This Week in Streaming (November 19)

Twisters (Peacock) Charging audiences by forgetting the chemistry between Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt and the maniacal joy of Philip Seymour Hoffman in the ultimate storm-chaser blockbuster is a big ask. But this sequel to the long-dormant, 28-year-old movie franchise manages to not only exceed expectations but also prove itself 2024’s best blockbuster. Hollywood man of the hour Glen Powell stars as the dudebro who just may be able to harness the power of the tornado alongside an enviable ensemble cast of Young Hollywood heavyweights like Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Kiernan Shipka, and Sasha Lane. With 2020’s Minari, director Lee Isaac Chung proved he had a knack for rural local color. As we said this summer, he’s turned Twisters into a bona fide western character study that actively resists obvious climate change bromides in favor of investigating the reality of red-state life. 

Dune: Prophecy (Max) We’ve got a way to go before Denis Villeneuve gets to work on his third film in the Frank Herbert universe, but HBO’s new prequel series provides some insight into the world of messianic prophecy as two sisters (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams) ready the desert wasteland for Paul Atreides. Dune diehards will be unable to resist and its thoughtful character study may well win over some new converts. 

Closer (Netflix) No one has committed career suicide with the same aplomb as Julia Roberts during her ill-advised foray into the politics of joy. Regardless, this 2004 movie featuring her as part of a love quadrangle involving Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen proves that, while the actress’s judgment has waivered, she was always more than a steady romcom star. Patrick Marber’s script based on his own play is as brutal as it is hilarious, and few directors have escaped the staginess of theatre-to-film adaptations like Mike Nichols of The Graduate fame. A perfect dissection of love, longing, and the self-inflicted pitfalls of long-term commitment.