Weekend Watchlist, 2/20: Delayed Transmission

Happy Friday! I’m out this week, but Past Pete wrote this for you anyway.

There's a new episode of Sports Movies That Don't Suck out – in the season one finale, I talk with Brian Grubb (of the great newsletter type click type) about The Sandlot, childhood nostalgia, and big dogs. Give it a listen.

Now, onto this week’s picks!

Something from the Stunts! collection

Where to watch: Criterion Channel

A few weeks ago, the Criterion Channel added a “Stunts!” collection, and you better believe that caught my eye. Curated by legendary stunt professional Buddy Joe Hooker, the collection is filled with classics from a variety of eras and legends. There are movies from John Woo, Jackie Chan, Buster Keaton, George Miller, Hal Needham, John Ford, and so many other greats from throughout the history of stunts on film. Find one you haven’t seen and have yourself a great night.

Industry

Where to watch: HBO

Industry has long been billed as an “if you liked Succession…” show because it’s a fast-talking show about wealth on HBO, but it’s much more than that. Starting off as a youth-focused financial drama set in the world of high-powered English banking, it’s morphed more and more closer to a corporate espionage thriller lately, and the show has really hit its stride in recent seasons. Season 4 is airing now, and each week is an anxious wait until a new episode airs on Sunday – it may just be the best thing on TV, and it's remarkable how well the show has survived the departure of David Jonsson, now a bona fide movie star.

Predator Badlands

Where to watch: Hulu

There were two new Predator movies by Dan Trachtenberg last year – one animated and one live-action. They’re both on Hulu now and are fun in their own ways. I previously recommended the animated one (Killer of Killers), and it’s now time for the live-action Badlands, which inverts the normal Predator movie dynamic by placing a Predator in the protagonist position. He’s basically the runt of his tribe, and goes on an extremely dangerous quest to try to prove to his shitty dad that he’s worthwhile and shouldn’t just be slaughtered. Along the way, he teams up with an android (Elle Fanning), which is when Badlands really hits its stride. From that point on, the movie has a dial that says “Elle Fanning” on it, and continues to crank it up for the rest of its run time. That is an excellent decision – she’s gotten a lot of plaudits for her role in Oscar contender Sentimental Value, but Badlands is the 2025 project that makes the most of her talents.