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Matt and Ben, best friends forever 🫶

Brian Truitt, USA TODAYJanuary 17, 2026 at 1:52 AM

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From winning an Oscar together and playing extras in "Field of Dreams" to being Hollywood's bestest friends, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have fostered a lasting bromance for the ages.

Back together on screen for the first time since "Air," the two buddies star as Miami cops in a bad situation in the Netflix action thriller "The Rip." And it's not all man-hugs either – Damon and Affleck butt heads in entertaining fashion, which makes it worth putting on your to-watch list. Also don't miss "Sinners" star Jack O'Connell as a satanic cult leader in the horror sequel "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" and don't forget to stream a couple of new shows: the throwback spy series "Ponies" and "Game of Thrones" spinoff "A Knight of Seven Kingdoms."

Now on to the good stuff:

See Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on action-movie duty in Netflix's 'The Rip'

Matt Damon (left) and Ben Affleck play Miami cops who face a night full of moral questions and loads of cash in the Netflix cop thriller "The Rip."

Well, how do you like them apples: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck fight, yell and brawl – sometimes with each other – in the action flick "The Rip" (streaming now on Netflix). They play Miami detectives who go to a cartel stash house for a simple cash seizure and find a ton of money and a moral dilemma. My bud Patrick Ryan chatted with the two pals about their most underrated films. how they've always been each other's "biggest fans" and why they don't read their own press. “It’s not useful to see what it is that people are opining on,” Affleck says. Adds Damon: “I don’t think I’ve looked at a comments section since the first time I looked at a comments section."

As for the movie, "The Rip" does in fact rip. There's a satisfying mystery to be had, alongside a bunch of macho swagger and icy man-glares. (Peep my ★★★ review.) It's also among the new crop of streaming movies this week, including dystopian thriller "The Running Man" and horror sequel "Black Phone 2."

Get creeped out by Jack O'Connell's cult of personality in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'

Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes, left) tries to connect with Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple."

You haven't lived until you've seen Ralph Fiennes do fiery performance art and sing Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast" in a horror movie. "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" (in theaters now) improves on last year's "28 Years Later" with an excellent study of religion vs. science – with a bunch of zombie-like figures with rage virus running around. Fiennes is the good doctor trying to help people, while Jack O'Connell is flamboyantly creepy as a satanic cult leader.

O'Connell has become Hollywood's go-to villain as of late, as the Irish vampire Remmick in "Sinners" and the track suit-clad creeper Sir Jimmy Crystal in "Bone Temple." I talked with the English actor about what makes each character soar and why these baddies have reinforced how much “I absolutely adore" acting, he says. “I would be scuppered if I wasn't doing this. I'm not sure what else I'm good at.”

Stream Peacock's 'Ponies' and HBO's 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'

Haley Lu Richardson (left) stars as Twila and Emilia Clarke is Bea in "Ponies."

"Game of Thrones" alumna Emilia Clarke and "The White Lotus" Season 2 breakout Haley Lu Richardson star as a pair of CIA widows who wind up being excellent at spycraft in the 1970s-set Peacock series "Ponies." (Fun fact: It stands for "persons of no interest.") Not only do you get high jinks and capers – two of my favorite things – but TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in her ★★★ review that "Ponies" is an "unfussy, easygoing but still absolutely thrilling, action series that you can't wait to sit down and watch because it's such a joyous ride."

Kelly liked that way more than HBO's "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," calling the "Game of Thrones" spinoff "halfhearted and listless" and a "gross miscalculation." (Woof.) Set 90 years before "Thrones," the series centers on tall knight Dunk (Peter Claffey) and weird bald youngster Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Kelly writes in her ★½ review that it's "a pointless exercise in franchise-extension that scratches none of the original itches nor creates anything particularly exciting and new."

Even more goodness to check out! -

The new trailer for "The Bride!" is here! And Maggie Gyllenhaal explains that exclamation point. (The one in the title, not mine. I'm just excited.)

"It Was Just an Accident" director Jafar Panahi faces jail time after making one of last year's very best movies.

Kristen Stewart welcomed notes from her wife making her directorial debut "The Chronology of Water."

Ashton Kutcher returns to acting with "The Beauty," a new body horror TV series with whiffs of "The Substance."

And did you know Robert Pattinson had a secret role in Oscar contender "Marty Supreme"?

Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch this weekend – Netflix's 'The Rip,' new '28 Years Later'

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