Yes, it’s that time again, the weekend, and time to review the best new movies and television shows added online this week(and last week), to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. And there are some exciting new adds this week, so let’s get started.
HULU
Hulu has a big add this week with Welcome to Chippendales, a 2022 crime drama series. This series tells of the rise and fall of Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee, played by Kumail Nanjiani(!), an East Indian immigrant who came up with the idea for the Chippendale dancers(male strippers) in the 1980′s, and quickly rose to great wealth and success. But when his choreographer Nick De Noia (Murray Bartlett) begins getting (and taking)the credit for Banerjee’s brainchild, their contentious relationship becomes more acrimonious, and violence will follow. Dan Stevens(!), Judith Peltz, Annaleigh Ashford, Quentin Plair, Robin de Jesús, Andrew Rannells and Juliette Lewis(!) also star, and there are 4 episodes available now, with 4 more to come. And this series gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb, with Lorraine Ali of the L.A. Times calling it “multifaceted and highly entertaining look at the unlikely story of Chippendales’ founder — and the tragedy of his success.” I’m tuning in. But Hulu also offers The Personal History of David Copperfield, the 2019 British drama. Dev Patel(!) stars in this revisionist version of the Charles Dickens classic, with Copperfield telling his own life story in a jovial fashion, with plenty of humor, even when the subject, like death, is not so cheery. Peter Capaldi plays David’s mentor, Mr. Micawber, Tilda Swinton plays Betsey Trotwood, and Hugh Laurie stars as Mr. Dick, while Ben Whisaw, Gwendoline Christie, Sophie McShera and Anna Maxwell Martin(!) also star. And Scottish writer/director Armando Iannucci directed and co-wrote the script with Simon Blackwell, so if you love Iannucci creations like Veep, or The Death of Stalin, you’ll know what lunacy to expect here, and love the result. And this movie was nominated for numerous awards in 2021, and went on to win Best Comedy Film at the Denver Film Critics Society, and 5 awards at the British Independent Film Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Laurie, and Best Screenplay. And it gets an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, with James Parker of The Atlantic calling it a “mad, loving, and brilliantly cinematic extrapolation of the novel…” I’m definitely tuning in. Hulu has also added My Old School, a 2022 documentary. This tells the story of a hoax that dominated the front pages of 1990‘s Scotland, that of ‘Brandon Lee,‘ a supposed 17 year-old Canadian transfer student that enrolled in Glasgow at the Bearsden Academy. As he endeared himself to teachers, knowing answers on subjects they hadn’t even taught yet, he struck some fellow students as odd, while taking other bullied students under his wing. When things went on to explode into a scandal in a few years, the reasons behind it were never explained, leaving Glaswegians(among other people) perplexed. Since ‘Mr. Lee‘ refused to appear in this production, the great Alan Cummings(!) sits in to pose as him, lip syncing his quotes from an audio interview. And director Jono McLeod actually attended the Bearsden Academy himself, and students who went to school with Lee attest to the weirdness of their experience. And this doc gets a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Tara Brady of the Irish Times wrote “animated segments cleverly and visually ape MTV’s contemporaneous Daria, and add another lively dimension to this pleasingly calibrated ruse.” It’s on my list. And, finally, Hulu has added the first 2 episodes of Andor, from the Disney+ channel. In another Star Wars stand-alone tale, this one tells of Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, a minor character in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a roguish black marketeer not afraid to run afoul of the law. And when he’s approached by a leader in the Rebel Alliance to get those who are destroying his planet, he decides to join in. But this is a more dark tale than most Star Wars productions, and fewer discernable differences between good guy and bad. Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Fiona Shaw also star, and Tony Gilroy(The Bourne Legacy) created this series. And it gets an 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Radheyan Simonpillai of CBC Radio said it”reminds us of what Star Wars is about when you strip away the Industrial light and magic.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Unfortunately, the biggest title added this week on Netflix is Wednesday, the 2022 gothic mystery series. Yes, we have yet another iteration of the Addams family tale, this time with Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, reluctantly attending the Nevermore Academy. While she plans her excape, she not only has to abide by the rules inflicted upon her, but also rein in her budding psychic abilities, and solve an old mystery that involved her parents, along the way. Catherine Zeta-Jones(!) stars as Morticia Addams, and Luis Guzman plays Gomez, with Jamie McShane, Gwendoline Christie, Hunter Doohan, Riki Lindhome and Joy Sunday also star, and there are 8 ghoulish episodes available to gorge on now. And, (drum roll please) Tim Burton himself directs 4 episodes here. And though this series gets only a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, it gets a stunning 8.5/10 on IMDb, so Burton and Addams Family fans are obviously pleased. And Lucy Mangan for The Guardian writes “certainly, the 11-year-old I keep on hand to test programmes aimed at the younger demographic was rapt for the whole series, and proclaimed himself deeply satisfied by both its resolutions and its cliffhanger.” So you decide. I’d rather watch The Vanishing, the 2018 British thriller. This tells the story of 3 lighthouse keepers at the Flannan Isles lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides, who disappeared without a trace in 1900. And though myths grew about supernatural causes for the event, the story here is one of greed and lust, with grizzled veteran keepers James (Gerard Butler) and Thomas (Peter Mullan) showing up for duty, along with rookie Donald (Connor Swindells). When one day they come upon a wrecked lifeboat with a body in it, they investigate, and find a locked chest. And when they find the chest is filled with riches, they glory in their future prospects, never dreaming that others may be in pursuit of that trove themselves. Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Gary Lewis, Søren Malling, Emma King and Ken Drury also star, while Kristoffer Nyholm directed. And this thriller gets an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it ” a very powerfully performed, intimate piece, perhaps inspired at some level by the classic adventure The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” I’m watching. Netflix also has The Lost Patient, a 2022 French psychological thriller. This tells the story of Thomas Grimaud, played by Txomin Vergez, who awakens after 3 years in a coma, to find that he is the only survivor of the slaying of his entire family, with no memory of it himself. So he works with his therapist, Anna Kieffer(Clotilde Hesme), to find out what really happened. But will the young man survive to finger a killer who may yet be stalking him? Rebecca Williams, Audrey Dana, Stéphane Rideau, Matthieu Lucci and Alex Lawther also star, while Christophe Charrier directs. And though it gets only a 5.7/10 on IMDb, it also gets rave reviews. Taniya CJ of LeisureByte calls it “mind-blowing and a must-watch movie for everyone.” I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added The Swimmers, a 2022 drama. This is based on a true story of Yusra(Nathalie Issa) and Sara (Manal Issa) Mardini, two teen girls from Damascus, Syria, who decided to escape the war zone and emigrate to Europe, not only escaping with their lives, but also keep their dreams within sight. Both were dedicated swimmers in their home town, and after their dangerous escape to Europe, Yusra goes on to become an Olympic contender. Ali Suliman, Kinda Alloush, Ahmed Malek and Matthias Schweighöfer also star, and Sally El Hosaini directs. And this film gets a stunning 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com said “Sally El Hosaini’s The Swimmers is a touching portrait of their fight to survive and achieve the impossible.” I’m tuning in. And, finally, Netflix has added Blood & Water, a 2020 South African teen crime drama series. This tells of Puleng, played by Ama Qamata, a teen who transfers to the elite Parkhurst College, a Cape Town school, after spotting a girl, Fikile Bhele (Khosi Ngema), that looks remarkably like herself. As Puleng is obsessed with her missing sister, Phume, kidnapped shortly after her birth, she becomes convinced that Fikile is her long lost sister. But as she delves into the mystery, Puleng discovers still more family secrets, and Fikile doesn’t appreciate the intense attention she receives. Thabang Molaba, Amo Greef, Getmore Sithole, Natasha Thahane, Cindy Mahlangu and Gail Mabalane also star, and there are 3 seasons available, with 19 fascinating episodes in total. And this series won Best TV Drama at the 2021 South African Film and Television Awards as well as awards for cinematography and sound design. And it gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut wrote it’s “an African teen-drama that vibes easily. By staying on-beat and providing a cast that’s sold on the story, you feel its culture shine through — with its vibrant nature while inflicting South African politics and social issues, it feels like Netflix are providing an authentic African teen series.” I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has an amazing add with Cyrano, the 2021 musical drama. Peter Dinklage(!) stars as the title character, Cyrano de Bergerac, a man hopelessly in love with his friend Roxanne, played by Haley Bennett, who, in turn, is hopelessly in love(at first sight) with Christian, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.. And when Christian asks for Cyrano’s help with wooing Roxanne, Cyrano, feeling unworthy of Roxanne, because of his height (this time), agrees to help him, and ultimately, wins Roxanne‘s heart for his rival, with his own passion. Ben Mendelsohn, Monica Dolan, Bashir Salahuddin, Mark Benton, and Peter Wight also star, and Joe Wright(Atonement) directed. And this gets an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian writing “Peter Dinklage captivates as letter ghostwriter in musical version…[who] brings a piercing commitment to the title role in Joe Wright’s solemn screen adaptation of Rostand’s play.” I’m tuning in. But Amazon has also added Good Night Oppy, a 2022 documentary. This tells of the heroic Mars rover Opportunity(Oppy), and it’s mission team, that was sent to Mars for a mere 90 days, and ended up staying for 15 years(!). During that time, it fed the NASA team and scientists exhaustive amounts of information on the red planet that have changed our thinking of the planet forever. Here, we get to meet members of the mission team, like geologist and astronomer Steve Squyres, and see how they formed a bond with the rover as they worked with it day after day for years. And we get (re)experience their heartbreak(and our own) when Voyager was turned off. And this movie, directed and written by Ryan White, gets an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.8/10 on IMDb. Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service said “the amazing story of the Mars Exploration Rover mission manages to feel emotionally like E.T. and look like Star Wars.” I’m definitely tuning in. And, finally, don’t forget, Amazon has lots of good Black Friday deals still available, with premium channels on sale for $1.99/month for 2 months, channels like Starz , Showtime, britbox , and AMC+. Just click on the link for each channel to subscribe. And these deals last longer than Black Friday, and only expire on December 4!
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 