Why you can trust usWe independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals. Liam Neeson in The Naked Gun. (Frank Masi/Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I'm back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything.
This week, two very different new releases starring two very different couples debut in theaters nationwide: The Naked Gun reboot, starring new pair Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, and Together, a horror rom-com starring married couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco. Recent theatrical films like 28 Years Later and The Life of Chuck are newly available to rent, and the smash-hit Final Destination: Bloodlines makes its way to HBO Max.
But that's not all, so read on, because there's always something for everyone!AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat to watch in theatersMovies newly available to rent or buyMovies newly available on streaming services you may already haveš„What to watch in theatersMy recommendation: The Naked GunWhy you should watch it: If you want to see comedies thrive in theaters again, the best thing you can do is support The Naked Gun this weekend. The reboot of the spoof comedy series stars Liam Neeson in the role Leslie Nielsen made famous and ushers the characters into the modern world.
Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Police Squad's Lt. Frank Drebin, as he attempts to solve a murder to prevent his unit from shutting down amid society's changing sentiment on policing. Pamela Anderson costars, and the two leads have made headlines with their on-set romance.
Neeson is terrific, harnessing the same "this guy's a serious actor" energy that Nielsen brought to the role to brilliant comedic effect. Pamela Anderson also stands out as femme fatale Beth Davenport. I would call her by her undercover name, but I don't want to ruin a big laugh.
Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson in The Naked Gun. (Frank Masi/Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)The reboot, directed by The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod, Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping) and produced by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane, has been in the works for decades with various talent attached. The movie nails the Naked Gun ethos, mining humor from every element of the film, from the dialogue to the blink-and-you'll-miss-them sight gags. It even sports a Mission: Impossible reference so direct, I expected fellow Paramount character Ethan Hunt to make a cameo.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe movie has a singular goal: to make you laugh. A lot. It succeeds better than any studio comedy in recent memory. There are so many jokes dispatched at such a rapid clip, you might miss a few because you're still laughing from the previous gag. It's 85 minutes of nonstop belly laughs.
Paul Walter Hauser in The Naked Gun. (Frank Masi /Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)You're unlikely to find a movie with a higher joke-per-minute ratio, except maybe a previous Naked Gun film. It also kicks off the start of spoof season, with a new Wayans Bros. Scary Movie coming out next year. Here's hoping we get another sequel with a silly number in the title.
What other critics are saying: They love it! The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw teases that "it finishes with a quite extraordinarily bizarre and offensive tribute which caused the audience I was in to go into gibbering shock." The Wrap's William Bibbiani puts it simply: "It's very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very funny. Very."How to watch: The Naked Gun is now in theaters nationwide.
AdvertisementAdvertisementGet ticketsBonus recommendation: TogetherWhy you should watch it: Alison Brie and Dave Franco star in this body-horror rom-com skewering toxic codependence in relationships and modern fears of monogamy.
The real-life married couple play a twosome moving to the countryside, which tests the limits of their relationship. A supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives and (gulp) their flesh.
Franco embodies the typical stunted-growth male, afraid of committing to his beautiful partner because he'd rather go on tour with his band. He feels trapped by the idea of monogamy, and moving away from the city and his friends worsens that. Yet, he literally can't function when his partner is gone. Brie is great, but feels underwritten in the role of "girlfriend" and "teacher."Dave Franco and Alison Brie in Together. (Neon/Courtesy Everett Collection)The script, its weakest asset, feels like a mash-up of dozens of other horror movies. Together is at its worst when it leans into trying to explain its high-concept premise, ultimately factoring in the occult in a way that feels lazy and also uninteresting. The actual body horror stuff is nasty and fun, and I appreciated how much reverence it shows towards John Carpenter's