TikTok Star Murders, Trigger Warning, and more

We’re back this week with a new list of movies you’ll love. We have a fourth instalment of a beloved animated comedy that’s jam-packed with its usual life lessons, an action thriller with Jessica Alba in it, and an exciting true-crime documentary, among others.

The best new streaming movies this week

Feel free to click on the links below to skip to the movie you want to explore first. 

Release date: June 25, 2024 
Genre: Documentary 
Rating: N.A.
Director: Elizabeth Fischer
Cast: Ali Abulaban, Ana Abulaban, Taren Brast

This true crime doc delves into the disturbing case of Ali Abulaban, better known as TikTok star @jinnkid, whose quest for online fame ended in a shocking double homicide. Through a mix of Ali’s own recordings, social media clips, and interviews with journalists and psychologists, we witness his rise as a comedy skit creator and impersonator, and his subsequent spiral into drug abuse and paranoia.

Viewers are subjected to harrowing audio recordings of Ali’s verbal tirades, painting a chilling picture of domestic abuse. We see Ana (his wife) caught between her love for Ali and the growing danger he poses, even as family members urge her to leave. The doc touches on themes of social media obsession and the dark side of instant fame, but at times it feels like it’s just scratching the surface of these complex issues.

Release date: June 17, 2024
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Rating: PG
Director: Irene Taylor
Cast: Céline Dion, René-Charles Angélil, Nelson Angélil, Eddy Angélil, René Angélil

This intimate portrait of music icon Celine Dion confronting a career-threatening diagnosis manages to be both raw and polished, much like its subject. We gain access to Dion’s private life as she battles stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder causing debilitating muscle spasms.

We’re treated to emotional moments in the recording studio as Dion struggles to hit her signature high notes. The doc doesn’t shy away from showing Dion at her lowest, including footage of a prolonged and painful seizure. Yet it also captures moments of levity, like Dion touring her personal warehouse of mementos, hilariously insisting she can will any shoe to fit.

It’s a must-watch for fans, offering a glimpse of the human behind the legendary voice and what happens to your identity when the thing you’re known for is threatened.

Release date: June 27, 2024
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: N.A.
Director: Takahiro Miki
Cast: Ren Nagase, Natsuki Deguchi, Mayuu Yokota, Fumino Kimura, Nene Otsuka, Toru Nakamura, Yasuko Matsuyuki

This Japanese tearjerker might tread familiar ground in the terminally-ill romance genre. Ren Nagase brings nuance to Akihito, a young man who’s given up on life after receiving a terminal diagnosis. He starts to feel alive again through his relationship with the vibrant Haruna. The film showcases beautiful cinematography, using Japan’s landscapes to underscore the themes of life’s fragility and beauty.

As Akihito and Haruna’s relationship deepens, we see both characters grapple with the weight of mortality and the value of human connection. Drawing Closer doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it delivers the cathartic cry it promises. It’s a thoughtful exploration of finding meaning and intimacy in the face of death, elevated by strong performances and sensitive direction.

Release date: June 21, 2024 
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Director: Mouly Surya
Cast: Jessica Alba, Anthony Michael Hall, Tone Bell, Mark Webber, Jake Weary, Gabriel Basso, Kaiwi Lyman

Jessica Alba takes the lead in this action-packed rural thriller as Parker, an elite special ops soldier who returns to her hometown following her father’s mysterious death. What starts as a personal investigation quickly spirals into a high-stakes confrontation with small-town corruption and a dangerous criminal enterprise.

After inheriting her father’s bar, Parker begins to uncover clues suggesting his death wasn’t the accident it appeared to be. Her probing leads her to cross paths with the influential Shaw family, including Senator Swan and his sons. While it may not reinvent the wheel, the film offers a solid entry in Netflix’s action-thriller catalog, with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged until its explosive conclusion.

Release date: March 8, 2024
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Rating: PG
Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, James Hong, Ian McShane

The lovable, dumpling-scarfing Dragon Warrior Po is back. This time around, Po faces a contrived plot device, he must suddenly become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace and find a successor to take over his Dragon Warrior duties.

