Couch Theater – August 11, 2023

#MiddleburyCT #Movies

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (PG-13) – The seventh installment in the “Transformers” franchise is out now on streaming. Taking place in the 1990s before the events of the first “Transformers” transpired, Earth is in severe danger of being attacked by the planet-eating god Unicron after museum intern Elena discovers a key that calls out to Unicron and his army. Luckily, the key also calls out to the Autobot resistance, who wish to use it to return to their planet. However, with such a large threat looming over Earth, the Autobots must first team up with humans for an action-packed fight against Unicron. “Rise of the Beasts” stars Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights”) and Dominique Fishback (“Swarm”) in lead roles, and features voices from Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson. (Paramount+)

“Red, White & Royal Blue” (R) – Fans of the successful LGBT romance novel by Casey McQuiston will be excited to hear that the film adaptation hits streaming on Aug. 11! Taylor Zakhar Perez plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the president of the United States, whose feud with Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) begins to generate bad press. Alex is then forced by his president mother to play nice with Henry in front of the press as damage control, and the pair’s silly disdain for each other morphs into a most unexpected love affair. But, as their relationship evolves, their love for each other must overcome their fear of being accepted by their families and the general public. (Prime Video)

Gal Gadot stars in “Heart of Stone.” (Netflix)

“Heart of Stone” (PG-13) – “Wonder Woman” Gal Gadot is back in another crime-fighting role. This time, she plays agent Rachel Stone, a spy in an organization called Charter that abides by strict rules – no friends, no relationships, no political leanings. Rachel is tasked with protecting an object that is considered “The Heart” of the agency, their most powerful tool. But when the tool gets stolen by enemy forces, Rachel must lead the Charter team to regain The Heart before disastrous events strike the world. The developers of “Heart of Stone” envisioned this film to be a start of a franchise similar to the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible” movies, but it remains to be seen if this film has enough legs to pull off the success Netflix desires. Out on Aug. 11. (Netflix)

“Strange Planet” (TV-PG) – Nathan W. Pyle’s webcomic “Strange Planet” has been brought to life as a sci-fi comedy TV series! The adorable blue beings featured in the comic generated a huge fan base, with 6.6 million followers on Instagram, which propelled Pyle to eventually create a couple of graphic novels that became New York Times bestsellers. So, it only makes sense that a show was somewhere in the works all this time. Throughout the 10-episode season, viewers can follow these blue beings around their cotton-candy home world and enjoy the experiences that aren’t too far off from our own here on Earth. Premieres on Aug. 9. (AppleTV+)

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.