Every month, DISH has dozens of new movies available to rent or purchase on pay-per-view and on demand. To order, simply tune-in to channel 1 or 501 for On Demand, or browse channels 502-517 for Pay-Per-View. Here’s a look at some of the best new May rentals on DISH. Not a DISH subscriber? Use this link to find the DISH package that’s right for you!
The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling has a distinct comedic style. It’s one part slapstick, two parts dry, and three parts self-aware. If you enjoyed him in The Other Guys and Barbie, you’ll fall for The Fall Guy.
Loosely based on the ‘80s TV show, Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, the go-to stuntman for Hollywood superstar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who, like everyone else here, seems to be having a ton of fun). After an accident leaves Colt with a broken back, he falls into a deep depression, until he’s pulled back into the world of stunting by a producer (Hannah Waddingham) working on a new sci-fi film directed by his ex, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). After Ryder goes missing, Colt is forced to track him down, leading to a series of escalating action set pieces.
Even beyond its source material and retro music cues, The Fall Guy feels like a throwback to ‘80s action movies, which favored real stunt performers instead of heavy visual effects. That’s a credit to David Leitch, the stuntman-turned-director behind Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2. You can tell that he and writer Drew Pearce had a blast mocking narcissistic actors and unscrupulous producers in the movie-in-a-movie conceit. Gosling and Blunt are the perfect vehicles for their jokes, and their love story subplot is surprisingly credible thanks to their chemistry.
Ultimately, your level of enjoyment will depend on your feelings about Gosling. Like the other big Ryan in Hollywood, he’s very much in his wheelhouse in The Fall Guy. If you’re a fan, the film’s charm and truly impressive stunt choreography make this not just an ideal summer blockbuster, but one of the best movies in Gosling’s increasingly impressive filmography.
Rent now for $19.99
Civil War
In some ways, Civil War – the new film from writer-director Alex Garland (Ex Machina) – is more notable for what it omits than includes. There is no clear explanation about how and why the titular conflict was started, and those who are expecting the film to say something specific about our current state of political polarization will be disappointed. Thematically, Civil War could be summarized as “War is Hell.” What sets the film apart is the technical skill with which it was made. To continue the hellish metaphor, Civil War is rendered so vividly, you can smell the brimstone and feel the heat of the flames.
Kirsten Dunst stars as Lee Miller, a veteran war photographer who sets off on a journey from New York to Washington D.C. to document the conflict’s final stages. Her traveling companions include ambitious writer Joel (Wagner Moura), aspiring photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny, who recently played the title character in Priscilla), and veteran reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson). Although he only appears in a handful of scenes, Nick Offerman’s three-term President (who is never named) haunts the story like an invisible poison gas.
Civil War unfolds episodically, with the journalist’s stops at various locations forming the spine of the plot. Each of these diversions is more harrowing than the last – an uncredited Jesse Plemons nearly steals the movie in a scene as tense as any horror movie – before culminating in a viscerally rendered assault on the Capital. Civil War doesn’t offer any simple answers or clear symbolism in relation to our current sociopolitical landscape. Instead, it feels like a warning about the endpoint of where this could go. And it’s all the more powerful for it.
Rent now for $19.99
Other New May Releases
Abigail – $19.99
Challengers – $19.99
Housekeeping For Beginners – $19.99
Irena’s Vow – $19.99
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – $19.99
