Yes, it’s the weekend again, and time for more on the movies and television series newly available to stream. Let’s get started!
Hulu
Okay, there’s not a lot of new stuff on Hulu, but one interesting new addition is Addicted to Fresno, a 2015 comedy. I haven’t even heard of this movie, but it has a great list of comedians in it, so listen up. It’s a tale of two sisters, one of whom accidentally kills someone. It stars Judy Greer and Natasha Lyonne as the two women, but also features Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon, Ron Livingston and Kumail Nanjiani. It gets a 5.3/10 on IMDb. Also, new to Hulu is Nina, the 2016 biopic about Nina Simone. It stars Zoe Saldana as Nina, and Daniel Oyelowo as her manager, Clifton Henderson. This movie and it’s casting were controversial, because Saldana is Dominican, Haitian, Puerto Rican and Lebanese, but I will let the you decide. It was written and directed by Cynthia Mort, and gets a 5.2/10 on IMDb. Also, new on Hulu is Burning Man, a 2011 Australian film starring Matthew Goode(Downton Abbey). It’s about a man(Goode) trying to survive grief and anger, I won’t say more, so as not to give anything away. It also stars Bojana Novakovic, Essie David, Rachel Griffiths and Robyn Malcolm. It gets a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.5/10 on IMDb. And although Hulu has this listed as added June 12, all I can get on Hulu now is the trailer. I will update the link for the movie as soon as they add it. And, finally, Hulu has added the 2nd season of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, from BBC America. It stars Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood,Hannah Marks and Mpho Koaho in this version of Douglas Adams novel series of the same name. If you want a mystery, sci-fi and humor mashup, this is for you. And it gets an 8.4/10 on IMDb.
Netflix
Netflix has some great new additions this week, including Sunday’s Illness, 2018 movie from Spain. It involves the story of an abandoned daughter who suddenly returns to her mother’s life 35 years later, and it stars Barbara Lennie, Susi Sanchez and Miguel Angel Sola. It was directed by Ramon Salazar and caused quite a stir at the Berlin Film Festival. Variety calls it “perfectly calibrated” and “breathtaking,” and it gets a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2/10 on IMDb. Also, new on Netflix is Maktub, a 2017 comedy from Israel. It stars Guy Amir, Hanan Savyon and Gal Amitai, and is about two hoods who try to do good after a bombing in Jerusalem. Maktub was directed by Oded Raz and gets an 8.3/10 on IMDb and a 100% Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix also offers Set It Up, a Netflix Original movie. It stars Zoey Deutsch, Lucy Liu, Glen Powell and Taye Diggs and is a rom-com about two coworkers, setting up their workaholic bosses and the unexpected results. It’s not my kind of movie, but if you want romance in a modern day setting, this might be for you. It gets a 6.8/10 on IMDb and an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix also added Pacificum: Return to the Ocean, a 2018 documentary about Peru‘s coastline. It’s directed by Mariana Tschudi, and covers the natural history of the Peruvian coastline, including geological and fossil evidence. I could find no ratings or reviews for this movie yet, hopefully some will appear with time. I really liked this movie. And, finally, Netflix has In Bruges, the 2008 black comedy starring Colin Farrell. It also stars Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, in a story about two hit men sent to Bruges to cool off after a job gone wrong, and is directed by Martin McDonagh. Roger Ebert gave it four out of four stars, and it gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m watching.
Amazon Prime
Okay, so Amazon hasn’t added a lot in the past week, there are still some good movies added June 1 that I haven’t mentioned. One of those is Panic, a 2000 movie starring William H. Macy. It’s a thriller/comedy about a hitman having having a midlife crisis, and has wonderful cast, including Donald Sutherland, Tracey Ullman, Neve Campbell, John Ritter and David Dorfman. I don’t remember hearing about this movie, but Roger Ebert.com says it didn’t get major release after a test audience didn’t like it. But it was a success at Sundance, Roger Ebert gives it 4/4 stars and it gets a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Amazon has also added The Young Karl Marx, a 2017 movie about, you guessed it, Karl Marx. Marx is played by August Diehl, and Fredrich Engels is played by Stefan Konarske and the film is set in Cologne, Germany in 1844. It also stars Hannah Steele, Vicky Krieps and Alexander Scheer and is directed by Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro, also on Amazon). It gets 3/4 stars on RogerEbert.com and a 6.6 on IMDb. Amazon also offers takayna, an amazing documentary about the Tasmanian old growth forest of the same name. It’s beautiful, stirring and the animals that live only there are extraordinary. It is a short, only 37 minutes long. There are no other reviews available of this movie, but it’s recommended in the editors picks on Amazon and I agree, it’s a wonderful film. And finally, Amazon has added the 2nd Season of Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton. It’s a series about an down and out alcoholic lawyer, who’s offered a second chance. It has an amazing cast, including William Hurt, Maria Bello, Olivia Thirlby, Molly Parker and Morris Chestnut, to name a few. It gets an 8.3/10 on IMDb and a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes.
So sit back and stream for a lazy day on the couch and enjoy your weekend!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 