Welcome to another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything, a weekly guide to all the new movies released on Friday. I’m Brett Arnold, film critic and host of At the Movies Again, a weekly Siskel & Ebert-style movie review show.
In theaters this week, the highly anticipated sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 debuts alongside other new releases like the Adam Scott-starring horror film Hokum.
At home, you can rent or buy Disney-Pixar’s latest Hoppers, the Diablo Cody-produced horror-comedy Forbidden Fruits and the familiar but fun They Will Kill You with Zazie Beetz.
And on streaming services you’re likely already paying for, Wuthering Heights makes its way to HBO Max alongside a pair of movies you may not have heard of.
Read on, as there’s a lot more, and there’s always something for everyone.
🎥 What to watch in theatersThe biggest release: The Devil Wears Prada 2
Why you should see it: Legacy sequels have become so commonplace in Hollywood that they’re no longer just for the mega-budget genre pictures: Even The Devil Wears Prada, a beloved workplace comedy that earned Meryl Streep an Oscar nomination for her iconic turn as Miranda Priestly, a character based on real-life Vogue editor Anna Wintour, gets a chance to catch up with its characters 20 years later.
The worst legacy sequels play like Super Bowl commercials, in which actors return as characters we love, but in a way that feels unsatisfying and a little desperate, like when Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcolm and Alan Grant turned up earlier this year to sell us on Xfinity.
Thankfully, The Devil Wears Prada 2 feels like it could be the model going forward, as it updates its story for a modern era in a way that’s unexpectedly smart, clever and sadly, maybe even a little too real, especially for audience members who happen to work in media. It ends up being a movie about the death of print journalism, the rise of algorithmically driven “content” and how every institution is being gutted to make a few more dollars for the billionaires in charge. It’s also very funny, despite opening with Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs getting laid off from her job as an investigative reporter at a print newspaper.
Meanwhile, at Runway, the magazine where Andy was Miranda’s assistant 20 years ago, her former boss is ushering the company through a very 2026 PR crisis that requires someone like Andy to come in and fix it. This leads them to reencounter Emily (Emily Blunt), who now works at Dior, flipping the power dynamic. Priestly needs to grovel to get Dior’s approval, since the company relies on Dior’s ad money. And because it’s 2026, the magazine barely exists, and nobody clicks on its online-only content — except for other culture reporters and writers, Priestly notes at one point, which is such a specific barb at Twitter-addicted journalists that you’d think it was written by one.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 uses the blueprint of a 20-year-later sequel to provide an earnest update on the industry it famously depicted back in 2006, and that honest approach goes a long way. The movie makes a meal out of material that sounds broad and groan-worthy on its face — like Miranda Priestly being subjected to more stringent HR oversight — because the writers and the audience both know the characters well enough for it to play as genuine instead of schticky. It’s hard not to laugh at Priestly, wondering if her missing assistant was “human trafficked” and also being aware that she’s not allowed to say things like that anymore. “She used to throw her coats at people,” one of the new interns says.
It also functions as a poignant love letter to the people still putting in the work that used to make up magazines, now found in bite-size pieces on your TikTok feed. Its ultimate message is that journalism still matters, which is a heartening one in an era rife with misinformation and when trust in the media hits all-time lows, and one you likely didn’t see coming from a movie about the inner workings of a fashion magazine.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 manages to do all of that while being as charming and fun as the first film, in a well-made movie that cares enough to travel to the locations depicted. What a concept! Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt all don’t miss a beat slipping back into the roles, and it’s nice that those characters actually had something to say rather than sell us the latest home phone and internet package. It may be even better than the original.
What other critics are saying: Reviews are strong, but there are some detractors. The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin writes that “Hathaway and Streep are at the respective peaks of their comedic powers.” Jake Coyle at the Associated Press, however, writes, “I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who just wants to see … these actors together again. But the movie, well stocked in Prada, could have used a bit more of Streep’s unflappable devil.”
How to watch: The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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Another great option: Hokum
Why you should see it: Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy has already made a name for himself among horror fans — the Shudder original Caveat was terrific, and his follow-up Oddity was, in fact, odd, but incredibly transfixing. With Hokum, he takes his unique spooky storytelling approach mainstream by casting Adam Scott, a well-known American actor. Frankly, I didn’t know how badly I needed a horror film starring the guy from Severance as a sarcastic asshole until I laid my eyes upon it.
