Australian viewers have plenty of new films to choose from this weekend, whether you want animation, drama, action, romance or a thriller. These ten picks range from major franchise releases and streaming originals to smaller character-driven stories.
Minions & Monsters and Michael are available to rent, while other titles can be found through Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, Starz or video-on-demand services.
Once the credits roll, you can browse RETROCADE’s arcade news and gaming features, or settle in for a few rounds on a compact bartop arcade.
10. Minions & Monsters
- Availability: Video on demand
- Genre: Animation
- Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Director: Pierre Coffin
- Cast: Pierre Coffin, Trey Parker, Jesse Eisenberg
The Minions head to old Hollywood and become stars of the silent-film era. Their success falters when talking pictures arrive, exposing their inability to speak English. Out of work, they soon encounter a group of monsters.
The Minions have historically served some of the most despicable figures imaginable, from fictional villains such as Dracula to real-world rulers including an Egyptian pharaoh and Napoleon Bonaparte. The story raises the uncomfortable question of who they might have served during the 1940s.
9. Michael
- Availability: Starz
- Genre: Drama
- Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes
- Director: Antoine Fuqua
- Cast: Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Colman Domingo
This biographical drama charts Michael Jackson’s early life and career, beginning with his childhood in the Jackson 5 and continuing through his emergence as a solo performer during the Bad World Tour. The story focuses on this earlier period before later legal scandals and sexual assault allegations complicated his public life.
8. Hamlet
- Availability: Prime Video
- Genre: Drama
- Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes
- Director: Aneil Karia
- Cast: Riz Ahmed, Morfydd Clark, Joe Alwyn
Riz Ahmed leads this modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Set in London, it follows Hamlet as he returns home for his father’s funeral and discovers that his uncle Claudius is preparing to marry his mother.
7. Jackass: Best and Last
- Availability: Video on demand
- Genre: Comedy
- Runtime: 1 hour 32 minutes
- Director: Jeff Tremaine
- Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius
Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and Chris Pontius return for another feature-length collection of dangerous stunts and outrageous comedy, presented as the group’s final big-screen outing. Alongside new footage, the film looks back at memorable moments and remembers members of the extended crew who have been lost.
The film combines the crew’s familiar reckless humour with an unusually reflective side. Archival footage, emotional reactions from Knoxville and appearances involving Ryan Dunn and Bam Margera give the farewell a more personal tone.
6. Our Hero, Balthazar
- Availability: Video on demand
- Genre: Drama
- Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
- Director: Oscar Boyson
- Cast: Jaeden Martell, Asa Butterfield, Chris Bauer, Jennifer Ehle
A wealthy, isolated boy from New York travels to rural Texas hoping to impress an activist he likes and stop a planned shooting. His journey leads to an unexpected relationship with the troubled local teenager behind the plan.
5. Night Nurse
- Availability: Video on demand
- Genre: Thriller
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Director: Georgia Bernstein
- Cast: Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eleonore Hendricks
A young night nurse becomes entangled with one of her elderly patients, who recruits her for a scheme aimed at residents of an affluent retirement community. Their increasingly twisted relationship drives this thriller.
For a different kind of hands-on entertainment after a tense film, explore RETROCADE’s arcade parts and controls.
4. The Invite
- Availability: Video on demand
- Genre: Drama
- Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
- Director: Olivia Wilde
- Cast: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton
Almost the entire film unfolds during a dinner party in an apartment. Two couples meet: one appears close to falling apart, while the other seems more devoted than ever. As the evening progresses, those impressions begin to shift.
3. Jack Ryan: Ghost War
- Availability: Prime Video and streaming rental platforms
- Genre: Action
- Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Director: Andrew Bernstein
- Cast: John Krasinski, Sienna Miller, Wendell Pierce
CIA operative Jack Ryan is drawn back into the field after a chain of suspicious bank transfers appears across Europe and the Middle East. His investigation becomes another international cat-and-mouse pursuit.
2. Girls Like Girls
- Availability: Peacock
- Genre: Romance
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Director: Hayley Kiyoko
- Cast: Maya DaCosta, Myra Molloy, Zach Braff
Coley is the new girl in town when she quickly connects with Sonya, one of the school’s most popular students. Over one summer, the pair explore their feelings and consider what their relationship means to each of them.
1. Don’t Say Good Luck
- Availability: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Director: Julia Hart
- Cast: Sunny Sandler, Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Jack Champion
Sunny Sandler plays a high-school student who lands the lead role in her school’s musical. As she prepares for the production, she also confronts the devastating news that her mother’s cancer has returned.
More weekend entertainment
For readers who prefer interactive entertainment, RETROCADE’s arcade video collection offers another way to spend an afternoon. If you are planning a larger setup, the arcade machine buying guide can help you compare the options.
Leave a Reply