While a particular MCU Doctor looks to rule the box office again with ease, this week belongs to a great list of limited releases and VOD options.

By Sean Blanford

In Theaters: Limited Release
Pleasure: One of two Sundance 2021 films being released this week, Pleasure is the feature adaptation of writer-director Ninja Thyberg’s 2013 award-winning short film. The film follows Sofia Kappel as Bella Cherry, a young Swedish woman who moves to Los Angeles with aspirations of becoming the next big adult film star and will try to get to the top no matter the cost.

On the Count of Three: The directorial debut of comedian Jerrod Charmichael, the film stars Charmichael alongside Christopher Abbott as two best friends who unknowingly enter a suicide pact to end their lives by the end of the day. Darkly funny but full of heart and suspense, the film co-stars Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, and Henry Winkler.

Montana Story: Premiering at the 2021 Toronto International Fim Festival, Montana Story stars Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague as siblings separated after a traumatic event and drawn back together after their father is put on life support and their family farm needs to be sold. The film is co-written and co-directed by Scott McGhee and David Siegel.

Theaters/Peacock
Firestarter: Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, Firestarter stars Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Charlie, a young girl who has a mysterious power to control fire with her mind. The film co-stars Zac Efron and Syndey Lemmon and is a re-make of the 1986 film that starred Drew Barrymore.

Theaters/Video on Demand
The Innocents: From Norway, writer-director Eskil Vogt presents a chilling child-centered horror in the Nordic summer’s bright lights. Centered around four newfound friends who discover they have hidden powers that stay out of sight to their parents, this is a film you may want to keep the lights on for.

Monstrous: Starring Christina Ricci, this period horror-thriller follows a mother and son who flee from her abusive ex-husband to a lakeside home. Hoping for seclusion, monsters lurk in the midst that is worse than they could ever imagine.

Netflix
Senior Year: A new comedy starring Rebel Wilson and Angourie Rice, Wilson stars as Stephanie, a woman who wakes from a twenty-year coma and goes back to high school at the age of 37 to achieve her goal of becoming prom queen. This is the feature film debut of director Alex Hardcastle, whose credits include directing television episodes of Grace and Frankie, You’re the Worst and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

This week is a freedom week for our Bananameter critics, as we will be featuring new releases from this week and under-the-radar 2022 releases from film and television.