Yes, it’s that time again, the weekend, and time to review the best new movies and television shows added online this week, to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. And there are some exciting new adds this week, so let’s get started!
HULU
Hulu has some exciting adds this week, like A Taste of Hunger, the 2021 Danish drama. This tells of a couple, Maggi (Katrine Greis-Rosenthal) and Carsten(Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who decide to go all out to get a Michelin star for their restaurant in Copenhagen, Malus. With Maggie handling the business end and Carsten working as the chef, they are determined to get the Michelin recognition that will make their restaurant a permanent fixture in town. But the constant pressure of work, children and outside influences wear on the couple, until it’s not clear if their family will survive intact. Charlie Gustafsson, Flora Augusta, August Vinkel, Camilla Lau and Luca Reichardt Ben Coker also star, and Christoffer Boe(Offscreen) directed. And this film was nominated for 3 Bodlis and 5 Danish Film Awards, and gets a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service called it a “delectable cinematic treat, one that deserves to be savored.” I’m tuning in. Hulu also offers Look At Me: XXXTENTACION, a 2022 in-house documentary. This tells the story of the young life of Florida teen Jahseh Onfroy, murdered at 20, who had been an enormously popular Sound Cloud rapper XXXTENTACION. This doc, produced by his mother, Cleopatra Bernard, openly discusses Onfroy‘s mental health issues and violent history, including his alleged assault of his girlfriend, Ayala. There is much testimony from his parents and friends, but also from XXXTENTACION himself, which offers much clarity and eye-opening revelation. Sabaah Folayan directed, and clearly is trying to give a balanced view, between the popularity and the violence present in the young rapper and his music. And this doc gets an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Chase Hutchinson of Collider writing its “a look back through time that is multilayered in how grapples with the complicated mourning of his passing, while also grieving for the person he could have been who didn’t continue to hurt others. But Hulu also has Shoresy, a new comedy series from the creators of Letterkenny. Shoresy, a Letterkenny character played by Jared Keeso, moves Sudbury, Ontario, to join the Bulldogs, a Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (aka The NOSHO), intent on winning every game. Which is makes Sudbury a bit of an embarrassment, given they’ve never won a game this season. But Shoresy plays dirty, and he approaches team owner Nat (Tasya Teles) with some appropriately under-handed tricks to get the team winning, and promises to shut them down if they lose. Keilani Elizabeth Rose, Blair Lamora, Ryan McDonell, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat and Jon Mirasty also star, and there are 6 episodes available for viewing now. and it gets an astounding 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Dan Fienberg of the Hollywood Reporter saying “sure, it’s coarse and repetitive, but that’s absolutely what the character’s fans will crave and, as the six-episode season progresses, it finds unexpected ways to turn Shoresy into somebody worthy of sustained attention.” But it is especially foul mouthed and raunchy, so probably not for the kiddos. And, finally, Hulu has added Oussekine, a 2022 French historical drama limited series. This tells the horribly true story of 22-year-old French-Algerian student Malik Oussekine, played by Sayyid El Alami, beaten to death in 1986 by police during a protest against immigration restrictions in Paris. In the outrage that immediately follows Malik‘s death, the government tries to prove the police were not at fault, and so Malik‘s older sister, Sarah (Mouna Soualem) and brother Ben Amar (Malek Lamraoui) seek justice for their brother, along with trying to maintain his good reputation. Hiam Abbass plays his mother Aicha, and Slimane Dazi, Kad Merad, Matthieu Lucci, Olivier Gourmet and Naidra Ayadi also star, and there are 4 episodes available for viewing now. And this show gets an impressive 7.1/10 on IMDb. Benoit Richard of BenZine calls it “A dense and moving work that narrates the circumstances of the tragedy as well as the fight of the family and their lawyer for justice to be done. ” I’m definitely watching.
NETFLIX
Okay, Netflix has fewer big adds this week, but they do have the only one that matters, Season 4 of Stranger Things! Yes, the cast is back for more adventures with the gang, including Eleven(Millie Bobby Brown!) ,Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery), Max(Sadie Sink) and Lucas(Caleb McLaughlin) returning to save the world and Hawkins, Indiana from the supernatural. But this season, Eleven and some others are shipped off to California, and Eleven without her supernatural powers. But that’s all I’m saying, no other spoilers included. Other regulars like David Harbour, Natalia Dyer and Winona Ryder return, (thank god) and Maya Hawke, Joseph Quinn, Eduardo Franco, Cary Elwes, Matthew Modine and Paul Reiser round out the exceptional cast. And there are 8 episodes available for gorging on now, but don’t eat them up too fast, for this has to last a whole year!! And this season gets an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Rachael Harper of SciFiNow says “not only has our young cast grown up, but so too has the series, bringing along a richer story, a genuine sense of foreboding and a chance for the cast and its characters to develop further.” I’m definitely tuning in. Twice. Netflix also has Godspeed, a 2022 Turkish drama. Based on a book of the same name by Hakan Evrensel, this tells of ex-army captain Yüzbasi Salih, played by Engin Akyürek, badly injured and traumatized by war. When his best friend Kerim(Tolga Saritas) learns his beloved Elif(Oyku Naz Altay) is due to marry another, the pair set off on a road trip across Turkey to stop the wedding. Belfu Benian stars as Salih’s wife Duygu, and Gökhan Soylu, Devrim Özder Akin, Özlem Çakar Yalçinkaya, Ebru Nil Aydin and Hasan Sahinturk also star, while Mehmet Ada Öztekin(Miracle in Cell No. 7) directs. And this gets a 6.8/10 on IMDb, with of Leisure Byte calling it “a decent movie, one that talks about trauma and coping through it” A bit slow, but it’s still on my list. Netflix also offers The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, a 2021 Israeli historical drama series. Based on a book of the same name by Sarit Yishai Levy, this tells of the Sephardic Ermoza family, living in what was Turkish Palestine, in 1919, where shopkeeper Gabriel, played by Michael Aloni, forced by his mother Merkada to marry Rosa(Hila Saada), all the while really loving Luna, played by Swell Ariel Or. As time goes by, Rosa tries to please her husband by bearing a son, and Luna stays politically active, as the Arab Revolt against Jewish control rocks the country. Irit Kaplan stars as Merkada, and Yuval Scharf, Luna Mansour, Moris Cohen, Hisham Suliman and Miki Kam also star, and there are 10 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series won Best Daily Drama at the 2021 Awards of the Israeli Television Academy and gets an amazing 7.7/10 on IMDb. Alan Zeitlin of Israel Hayom calls it “a staggering achievement based on the fine acting of Aloni…Hila Saada and Swell Ariel Or.” I’m watching. Netflix also has Welcome to Wedding Hell, a 2022 South Korean Romantic series. Kim Na-eun, played by Lee Yeon-hee, is 30 something, and ready to get married, and so she convinces her boyfriend Seo Jun-hyung, played by Lee Jin-wook, to propose, however un-ready he is. But with the proposal, the real problems begin, as the couples’ families get involved, and they struggle to deal with the financial issues that come up with planning a wedding. Hwang Seung-Un, Kim Ju-Yeon, Kim Mi-Kyung, Yun Yoo-Sun, Lim Ha-Ryong and Tae Hang-Ho also star, and there are 12 episodes now available for viewing. And this series gets a 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Riya Singh of the Midgard Times says its “a great series, and if you like watching romantic dramas, go for it.” It’s on my list. And, finally, Netflix has added Toolsidas Junior, a 2022 Hindi comedy. Varun Buddhadev plays the title character, Toolsidas Junior, who at 15, in 1994 Calcutta, dreams of fulfilling the dream of his father, Toolsidas, played by the late Rajiv Kapoor, of becoming winning at the Calcutta Club Snooker Championship. But he must overcome his father’s nemesis, Jimmy Tandon (Dalip Tahil), and manage the everyday problems of a teen in school, at the same time. Sanjay Dutt plays the reclusive former national champion Mohammed Salaam, and Ankur Vikal, Sara Arjun, Ravi Shankar Jaiswal, Tasveer Kamil and Alok Sengupta also star, and Mridul Mahendra directs. And this movie gets a 7.6/10(!), and Abhimanyu Mathur of the Hindustan Times calls it “a fun, heartwarming film that certainly deserves two hours of your time.” And it’s based on a true story! I’m definitely watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has a huge add this week with Emergency, a 2022 satirical comedy/suspense film. This considers one night in lives of two college seniors, Kunle, played by Donald Elise Watkins, a studious suburban kid, and his city-raised best friend Sean, played by RJ Cyler, as they ready for their round of Spring Break parties, set up by Sean. But when they return to their apartment to get ready, they find a drunk semi-conscious white girl on the apartment floor of their roommate Carlos(Sebastian Chacon). Where the more naïve Kunle wants to call the cops, Sean, with his more experienced past with the police, panics. They decide to take the girl they call Goldilocks, who they find to be Emma(Maddie Nichols) to a safe place, with her sister Maddie(Sabrina Carpenter) tracking them. Madison Thompson, Diego Abraham, Summer Madison, Patrick Lamont Jr. and Nadine Lewington also star, and Carey Williams directed. This film was a hit at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for writer K.D. Dávila. And it gets an astounding 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Matt Zoller Seitz of Roger Ebert.com said director “Williams handles this complex material with a sure touch, and channels a lot of works by past masters (everyone from Spike Lee and Hype Williams to Wong Kar-Wai and Jonathan Demme) without seemingly merely derivative or show-offy.” I’m watching. Amazon has also added Delicious, a 2022 French historical comedy. This takes place in 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, where the chef Manceron, played by Grégory Gadebois, still labors for the super-rich and entitled Duke of Chamfort (C’est La Vie‘s Benjamin Lavernhe). When Manceron serves his own recipe, a potato and truffle dish, to the Duke‘s elitist Parisian friends, they call the unfamiliar ingredients(truffles!) pig slop, and Manceron is fired. So he retreats to a small roadside inn with his revolutionary minded son Benjamin (Lorenzo Lefèbvre), where he cooks only the simplest food, until he is confronted by Louise, played by Isabelle Carré. She wants to be his apprentice, and learn to cook, and the chef refuses out of chauvinism, but when she stays, and forces the issue, he takes her on. And as they come up with more and more inspired recipes, and even the Duke jealously notices, and Louise comes up with the revolutionary idea(at the time) of a restaurant, open to serve everyone. Guillaume de Tonquedec, Christian Bouillette, Marie-Julie Baup, Laurent Bateau and Manon Combes also star, while Éric Besnard directs. And this sumptuous movie, nominated for 2 César Awards, gets an incredible 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. James Hanton of Outtake Mag writes it “is far more than tasty eye candy. Strip back the inescapably gobsmacking palette, and you have an enveloping story of regret, freedom and will set against the backdrop of pre-revolutionary France.” And I agree. I’m tuning in. And, finally, Amazon has Promised, a 2020 Australian romantic comedy. This has Angela(Antoniette Iesue) promised to Robert(Daniel Berini) when she was a baby…in Australia, when her dad Sal (Paul Mercurio) felt indebted to Robert’s father Joe (Mirko Grillini) for his help with Angela’s birth. And though arranged marriages took place among in the Italian immigrant community in Australia in the 50‘s, by the 70′s, it’s not so popular, especially with Angela. They want to go their own ways, and find their own love, but their families have other ideas. Angela(Antoniette Iesue) even has a boyfriend, Tom(Santo Tripodi). Tina Arena plays Angela‘s mom Rosalba, and Kayla Lamanna, Sunday Barca Irving, John Camuglia, Luke Christopoulos and Vince D’Amico also star, and Nick Conidi directed. And this film gets a 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Sandra Hall of the Sydney Morning Herald saying “it’s not a particularly stylish film… But there’s a simmering good humor to it and a sense of reality that turns its ordinariness into a virtue.” I’m intrigued, so I’m watching.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 