Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: MAX, Everett
October is here, and nothing is scarier at the moment than Joker: Folie à Deux’s Rotten Tomatoes score. I didn’t like the first movie, but you literally have Lady Gaga; let her rip. Thankfully, Joker isn’t the only thing out this weekend. There’s a new Stephen King movie (and a King collection on Criterion), a new comedy produced by Veep creator Armando Iannucci, and Netflix is taking another stab at love this time in Washington, D.C. Here’s everything to watch.
Featured Presentations
Joker: Folie à Deux
Joaquin Phoenix is back in his Oscar-winning role (2019 was a different time). In this one, Phoenix is alongside Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn, known in Folie à Deux as Lee. The two meet in Arkham Asylum as Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is awaiting his trial for murdering Robert De Niro’s talk-show host in the last movie. Also, since I’ve already seen people complaining about it, here’s a warning: This is a musical.
In theaters now
➼ If we had to endure Folie à Deux just to get Lady Gaga’s Harlequin album, sigh, it’s so worth it.
The Franchise
Everyone is checking out Veep again, but if that’s not enough for you, the latest show from Veep creator Armando Iannucci (and Jon Brown and Sam Mendes) is another workplace comedy. This time, The Franchise follows the cast and crew of a film — played by Himesh Patel, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, and more — working on a chaotic superhero film set. Is it Blade?
Streaming on Max
➼ Also featuring Marvel players Richard E. Grant and Daniel Brühl … meta!
The Outrun
Saoirse Ronan is back with one of her two Oscar-contending performances this year. Her first will be The Outrun, an adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir, as Ronan tackles the alcohol addiction of a woman named Rona. Director Nora Fingscheidt’s drama shifts through Rona’s life, from her spiral to recovery, with Ronan commanding the screen as usual.
In theaters now
Salem’s Lot
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, Lewis Pullman stars as author Ben Mears, who returns to his hometown for a little R&R. He soon discovers that his town is full of creepy occurrences, ahem, vampires. Produced by James Wan, Salem’s Lot has apparently been six years in the making, and it switched from a theatrical release to a streaming one, but you know, let’s remain optimistic; King is.
Streaming on Max
Heartstopper season 3
Joe Locke is double-booked this fall with Heartstopper coming so close to Agatha All Along. The two couldn’t be more different, though, as the third season of the syrupy sweet Netflix series drops us back into Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie’s (Locke) high-school love story, with little to no witches involved.
Streaming on Netflix
Love Is Blind season 7
There’s nothing better than talking about the Love Is Blind contestants and their relationships to your friends — it’s true inner-circle gossip. Now, you get the chance to see a whole new crop of singles, this time from Washington, D.C. (hoo-boy), get a chance at love and marriage.
Streaming on Netflix
➼ The Bachelor likes to claim each season is “the most dramatic season yet,” while for Love Is Blind, each new season is “the most unhinged season yet.”
Criterion Channel Is Killing It
This month, Criterion Channel introduced a handful of killer collections to its streaming service, and it was too hard to pick just one to highlight. There’s a horror F/X collection spotlighting the makeup and practical effects of films like An American Werewolf in London and The Fly. Another collection is dedicated to witches in cinema. There’s some heavy hitters on that list, from Rosemary’s Baby and the ’77 Suspiria to the ’96 Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Anjelica Huston (not Anne Hathaway) in The Witches. The queen of October is also represented with a Winona Ryder collection complete with eight of her films including Heathers and The Age of Innocence. She’s a woman of versatile taste. And to top it off, there’s a Japanese horror and a Stephen King collection. I’m telling you, this is all really good stuff, replete with fun and diverse options for the fall.
Streaming now
Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)
“The keystone in the domino chain to stardom was the Barbra Streisand version of A Star Is Born, in 1976. It became the second-highest-grossing movie released that year, exceeded only by the original Rocky. From that moment on, Kris Kristofferson was always with us.”
—Matt Zoller Seitz on the singer-actor’s most memorable role, which you can rent on Amazon and Apple TV.
Finally Streaming
Deadpool & Wolverine
No, it’s not on Disney+ yet, but if you’re just itching to rewatch to see Chris Evans’s potty mouth or Channing Tatum steal the whole show, then you can check out Deadpool & Wolverine on digital platforms now.
➼ Also streaming this week: Babes on Hulu and Dìdi on Peacock.
Double Feature
The Band Wagon
Folie à Deux won’t admit it’s a musical, but one of its inspirations is literally a musical: The Band Wagon (a.k.a. the movie playing during Arkham movie night in Folie à Deux). So, if you’re going to be Joker curious, you should fire up the 1953 Technicolor film directed by Vincente Minnelli. The comedy teams Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse as a fading movie star who joins a Broadway show much to the chagrin of a prima ballerina.
Streaming on Tubi
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of September 27.
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