What's New on TV, Netflix, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: July 31-August 6
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we've got you covered.
New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital
"Alien: Covenant"
Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" sequel is ready to terrify you at home with its Digital HD release this Tuesday, August 1. Two weeks later on August 15, "Alien: Covenant" will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD. Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demián Bichir star in the sci-fi thriller, which comes with so many bonus features -- a making-of documentary, deleted and extended scenes, commentary by director Ridley Scott, an inside look at "David's Lab," crew fear tests, and more.
"How to Be a Latin Lover"
In this comedy out on Digital HD August 1, an aging Latin lover (Eugenio Derbez) is suddenly dumped by the older woman he married for money, so he moves in with his estranged sister (Salma Hayek) and her 10-year-old son (Raphael Alejandro), and tries to use the kid to meet a rich widow. Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell, Raquel Welch, and Rob Corddry co-star in the movie, which is out on DVD and On Demand August 15. Special features include two behind-the-scenes featurettes; deleted and extended scenes; and audio commentary with director Ken Marino, producer Ben Odell and editor John Daigle.
"Comrade Detective" (Amazon Original)
This one sounds crazy, Amzon Prime-ers, but it's worth trying. Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt dub the voices of the lead cops in this spoof based on a 1980s Romanian gritty police series. The show follows two detectives as they seek to uncover who killed a fellow officer. Played by real-life Romanian actors Florin Piersic Jr. and Corneliu Ulici, their lines will be dubbed by Tatum and Gordon-Levitt. The rest of the Romanian speaking characters will be dubbed by Jenny Slate, Chloe Sevigny, Jake Johnson, Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Kim Basinger, Mahershala Ali, Tracy Letts, Bobby Cannavale, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton Duplass, Jerrod Carmichael, Bo Burnham, and John Early. "Comrade Detective" premieres August 4 on Amazon Prime Video. Watch the trailer to get a feel for it.
"Fun Mom Dinner"
This has been a big year for moms gone wild, and "Fun Mom Dinner" follows suit. In this comedy -- in select theaters and On Demand/Digital HD this Friday, August 4 -- four moms whose only common ground is their kids' preschool class, decide to get together for a harmless "fun mom dinner" that begins in disaster but leads to an unforgettable night. The all-star cast includes Katie Aselton, Toni Collette, Bridget Everett, Molly Shannon, Adam Scott, Rob Huebel, Adam Levine, and Paul Rust.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
"The Circle"
The dream cast of Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Bill Paxton, Glenne Headly, and Patton Oswalt united for this adaptation of Dave Eggers' best-selling book about the dark side of social media. The thriller arrives on DVD, Blu-ray, and On Demand August 1. Bonus features include three making-of featurettes, a look at the future of technology, and an interview with Tom Hanks and James Ponsdolt reminiscing about their work with the late Bill Paxton.
Check out this exclusive clip from the bonus features, with Patton Oswalt and Tom Hanks talking about Oswalt's character, Tom Stenton, co-founder of The Circle."The Lovers"
In this critically acclaimed romantic comedy, Tracy Letts and Debra Winger play a married couple -- both secretly cheating on each other -- who are sent reeling when they suddenly fall for the least likely person: each other. The film co-stars Aidan Gillen, Melora Walters, Tyler Ross, and Jessica Sula, and it's available on Blu-ray and DVD August 1. Bonus content includes audio commentary with writer/director Azazel Jacobs and two behind-the-scenes featurettes on the music and making of the film.
Watch this exclusive featurette clip with writer/director Azazel Jacobs talking about casting Debra Winger and Tracy Letts as the leads:"The Drowning"
Josh Charles, Avan Jogia, and Julia Stiles star in this psychological thriller based on the novel "Border Crossing," about a psychologist (Charles) who jumps into an icy river to rescue a young man (Jogia) from drowning, only to discover that he is the man who was convicted of murder 12 years earlier based on the psychologist's own testimony. Watch what happens when the film arrives on DVD and Blu-ray August 1, including a behind-the-scenes clip of the cast exploring their characters and the intricate details of the past, present and future.
