This week we asked Cheddar's Need2Know podcast co-host Carlo Versano to share what he's watching! Check out the Need2Know podcast (Apple, Spotify) and newsletter!
No Time to Die - In Theaters
Picked by Need2Know Podcast Co-Host Carlo Versano
I know this is supposed to be about what we’re streaming, but allow me a different recommendation if you will: go to the movies this weekend. I made my triumphant return to the cinema this week after a 20-month hiatus, taking in the new James Bond film (in IMAX, obv). After watching probably hundreds of movies on my TV in the intervening period, let me just say: for my money it doesn’t get any better than seeing a big-budget action movie on the biggest screen you can find. I’ll spare you the plot details because, really, who cares? James Bond movies are about the vibes. And Daniel Craig delivered those vibes in spades for his swan song as 007. Best $20 I’ve spent all year.
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It - Netflix
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
While scrolling through Netflix last week to watch Schitt's Creek (again), this title caught my eye. In my mind, Rita Moreno is synonymous with West Side Story, but I know she was huge in Hollywood and smashed glass ceilings all over the place as a Puerto Rican-born actress. I mean, check out her IMDB page: this woman has been in everything. I don't know much about how she did it, though. She is so beloved, and her work has been so thrilling through the years, I bet there is an amazing story there. So, I'm looking forward to learning more in this new documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year but is just hitting Netflix now.
Crawl - Hulu
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
On the surface, Crawl is the kind of ridiculous, high-concept creature feature that might get dumped on the Syfy Channel or released as a direct-to-video DVD that sort of sounds like the title of another, better movie currently in theaters. But just ask Quentin Tarantino, who ranked it in his top three films of 2019: this is more than a bargain-bin monster movie. Director Alexandre Aja crafts a remorseless 87-minute horror-thriller that continually ratchets up the tension. Set at sea level, in a crumbling south Florida home, a father and daughter must fight for their lives to escape a bloodthirsty swarm of alligators before floodwaters trap them. It's a great ticking-clock scenario, complemented by some pretty impressive CGI gators. Don't let the schlocky title scare you off. This is a modern cult classic in the making.
Zodiac - Netflix
Picked by Producer Lawrence Banton
The season of ghouls and goblins is upon us, so why not suggest a movie about a real-life monster in the Zodiac Killer? The thriller/mystery explores the true manhunt for a serial killer in the Bay Area in the late 1960s (although some suspect his killing spree continued into the following decade). The Zodiac Killer taunted the public following his murders through letters and notes sent to local newspapers. In the 2007 film, political cartoonist Robert Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is eager to crack the case and becomes obsessed with decoding the messages in hopes to thwart him before his next murder. The cases officially remain unsolved, although this month a group called the Case Breakers claimed to have identified the suspect.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - Hulu
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
Since Captain Kirk is in the news this week for actually going to space, it might be a time to revisit William Shatner's directing stint on the Star Trek franchise with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. This 1989 sequel to the one about the whales (Star Trek IV) isn't my favorite Trek, but it does have some iconic moments for longtime fans, like Uhura's notorious fan dance. The story delves into Spock's long-lost half-brother Sybok's search for heaven and God — a weird and heavy subject even for this franchise. In classic, heavy-handed, melodramatic Star Trek fashion, the zealous antagonist captures the ship, converts most of the crew, and learns some lessons about having a healthy skepticism of blind faith and cult-like behavior.
Looking for more to watch? Check out our recommendations from last week and the week before.
