Yes, Sunday is April 1, so I will be including a few movies that actually start March 30, so you will be covered for Saturday, tooLet’sget right to it!
Hulu
One of the new movies I’m excited about on Hulu is The Conspirator, a movie directed by Robert Redford in 2010. The Conspirator is listed as available on March 31, on the Hulu blog, but thus far, they only offer the trailer. I will update the link as soon as I find the movie available.It is about Mary Surratt, the only person to be tried for conspiracy in the death of Abraham Lincoln. It has an all-star cast, including James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, etc. The movie covers the search for Surratt and others and her trial. It gets a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, but 3 out 4 stars on Roger Ebert.com. It doesn’t have tons of action, but if you love history, I think you’ll like this. Also, available now on Hulu, is Brighton Rock, a 2010 production of the Graham Greene classic of the same name. It, too, has a wonderful cast, including Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, John Hurt and Dame Helen Mirren. This is a crime drama about the ill-fated leader of a gang, Pinkie Brown, and his marriage to evade conviction for a murder he committed. It’s dark, noirish, and takes place in the 60’s instead of the 30’s. It gets only a 55% on RottenTomatoes, but it’s such a stellar cast, and Graham Greene, so I’m watching. And finally, starting April first, Hulu has The Men Who Stare at Goats, a 2009 war parody directed by Grant Heslov. It has a wonderful cast, including George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Ewan McGregor, and is about the army’s involvement in psychic research. Clooney got great reviews for it, IMDb‘s not so crazy about it with a 6.2/10, but RogerEbert.com gave it a 3.5/4, so it you want a comedy with a great cast, albeit mostly male, this is your ticket.
Netflix
A great new movie available on Netflix is The First Match, directed by Olivia Newman. It’s a movie about a fifteen year-old girl trained by her father in wrestling, before he went to prison, and her joining the boys wrestling team in school. It takes place in Brooklyn and stars Elvire Emanuelle, Yahya Abdul–Mateen II and Colman Domingo. Since it just debuted Friday(yesterday) there are few reviews, but it’s compelling, has a inclusive cast and looks fascinating, so I’m watching! Also new to Netflix is The Titan, a sci-fi thriller starring Sam Worthington, Taylor Schilling and Tom Wilkinson. It takes place on a bleak, future earth where habitation is growing impossible and so people use “forced genetic evolution” to adapt to life on Titan, Saturn’s moon. Of course, that doesn’t work out well. It to, is newly released, reviews thus far aren’t great, The Guardian calls it “unexciting”, but it’s sci-fi, so I’m in. Also new on Netflix is Season 2 of A Series of Unfortunate Events, with Neil Patrick Harris. Based on the Lemony Snicket novels of the same name, it also stars Malina Weissmann, Louis Hynes and Patrick Warburton, and is billed on Netflix as a dark comedy. It’s about the Baudelaire defying the villainess Count Olaf to receive their rightful family fortune, and discover their family secrets. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m determined to do so this season. The show gets a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, and, besides having a great cast, also has great guest stars like Joan Cusack and Alfre Woodard. And, finally, newly available on Netflix is I Remember You, an Icelandic horror/mystery film 2017, that looks WAY too scary for me! So maybe real horror fans will like it. It stars Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Elma Stefania Agustsdottir. It features a family moving into an old home, looking to renovate, in a small rundown town. I have yet to have my horror expert watch it, but Rotten Tomatoes gives it 100%(!), based on only 5 reviews, and it gets a 6.3 on IMDb. Watch at your own peril!!
Amazon Prime
The biggest new show on Amazon is The Dangerous Book for Boys, a new series from Amazon about a family trying to adjust after the death of the father, with the help of a book left by he left. It stars Chris Diamantopoulos, Drew Powell, Erin Hayes and Swoozie Kurtz. I haven’t viewed it yet, but reviews are mixed, as it gets a 7.9 on IMDb, but the Hollywood Reporter calls it “generic”. Also new to Amazon is The Exception, a 2017 Christopher Plummer. It is a World War II thriller about Kaiser Willhelm II and a spy (Jai Courtney) who infiltrates his home. It also stars Lily James and Janet McTeer. It gets a 76%on Rotten Tomatoes, a 6.2/10 on IMDb and the New York Times calls it “diverting”. I will tune in. Oh, and I just found the movie A Suitable Girl on Amazon Prime, a 2017 movie about three East Indian young women and their effort to follow their dreams, instead of bowing to the cultural pressure to marry. It won the Tribeca Film Festival’s Best New Documentary Award, and gets an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. Certainly worth a view.
And that’s it for this weekend, have a great Easter/Passover and enjoy your time streaming!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 