Movies at Home - On Demand Options are Growing

Are you kind of on warm and fuzzy overload from watching the “So Cute” puppy/kitty marathon on Animal Planet? If you’ve got popcorn and a TV you can still “go to the movies”. Sure, it’s a smaller screen but, to fight cabin fever, studios are rapidly starting to transport new films intended for the big screen to our home video set ups and release recent movies to stream and buy earlier than originally intended. Yes, they are “On Demand” but movies in theaters aren’t free either.

One way to get “social” about these movies while staying at home is to agree with friends to watch them, then use Skype and/or Kidzworld to voice your opinions. Love it? Hate it? Why? You can write your own movie review in the forums on create a blog on your profile. 

Kidzworld compiled a list of newer movies now On Demand or headed that way soon. NOTE: Check this article often since new titles are being added almost daily!

Now Streaming Movies

Frozen II - After three years, all seems well in Arendelle. Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) is ready to propose to Anna (Kristen Bell) and Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) is a beloved queen but she starts hearing a luring singing voice, a siren’s call from the North that draws her to a fog-shrouded forest where the spirits of earth, wind, fire and water live. She, Anna, Kristoff and snowman pal Olaf (Josh Gad) travel to a new land where, after many adventures, the group learns the true origin of Elsa’s powers and the secret of Elsa and Anna’s parentage. Can they calm the angry forest spirits and save their kingdom?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker -  When it's discovered that the evil Emperor Palpatine did not die at the hands of Darth Vader, the rebels must race against the clock to find out his whereabouts. Finn and Poe lead the Resistance to put a stop to the First Order's plans to form a new Empire, while Rey anticipates her inevitable confrontation with Kylo Ren.

Blu-ray comes out March 31^st but you buy on your TV and other media now.

Emma - a PG-rated version of Jane Austen’s matchmaker comedy novel. Pretty socialite Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) entertains herself by playing matchmaker for those around her. Her latest "project" is Harriet Smith, an unpretentious debutant, while Emma herself receives the attention of the dashing Frank Churchill (Ewan McGregor). However, Emma's attempts at matchmaking cause more problems than solutions and may ultimately jeopardize her own chance at love and happiness.

The Hunt - Rated R for bloody violence and language…make your choice accordingly. Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, ruthless elitists gather at a remote location to hunt humans for sport. But their master plan is about to be derailed when one of the hunted, Crystal, turns the tables on her pursuers.

Onward - Two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him.

Disney’s latest Pixar movie is available to buy now and streaming on Disney+ April 3rd.

Cats - The Broadway musical but with Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson and Jennifer Hudson. A tribe of kitties must decide each year which ones of them will get a new life and which will pass on.

Available to buy digitally.

1917 - During World War I, two British soldiers Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades including Blake's own brother.

Available Digitally to rent and buy.

Birds of Prey - R-rated for violence and language - Harley Quinn and her female crew kick butt. It's open season on Harley Quinn when her explosive breakup with the Joker puts a big fat target on her back. Unprotected and on the run, Quinn faces the wrath of narcissistic crime boss Black Mask, his right-hand man, Victor Zsasz, and every other thug in the city. But things soon even out for Harley when she becomes unexpected allies with three deadly women -- Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya.

Available as a Digital purchase.

Bloodshot  - Vin Diesel as an unusual, warped superhero – After he and his wife are murdered, marine Ray Garrison is resurrected by a team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine - Bloodshot. As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he cannot recall anything from his former life. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both him and his wife, he breaks out of the facility to get revenge, only to discover that there's more to the conspiracy than he thought.

Available as a Digital purchase.

The Way Back - R-rated for language - Ben Affleck as a down-and-out basketball coach who had a formerly promising career in the sport. He struggles with alcoholism while coaching the basketball team at his old high school.

Available as a Digital purchase.

Just Mercy - starring Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson and Jamie Foxx, about a bright young lawyer who sets out to represent those wrongly accused. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian's life.

Available as a Digital purchase.

Dolittle - Robert Downey Jr. talks with the animals. Dr. John Dolittle lives in solitude behind the high walls of his lush manor in 19th-century England. His only companionship comes from an array of exotic animals that he speaks to on a daily basis. But when young Queen Victoria becomes gravely ill, the eccentric doctor and his furry friends embark on an epic adventure to a mythical island to find the cure.

Digitally available – will be on disc April 7^th.

I Still Believe - Faith-based docudrama is about Christian singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp (KJ Apa) and his wife, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp, who learns prior to their marriage that she’s suffering from ovarian cancer.

Available to view on demand.

In The Call of the Wild, based upon the classic novel by Jack London, Buck is a big-hearted St. Bernard/collie mix dog who is stolen from his peaceful California home and sold as a sled dog during the Yukon gold rush of the 1890’s. Buck’s new masters in the far north are strong and kind, others are cruel but when he ends up with lonely, depressed woodsman John Thornton (Harrison Ford), both of them are in for big life changes.

Available to buy On Demand.

Sonic The Hedgehog - a fast little alien gains friends and foes on Earth - Sonic tries to navigate the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound best friend, a human named Tom Wachowski. They must soon join forces to prevent the evil Dr. Robotnik from capturing Sonic and using his powers for world domination.

For Digital purchase while not out on disc until May 19^th.

Bad Boys for Life - This film is rated R for language and violence. The Bad Boys Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life. Marcus and Mike have to confront new issues (career changes and midlife crises), as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.

Available On Demand.

In Gretel and Hansel, 16-year-old Gretel (Sophia Lillis) and her young brother Hansel (Sammy Leakey) are on their own when their dad dies and their unbalanced mom goes quite mad. Wandering and starving in a forest alone, they are protected briefly by a huntsman (Charles Babalola) who gives them a map to find foresters to protect them. When they find a cottage full of yummy food on the way, they fall under the spell of evil witch Holda (Alice Krige) who wants to train Gretel in all things witchy while Hansel might just be dinner!

Available now to own from select digital retailers including Amazon, FandangoNOW, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others.

On May 5^th, the movie will be available to watch On Demand.

Trolls: World Tour - Poppy and Branch discover that there are six different troll tribes scattered over six different lands. Each tribe is also devoted to six different kinds of music -- funk, country, techno, classical, pop and rock. When rockers Queen Barb and King Thrash set out to destroy the other music, Poppy and Branch embark on a daring mission to unite the trolls and save the diverse melodies from becoming extinct.

Brand new and available for a Digital purchase - first film intended for theatrical release to go directly to Digital media.

This list will no doubt grow and grow and we will try to keep you updated.

Will You Watch at Home?

Let all of Kidzworld know which movies you plan to watch at home. Which are your faves and why? What movie do you really hope will be available at home very soon? Share with other homebound kidzworlders by leaving a comment or write-up on your profile page!

 

By: Lynn Barker