vin Diesel and Co. return for the vehicular mayhem and big-screen explosions of a ninth "Fast and Furious" movie; Liam Neeson shows off his four-wheeled acumen in a Netflix action thriller; Ilana Glazer and Justin Theroux are parents-to-be in a Hulu horror movie; and "Veep" star Sam Richardson takes on a werewolf in a comedy chiller.
Those itching for a cinematic smorgasbord will want to attend the Chattanooga Film Festival. Virtual again this year, the event (running through Tuesday) features sci-fi, horror, documentary and various genre projects for film fans, as well as a host of panels and appearances from the likes of horror authors Grady Hendrix and Clay McLeod Chapman.
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Here's a guide to what's out there that'll satisfy every cinematic taste, whether you want to mask up for a trip to the nearest big screen or if you're fine hunkering down on the couch:
If you're ride-or-die for Vin Diesel action extravaganzas: 'F9'
The latest "Furious" spectacle crams a lot into two and a half hours, from an origin story for Diesel's stoic hero Dominic Toretto to a race around the world for a high-tech device that puts the entire world in danger to new stunts that take the franchise into the stratosphere. It doesn't all make sense but narrative cohesion takes a backseat to the intense glares between Diesel and John Cena (as Dom's antagonistic long-lost brother), the coolest magnets you've ever seen and a jet-powered Pontiac Fiero.
Where to watch: In theaters
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If you want to see Liam Neeson northbound and down: 'The Ice Road'
While it may look like a ton of other Neeson films (especially "Cold Pursuit"), the action thriller offers up just enough novelty. The grizzled star plays a freelance ice road driver who signs up to hop in a big rig and transport key pieces for a harrowing rescue mission when a diamond mine collapses in Canada, trapping dozens of workers. Just getting there, however, is easier said than done. The twists are fairly predictable but the action – actually filmed on an ice road – is pretty boss, plus Neeson at 69 years old is still good in a fight.
Where to watch: Netflix
If you dig riffs on 'Rosemary's Baby': 'False Positive'
The psychological horror film stars Glazer and Theroux as a married couple desperate to get pregnant but who haven't had any luck. Enter one renowned and super-charming fertility doctor (Pierce Brosnan), who seems like a godsend until red flags start popping up and the mom-to-be begins to think he might be too good to be true. There are tonal inconsistencies and the movie is fairly straightforward (and familiar) in the early-going though later takes viewers to super-duper dark places.
Where to watch: Hulu
If you live for good horror comedies: 'Werewolves Within'
Like "Clue" meets "The Howling," Josh Ruben's clever whodunit features a superbly fun turn from Richardson as a naive but goodhearted forest ranger newly appointed to a small Vermont town. The residents are at each other's throats over a proposed gas pipeline but there's also weird beastly occurrences afoot, and the new guy partners with a local postal worker (Milana Vayntrub) to catch a killer when a snowstorm traps them and other kooky residents in an inn with a mysterious creature on the loose inside.
Where to watch: In theaters (and video on demand on July 2)
If you could use a whale of a real tale: 'Fathom'
The documentary follows two women devoted to studying the undersea song of humpback whales. Michelle Fournet tries to communicate with the creatures in Alaska while Ellen Garland travels to French Polynesia to examine whales' shared language across the globe. It's fascinating from a scientific perspective, though lacks a needed connection: You don't really get to know either of the main subjects, and there's a disappointing lack of whale footage, though you certainly hear enough of them.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
If you like creepy kids and foreign flicks: 'The Evil Next Door'
The slow burn Swedish ghost story stars Dilan Gwyn as a woman who moves into a new duplex with her boyfriend (Linus Wahlgren) and his 5-year-old son (Eddie Eriksson Dominguez). Dad takes a job that keeps him away on weekdays and his son makes a new "friend" that leads to all sorts of all-night, bump-in-the-dark weirdness. The horror film touches on all the usual haunted house tropes, though an unnervingly freaky monster makes it a worthy watch.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Fandango Now
If you enjoy relationship trainwrecks: 'Good on Paper'
Iliza Shlesinger writes, produces and stars in the comedy based on her own hellish real-life relationship. Her main character Andrea is a stand-up comic and aspiring actress who meets a nerdy, Yale-educated businessman (Ryan Hansen). She decides to take a chance on dating "the nice guy," but then digs into who exactly he is when some things don't add up. The hilarious Schlesinger delivers an insightful story about the travails of modern love.
Where to watch: Netflix
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'F9,' 'The Ice Road,' 'False Positive': What to watch this weekend
