North Texas Daily

COVID-19 may have impacted cinema premieres for the next few months and delayed production on several TV shows, but there’s still a myriad of ways to dive into entertainment during this time. Streaming services are still putting out new content for the time being, and many movies have made the jump to video on demand earlier than anticipated. If you were looking forward to April’s theater releases and aren’t sure how to pass the time now that cinemas are closed, here are some films and TV shows sure to keep you entertained.

If you didn’t get a chance to make it to the theater for some of the February and March movies, fear not — most of these movies have made their way to video on demand much earlier than the typical 90-day window. “Frozen 2” was the first to be added on March 14. That was followed by the March 20 additions “Onward,” “The Invisible Man,” “The Hunt” and “Emma.” and the March 24 additions “Bloodshot,” “The Way Back,” “Birds of Prey” and “The Gentlemen.” “I Still Believe” was added on March 27 and “Sonic the Hedgehog” on March 31. Since they’re new, these movie rentals come in at about $20, so if you don’t want to drop $220 on them all, we have reviews for nine out of the 11 films.

Video on demand rentals aren’t this expensive across the board, and now is a great time to catch up on any 2019 movies you might have missed. Golden Globe winner for best drama movie and Academy Awards best picture nominee “1917” is currently listed for $5.99. While you’re at it, you can catch up on all the best picture noms — “Ford V Ferrari,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker”  and winner “Parasite” are on video on demand as well (not sure why “Little Women” and “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” aren’t). “Bombshell,” “Judy,” “Richard Jewell” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” were also up for Oscars and are available for $5.99. Other 2019 films available for about $6 are “Knives Out,” “The Lighthouse,” “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” “Queen & Slim” and “Pain and Glory,” or you can check out 2020’s “Just Mercy.”

Now is also the time to catch up on streaming service releases (if you don’t have subscriptions to any of these, the free trials are your best friend). “The Irishmen” and “Marriage Story” were also best picture nominees and are available for free on Netflix. The company also released season 3 of their hit series “Ozark” on March 27 and will release the films “Coffee & Kareem” with Ed Helms on April 3 and “Extraction” with Chris Hemsworth on April 24. Older movies like “The Social Network,” “The Hangover” and “The Matrix” are also set to hit the platform this month.

HBO recently wrapped up “The Outsider,” “The New Pope” and “Avenue Five,” so it’s not too late to get caught up. Both “Westworld” season 3 and “The Plot Against America” are three episodes into their seasons. HBO also has hit movies like “Us,” “The Favourite” and “A Star is Born.”

Hulu just added “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and will add “Parasite” on April 8, so those with a Hulu account or trial won’t need to pay for video on demand. The 2011 “Footloose” and 2002 “Spider-Man” will also join Hulu in April, while seasons 1 and 2 of “Killing Eve” are available to watch before the season 3 premiere on AMC on April 12.

If you manage to catch up on all that, there are still more incredible shows to watch. “Peaky Blinders” five seasons are available on Netflix and have some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in Cillian Murphy and Helen McCrory. If you’ve seen “The Office” so many times you can recite good chunks of the script, make sure you give “Schitt’s Creek,” “Parks and Recreation,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Arrested Development,” “New Girl” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” a try as well. We have talked about more of our favorite binge-worthy shows on Daily’s Dose podcast. I’ve you’ve never seen some of the bigger movie franchises like the Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, now is the perfect time to do so.

If you’re still bored out of your mind after all this, surely the hundreds of hours of “Love Island” available on Hulu will keep you entertained.

Featured Illustration: Miranda Thomas