When cynical horror novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past.
It sounds familiar enough, and yes, it is ultimately a horror movie that could be read as an extended metaphor for personal trauma, but it manages to transcend its traditional trappings by crafting incredibly effective jump-scare set-pieces and lingering on its memorably creepy, upsetting imagery. It does this while making you laugh out loud throughout, mainly at the awful way Scott’s Stephen King-esque author treats all the people he encounters.
Hokum is an incredibly well-made horror film that continues McCarthy’s obsession with making you jump and also think about where horror comes from, using supernatural means to tell stories of human evil. It’s one of the most compelling “the scary thing is a manifestation of trauma/guilt” movies because it actually cares about scaring you first and foremost.
What other critics are saying: They love it! Amy Nicholson at the L.A. Times writes, “I’ve seen too many protagonists skulk down dark hallways, but McCarthy’s version of that shot is so visceral that you feel like he’s really been there. You can smell the mildew.” The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager writes, “This creepy nerve-rattler confirms that the director’s excellent 2024 breakout Oddity was no fluke.”
How to watch: Hokum is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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But that’s not all …
A shot from Animal Farm. (Angel /Courtesy Everett Collection)
Animal Farm: Andy Serkis has been trying to adapt George Orwell’s novel since 2011, when he starred in Rise of the Planet of the Apes as Ceaser and decided it was time for a “modern retelling.” What was once an ambitious-sounding motion-capture project is now, after a series of hurdles, including a brief attempt at Netflix, a cheaply animated CGI talking-animal film for children starring Seth Rogen as a pig who farts onscreen at least once. Get tickets.
Deep Water: Director Renny Harlin bounces back from his abysmal The Strangers trilogy by returning to familiar territory: Yes, the man behind Deep Blue Sea made another shark movie! The premise here is simple: A plane goes down in the Pacific Ocean, and the survivors soon find themselves in a fight for their lives as man-eating sharks start to circle the wreckage. It’s a great premise — combining a plane-crash disaster movie scenario with a shark flick — but it seems the budget was mostly spent on the terrifying extended plane crash sequence, leaving the shark-infested waters portion looking too cheap to muster much excitement. Get tickets.
💸 Movies newly available to rent or buyThe biggest release: Hoppers
Why you should see it: Disney-Pixar’s Hoppers is easily the best Disney movie in quite some time, reminding you that Pixar’s name once meant you were guaranteed a terrific time with big laughs, emotional heft and a clever premise that continues to surprise you.
The movie opens with a young animal lover, Mabel, boldly attempting to free all the class animals at her school because she sees how unhappy they are in their cages. It’s a great introduction to the character and the film’s big ideas, which are largely about how kids need to go outside and touch grass, and how humans and animals are both better off living in harmony. Maybe highways don’t need to replace every stretch of land that’s meant for wildlife! Respect the balance of nature!
In the film, scientists have discovered how to “hop” human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals. Mabel seizes an opportunity to use the technology, uncovering mysteries within the animal world beyond anything she could have imagined.
I appreciated how simple-minded Mabel’s plan is: She uses the tech to become a fake beaver in hopes of convincing real beavers and other animals to return to the woods so the mayor won’t bulldoze the area. I also appreciated the mayor’s arc and how the film stresses that people make mistakes but can be convinced to do the right thing when presented with evidence that could change one’s perception.
But, most importantly, it’s laugh-out-loud funny and perfectly charming throughout, with just the right amount of “humans suck” cynicism balanced with idealistic “Save the Whales!”-style feel-goodery. There’s a wild moment involving a butterfly that earned shocked gasps from the crowd, followed by laughter. It was then that I knew this was a new kind of Pixar movie, untethered to the specific concerns of previous films that all follow a fairly similar schema. It’s silly and frantic in the way that reminds me of the best Rick & Morty episodes. The film was directed by Daniel Chong, creator of the beloved Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears, and his comic sensibilities are a wonderful fit for the film.
Hoppers is a hilarious and warm charmer, harkening back to Pixar’s heyday while successfully ushering the studio into new territory. Talking animal movies don’t get much more clever than this!
What other critics are saying: It’s getting glowing reviews! Clarisse Loughrey at the Independent calls it “odd and spiky enough to carve out its own niche.” The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney writes, “It shouldn’t all hang together as well as it does, but the movie’s freewheeling plotting is exhilarating, even more so when a frantic chase accelerates the action.”
How to watch: Hoppers is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video and other VOD platforms
Rent or buy
Another solid option: Forbidden Fruits
Why you should see it: Forbidden Fruits is a Diablo Cody-produced dark comedy adaptation of an off-Broadway play about a group of young women who start a coven while working at a Free People-like store in a mall. The movie plays like a mash-up of Mean Girls and The Craft, with the casual cruelty of a Jawbreaker or Heathers, and the social commentary on capitalism of Dawn of the Dead. It’s got a lot on its mind about female friendships and commercialized femininity, and it’s all conveyed through witty dialogue that never feels didactic. It features incredible performances from Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart, Victoria Pedretti of You, X-Men: Apocalypse’s Alexandra Shipp and The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Lola Tung. The third act gets surprisingly nasty, and that’s when it really won me over.
What other critics are saying: Reviews skew positive, but it’s more of a mixed bag. AV Club’s Jacob Oller liked it, writing, “A fantastic cast and a script full of zingers keep the wavering modern witch story mean and magical.” Alison Foreman at IndieWire was less kind: “The ingredients are all there, but never coalesce into a coherent thesis.”
How to watch: Forbidden Fruits is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video and other VOD platforms
Rent or buy
And one more: They Will Kill You
Why you should see it: They Will Kill You is part of the “eat the rich” subgenre, which is so prolific right now. Luckily, this one channels its “rich people are evil Satanists who want to sacrifice you so they can keep living the high life” in such specific and fun ways that it actually works better than a lot of other recent attempts. It’s basically a live-action cartoon that draws as much from Kill Bill as from Sam Raimi’s horror oeuvre. It’s a one-woman, army-style badass action movie, an occult horror flick and a splatter comedy all at once, not to mention a class-based social commentary.
The plot: A woman (Zazie Beetz) answers a help-wanted ad to be a housekeeper in a mysterious high-rise in New York City, not realizing she is entering a community that has seen a number of disappearances over the years and may be under the grip of a Satanic cult. She’s there to find her sister, whom she abandoned years ago.
That set-up is merely fodder for Beetz to kill people in various violent ways, and the movie provides that in spades, from its lengthy blood spurts to its decapitations and (spoiler alert) reanimations. The cast is also unexpectedly stacked: Tom Felton, who you likely know as Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies, plays one of the foils, alongside Heather Graham and Patricia Arquette.
In short, They Will Kill You is an unexpectedly good “one of these,” which is to say, another movie in which a final girl must violently kill her way out of a Satanic situation.
What other critics are saying: They’re split! David Fear at Rolling Stone writes, “Beetz deserves a better, sturdier showcase, as do us fans of exploitation movies that lace their violent, giddy, gory choreography with more than just cheap dopamine dumps.” Adds Clarisse Loughrey at the Independent: “Zazie Beetz must be exhausted. Not only did she train for four months to play They Will Kill You’s Asia Reaves, she also had to carry the entire damn film on her shoulders.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han dinged the film for its lack of complexity, but noted that its gory scenes are delivered with enough “gusto to sate even the most bloodthirsty filmgoer.”
How to watch: They Will Kill You is now available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video and other VOD platforms
Rent or buy
📺 Movies newly available on streaming services you may already haveThe biggest release: Wuthering Heights
Why you should see it: My colleague Kelsey Weekman covered this one: Director Emerald Fennell has a bad reputation among film enthusiasts online. Her movies, like Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, are ridiculously stylish, but some say they fumble their moral and thematic messaging where it counts, swerving commentary about rape culture and class in favor of shock value and vibes. Here she is now with a massive budget to adapt the beloved book she has a deep personal connection to.
There are high expectations for Fennell, whom many immediately believed would fumble such precious intellectual property. The scare quotes in the official title “Wuthering Heights,” as seen in the movie poster, are intended to remind you that this is just one woman’s take on the story. But that’s what you risk when adapting a book. You will have to drop some things (at least half the plot, in this case) and pick some up (several kinky sex acts that, no shade to author Emily Brontë, probably had not graced Victorian public consciousness before her early death).
Here’s the plot, in case you don’t remember high school English class: As a child, Catherine’s family takes in Heathcliff, a mistreated boy, and forces him to work with them. Catherine and Heathcliff are best friends, though they are divided by class and status. As she grows up, Catherine realizes, with an air of mean-spiritedness, that she’ll need to marry rich to get out of here. She does so, betraying Heathcliff, who runs off and unexpectedly also becomes rich.
When he returns, they continue their toxic situationship, torturing each other by flirting with their wealthy neighbors, the Linton siblings. They both suck — they’re cruel and sadistic to everyone around them — but they have an otherworldly draw to one another, fueled by a series of some of the greatest lines in literary history: “You say I killed you? Haunt me then!” Come on. “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Because this adaptation has to have a reasonable runtime, it zeroes in on that one relationship and drops the second generation of torture Heathcliff and Catherine inflict on one another, in life and beyond. Without that layer of nuance, what’s left is basically fan fiction. It simplifies their trauma and class struggles and omits racial tension that scholars are still debating. But I’d argue that it has to. It’s just one adaptation, with walls made of flesh and comically large strawberries. We have so many other versions out there. This one’s for the fans of aesthetics and sensuality.
The choice to focus on toxicity and tension makes sense in the broader context of the novel too. When Brontë’s novel was published, critics decried its “vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.” That same reviewer wrote, “How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery.” In 1848! Good grief!
But back to the movie. Infused with distinct visuals, the most gorgeous anachronistic costuming I’ve seen since Marie Antoinette, original music from party girl poetess Charli xcx and near-incessant horniness between its two leads, it is never boring. After all, Fennell is the woman who gave us those Saltburn bathtub and grave scenes. I can’t say Wuthering Heights is good in all the ways I wanted it to be — I craved a deeper exploration of its themes. But, to paraphrase the source material, I know this adaptation will be with me always and drive me mad.
What other critics are saying: With a divisive 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics are deliciously split on the film. Many of its biggest critiques also contribute to its strengths. Vulture’s Alison Willmore writes that it’s “Fennell’s dumbest movie, and I say that with all admiration, because it also happens to be her best to date” because it focuses on the “smooth-brained sensuality” of its two messy main characters. The AP’s Lindsey Bahr says it’s “oddly shallow and blunt: garish and stylized fan fiction with the scope and budget of an old-school Hollywood epic.” No one can say it isn’t gorgeous, though.
How to watch: Wuthering Heights is now streaming on HBO Max.
Watch on HBO Max
But that’s not all …
Rosamund Pike in Hallow Road. (XYZ Films /Courtesy Everett Collection)
Hallow Road: This creepy, minimalist, single-location psychological horror film didn’t get a proper theatrical release in the U.S. — it played exclusively in a double feature with another film at AMCs across the country — but it’s absolutely worth seeking out now that it’s readily available. It’s about a couple, played by Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys, driving to help their daughter after she calls to report a hit-and-run accident. There’s a horror element twist that’s best left unspoiled, but the easiest way to sell it is by calling it a parent’s worst nightmare. Streaming on Hulu starting May 2.
Silent Night, Deadly Night: This remake of the 1984 cult-classic horror film about a guy who kills people while dressed as Santa stars Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends’ Corey Cunningham) and does a lot to update the text for modern times. The end result of this new, bold reimagining is that it plays as if the original has been fused with something like Dexter or Venom. Your mileage may vary, but I found all the changes to be obnoxious and ruinous. Can’t a slasher just be a slasher anymore? I didn’t need the … let’s say “supernatural” element that comes into play, and the romance subplot didn’t add much for me either. That said, Ruby Modine, daughter of Matthew Modine, shines in a supporting role. Now streaming on Screambox.
That’s all for this week — we’ll see you next week at the movies!
Looking for more recs? Find your next watch on the Yahoo 100, our daily list of the most popular movies of the year.