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6 best movies, podcasts, and TV shows to stream in Houston this weekend

Check into Room 104 on HBO.

Photo courtesy of HBO

This weekend makes one seriously reconsider going outside. It's hot. Plus, there's a potential tropical storm popping off. And, of course, there is that whole you-could-get-sick-from-a-virus-that-still-has-no-vaccine thing. (And let's not forget about all those who go to places not wearing a mask and actually get mad when employees kick them out).

Why not stay in, and catch the latest in podcasts, movies, and TV shows? This week, look for a hotel room thriller, a radioactive heroine, and an exotic return of a reality TV star.

Movies

Radioactive (Prime Video)
Marjane Satrapi, the illustrator who adapted her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis to the big screen, goes the live-action route in this biographical drama (which is actually based on a graphic novel she didn't write). Rosamund Pike assumes the role of Marie Curie, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and chemist who was a trailblazer when it came to pioneering research on radioactivity. Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma.) co-stars as Curie's daughter. (Premiering on Friday)

The Rental (IFC)
Dave Franco, the adorable little brother of James Franco, has co-written and directed a new thriller that you can see at home or at a couple of theaters around here. This one is about a foursome of people (including Alison Brie, Franco's wife) who go on a weekend vacation at a cliffside rental property and find themselves being stalked by a hammer-wielding madman. The crazy part is that, even before the killer wreaks havoc, these folks are already paranoid and suspicious of one another. (Available to rent)

Podcasts

Full Release with Samantha Bee (Earwolf)
Fans of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, the weekly news-satire show hosted by the former Daily Show correspondent, might want to check out this new podcast. Instead of slamming the politicians, pundits and other newsmakers she does exceptionally on her show, Bee has unscripted conversations with the best and the brightest —mostly about this messed-up year is and how things could hopefully get better. So far, she's already hollered at TV journalist Soledad O'Brien and author Jelani Cobb.

SmartLess (self-distributed)
One of the crazy things about this pandemic is that it has gotten bored celebrities to come together and bond through podcasting. Like, did you ever think Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes would get together for a show? Well, they have with this newly launched program, where each episode begins with one of the hosts revealing his mystery guest to the other two and the audience. Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Neil DeGrasse Tyson are just a few of the surprise guests.

Television

Room 104 (HBO)
The fourth and final season of the anthology series from indie filmmakers/actors Jay and Mark Duplass, where people land in the same motel room and get the freakiest experience of their lives, premieres this weekend. Dave Bautista, Linda Lavin, Ron Funches, Kevin Nealon, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Melissa Fumero are just a few of the guest stars who check in. Do they check out? Well, you're just gonna have to tune in and see. (Premieres on Friday at 10 pm).

Surviving Joe Exotic (Animal Planet)
For those who still can't get enough of hearing about Joe Exotic, that publicity-craving zoo operator who landed in jail for animal abuse and attempting to kill a rival tiger enthusiast (and whose life was laid out in the successful Netflix docuseries Tiger King), Animal Planet has a special treat for you. The channel has footage of their own of Exotic, capturing him at his firearm-blasting nuttiest. You also get to meet the poor animals that thankfully got out of that mess. (Premieres on Saturday at 9 pm)

movies tv podcasts

Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite