Yes, it’s the weekend again, and time to review the new movies and television shows that have been added this week on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. And there’s some good stuff, so let’s get right to it!
HULU
The biggest add this week has to be Hulu‘s, with the 2018 horror film
A Quiet Place,John Krasinski’s directorial debut(and smash hit). In this Krasinski and Emily Blunt play parents who have to hide away with their children from blind ETs that have super sensitive hearing and a voracious appetite. The cast also includes Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward and Leon Russum. This movie is super tense and scary, and it also got named to AFI’s 10 Best Films of 2018, as well as the National Review Board‘s, and in addition, Blunt won last year’s Screen Actor’s Guild Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, for her part here. And it gets a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.6/10 on IMDb. Watch, if you dare, I just barely made it through the trailer! Hulu has also added their latest installment in their Into the Dark horror series, with I’m Just F*cking With You, with a dark look at April Fool’s Day jokes for you. Keir O’Donnell and Jessica McNamee play a brother and sister, at a motel, who have to deal with a sinister practical joker of a manager, Chester Conklin, played by Hayes MacArthur. It’s directed by Adam Mason and written by Gregg Zehentner & Scott Barkan. And the series gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb. Hulu has also added Weightless, a 2018 drama directed by Jaron Albertin. This grim film tells the story of a troubled working class dad, played by Alessandro Nivola,who has to take in his 10 year-old son, played by Eli Haley, after he was abandoned by his ex-wife. It also stars Julianne Nicholson, Siobhan Fallon Hogan,Marc Menchaca and Johnny Knoxville. And it gets a 7.3/10 on IMDb, and a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. And, finally, Hulu has The Dark Mile, a 2017 British thriller. It stars Finlay MacMillan and Rebecca Calder as a London couple who go on a sailing trip after a personal tragedy. It also stars Sheila Hancock,Deirdre Mullins, Paul Brannigan and Marcia Rose and is directed by Gary Love. But it’s not too thrilling a thriller, getting only a 4.9/10 on IMDb.
NETFLIX
Netflix has some wonderful additions this week, including The Burial of Kojo, a magical 2019 drama from Ghana. Written, directed and scored by Blitz Bazawule, a girl(played by Cynthia Dankwa) tells the story of her live and of her attempt to save her father’s life, after he is left inside an illegal gold mine. It also stars Ama K. Abebrese, Joe Addo, Henry Adofo, Kobina Amissah-Sam and Brian Angels. This movie has been getting rave reviews, in it’s limited release, with reviewers like Glen Kenny of the New York Times calling it “a near-virtuoso work, a feast of emotion, nuance and beauty, and a startling feature directing debut.” It doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes rating yet, it’s too soon, but you will be hearing more about it, for sure. Also, new on Netflix, is Bitter Daisies, a 2019 mystery series from Spain. This series follows Civil Guard Officer Rosa Vargas, played by Maria Mera, as she investigates disappearances, including the disappearance of a teenage girl, in a small town in Gallicia. The series also stars Nerea Barros, Covadonga Berdiñas, Santiago Cuquejo, Yelena Molina, Xavier Pan, Fran Paredes, Iñaqui Rosado and there are 6 episodes to binge on right now. it’s quite an intriguing show and it gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb. Netflix has also added Quicksand, a Swedish mystery series from 2019. In this sometimes graphic series, Hanna Ardéhn stars as a teen, who ends up being accused of a mass shooting in her prep school in a wealthy suburb of Stockholm. It also stars Sebastian Fageman, William Spetz, Helena af Sandeberg, Anna Björk, David Dencik, Reuben Sallmander, Maria Sundborn and Rebecka Hemse. Like I said, it’s graphic, with gun violence, drug use and nudity, but it also gets a 8/10 on IMDb. Netflix also has Unicorn Store, a 2019 comedy and Brie Larsen‘s directorial debut. In this movie, Larsen also stars as an artist, who flunk out of art school, living with her parents and taking a job at a PR firm, when she gets a mysterious letter that changes her life. It has a stellar cast, with Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack(!), Bradley Whitford, Karan Soni, Mamoudou Athie, Mary Holland and Hamish Linklater. It’s kooky, quirky and upbeat, and doesn’t always succeed, but it’s got such a great cast, I’m watching. And it gets a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. And, finally, Netflix as Our Planet, a new 2019 nature series with David Attenborough. Brought to us by the BBC’s Planet Earth team, this show not only covers nature, but what we can do to save our planet. In the eight beautifully shot episodes, each one covers a different biome, like wetlands, the arctic, etc, and what we can do to help them, like change our diet, or protect biodiversity. It’s amazing, spectacular and uplifting, in that it shows us what we can actually do to help! And it gets a stunning 9.8/10 on IMDb. I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON PRIME
Okay, Amazon has added one spectacular movie, namely A Quiet Place, with John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. Definitely watch it, if you need more info, see above, at Hulu. Amazon has also added some less notable movies too, like Case 39, the 2009 horror movie starring Renee Zellwegger.In this, Zellwegger tries to save a 10 year-old girl, played by Jodelle Ferland who was almost murdered by her parents, only to find herself endangered after taking the girl in. The cast also includes Bradley Cooper, Ian McShane, Callum Keith Rennie,Kerry O’Malley, Adrian Lester and Cynthia Stevenson. It’s too scary for me, but it gets a 6.2/10 on IMDb, though it gets only a 21%(!) on Rotten Tomatoes. So maybe only if you’re in dire need of a scare. If you need am mystery, Amazon has also added 5 seasons of Murder She Wrote, with the great Angela Lansbury. In this series, you get the wonderful Jessica Fletcher(Lansbury) solving murders, with shows that have amazing guest stars like Lynn Redgrave, Brian Keith and Van Johnson. And it gets a 7/10 on IMDb.. And, finally, Amazon has The City & the City, a 2018 crime/sci-fi series, if you sign up for a 7 day free trial of Britbox. Based on the China Mieville book of the same name, this follows Inspector Borlú, of the Extreme Crimes Squad, as he hunts a killer. It also stars Ron Cook, Mandeep Dhillon, Robert Firth, David Morrissey and Lara Pulver and it’s directed by Tom Shankland. It’s sci-fi depiction of the twin cities it takes place in, Besźel and Ul Qoma, gets great praise, with one critic, Jeff Robson, saying it “equalled Bladerunner, 1984, and John le Carre at his most downcast,” and it gets a 6.6/10 on IMDb. And you can watch all four episodes before the end of your seven day trial!
So sit back and relax this weekend , and binge on amazing movies and television series on Hulu, Amazon and Netflix. Enjoy!