#Streaming This Weekend: Project Power, The One and Only Ivan, Spree and More

If nothing changes (and if 2020 has taught us anything it probably will), movie theaters will be opening en masse in the U.S. within the next couple of weeks. Does that mean people are ready to flock back to theaters? It’s hard to say. For now, we mostly have what can be enjoyed from home. Fortunately, this week has no shortage of new releases to enjoy.

Netflix has a new superhero flick coming down the pipeline and Disney is bringing a would-be theatrical release to streaming instead. We also have a couple of new horror flicks, a Joe Bob Briggs special and Judd Apatow’s latest comedy finally hitting a major streaming service. Here are this week’s streaming selections.

Project Power – Netflix

Netflix is, yet again, stepping up to try and fill the summer movie void. In this case, they are bringing a unique take on the superhero genre with Project Power. The movie takes place on the streets of New Orleans when word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers that are unique to each person. There is a catch, however, in that the person doesn’t know what will happen until they take it. Some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility and super strength, while others have a deadlier reaction. When the pill escalates crime, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier (Jamie Foxx), who risk taking the pill to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman direct. Project Power hits Netflix on August 14.

The One and Only Ivan – Disney

The latest Disney original is one that was intended as a theatrical release. Instead, the adaptation of Katherine Applegate’s bestselling book, The One and Only Ivan, is hitting the streaming service on August 14. The movie centers on Ivan, a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He hardly remembers the jungle where he was captured. However, when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby was recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question things. Thea Sharrock directs. Bryan Cranston leads the A-list cast, which also includes Angelina Jolie, Sam Rockwell, Danny DeVito, Ron Funches and Helen Mirren.

Spree – Digital

Spree, which hits digital platforms on August 14, is the latest starring Stranger Things breakout Joe Keery. It centers on Kurt who dreams of sitting having a social media empire. For the time being, he drives for the rideshare company called Spree. Kurt has hatched a plan to go viral called #TheLesson. After decking out his car with cameras for a nonstop livestream full of killer entertainment, he plans to murder his passengers. Amid the madness, a stand-up comedian (Sasheer Zamata) with her own agenda crosses Kurt’s path and becomes the only hope to put an end to his misguided carnage. Eugene Kotlyarenko is in the director’s chair. Sasheer Zamata, Mischa Barton, John DeLuca, Kyle Mooney and David Arquette round out the cast.

Sputnik – Digital

Sci-fi fans need apply here as Sputnik is hitting digital retailers on August 14. IFC Films has had a big summer, unlike most studios, and this is their latest genre release, and it draws a lot of inspiration from Ridley Scott’s classic Alien. The movie sees a young doctor named Tatiana Yurievna (Oksana Akinshina) on the verge of losing her medical license. Her career is offered a lifeline when she’s recruited by the military. She is brought to a secure science research facility to assess a very special case. Konstantin Sergeyevich (Pyotr Fyodorov), a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident, has returned to Earth with something living inside of him, and it only shows itself late at night. The Russian-language flick is the debut feature from director Egor Abramenko.

Magic Camp – Disney

We are getting not one but two new movies on Disney this week. One of them is Magic Camp, which debuts on August 14. The cast is led by Adam DeVine, of Workaholics fame, who is making a family-friendly turn. The movie focuses on a group of misfit campers who help a down-on-his-luck magician rediscover his love of magic. Mark Waters directs. Gillian Jacobs, Josie Totah, Jeffrey Tambor and Aldis Hodge round out the ensemble.

Monstrous – VOD

ylvia, a lonely 20-something, goes searching for answers after her friend mysteriously vanishes in Whitehall, NY, an Adirondack town known for its Bigfoot sightings. She sets off with a mysterious, charming young woman, Alex, hellbent on getting to Whitehall for different reasons. Sylvia soon learns that hiding in the woods is an evil more sinister than she could ever imagine.

Endless – Digital

Endless is the latest from director Scott Peer. It centers on a young man who is stuck in limbo after dying in a car accident. He transcends life and death by finding a way to reconnect with the woman he loves. Alexandra Shipp, Nicholas Hamilton, Famke Janssen, DeRon Horton and Ian Tracey star. Endless hits digital retailers on August 14.

The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs: Summer Sleepover Special – Shudder

Joe Bob Briggs is returning to bring horror fans a double feature this summer. Shudder is bringing back the iconic host for a one-off edition of The Last Drive-In bill as the “Summer Sleepover Special.” As always, the movies have not yet been revealed and won’t be until the night of. But for those awaiting the show’s season 3 return, or those looking to share a communal viewing experience, this is the way to go.

Behind You – Hulu

Directed by Andrew Mecham and Matthew Whedon, Hulu is bringing the new horror flick Behind You our way on August 16. The movie centers on a girl who unwittingly summons a malicious demon that haunted her mother and aunt years earlier. Addy Miller, Jan Broberg Felt, Elizabeth Birkner and Philip Brodie star.

Valley of the Gods – VOD

This multi-faceted drama entwines the story of a rich tycoon, one of his employees and Navaho Indian lore. The movie follows the magnitude of Navaho Indian legends and the eccentricities of the rich tycoon who plans to mine uranium on a sacred Navaho site. A complex association forms between the tycoon and the employee he has utilized to write his biography and, as the storyline continues, the difference between the ancient world of Navaho mythology and the modern, high-tech world emerges. A large cast of Navaho Indians and one of the locations in Mexican Hat, Utah, adds to the credibility of the plot.

Capone – Amazon Prime Video

Capone, which marks the return of director Josh Trank following 2015’s Fantastic Four, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The movie previously arrived on VOD but is now available to a much wider audience. Starring Tom Hardy as famed gangster Al Capone, the movie chronicles his final days as he succumbs to dementia, reliving his past through tormenting memories. Linda Cardellini, Matt Dillon and Kyle MacLachlan star.

The King of Staten Island – Amazon Prime Video

After a run on premium VOD, in place of a theatrical release, The King of Staten Island is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Judd Apatow, this represents one of the first leading roles in a major feature for SNL cast member Pete Davidson. The comedy, which is semi-autobiographical, centers on Davidson’s character Scott and his life growing up in Staten Island, which includes losing his father on 9/11 and ultimately entering the world of stand-up comedy. Bill Burr, Marisa Tomei and Steve Buschemi also star.

Carmen & Lola – Digital

Arriving digitally on August 14, Carmen & Lola tells the story of two Roma women who fall in love, leading to them being rejected by their community. Arantxa Echevarria is in the director’s chair, with Zaira Morales and Rosy Rodriguez leading the cast.

The Silencing – Digital

Director Robert Pront’s The Silencing arrives digitally on August 14. It centers on a reformed hunter and a female sheriff who get caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they set out to track a killer who may have kidnapped his daughter five years earlier. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Annabelle Wallis lead the cast.

Birds of Prey – HBO

Birds of Prey arrived in theaters earlier this year. The latest entry in the DCUE, it was poised to be a huge hit. It brought back Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn for the first time since Suicide Squad. The reviews were good. It all seemed right. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform commercially the way that Warner Bros. had hoped. But now it is set to hit HBO on August 15, giving people a chance to see what they might have missed. Directed by Cathy Yan, it picks up with Harley following her breakup with the Joker. That puts a target on her back, leaving her to face the wrath of the crime boss Black Mask and every other thug in Gotham City. But things soon even out for Harley when she becomes unexpected allies with three deadly women, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya. Ewan McGregor, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez and Ella Jay Basco round out the cast.

Topics: Streaming, Project Power, The One and Only Ivan, Spree