The main threat comes in the form of the Chameleon, a shape-shifting sorceress bent on stealing Po’s Staff of Wisdom to gather the abilities of all the villains in the Spirit Realm. Po reluctantly teams up with Zhen, a wise-cracking fox thief, in a buddy comedy dynamic. Their journey takes them to Juniper City, where there are more action sequences and lots of puns.

What was new and worth watching over the last month

Missed our previous lists? Get yourself caught up with the list below. We also have a list of the best streaming shows you can explore.

Release date: June 14, 2024 
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Rating: PG
Director: Shannon Tindle
Cast: Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, Julia Harriman

Ken Sato, a star baseball player in Tokyo, must reluctantly follow in his father’s footsteps and become the next Ultraman, humanity’s legendary defender against giant kaiju monsters. As Ken struggles to balance his sports career with his new responsibilities as a superhero, he also grapples with a strained relationship with his father and the recent disappearance of his mother.

An encounter with a baby kaiju forces Ken to examine what truly makes a hero. Amidst epic battles to protect Tokyo, Ken and his father must learn to work together and mend their family bonds, all while deciding the fate of this mysterious young creature. This anime film offers a fresh, modern take on the classic Ultraman story, delving into complex familial themes while delivering thrilling kaiju action.

Release date: May 3, 2024
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: N.A.
Director: Jang Jae-hyun
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hai-jin, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Jae-chul, Jeon Jin-gi, Kim Sun-young

In the forested countryside near the North Korean border, a wealthy immigrant family finds themselves plagued by a dark force targeting their newborn son. Desperate for help, they turn to Hwa-rim and Bong-gil, two young shaman siblings, and Sang-deok, a veteran geomancer, and his Christian apprentice Yeong-geun. As the spiritual experts dig deeper into the family’s past, they uncover terrifying secrets linked to the colonial-era traumas and the region’s rich tapestry of shamanist, Buddhist, and Christian traditions.

Mixing elements of exorcism thrills and creature feature horror with a strong basis in Korean mythology and history, Exhuma delivers a chilling ghost story that will make you think twice about the consequences of disturbing the past.

Release date: April 13, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Rating: N.A.
Director: Tara Roberts
Cast: Tara Roberts

Nearly 90 years after the abolition of slavery, the schooner Clotilda carried 110 kidnapped Africans to Alabama in 1860, the last known slave ship to bring human cargo to the United States. Among the captives was Oluale Kossola, who was later interviewed about his experiences by author Zora Neale Hurston in the 1930s.

Now, Kossola’s descendants journey to his home village in Benin, hoping to finally fulfill his last wish of returning his spirit to where it was stolen. Along the way, the family confronts the brutal realities of slavery at historical sites in both Benin and America. Watch an African-American family’s quest to reclaim their ancestor’s story, find healing, and ensure that the truth of the Clotilda’s survivors will never be forgotten.

Release date: February 27, 2024
Genre: Horror
Rating: N.A.
Director: Thomas Walton
Cast: Kelly Lynn Reiter, Jonathan Lipnicki, Leila Almas Rose, James Di Giacomo, Lacey Burdine, William Delesk, Bonnie Aarons

Two decades after the unsolved Meadows Family murders at Camp Pleasant Lake, the remote site has been transformed into an immersive horror destination where paying guests can live out a “real” 80s slasher movie experience. But as the campers gleefully play along with the staged scares and gory special effects, a very real killer begins stalking the woods, and the lines between fiction and reality blur with deadly results.

Is it the vengeful spirit of young Echo Meadows, who vanished the night of her family’s slaughter? Or a flesh-and-blood killer orchestrating the ultimate horror show? Paying homage to classics like Friday the 13th and Scream, this blood-splattered, Camp Pleasant Lake gleefully hacks its way through the fourth wall for a gory, tongue-in-cheek thrill ride.

Release date: April 5, 2024 
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: R
Director: Dev Patel
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher, Makrand Deshpande, Ashwini Kalsekar

On the chaotic streets of an Indian metropolis, a mysterious young fighter enters an underground tournament run by crooked promoters, using the prize money to fund his secret revenge mission. Concealing his identity behind a monkey mask, “The Kid” works his way into the inner circle of the city’s powerful elite, including the ruthless police chief who destroyed his family.

