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Our resident VOD expert tells you what’s new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, FandangoNOW, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix.

Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical

(comedy; Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson; rated PG-13)

Tag (comedy; Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, Rashida Jones, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner; rated R)

Upgrade (action-thriller; Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie, Simon Maiden; rated R)

American Animals (thriller; Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Udo Kier, Ann Dowd, Gary Basaraba, Lara Grice, Jane McNeill, Wayne Duvall; rated R)

Pick of the Litter (documentary about guide dogs for the blind; directed by Don Hardy Jr. and Dana Nachman; available 8/31 on cable MOD and in select theaters; not rated)

The Snow Queen 3 (animated sequel; voices: Laurie Hymes, Jason Griffith, Dee Bradley Baker; available 8/31 on cable MOD and in select theaters; not rated)

Digital HD: Rent from $4-$7 or own from $13-$20 (HD may cost more than SD). Check with your favorite Digital HD provider to see if the same movies listed above on cable MOD are also available)

FandangoNOW

Superfly (action-thriller; Trevor Jackson, Antwan Patton, Jacob Ming-Trent, Jason Mitchell, Michael Williams, Lex Davis, Jennifer Morrison, Kaalan Walker, Esai Morales, Andrea Londo, Big Bank Black; available now to download to own—not rent—two weeks before disc; rated R)

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Support the Girls (comedy; Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHayle, James LeGros, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker; available now to rent only; rated R)

S.M.A.R.T. Chase (action-thriller; Orlando Bloom, Leo Wu, Simon Yam, Hannah Quinlivan, Lynn Xiong; available 8/31 to download to own only; not rated)

Vudu

Superfly, Support the Girls, S.M.A.R.T. Chase

iTunes

Superfly, Support the Girls

Amazon

Superfly, S.M.A.R.T. Chase

Google Play

Superfly, S.M.A.R.T. Chase

Netflix Watch Instantly: $8.99 per month for unlimited streaming

Highlights New This Week:

Ozark: Season Two, Inequality for All, The Laws of Thermodynamics, 10,000 B.C., Another Cinderella Story, Assassins, September Rush, Bruce Almighty, Delirium, Fair Game, Groundhog Day, King Kong, Martian Child, Nacho Libre, Pearl Harbor, Scarface, Sisters, Spider-Man 3, Stephanie, Summer Catch, Sydney White, The Ant Bully, The Breakfast Club, The Cider House Rules, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Keeping Hours, The River Wild, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Two Weeks Notice, Unforgiven

Follow Robert B. DeSalvo @zuulboy

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Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:

BIG NEWS

Crazy Rich Asians spawns a sequel: The adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians was enough of a hit in its opening weekend — overperforming at the box office by a good measure — so a sequel, based on the second book in the series, Crazy Rich Girlfriend, is now officially on the way. Read everything we know about the movie and who will be returning here.

GREAT NEWS

Eva Longoria and Michael Peña join Dora the Explorer: The live-action Dora the Explorer movie is keeping its casting appropriately Mexican-American, with Eva Longoria and Ant-Man and the Wasp’s Michael Peña joining as the title character’s parents. Read…
Read More

Published in 2013, Crazy Rich Asians became a very popular novel and spawned two fictional sequels. Like the original novel, the film version revolves around preparations for an elaborate wedding that has become the talk of the aristocracy in Singapore.

Greeted with positive reviews from critics and moviegoers alike, Crazy Rich Asians is a box office success. It’s already earned an estimated $34 million, against its reported $30 million production budget and it’s just getting started. Plans for a sequel are now moving forward, per THR. Here’s what we know so far.

Who will return?

Director Jon M. Chu is planning to return. Chu has already committed to directing a big-screen version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights, which is scheduled for theatrical release on June 26, 2020, but THR says he would “likely” be able to helm a Crazy Rich Asians sequel right after that.

Screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, who worked on the first film, are also likely to return, but that’s not confirmed yet. The sequel itself is not yet confirmed, for that matter. Warner Bros. has the option on author Kevin Kwan’s entire trilogy of books, though, and with the film’s initial success, a sequel is (almost) assured.

What is the plot in the sequel to the original book?

