New to Streaming: Hard Boiled, Pavements, City on Fire, The Woman in the Yard, and More

      Each week, we showcase the notable titles that have recently arrived on streaming services in the United States. Below are this week’s picks, along with previous compilations available here.

      The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (Peter Browngardt)

      Directed by Peter Browngardt, this film is quite delightful. Inspired by 1950s sci-fi B-movies and featuring Looney Tunes icons Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (both voiced by Eric Bauza), The Day the Earth Blew Up begins with a UFO landing. The spaceship launches from the roof of Porky and Daffy’s dilapidated home (gifted to them by their surrogate father, Farmer Jim) just before it crashes. Shortly after, it infects a nearby scientist (Fred Tatasciore) with a zombifying substance. Before long, this goo finds its way into the gum factory where Porky and Daffy have taken jobs in a last-ditch effort to preserve their cherished home from demolition. – Dan M. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Max

      Hard Boiled (John Woo) and City on Fire (Ringo Lam)

      The first newly restored films as part of Shout! Studios’ acquisition of 156 titles from Hong Kong’s esteemed Golden Princess are now available. Arriving digitally before their physical release is an exhilarating Chow Yun-Fat double feature featuring John Woo’s Hard Boiled and Ringo Lam’s City on Fire, both with restored 4K video and audio, along with newly translated subtitles. More releases are on the way.

      Where to Stream: VOD

      Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)

      With visuals derived from the deepest shadows, it’s evident why Nosferatu has captivated Robert Eggers since he watched F. W. Murnau’s silent classic at the impressionable age of nine. The director’s fourth film is his most assured, expertly crafted, and knowingly humorous, serving as a potentially rigid journey into the true essence of evil, with Eggers’ fascinations apparent in every dark frame. While The Northman demonstrated his ability to work on a grand scale, his latest combines the focused, character-driven frights of his earlier features with the imaginative world of his Viking epic, where every detail is meticulously considered. As Nosferatu relates to previous vampire tales—from Murnau to Herzog to Coppola—the experience lies not in how the director reinvents the narrative but in how he reverently honors this timeless myth with a precise, full-bodied vision encompassing all its evocative, erotic, and gruesome gothic horror. – Jordan R. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Prime Video

      Pavements (Alex Ross Perry)

      If the Hollywood superhero-industrial complex is fading, a new universe inspired by Rolling Stone and Spin magazines is rapidly taking shape. What better encapsulates “pre-awareness” for studios than the data collected by Spotify’s algorithm, which validates the timelessness of popular music and reflects how, in the streaming age, it can generate additional revenue? Unlike the still-excellent Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which criticized the nostalgia pursued by similar films—a trend revived by the success of Bohemian Rhapsody—Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements, focusing on the ’90s slacker icons, justifies that every great band deserves a cinematic portrayal that helps us nostalgically recall them while also amusing us with young actors trying to embody the quirks of seasoned, road-weary musicians. Good luck, Timothée. – David K. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (Luca Guadagnino)

      Biographical documentaries, much like biographical narrative films, often benefit from specificity. Danny Boyle’s film about Steve Jobs quickly faded from memory despite feeling fresh upon its release, mainly due to Aaron Sorkin’s script, which focused on three pivotal evenings to convey the larger story. Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, a comprehensive account of the legendary cobbler Salvatore Ferragamo’s life, opts for a more conventional approach, narrating his journey from rags to riches and cradle to grave. – Rory O. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Prime Video

      The Woman in the Yard (Jaume Collet-Serra)

      While horror films have long been a significant aspect of this writer’s cinematic interests, it’s hard to shake a growing personal discontent with the genre. This stems not only from the market's oversaturation of high/low budget films but also from the punishing self-awareness of Gen X and Millennial genre enthusiasts now creating them, alongside the post-Get Out anxiety surrounding the need for “metaphors.” Therefore, when a new horror film manages to be not only decent but genuinely frightening and tense, it warrants celebration. Such is the case with the modest offering of The Woman in the Yard. – Ethan V. (full review)

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