"Colossal"
Anne Hathaway plays a hard-drinking party girl who is shocked to discover she's somehow controlling a giant monster who has been causing devastation across the globe in Seoul. At the same time, her friend and bar owner (Jason Sudeikis) seems to be causing a giant robot to appear in the same area. Pity South Korea and see what happens when the offbeat sci-fi comedy -- co-starring Dan Stevens, Tim Blake Nelson, and Austin Stowell -- arrives on Blu-ray and DVD August 1.
"Big Little Lies"
HBO is exploring options for a sequel to this star-studded Emmy-nominated limited series, led by Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, and Nicole Kidman. All seven episodes arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on August 1, along with six "Inside the Episode" pieces and an exclusive extended "About Big Little Lies" piece featuring new cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
Guess what? This week marks the start of a new month, and you know what that means: A heap of new titles will be added to Netflix as of August 1, and a bunch more will be leaving.
"Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later" (Netflix Original)Keep 'em coming, Netflix! "Ten Years Later" is the sequel to the 2001 cult classic comedy "Wet Hot American Summer," and also sequel to the 2015 prequel "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp." These eight episodes, set in the 1991 -- 10 years after the pivotal summer at camp -- star everyone under the sun (except Bradley Cooper?). Check out the full cast list in the trailer, and watch the magic this Friday, August 4.
"Icarus" (Netflix Original)Every week Netflix streams a new must-watch documentary, and this week it's "Icarus." Filmmaker Bryan Fogel sets out to learn about performance-enhancing drugs in sports, and ends up discovering a lot more than he ever imagined. Watch the trailer and deep-dive into the scandal this Friday, August 4.
There is no spoon, but there are three "Matrix" movies waiting for you to binge them on Netflix, starting August 1.
TV Worth Watching
"The Sinner" (Wednesday on USA at 10 p.m.)
In USA Network's eight episode close-ended series, Jessica Biel plays a young mother who commits a shocking act of violence when overcome with an inexplicable fit of rage. That launches a crime thriller surrounding the "why" of what happened, as an investigator (Bill Pullman) finds himself obsessed with uncovering the woman's buried motive.
"Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" (Sunday on Syfy at 8 p.m.)
"Make America Bait Again!" If you could stand the others, you can probably stand this one, which is still giving paychecks to Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, plus Cassandra Scerbo, Masiela Lusha, Cody Linley, Fabio, Charo, and Gilbert Gottfried. Watch it with Twitter for best results.
"The Guest Book" (Thursday on TBS at 10 p.m.)Last week, HBO debuted "Room 104," with every episode following different guests in a hotel room. Now TBS is offering this comedy following the visitors of the vacation home Froggy Cottage. "While the house and cast of characters living in this small mountain town remain the same, each episode will feature a different set of vacationing guests." The series -- which stars Kellie Martin, Charlie Robinson, Aloma Wright, Carly Jibson, Garret Dillahunt, Laura Bell Bundy, Eddie Steeples, and a bunch of other stars you'll see in the trailer -- begins, appropriately enough, with "Story One."
"Swedish Dicks" (Wednesday on Pop at 8 p.m.)
Update: Pop moved the premiere from Aug. 2 to Wednesday, Aug. 9, kicking off the series premiere with back-to-back episodes. Peter Stormare and Johan Glans star in Pop TV's procedural comedy about a pair of mismatched detectives who form the firm Swedish Dicks, solving some of the strangest and wildest cases L.A. has ever seen. Keanu Reeves never does TV, but he has a recurring role in this 10-episode first season, and you'll also spot Anthony LaPaglia, Eric Roberts, and Margaret Cho. Here's the synopsis for the first half-hour episode, which premieres August 9: "Ingmar (Peter Stormare), a former stuntman, is trying to get by as a private investigator. A private dick, as they used to say. One day, a case leads him to an incredibly annoying DJ, Axel (Johan Glans). But it's not just irritation that Axel awakens in Ingmar."
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