Published in 2015, China Rich Girlfriend focuses on a romance that develops between Astrid (Gemma Chan) and her first love, Charlie (Harry Shum Jr.), as well as the continuing relationship between Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding) as they head to China to search for her long-lost father. The book also features a romance involving ambitious soap opera actress Kitty (Fiona Xie), who dumps the staid Alistair (Remy Hii) for flamboyant Bernard (Jimmy O. Yang).

Chu confirms that a potential sequel would follow what happens in the book: “The idea is to tell the story in the next movie.” Beyond that, producer Brad Simpson says: “We have a plan with Kevin [Kwan] for the next two films.” A potential third film would be based on Kwan’s Rich People Problems, published in 2017.

Who will star?

Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and other members of the main cast have options in place for both sequels. So it’s hoped that everyone will return.

When might we be able to see a sequel in theaters?

If all goes well, we could see a sequel as soon as 2021 — just three years away, if we can wait that long!

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By choosing “I agree” below, you agree that NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. This information is shared with social media services, sponsorship, analytics and other third-party service providers.
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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Character Breakdown of the Day:

For Wired, Anthony and Joe Russo discuss every single hero in their epic Marvel crossover Avengers: Infinity War:

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VFX Breakdown of the Day:

Speaking of Infinity War, here’s a breakdown of Framestore’s visual effects work on the MCU blockbuster (learn more here):

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Movie Scene Breakdown of the Day:

Director Jon M. Chu breaks down one of the most memorable scenes in his new movie Crazy Rich Asians, which is now out in theaters:

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Reworked Movie Scene of the Day:

Mashable redid the sound design for the iconic T.rex scene in Jurassic Park so it’s no longer tense or terrifying:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Legendary actress Ethel Barrymore, who was born on this day in 1879, with director Elia Kazan on the set of Pinky in 1949:

Actor in the Spotlight:

Great Big Story presents Javier Botet, a master of disguise who has played monsters in It, The Mummy, Alien: Covenant, Slender Man and many more:

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Filmmaker in Focus:

For Fandor, Jacob T. Swinney looks specifically at how Christopher Nolan ends his movies:

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Film Studies Lesson of the Day:

Well-timed to the release of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, here’s another Fandor video essay by Jacob T. Swinney on MacGuffins:

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Cosplay of the Day:

Incredibles 2 is still in theaters, so you still have a chance to cosplay at the theater but it’ll be hard to top this fan as Violet:

The Incredibles – Violet Cosplay pic.twitter.com/qtIVHObAjn

— Top Cosplays (@TopCosplays) August 14, 2018

Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 55th birthday and we’re coming up on the 15th anniversary of 21 Grams, so here’s the original trailer for that classic drama:

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Dream Casting of the Day:

Ever since John Krasinski said he wants to star with his wife in a Fantastic Four movie, fans have dreamed of Emily Blunt as Invisible Woman. Here’s one imagined look at her in the role (via Heroic Hollywood):

Fan Theory of the Day:

Inspired by the trailer for Wreck-it Ralph 2, MatPat’s latest Film Theory video explores the qualifications of the Disney Princesses:

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Movie Food of the Day:

Speaking of Disney animated features, the latest edition fo Binging with Babish teaches us how to make the spinach puffs from The Emperor’s New Groove:

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Supercut of the Day:

Speaking of movies and food, Little White Lies put together a supercut of dinners gone wrong in cinema:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Lina Wertmüller, who turns 90 today, holds a gun on the set of Seven Beauties, for which she became the first woman Oscar-nominated for Best Director. The image comes via the documentary Behind the White Glasses.

Filmmaker in Focus:

Today is also Wim Wenders’ birthday, so Philip Brubaker made a video for Fandor about the director’s Road Movie Trilogy:

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Truthful Marketing of the Day:

Honest Trailers reminds us how much movie Avengers: Infinity War is as the epic MCU crossover arrives on home video:

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Movie Comparison of the Day:

Dimitri Bitu compares scenes from Great Balls of Fire with footage of the real Jerry Lee Lewis side by side:

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Cosplay of the Day:

If they ever make another live-action Popeye movie, this guy is perfect for the part (so long as he can also do the voice):

Realistic Popeye Cosplay – Prosthetic MakeUp pic.twitter.com/O4ED52aGqT

— Cosplay (@CosplayHeaven) August 13, 2018

Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 60th anniversary of the release of Big Country. Watch the original trailer for the classic Western below.

