Dominating the theater wasn’t enough, Cocaine Bear is one of the biggest new movies to watch online this week. So for those who thought one screening wasn’t enough – or didn’t want to head to a theater to see Elizabeth Banks’ wild film, know that you don’t have to leave the bank to watch this decade’s latest slice of bizarre cinema.
Netflix is also delivering two diametrically different movies this week. The family-friendly offering, The Magician’s Dragon, is an animated film that looks very charming and features Mandy Patinkin and Brian Tyree Henry. His other movie? Well, it’s a documentary about a popular adult movie website that people pretend they don’t know about.
Additionally, Hulu has a Keira Knightley-led true crime film about The Boston Strangler, and HBO Max offers a critically acclaimed documentary about a world-renowned artist turned activist.
Here are the top 7 new movies to watch online this week.
Cocaine Bear (Digital)
If I had to be succinct about this movie, I’d just say, “I paid well to see Cocaine Bear, and you should too.” Inspired by a true story (that wasn’t too wild), Cocaine Bear sees a bunch of duffel bags full of the famous Schedule II narcotics fall in exactly the wrong place: in the middle of the woods. And of course, an unnamed bear (once named Pablo Eskobear) manages to get its hairy paws on yay’s stones – and then consumes the cocaine itself.
And then criminals (led by Ray Liotta, in his latest role) come in search of their missing drugs, while precocious youths and random tourists also get caught up in the big mess.
As for the quality of the movie itself? We at Tom’s Guide debated behind the scenes – I personally wish it was a little sillier – but everyone agrees that Cocaine Bear succeeds in living up to its title. So, where else are you going to find a comedic action movie where a coke-up bear is tearing people apart in the woods? Funny, action-packed (and some gore), and built around a stellar cast (including Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Cocaine Bear is a trophy in director Elizabeth Banks’ cause.
Buy digitally Prime video (opens in new tab) right now (released today, tuesday 14 march)
Full-time (digital)
Financial security can be a truly debilitating horror (as Maid, one of the best shows on Netflix, has shown), and Full Time from director Eric Gravel is the latest critically acclaimed movie about the struggle to keep your finances afloat. It seems life is trying to stop Julie (Laure Calamy) every step of the way this week as she needs a new job to get out of debt and is having the hardest time simply getting from point A to point B, due to a transport strike makes Paris less manageable. All the while, she runs to make sure her kids are okay, as the only daycare she can afford isn’t that capable.
Critics praise Calamy’s performance, as she manages to ground Julie’s impossible life in relatable emotions. As Julie is pushed to her limits, she becomes a hero we’ve all known or met at some point.
Buy digitally Prime video (opens in new tab) now (released today, Tuesday, March 14)
Money Withdrawal: The Story of Pornhub (Netflix)
The erotic industry, as the internet has shown, is full of almost infinite possible combinations. And that is the story of the well-known site Pornhub, the YouTube of the porn industry.
And so it’s not surprising that Netflix delivers an in-depth documentary about this lecherous streaming website. But the most visited website in the world is actually connected to crimes. Accused of profiting from sex trafficking and hosting videos of high school students, PornHub’s hands seem much dirtier than some users may know. Money Shot: The Pornhub Story attempts to unpack all angles of the story by interviewing criminal justice professionals and industry artists.
View on Netflix (opens in new tab) starting tomorrow (Wednesday 15 March)
Junk (digital)
When I talk to prospective parents here in New York City, they often say that they don’t want to raise their children in this chaotic environment. However, the horror film Unwelcome offers a cautionary tale that even in rural suburbs, problems exist. Such is the case for Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) and Jamie (Douglas Booth), who fled London after inheriting a picture-perfect country home in Ireland.
Unfortunately, this area is not as safe as it seems, or as their new local friend (Colm Meany) says. And it all starts when they are told about a local tradition involving a blood sacrifice that calms the little Redcaps gnomes. Which all the locals think is completely normal.
Buy digitally Prime video (opens in new tab) now (released today, Tuesday, March 14)
Boston Strangler (Hulu)
Though notorious, the Boston Strangler murders that terrorized the city of Massachusetts in the 1960s are one of a series of murders not exactly in the spotlight of other true crimes. Enter writer and director Matt Ruskin to tell the untold and true story of how The Boston Strangler case became infamous. Although her bosses didn’t think she was cut out for crime reporting, Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) was the first to see that pattern associated with Strangler incidents.
While fighting an uphill battle internally at the Record-American newspaper, Loretta kept getting pushed off the case — even as the bodies continued to pile up. But McLaughlin refused to back down, even when her own safety was in danger.
View on Hulu (opens in new tab) from Friday (March 17)
The Wizard’s Elephant (Netflix)
Netflix’s pursuit of capable and heartfelt animated family movies will never stop. And the latest features are a cast of voice actors who – say it with me – parents know and love, featuring the likes of Mandy Patinkin, Brian Tyree Henry, and Sian Clifford. This adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s novel The Magician’s Elephant stars Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place) as Peter, a young man searching for his missing sister. Unfortunately, the advice he receives from a fortune teller – “follow the wizard’s elephant” – is difficult to follow, as there is no elephant in town.
Or at least there wasn’t until Peter actually sees a local magician (Benedict Wong taking a break from the MCU to… be another magical person) summon an element. Actually dealing with this elephant to find his sister forces Peter into a series of impossible tasks. Majestic and with a visually unique flair, The Magician’s Elephant looks like an inevitable addition to our list of the best family movies on Netflix.
View on Netflix (opens in new tab) from Friday (March 17)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (HBO Max)
You know what they say about waiting, don’t you? Well, HBO Max subscribers who didn’t buy the phenomenal documentary All The Beauty and Bloodshed when it hit digital stores on Feb. 28 can stream it on Sunday through the home box office app.
This acclaimed documentary from director Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) offers an intimate portrait of artist and activist Nan Goldin. While many know Goldin for her own photography that has documented the gay subculture, including the HIV/AIDS crisis, for decades, she founded PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now). Goldin’s passion for this advocacy group is intensely personal, as she developed an addiction to OxyContin after receiving a prescription for pain relief.
View on HBO max (opens in new tab) from Sunday (March 19)