(L-R): Martin Lawrence and Will Smith star in the action sequel, ‘Bad Boys For Life.’

There is no denying that the COVID – 19 virus has everyone from professional athletes to Hollywood directors in a tailspin. The virus has already caused many setbacks, cancellations and reschedules, but everyone is still trying to push on. While many are stuck at home with nothing to do, they find themselves taking full advantage of online streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. Why shouldn’t they? This is exactly what these services are there for, and they can provide hours on top of hours of entertainment that you won’t get anywhere else.

In fact, given that most cinemas are shut down these days, this is the only way for many people to check out new and upcoming movies. Even with all the free time in the world, you’ll still want to make sure that you are making the most of your time. The very best way to do that is by making sure you are only watching the best of the best. Here is a brief list, along with some synopsis, of some of the most anticipated releases from this year.

‘Bad Boys For Life’:

The ‘Bad Boys’ franchise is one that has been going on since 1995. Although the latest release was in 2003, nearly 17 years ago, this one was highly anticipated. With powerhouse comedy duo Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, it is easy to understand why. While they might be older now, you can expect the laughs to be just a funny, with the action being right on point, as well. Unfortunately, the action genre has seen a lot of big hits this year, but this could be the very film that changes it all.

With Lawrence and Smith reappraising their roles from the original movie, you can expect explosions, car chases, laughter and beautiful shots of the Miami scenery. That being said, this film is slated to be a gentler, sillier movie than its predecessors. You can expect fewer scenes of vulgarity and more of human connections and familial moments. Given that this is the last introduction and wrapping up the series, fans of the serial will want to tune in and see how the team wraps it all up.

Watch ‘Bad Boys For Life’ on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Google Play, iTunes, FandangoNOW and Microsoft.

‘The Way Back’:

There isn’t much better than a good underdog story. It even makes for a better story when the main character is so flawed that his actions threaten his own livelihood. Ben Affleck plays the perfect washed-up ex-athlete with a drinking problem and plenty of demons that need to be buried. Everyone’s seen movies similar to this, but what really makes this one more than great is that director Gavin O’Connor does an excellent job of making you think that Affleck’s redemption is impossible, even though you likely already know what’s going to happen.

An excellent thing about this movie, and sbobet Indonesia fans are going to love this, is that it gives off Hoosier vibes. ‘Hoosiers’ was one of the first and greatest sports redemption movies, and it’s been a long time since fans have seen anything even slightly close. This film not only closely resembles ‘Hoosiers’ with a familiar backdrop, but it simply puts you in the mind of simpler basketball days.

Watch ‘The Way Back’ on Vudu.

‘Da 5 Bloods’:

Combat action, historical references and directorial flourishes, what more could you want or expect from a movie based around the harsh realities of war. That’s exactly what you’ll get from this movie, and more. Spike Lee does an excellent job of taking the four main characters and pushing them through funny and emotionally fraught directions as they search for their decades-old buried gold and squad leader.

One thing that the movie does exceptionally well is underlining the strangeness of the time passage. As the four main characters search for their lost gold, they’ll take a step back in their bullet-ridden past with older actors. That’s right when the movie flashes back to what should be younger times, but it utilizes older characters to give the audience a completely different feel and look.

Watch ‘Da 5 Bloods’ on Netflix.

By Karen Benardello

As a graduate of LIU Post with a B.F.A in Journalism, Print and Electronic, Karen Benardello serves as ShockYa's Senior Movies & Television Editor. Her duties include interviewing filmmakers and musicians, and scribing movie, television and music reviews and news articles. As a New York City-area based journalist, she's a member of the guilds, New York Film Critics Online and the Women Film Critics Circle.

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