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and

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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Mashup of the Day:

Darth Blender sort of re-casts Venom with Jim Carrey replacing Tom Hardy in this mashup with The Mask:

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Character Update of the Day:

Thor’s roommate, Darryl, reveals he survived Thanos’ snap and wishes his Asgardian pal a happy birthday in this Marvel short:

Happy Birthday @Thor ????Sorry it’s late but I’m working weekends since “The Snap” ?? pic.twitter.com/SEiWIOMdH4

— Daley Pearson (@Daley_Pearson) August 13, 2018

Fake Spoilers of the Day:

Speaking of Thor, watch Chris Hemsworth troll the Teen Choice Awards by pretending to reveal spoilers for Avengers 4:

This summer’s heat-wave can be traced back to @chrishemsworth. ??#TeenChoice pic.twitter.com/BFkAf1TgTA

— FOX (@FOXTV) August 13, 2018

Cosplay of the Day:

Back to Thor’s friends, here’s a fan cosplaying as Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok, alongside the titular Avenger:

“Ever since I walked out of the theater the first time after seeing Thor: Ragnarok (as well as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time), I knew I wanted to cosplay Valkyrie some day. ” – https://t.co/qtrc8O5RPb

READ MORE https://t.co/ZSTekHIW1C pic.twitter.com/NemzwTyjaH

— Ejen @ Anime Fest (@cosplayamerica) August 13, 2018

Video Essay of the Day:

For Fandor in honor of Spike Lee’s latest, Jacob T. Swinney looks back at one of his best movies, Do the Right Thing, and its enduring legacy:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Alfred Hitchcock, who was born on this day in 1899, with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant on the set of his 1946 classic Notorious:

Actor in the Spotlight:

Nerdist cut together a bunch of Dwayne Johnson movies so they connect by way of his jumps and falls:

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Movie Comparison of the Day:

Dimitri Bitu compares depictions of Barry Seal’s assassination in the movies American Made, Doublecrossed and The Infiltrator and the series Narcos side by side:

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Filmmaking Lesson of the Day:

Learn how to make a great fight scene from Mile 22 star Iko Uwais and director Peter Berg courtesy of IMDb:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 10th anniversary of the release of Tropic Thunder. Watch the original trailer for the classic comedy below.

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and

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Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:

BIG NEWS

Supergirl returns: Warner Bros. is giving Superman’s cousin another shot at the big screen, as a new Supergirl movie is now in the works with a 22 Jump Street writer handling the script. Read more about the movie as well as updates on other future Worlds of DC movies here. And read about the villain announced for DC’s Birds of Prey here.

GREAT NEWS

Spider-Man: Far From Home adds two MCU characters: While Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, won’t be returning in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the Homecoming sequel has revealed the addition of two other Marvel Cinematic Universe staples: Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). Read more here. And read more about Sony’s plans for further Spider-Verse spinoffs, including separate Black Cat and Silver Sable movies, here.

FIRST LOOK

Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Margot Robbie shared the first look at her portrayal of slain actress Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s partially fact-based next feature, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. See a piece of the picture above. See the full image and read more about the movie here.

EXCLUSIVE BUZZ

Shane Black on The Predator and The Nice Guys 2: We talked to filmmaker Shane Black about his upcoming sequel The Predator as well the future of that movie’s franchise and the possibility of a follow-up to The Nice Guys. Read his thoughts on the potential Nice Guys 2 here and read the rest of the interview here.

DEEP DISCUSSION

Spike Lee on BlackKklansman: We also talked with Spike Lee in depth about his new movie, BlackKklansman, and how he used every bit of footage shot for the adaptation. Read the whole spoiler-filled interview here.

COOL CULTURE

How to make a great killer shark movie: In honor of the release of The Meg this weekend, video essayist Rossatron explored what makes a great killer shark movie. Watch it below and also check out an expert’s scientific opinion on the portrayal of killer sharks in movies here.

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MUST-WATCH TRAILERS

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms offers a holiday family spectacular: Disney released the first trailer for its upcoming Christmas movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which looks to be another magical experience from the studio. Watch it below.

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Slaughterhouse Rulez looks like a horror parody of Harry Potter: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, best known from Edgar Wright comedies such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, reunite for Slaughterhouse Rulez, about a gateway to Hell near a Hogwarts-esque boarding school. Watch the first trailer for the horror comedy below.

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and

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