What to watch — and what to skip — as several new movies premiere at home this weekend

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, it's an unusually eventful Friday in the world of movies.

Splashy new film releases have been few and far between over the past few months, as theaters shuttered and studios largely postponed their scheduled films. But this weekend, three significant studio movies are all available on a couch near you.

First and foremost, there's Netflix's Da 5 Bloods, the latest Spike Lee joint that tells the story of black Vietnam veterans and is being hailed as one of the year's best films, with Vulture saying it's among Lee's finest yet. USA Today also deems it 2020's "first serious best-picture contender," and Delroy Lindo has drawn particular praise for his performance. Could it finally be time for a Best Director Oscar win for Lee?

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Then there's The King of Staten Island, the new dramedy from Judd Apatow available for rent which stars Pete Davidson and draws from Davidson's own life. Critics have been more positive on it than not, especially praising Davidson's work. But this is an Apatow film, after all, so it should come as no surprise that the prevailing complaint is that it's too long and meandering, with The Week's Jacob Lambert saying that it's "yet another two hour-plus trudge" from him.

There's also Artemis Fowl, Disney’s long-awaited adaptation of the popular book. Critics, let's just say, haven't been kind on this one. But hey, it's free on Disney+, and maybe your kids will like it.

If none of those appeal to you, you could always loop back to check out Elisabeth Moss' magnificent performance in Shirley on Hulu, or the inventive little Twilight Zone-esque sci-fi film The Vast of Night on Amazon. Friday's releases come not long before theaters are hoping to reopen for Tenet and Mulan in July, meaning if all goes well, the relative moviegoing drought of the last few months could soon, at last, be at an end.