The 5 best new films streaming this week:
Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory (6 July) – Disney+
- Directed by: Will West
- Genre: Nature documentary
- Starring: Bertie Gregory
- Rated: PG
- Runtime: 44m
British wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory heads to South Africa for his most audacious mission yet. The wild waters here are a hotspot for one of the ocean’s most famous and feared predators, the great white shark.
Diving in the shallows without a cage, Bertie attempts to film these huge sharks – you guessed it – up close. By entering their domain, he discovers the challenges they face on our rapidly changing planet. It’s a guaranteed 44 minutes of joy for the wannabe marine biologist in your life.
Watch the trailer.
Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd (8 July) – Prime Video
- Directed by: Didier Charette
- Genre: Music documentary
- Starring: Pierre Bouvier, Chuck Comeau, Sébastien Lefebvre, Jeff Stinco
- Rated: PG
- Runtime: 94m
This rockumentary provides a captivating and nostalgic look at one of the most popular Canadian pop-punk bands of the 2000s, Simple Plan.
The film explores such highlights of the band’s career as signing their record deal, collaborating with pop punk icon Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, and eventually being rejected by the punk scene for ‘going mainstream’.
Packed with never-before-seen archival footage (like the home video recording of the band composing their hit song Perfect), and exclusive access to their sold-out 2024 World Tour, the members of Simple Plan and a cast of punk-rock superstars recount the highs and lows of the first 25 years of their career.
Featuring talking heads Avril Lavigne, Mark Hoppus, Dexter Holland and Noodles. Watch the trailer.
Push (11 July) – AMC+ & Shudder
- Directed by: David Charbonier, Justin Powell
- Genre: Horror
- Starring: Alicia Sanz, Raúl Castillo, David Alexander Flinn
- Rated: MA
- Runtime: 89m
Haunted by lingering memories of her late fiancé, Natalie Flores (Alicia Sanz) finds herself eight months pregnant and in desperate need of a clean slate. Determined to regain her sense of self, she moves to the USA and uses her real estate license to take on a challenging listing.
She soon discovers her new beginning may be a deadly end, when she catches the eye of a sadistic killer (Raúl Castillo) at her open house.
David Charbonier and Justin Powell, the filmmaking duo behind Push, return to the horror genre after equally suspenseful single-location flicks The Djinn and The Boy Behind the Door. Check it out if you like your films on the spooky side.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (12 July) – Netflix
- Directed by: Francis Lawrence
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Starring: Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Jason Schwartzman and Peter Dinklage
- Rated: M
- Runtime: 157m
This prequel to the Hunger Games franchise is a must-see for Young Adult readers. Some 64 years before Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) won the Hunger Games in the first film, Coriolanus Snow, played here by British actor Tom Blyth, is 18 years old, rising to the top of his class at the Capitol Academy, and gunning for a significant award that will see his penniless grandmother and cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer) pulled out of debt forever.
Mentor to Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), an idealistic tribute in the 10th Hunger Games, the young Snow soon must choose between their growing connection and his bottomless ambition. Combined with outstanding lead performances and a host of sumptuous visuals, it’s an overall entertaining and worthwhile entry in the massive Hunger Games franchise.
The film gets 89% on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter, solidifying it as a fan favourite. Watch the trailer. Read our review.
Emily: I Am Kam (12 July) – SBS On Demand
- Directed by: Danielle MacLean
- Genre: Documentary
- Starring: Emily Kam Kngwarreye
- Rated: G
- Runtime: 59m
Emily: I Am Kam (pronounced karma) is a heartfelt and vital Australian documentary that debuted at the Sydney Film Festival this year. It’s about trailblazing Indigenous artist Emily Kam Kngwarray, from the Utopia community in the NT, whose work reshaped the international contemporary art world.
The film delves into Emily Kam Kngwarray’s transformative impact on the international contemporary art world and her enduring legacy, providing a rare opportunity to witness her journey and the profound influence of her abstract art, and the power of Emily’s work to protect Alhalker, the sacred Desert Country of her birth.
Watch the trailer. Read our review.
