What to watch this weekend: Pixar's 'Lightyear,' Netflix's 'Spiderhead,' 'Cha Cha Real Smooth'

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
·4 min read

We've officially traveled back to the 1990s, guys. After a week of rampaging dinos at the box office, here comes Buzz Lightyear.

This weekend, Chris Evans voices the iconic cartoon astronaut in a Pixar spinoff sci-fi adventure. Evans' fellow Avenger, Chris Hemsworth, co-stars with new "Top Gun: Maverick" pilot Miles Teller in a Netflix psychological thriller; Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan lead a Latinx reimagining of a Steve Martin dramedy favorite; and Dakota Johnson and Emma Thompson headline Sundance flicks premiering on streaming services.

Here's a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their on-demand and streaming debuts:

'I love love, who doesn't?': Chris Evans on 'Lightyear,' playing bad guys and being 'a romantic person'

Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and his robotic feline pal Sox (Peter Sohn) venture to find a way off a remote alien planet in the Pixar animated sci-fi adventure "Lightyear."
Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and his robotic feline pal Sox (Peter Sohn) venture to find a way off a remote alien planet in the Pixar animated sci-fi adventure "Lightyear."

If you live for the 'Toy Story' movies: 'Lightyear'

No Tim Allen, no problem. Evans voices a human Buzz – the cinematic inspiration for the "Toy Story" plastic space ranger – in a spiffy animated spinoff that has him facing existential crises, befriending a scene-stealing robot cat and trying to get a crew of rookies battle-ready to take on the evil Zurg (James Brolin).

Where to watch: In theaters

Review: Chris Evans' Buzz is more fantastic than plastic in Pixar's spiffy 'Lightyear'

If you want to see Thor get all science-y: 'Spiderhead'

There's a definite "Black Mirror" feel to this thriller, which stars Hemsworth as the head man of a research penitentiary where convicts (including those played by Teller and Jurnee Smollett) live in posh quarters but endure drug experiments in return. There's some intriguing twists afoot, and Hemsworth is a funny, trippy and sometimes scary hoot.

Where to watch: Netflix

If you're curious to see the next 'CODA': 'Cha Cha Real Smooth'

A Sundance audience award winner, "Cha Cha" is a delightful and sweet-natured dramedy starring writer/director Cooper Raiff. He plays a man-child college grad who goes from slinging fast-food meat sticks to being an ace party starter at bar mitzvahs, and Johnson is just as fab as an older mom who strikes the guy's fancy.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Sundance: Dakota Johnson's 'Cha Cha,' horror film 'Nanny' win top prizes

Emma Thompson plays a retired middle school teacher looking for a night of passion who ends up connecting in a deep, emotional way with a young sex worker (Daryl McCormack) in "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande."
Emma Thompson plays a retired middle school teacher looking for a night of passion who ends up connecting in a deep, emotional way with a young sex worker (Daryl McCormack) in "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande."

If you're down for an unconventional love story: 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande'

Thompson stars as a widowed and retired British schoolteacher who, wanting to have her world rocked between the sheets, hires a super-charming sex worker (Daryl McCormack). One awkward hotel rendezvous leads to a series of meetings where the pair bare their souls (and much more) in the intimate, thoughtful dramedy.

Where to watch: Hulu

Billy (Andy Garcia) gets his daughter Sofia (Adria Arjona) ready for the big day in HBO Max's "Father of the Bride."
Billy (Andy Garcia) gets his daughter Sofia (Adria Arjona) ready for the big day in HBO Max's "Father of the Bride."

If you're an Andy Garcia superfan: 'Father of the Bride'

Taking after past "Bride" classics – the 1950 Spencer Tracy movie and the 1991 Martin film – this decent redo sets the plot in modern Miami but still jerks the tears as an overly traditional Cuban architect dad (Garcia) faces a divorce from his wife (Estefan) and butts heads with his daughter (Adria Arjona) planning her impromptu wedding.

Where to watch: HBO Max

Penelope Cruz stars as a renowned filmmaker who taps a Hollywood heartthrob (Antonio Banderas) when she's hired by a billionaire to craft a blockbuster in "Official Competition."
Penelope Cruz stars as a renowned filmmaker who taps a Hollywood heartthrob (Antonio Banderas) when she's hired by a billionaire to craft a blockbuster in "Official Competition."

If you dig Hollywood satires: 'Official Competition'

In the deliciously sharp Spanish comedy about ego and art, Penelope Cruz plays a demanding director hired by a businessman to adapt a book about two rival brothers. She casts a high-maintenance heartthrob (Antonio Banderas) and a serious thespian (Oscar Martinez), who become increasingly irked by each other and their neurotic boss.

Where to watch: In theaters

Brian (David Earl, left) is a lonely inventor whose best friend Charles (Chris Hayward) is a cabbage-obsessed robot in "Brian and Charles."
Brian (David Earl, left) is a lonely inventor whose best friend Charles (Chris Hayward) is a cabbage-obsessed robot in "Brian and Charles."

If you think a robot would be a great pal: 'Brian and Charles'

The endlessly quirky and goodhearted romp stars David Earl as Brian, a lonely Welsh inventor known for his failures. That is, until he creates Charles (Chris Hayward), a cabbage-loving, travel-hungry robot made from a washing machine and random pieces of hardware who brings Brian out of his shell and is pretty much the coolest best friend ever.

Where to watch: In theaters

Emma Roberts stars as a new mom dealing with post-partum depression who moves to a new house with a tragic history in the horror film "Abandoned."
Emma Roberts stars as a new mom dealing with post-partum depression who moves to a new house with a tragic history in the horror film "Abandoned."

If you're down for a creepy family chiller: 'Abandoned'

The slow-burn rural horror film centers on a new mom (Emma Roberts) who moves to a remote farmhouse with her veterinarian husband (John Gallahger Jr.). Her frequent bouts with post-partum depression aren't helped by hearing eerie kid laughter around the house and learning of the place's tragic history from an oddball neighbor (MVP Michael Shannon).

Where to watch: In theaters (and on VOD June 24)

A group of friends (from left, Sarunas J. Jackson, Emmy Raver Lampman, Jon Bass and Jim Mahoney) have to improv a Jazzercise routine while playing a board game for their souls in the supernatural comedy "Gatlopp."
A group of friends (from left, Sarunas J. Jackson, Emmy Raver Lampman, Jon Bass and Jim Mahoney) have to improv a Jazzercise routine while playing a board game for their souls in the supernatural comedy "Gatlopp."

If you love nonsensical movie titles: 'Gatlopp'

You can't beat the premise of this supernatural comedy, about a group of L.A. friends (Emmy Raver-Lampman, Sarunas J. Jackson, Jon Bass and Jim Mahoney) who break out a board game they find. They learn the rules – win or play this hellish thing for eternity – leading to a night full of personal revelations and out-there shenanigans.

Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV

Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville, far left), his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and daughter Edith (Laura Carmichael) visit a villa in the south of France in "Downton Abbey: A New Era."
Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville, far left), his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and daughter Edith (Laura Carmichael) visit a villa in the south of France in "Downton Abbey: A New Era."

Also on streaming

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Lightyear,' 'Cha Cha Real Smooth': New films streaming, in cinemas

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