But even as The Kid trains his body into a lethal weapon, the sins of the past continue to haunt him. Driven by his commitment to justice and a belief in the mythic Hanuman, The Kid launches a brutal one-man war against the corrupt establishment, leaving a trail of blood and broken bones in his wake.

Release date: June 19, 2024 
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Director: Lagueria Davis
Cast: Beulah Mae Mitchell, Kitty Black Perkins, Stacey McBride-Irby

Since 1959, the Barbie doll has been a blonde-haired, blue-eyed icon of femininity and a mainstay of American girlhood. But for decades, Black girls were denied a doll that reflected their own beauty and experiences — until a group of pioneering Black women at Mattel rewrote the toy’s history.

Told through the voices of Mattel employees, cultural historians, and Barbie fans, this eye-opening film reveals how designer Kitty Black Perkins and others challenged corporate resistance to create the first Black Barbies in the 1960s and 70s. Blending corporate history with cultural critique, Black Barbie takes a searing look at the tangled relationship between race, beauty standards, and the power of representation.

Release date: May 24, 2024
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Rating: R
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao, Molly Bernard, Evan Holtzman

Philosophy professor by day, hitman by night, Gary Johnson leads a double life, helping his police pals catch criminals in the act of hiring contract killers. Awkward and unassuming in the classroom, Gary transforms into a suave operator when he goes undercover, donning disguises and adopting personas. But his well-ordered system hits a snag when beautiful Maddy Masters walks into his life, looking to escape her controlling husband.

As “Ron”, Gary talks Maddy out of the hit, but can’t resist falling for her himself. Director Richard Linklater keeps the action popping and the screwball romance sparking. What will Gary have to do to save his girl and his secrets? Sizzling chemistry and whip-smart dialogue make this movie a fun, fizzy ride.

Release date: June 6, 2024
Genre: Animation, Action
Rating: TV-MA
Director: Toshiki Hirano
Cast: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Tatsuhisa Suzuki

The hardcore heroes of two hit Netflix anime finally face off in an epic crossover event that will leave only one standing. Baki Hanma, the stoic mixed martial arts champ raised from childhood to fight, takes on Kengan Ashura’s Ohma Tokita, the underground arena brawler with a wild style and a wilder backstory. Teeth will shatter, bones will crunch, and blood will gush as the two trade earth-shaking blows in a battle for the ages.

Flashy animation captures every gouged eye and snapped limb in kinetic detail, Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura delivers the goods for fans hungry for a fist-to-face fracas. Lots of humor from secondary characters to look forward to in this one, this movie is as much a fun diversion as it is a true clash of titans.

Release date: January 19, 2024
Genre: Drama, History
Rating: PG-13
Director: Ava DuVernay
Cast: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Emily Yancy, Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti, Jasmine Cephas Jones

Isabel Wilkerson’s landmark 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents brilliantly reframed racism as a caste system with deep historical roots in societies around the world. Now, director Ava DuVernay gives us Origin, telling the story of Wilkerson as she conceived and wrote the book while navigating personal angst. Flashing between eras, the film draws fascinating parallels between American slavery, Nazi Germany, and India’s oppression of the Dalit caste, uncovering disturbing conclusions.

We see a younger Wilkerson studying these grim histories and making potent connections in her work and life. Meanwhile, the present-day author copes with the death of her beloved husband and the decline of her elderly mother, finding solace in family and the hope that her book will make a difference. Origin is thought-provoking, grab a copy of the book once you’re done watching the movie. 

Release date: June 6, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Rating: N.A.
Director: Ed Watkins
Cast: Andrew Rannells, Sue Perkins, Christine Wilkinson

As conservatives rant about a “gay agenda”, Peacock cheekily presents Queer Planet, an eye-opening nature documentary that completely rebuffs the idea that homosexuality is “unnatural”. Narrated by actor Andrew Rannells, the special tours the animal kingdom to spotlight same-sex pairings and gender-fluid behavior, from affectionate lady lions to polyamorous bonobos.

