Skip to main content

Lifetime bets you will pay $3.99-a-month to watch sappy movies

Announced earlier this week by A+E Networks, the Lifetime channel has launched a streaming video on demand (SVOD) service called the Lifetime Movie Club. Debuting on iOS mobile devices first (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) with Android and other platforms to follow, the Lifetime Movie Club is a $3.99-a-month subscription service that offers access to more than 30 movies at any given time. These movies are limited to films specifically produced by Lifetime for television, not major releases that appear in theaters.

Absent of commercial breaks, the movies included within the service will be tied to the same theme that’s being used on the Lifetime channel. For example, the current “Summer Lovin’” theme will include summer themed titles in the mix. Pulling from an existing library of more than 300 films, movies will be added and removed based off the ongoing theme. Other upcoming themes will include “Dramatic Affairs, Murder & Mayhem, Ripped from the Headlines and Teen Troubles.”

Recommended Videos

However, there will be some films that exist on the service outside of the current theme due to popularity of the film or specifically including notable stars. Some of those titles include “Flowers in the Attic, Coco Chanel, A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, The Trip to Bountiful, Too Young to Marry, and Dawn Anna.” It’s possible that list will soon include the Will Ferrell, Kristin Wigg Lifetime movie A Deadly Adoption as well as the upcoming unauthorized Full House story.

A+E Networks is also considering a SVOD application to feature content on the History Channel, but plans for that application haven’t been made public as of yet. It’s likely that the success or lack thereof of the Lifetime Movie Club application will determine how future streaming options are structured and eventually offered to the public by A+E Networks. By only offering a portion of Lifetime’s content, A+E Networks can get a feel for the demand of the streaming service before making the entire channel available to cord cutters.

Mike Flacy
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
3 underrated movies you need to watch in February 2025
A woman stands over a railing in Parthenope.

January has been a slow month for new theatrical releases. That's to be expected, considering the month carries the nickname "Dumpuary," which signals the movies in January and February that studios release without much hope for critical acclaim and box office returns. Flight Risk is the latest addition to the Dumpuary canon.

Dumpuary doesn't always mean "bad." Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a solid heist movie, while Steven Soderbergh crafted a nifty ghost story in Presence. As we look toward February, Captain America: Brave New World is at the top of the slate for new releases. Beyond Captain America, there is a slew of underrated movies in February, including an A24 coming-of-age story, a Mubi thriller, and an end-of-the-world romance.
Parthenope (February 7 in theaters)
Parthenope | Official Trailer HD | A24
Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino has not directed a movie since 2021's The Hand of God, which received an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film. The movie was about a young male coming of age in 1980s Italy. His new film for A24, Parthenope, spotlights a young woman's search for love and happiness.
Parthenope (Celeste Dalla Porta) was named after the city in Naples. As she becomes a young woman, Parthenope garners attention from everyone in her orbit: teenagers, young adults, and old professionals. It's Parthenope's boyfriends who obsess over her the most. Like most of Sorrentino's films, Parthenope uses the picturesque Italian setting to his advantage in this coming-of-age tale.
Bring Them Down (February 7 in theaters)
BRING THEM DOWN | Official Trailer | Coming Soon
It's a showdown between Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott in Bring Them Down. Set in Ireland, Abbott plays Michael, a shepherd who takes over for his ill father, Ray (Colm Meaney). Michael becomes embroiled in a dispute involving a rival farmer, Gary (Paul Ready), and his son, Jack (Keoghan).
The ensuing conflict brings out the worst in both sides, especially Michael, who holds a dark family secret that could destroy his family. Keoghan is known for bringing chaotic energy to his characters, like he did in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Saltburn. Combine that with the steadiness of Abbott, and Bring Them Down becomes a fascinating cat-and-mouse thriller.
When I'm Ready (February 7 in theaters, February 14 on digital)
When I'm Ready | Official Trailer
What would you do if the world was coming to an end? Who would you spend your final days with? Rose (June Schreiner) and Michael (Andrew Ortenberg) pick to experience humanity's impending doom together in Andrew Johnson's When I'm Ready. The last-ditch effort to destroy an asteroid hurling toward Earth fails, meaning humanity has less than a week until impact.
With extinction imminent, Rose and Michael embark on a road trip to experience the world's pleasures one last time. One of the tasks on Rose's list is to see her grandmother before dying. As the young lovers trek across the country, they interact with an eclectic group of individuals, including Julia (Lauren Cohan) and Keith (Dermot Mulroney). For those needing a little carpe diem inspiration, When I'm Ready feels like that kind of movie.

Read more
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (January 10-12)
A man in full body makeup looks down in Cloud Atlas.

If you suffer from decision fatigue, or simply don't know how to differentiate the hundreds of titles you scroll through on streaming services, you might find the experience of picking a movie to watch rather harrowing.

Thankfully, we've done some of the hard work for you, pulling together these three films that are the perfect way to spend a weekend watching movies. Amazon Prime Video has plenty of movies worth your time, but these three very different titles have all flown more under the radar than they should have.

Read more
3 underrated horror movies on Amazon Freevee you should watch in October
A man wearing a creepy mask with horns in front of a crowd of people in The First Purge.

The month of October is usually reserved for horror and terror as everyone gets ready for Halloween. You probably have many spooky and scary movies on your list to watch this month leading up to October 3. There's plenty to choose from when it comes to blood, gore, ghouls, monsters, and downright creepy stories on all the top streaming services.

When you get tired of watching Halloween or The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the umpteenth time and you're looking for more, however, there are three underrated horror movies on Amazon Freevee you should watch in October. The best part? They're available for free with ads. These movies are all from the 2010s and present horror in unique ways, from a dystopian action horror film to a found footage movie and a horror fantasy.

Read more