Netflix’ Ultraman: Rising, I Saw the TV Glow and all the new movies to watch

Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week we round up the most notable new releases on streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies you can watch at home.

This week, I saw the TV light upthe new psycho-horror drama from We all go to the World Exhibition Director Jane Schoenbrun with Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Bill & Ted face the music), is finally available on VOD. There are also plenty of other exciting new releases on streaming this week, such as the new animated film Ultraman: On the rise on Netflix, the drama directed by Ava DuVernay Origin on Hulu, Dev Patel’s fast-paced action brawler Monkey Man on Peacock and much more.

Here’s everything new to see this weekend!

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New on Netflix

Ultraman: On the rise

Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix

Image: Netflix

Genre: Superhero drama
Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Directors: Shannon Tindle, John Aoshima
Pour: Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita

Ultraman is back, this time in a brand new animated film from director Shannon Tindle (The Lost Ollie) and John Aoshima! Ultraman: On the rise revolves around Ken Sato, a boastful baseball player who returns to his native Tokyo to take over his father’s role as the superhero Ultraman. After accidentally adopting a baby kaiju, Ken must raise the newborn while balancing his personal and heroic responsibilities.

From our test report:

Ultraman: On the rise doesn’t spend much time on the decades-long mythos and world-building around the character. Instead, Tindle and company keep the film’s focus on Ken’s family dynamics and his subsequent evolution from obnoxiously selfish braggart to more humble, mature hero. This decision absolutely works to the film’s benefit, allowing viewers who might otherwise be unfamiliar with the character to grasp the larger stakes and specifics of his universe.

In memory of Gene Wilder

Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix

Image: Kino Lorber

Genre: documentary
Duration: 1 hour 32 minutes
Director: Ron Frank

This documentary covers the life and career of actor and comedian Gene Wilder, who is best known for his leading roles in films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Frankenstein JuniorAnd The wild wild saddle. Consisting of never-before-seen footage and interviews with collaborators and friends who knew him best, In memory of Gene Wilder is a tribute to the legacy of one of the most popular actors of the 20th century.

New on Hulu

Brats

Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

Image: Hulu

Genre: documentary
Duration: 1 hour 32 minutes
Director: Andrew McCarthy

In the 80s, the young stars of John Hughes The Breakfast Club and Joel Schumacher’s St. Elmo’s Fire were dubbed the “Brat Pack,” much to their chagrin. Anthony Michael Hall brings together his former co-stars and colleagues to share what it was like to become famous in the ’80s, how the intense media attention and the “Brat Pack” label followed them throughout their careers, and how they either overcame or succumbed to the pressure of their breakthrough.

Origin

Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

Photo: Atsushi Nishijima/Neon

Genre: Biographical drama
Duration: 2h 21m
Director: Ava DuVernay
Pour: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga

Ava DuVernay’s latest film is a drama based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson, author of the 2020 book Caste: The origin of our discontentThe film follows Wilkerson’s (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) journey through Germany, India and the United States as she researches material for her book.

From our test report:

These stories and the context in which Wilkerson places them are haunting. The almost comical shots of Ellis-Taylor arranging stacks of books, writing on a whiteboard and typing away on a laptop while summarizing her case off-screen are nothing short of embarrassing. It is easy to imagine a documentary version of Origin this is more like 13with the historical reconstructions, pieced together from archive material, interviews with talking heads and biographical information about Wilkerson. It could have been just as gripping and much more satisfying and coherent. But the essence is the same and I intend to act on it myself: Buy yourself a copy of caste and read it.

New to Peacock

Monkey Man

Where to watch: Available to stream on peacock

Image: Universal Pictures

Genre: Action thriller
Duration: 2h 1m
Director: Daniela Pichler
Pour: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash

In his directorial debut, Dev Patel plays a nameless street urchin who, years after his village is burned down, makes a living as a monkey-masked fighter in an illegal boxing club and begins a campaign of brutal violence to exact revenge on those responsible.

From our test report:

When Monkey Man finally shifts into gear for the action scenes, a clearer vision is at work – although “clear” may not be the right word for it. Patel, who worked with fight choreographer Brahim Chab and cinematographer Sharone Meir (Whiplash), films the fights up close with a frenetic handheld camera that wobbles and pans back and forth with each punch, and deftly stitches these shots together into dizzying, non-stop sequences of motion. The style, influenced by Korean, Indonesian and Bollywood action films, makes up for what it sometimes lacks in clarity in ferocity and impact. The desperation of Kid’s first bathroom fight with Rana is brilliantly conveyed (Kher is fantastic in an old-fashioned heavyweight role), and the extended climax is at times breathtaking, though the editing sometimes struggles to maintain focus when things get hectic.

New to Shudder

Connect

Where to watch: Available to stream on Shudder

Image: Well Go USA Entertainment

Genre: Supernatural Horror
Duration: 2h 14m
Director: Jang Jae-hyun
Pour: Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin

This Korean horror thriller follows a shaman (Kim Go-eun) and her apprentice (Lee Do-hyun) who are hired to cure a wealthy family’s newborn son of his mysterious supernatural illness. The two must trace the cause of the illness to a long-hidden tomb on a sacred plot of land and work together to exorcise the curse without putting their own lives in danger.

New to rent

I saw the TV light up

Where to watch: Available for rent on Amazon, Appleand Vudu

Image: A24/Everett Collection

Genre: Psychological horror drama
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes
Director: Jane Schoenbrun
Pour: Judge Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman

Jane Schoenbrun returns with a sequel to her 2021 breakthrough We all go to the World Exhibition. Judge Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) Stars in I saw the TV light up as Owen, a shy student who befriends Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), an older classmate who hosts a television show called The pink opaqueAs the two grow older, their relationship—and the show itself—changes in ways neither could have predicted, revealing uncomfortable truths and revelations that challenge their entire sense of identity.

The film’s themes and conclusion have opened up a lot of room for thoughtful discussion and speculation, and Polygon was able to talk to Schoenbrun about the origins of I saw the TV light upProduction and how Buffy the Vampire Slayer inspired the television series included in the film.