Along the way, an array of colorful experts outline how pioneering biologists imposed their Victorian mores on the natural world, discounting queer conduct as non-existent for centuries. The ultimate conclusion: love is love, whether you’re a hetero human or a gay goose. Sure, there’s a clear political message here. But the film’s playful, accessible approach and fascinating footage make this an engaging watch for Pride month, or any time of the year. Queer Planet is a blast of fresh air in the often stuffy nature doc genre.

Release date: December 21, 2023
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Director: Wim Wenders
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Asou, Sayuri Ishikawa, Tomokazu Miura

A man methodically mops a floor and scrubs a sink in a public restroom. This is no one-off, but a daily ritual for Hirayama, who takes great pride in his work as a Tokyo toilet cleaner. But there’s more to Hirayama than his humble profession in this delicate, deceptively simple character study from director Wim Wenders. Precisely ordered days filled with books, music, photography, and visits to a favorite bar hint at a life rebuilt from some past upheaval.

When the fragile cocoon Hirayama has constructed starts to fray, we see flickers of deep anguish and worry about Hirayama. Will he bounce back, and reenter his days of art and taking pride in his work? Perfect Days finds poetry in an overlooked life and the shadows that can shape us.

Release date: June 6, 2024
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Rating: TV-Y7
Director: Anna O’Brian
Cast: Chris Houghton, Marieve Herington, Bob Joles, Artemis Pebdani, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zeno Robinson, Anna Akana

Cricket Green and his offbeat country family trade the Big City for access to space in this action-packed musical comedy based on the Disney Channel series. When wacky tech mogul Gwendolyn Zapp recruits the Greens to test out an experimental asteroid farm, they eagerly volunteer, dreaming of an out-of-this-world adventure. But their cosmic lark turns into a disaster movie mission as everything that can go wrong does.

From worrying about malfunctioning robots to an asteroid knocked off course and hurtling toward Earth. It’s up to the Greens and astronaut Colleen Voyd to put aside their differences and save the day. This is a fun ride — with catchy songs, madcap humor, and a heartwarming message about finding the comforts of home and family wherever you are. But it’s the characters that really shine, with Cricket’s goofy schemes, Gramma Alice’s wisecracks, and Bill’s befuddled charm.

Release date: January 24, 2022
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: R
Director: Stephanie Allynne
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Whitmer Thomas, Sean Hayes

Lucy and Jane have been inseparable best friends since childhood. But when Jane drunkenly confesses she once kissed a girl as a teenager, it opens up long-suppressed questions about sexuality for the 32-year-old Lucy. Just as Jane is preparing to move across the world to London with her boyfriend Danny, Lucy finds herself undeniably attracted to Brittany, a free-spirited masseuse at the spa where Lucy works.

With Jane’s loving encouragement, the shy and anxious Lucy begins dipping her toes into the lesbian dating world — signing up for apps, visiting clubs, and flirting with Brittany. However, this new world of self-discovery puts strain on Lucy and Jane’s once-unbreakable bond as Jane spends more time with their more adventurous friend Kat.

And after one intimate night with Brittany, everything changes for Lucy.

Release date: June 6, 2024 
Genre: Drama
Rating: N.A.
Director: Fatima AlBanawi
Cast: Fatima AlBanawi, Eissa Hafiz, Yasir AlSasi, Mai Hakeem, Terad Sindi, Mohammed Fawzi

Basma is a 26-year-old Saudi woman who returns home to Jeddah from the U.S. to find her father suffering from paranoid delusions and deteriorating mental health. As she tries to get him proper treatment before having to leave again, Basma confronts the harsh stigmas and lack of resources around mental illness in Saudi society.

Writer/director Fatima Al-Banawi, who also stars, draws from her psychology background to authentically explore one woman’s struggle to help a loved one with a psychological condition in a culture that largely shuns discussions of mental health. Basma’s urgent mission to save her father lays bare the isolating challenges for Saudi families dealing with psychic disorders.