Club Benefits
- The vibe: "Sorry to Bother You" meets "When a Stranger Calls"
The world is stressful, but you know what they say: In the dark times, should the stars also go out?* I wouldn't say I'm a fan of polarizing director Yorgos Lanthimos quite just yet, but he has my begrudging respect after "Bugonia." You see, the two of us, we're in a stand-off only I'm aware of. I have this tradition. Every couple of years when the stars align, my two best friends since middle school and I get together before we're blown away to life once more. These precious reunions often involve a trip to the movies, and as luck would have it, the last three times somehow perfectly synched up with when a Lanthimos flick was in theaters. At this point, it's become a challenge: How long can we keep this tradition going? I'll let you know once I find out.
His latest bafflement "Bugonia" has landed on Peacock, and it's one of those movies where you either get it and laugh along or you don't. Kind of like "Cats" — the stage play, I mean, not whatever the hell that was back in 2019. "Bugonia" has long since dropped from the streamer's top 10 list — the masterful historical drama "Hamnet" is now in the #1 spot — but I argue it's the perfect kind of movie for a lazy Sunday like today. I went in knowing nothing, and it was my second favorite movie of the year (losing out to "Sinners" of course, I'm an ally). Now I'm itching to do a double feature just 'cuz.
If you're in the mood for more surrealist flicks that lodge themselves in your brain, I've here to help you make the most of that Peacock subscription. Here are three more movies watch after "Bugonia" on Peacock.
'Burn After Reading'
Like "Idiocracy," "Burn After Reading" has only gotten more relevant with age. This black comedy from the Coen brothers puts the blundering American government on blast. When CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) crashes out at his cushy government job, it kicks off a domino effect of absurdity that involves blackmail, an inside-industry affair gone wrong, and the most baffling U.S. intelligence leak imaginable. The trail of clues all leads back to two gym employees with nary a brain cell to share between them: Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand, whose performance really deserves to get the same flowers as "Fargo." The rest of "Burn After Reading's" star-studded cast includes Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and George Clooney in a deliriously demented role that I seem to purge from my brain on each re-watch because that scene (you know the one) always ends up being a jump scare.
Stream "Burn After Reading" on Peacock now
'Conclave'
![CONCLAVE - Official Trailer 2 [HD] - Only In Theaters October 25 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/t915aZmyEBg/maxresdefault.jpg)
Oh my goodness me, another excuse to recommend "Conclave" to people? Don't mind if I do. It's "Mean Girls" at the Vatican, what more could you possibly want? Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, a tortured man at crossroads of faith whose left to oversee the selection of a new pope. As the four favored candidates each outline their pitch for the church's future, Lawrence's due diligence brings certain secrets to light — shocking revelations that won’t just sway the election but could shake the very bedrock of the Church itself. "Conclave" has a stacked cast of standout talent, including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Sergio Castellitto, who deserved an Oscar for the most diabolical vape hit of all time. While it doesn't lean as comedic as "Bugonia," the shrewd lobbying and level of intimacy translated in small moments is hypnotizing to watch unravel.
Stream "Conclave" on Peacock now
'The Invisible Man'
![The Invisible Man - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WO_FJdiY9dA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Ok so this is the least chill option on this list but stay with me here. In "The Invisible Man," writer-director Leigh Whannell reimagines the title character of H.G. Wells’ novel into a wealthy, abusive tech mogul who weaponizes his invisibility technology to terrorize the one woman that got away, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss). Whannell updates the story to the modern day, turning it into a chilling cautionary tale that wraps up with a cathartic finale that's part "you go girl" and part "eat the rich." My Tom's Guide colleague summed it up beautifully: "Moss brings emotional intensity to what could have been a silly story, and Whannell matches her by treating the material with care while still offering plenty of shocks and scares. It’s an intelligent, well-crafted reinvention of a familiar story."
Watch "The Invisible Man" on Peacock now
*The award-winning 2019 detective role-playing game Disco Elysium
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
