What to watch: The 3 best movies to stream this weekend from 'Doctor Strange 2' to 'The Survivor'
Wondering what to watch? On a weekend that’s likely to be dominated by wall-to-wall Glastonbury Music Festival coverage, there are still some new additions to the online and terrestrial programme to get truly excited about.
On top of the streaming debut of Doctor Strange 2, both Disney and the BBC are taking advantage of the imminent start of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship to show not one, but two tennis biopics.
While the excellent Battle of Sexes (2017) will be streaming on Disney +, you can catch Borg McEnroe (2017) on BBC 2 on Saturday 25 at 10:30pm (then later on BBC iPlayer).
Read more: Everything new on Disney+ in June
Elsewhere, Netflix has a new Kevin Hart action comedy titled The Man From Toronto which also stars Woody Harrelson and Kaley Cuoco. Meanwhile, last year’s underwhelming instalment in the SAW saga, Spiral: From The Book of Saw, will also be making its debut on Netflix alongside Jon Stewart’s political drama comedy, Irresistible (2020) which stars Steve Carell.
These are our picks for the best movies to stream in the UK this weekend.
Please note: A subscription may be required
Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness (2022) - Disney+ (pick of the week)
Sam Raimi (Army of Darkness, Spider-Man) makes a triumphant return to the world of Marvel in this decidedly bonkers second instalment in the Doctor Strange saga, which is streaming in IMAX and 4K on Disney+ now.
Reprising his role as the enigmatic Stephen Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, The Power of The Dog) is joined by Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision), MCU favourite Benedict Wong and newcomer Xochitl Gomez. Meanwhile, Rachel McAdams, Hayley Atwell and Chiwetel Ejiofor also put in appearances.
Read more: The best Doctor Strange 2 Easter eggs
A few months after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Strange (Cumberbatch) finds himself battling a new and powerful adversary. Befriending America (Xochitl Gomez), a gifted teen with the magical ability to open portals in parallels worlds, Strange must find a way to stop his troubled friend Wanda Maximoff/ (Olsen) from altering the fate of the universe forever.
Raimi delivers an engaging, fast-paced and decidedly playful second cinematic outing for one of Stan Lee’s most loved comic book characters. The acclaimed director has given us an interpretation that is, perhaps unsurprisingly, often more weird gory horror than the usual superhero fodder we’ve come to expect from the MCU.
Elevated by some terrific performances courtesy of Cumberbatch, Chavez and Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains one of the most unconventional films in the franchise and undeniably the most easily likeable.
Also new on Disney+: Trevor The Musical (2022), Battle of the Sexes (2017), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Meet Dave (2008)
Borg vs McEnroe (2017) - BBC iPlayer (from 25 June)
In the summer of 1980, one of the greatest tennis matches in the history of the game took place when two of the most accomplished players met in Wimbledon’s male final. In Borg vs McEnroe, director Janus Metz brings the story of the two men to life in this beautifully crafted biopic starring Shia LaBeouf and Sverrir Gudnason.
LaBeouf is John McEnroe, a loud brash young American tennis ace who after a great season arrives in Wimbledon with one mission in mind, dethrone the unbeatable Bj?rn Borg (Gudnason). Despised by the Wimbledon crowd and its empires alike, McEnroe spits, drops F bombs and even berates the audience for booing him.
Read more: Everything new on Netflix in June
After conquering every tournament on the circuit, Borg (Gudnason), on the other hand, is feeling overwhelmed by fame and success. As his imminent nuptials approach, a stressful losing streak has resulted in a deep depressive state from the usually cool and unbothered player.
Watch a trailer for Borg Vs McEnroe
Metz cleverly uses flashbacks to delve into the players’ formative years as teenage tennis champs in a bid to understand what makes them tick. Borg is presented to us as the quietly pensive ice king, superstitious to the point of pathology and obsessed with order. Next to him, McEnroe’s brash and shambolic antics stick out like a sore thumb, all the while managing to complement his adversary’s more Zen demeanour.
Although presenting Borg as the more sympathetic figure of the two, Metz and screenwriter Ronnie Sandahl deliver a brilliantly complex character study of John McEnroe, a man initially dismissed by most as a bad loser, who would eventually become one of the sport’s most popular figures.
Read more: Everything new on Prime Video in June
Shia LaBeouf is phenomenal in a role he was clearly born to play. Capturing the essence of McEnroe throughout, LaBeouf gives everything he can and then some. Meanwhile, Sverrir Gudnason’s understated yet convincing portrayal of Borg elevates this, albeit, minor biopic beyond its initial premise.
Also on BBC iPlayer: Casablanca (1942), Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
The Survivor (2021) - NOW with a Sky Cinema Membership (from 26 June)
In The Survivor, Rain Man director Barry Levinson tells the real life story of Harry Haft, an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor turned boxer. Based on a biography written by Haft’s own son Alan Scott Haft, it stars Ben Foster (Kill Your Darlings, Leave No Trace) as Haft and Billy Magnussen (Into The Woods, No Time To Die) as the SS officer who forced him to fight fellow camp prisoners to stay alive.
Vicki Krieps (Phantom Thread, Bergman Island), Dar Zuzovsky (Hostages), Peter Sarsgaard (Night Moves, Jackie) and Danny DeVito also star.
Read more: Everything new on Sky Cinema in June
New York, 1950s. Jewish boxer Harry has made somewhat of name for himself on the circuit as the famous Auschwitz survivor. But despite his talent, Harry has only one wish in life, and that is to be reunited with his first love Leah (Zuzovsky), now believed to have perished in the camps.
Having exhausted all avenues in his search, Harry reluctantly agrees to an interview with instigative journalist Emory Anderson (Sarsgaard) in the hope that Leah might read it.
While not exactly earth-shattering in its originality, there is a great story here to be told and Foster gives a strong and beautifully understated performance. Krieps too is fantastic as Miriam, Harry’s long-suffering wife, but ultimately, it is Magnussen who delivers a career best performance here, stealing every single scene in the process.
Also new on NOW: Clifford The Big Red Dog (2021), King Richard (2021), The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)
Watch a trailer for King Richard below
