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 an intriguing add this week with The Drop, a 2023 comedy. This has bakers Lex, played by Anna Konkle(PEN15) and Mani, played by Jermaine Fowler of Coming 2 America, newly married and dreaming of having a child together, traveling to a tropical island for the wedding of their gay friends Peggy and Mia. But when Lex accidentally drops the betrothed’s baby(when a bee buzzes by her head), all heck breaks loose. Sure, the baby will be fine, but will Lex and Mani‘s marriage survive, or their business? Jennifer Lafleur, Aparna Nancherla, Robin Thede, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Jillian Bell(!) also star, while Sarah Adina-Smith directs and co-writes the script with Joshua Leonard. And this movie gets only a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes but Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times writes “while The Drop doesn’t always work as a comedy, it does have the ring of hard-won truth.” And that’s why I’m watching. Hulu has also added Dual, the 2022 British sci-fi thriller. Karen Gillan(Doctor Who!) stars as Sarah, here, a terminally ill, young woman who decides to have herself cloned, so as to save her loved ones any pain. But when she finds she’s not dying, Sarah‘s more shocked to find she must fight a duel to the death with her clone, in one year’s time, so as to avoid any awkwardness. So Sarah goes into training with fight trainer Trent(Aaron Paul), as the cloned Sarah tries to take over the original’s life, and loved ones, before the year is out. Beulah Koale, Theo James, Maija Paunio, Kristofer Gummerus and June Hyde also star, while Riley Stearns(The Art of Self-Defense) directed. And this film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, ad went on to win Best Independent Film at the 2022 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA awards. And it gets a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Tasha Robinson of Polygon wrote it’s “a strange and memorable film with a unique voice and a unique perspective, and that alone makes it worth seeking out.” I agree. I’m tuning in. But Hulu also offers Riotsville, USA, a 2022 documentary. This tells of the sea change that took place in our country in 1967, after President Johnson created the The Kerner Commission, to deal with the riots that were becoming routine in the 1960’s. What that commission came up with, incredibly, was the militarization of the police in response to legal demonstration, after building a test town called Riotsville ,where soldiers attacked their peers, dressed as protesters, with hostility and violence. Director Sierra Pettengill uses only archival footage here, much of it shot by the military, as lies about the American protesters were spewed, like the trite term ‘outside agitators,’ while the violent police reaction is greeted with applause from onlookers(read military). And this truly upsetting, but important movie gets an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Tim Cogshell of Filmweek calling it “a very good, urgent film.” I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added Koala Man, a 2023 animated comedy series. This revolves around Kevin Williams (Michael Cusack), average suburban dad, husband and IT guy who is also Koala Man, a super hero, dressed in a cape and a koala mask, who fights crime and rescues cats from trees. But no one’s impressed, not even his children or his wife Vicky (Sarah Snook) . But will that all change when the town is struck by evil villains? Hugh Jackman(!),Demi Lardner, Jarrad Wright, Hugo Weaving(!)and Rachel House(!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series is produced by Justin Roiland of Rick & Morty, so you’ll recognize the animation. And it gets a71% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Sarah Osman of The Arts Fuse calls it “one of the most unhinged animation series to ever air.” I agree, it’s super funny and warm, too. I’m definitely tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has no huge adds this week, but does have notable offerings like Copenhagan Cowboy, a 2022 Danish supernatural crime drama series. In the latest production from director Nicolas Winding Refn(Drive), this tells the tale of Miu, played by Angela Bundalovic, a young woman finds herself in a brothel, run by Rosella (Dragana Milutinovic), that’s filled with women forced to work there, And so, Miu becomes bent on escape from her torment, and vengeance against those responsible. Valentina Dejanovic, Ramadan Huseini, Per Thiim Thim, Andreas Lykke Jørgensen and Li li Zhang also star, and there are 6 episodes available for viewing now. But it gets only a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, maybe because the story is a bit slow. Still, Christopher Cross of Tilt Magazine says “as characters come and go and Copenhagen Cowboy winds down, it continues to waft in a supernatural aura both intoxicating and alluring.” But a bit grim for me. Luckily, Netflix also offers Public Enemy, a 2119 Belgian crime thriller series. Here, convicted serial killer Guy Beranger (Angelo Bison) is released into the custody of the monks at Vielsart Abbey, near the fictional village of Vielsart, in the Ardennes. But Detective Chloe Muller, played by Stéphanie Blanchoud, is sent from Brussels to oversee his release, and she is convinced he will reoffend. And when the villagers see a negative economic impact from Beranger‘s presence, the town becomes a powder keg, ready to explode. Laura Sepul, Philippe Jeusette, Lucas Jaquemin, Vincent Londez and Jean-Jacques Rausin also star, and there are 2 seasons, with 20 episodes in all, available for bingeing. And this series gets an amazing 7.5/10 on IMDb, with Jerome Cox-Strong of Culture Fly calling it a “taut and engrossing Belgian thriller.” I’m tuning in. But Netflix has also added Alpha Males, a 2022 Spanish comedy series. Here, four friends, Luis (Fele Martínez), Pedro (Fernando Gil), Santi (Gorka Otxoa), and Raúl (Raúl Tejón), deal with their issues with women’s rights and equality in the modern world. Pedro lost his television executive job to a woman, but still has bills to pay, so his girlfriend Daniella steps in; Raul’s girlfriends, Luz, wants an open relationship, and Santi‘s wife wants more in the bedroom. And so these men see to become better, by attending a seminar on toxic masculinity, although doesn’t go as planned. María Hervás, Raquel Guerrero, Kira Miró, Fele Martínez and Karol Luna also star, and there are 10 episodes available to enjoy now. And this series gets a superb 7.3/10 on IMDb. Petr Navovy of Pajiba calls it “a surprisingly funny deconstruction of ..toxic masculinity…a funny, brisk, and relatable story with a human heart.” I’m watching. Netflix also offers The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, a 2022 Japenese drama series. This tells the story of best friends Kiyo(Nana Mori) and Sumire(Natsuki Deguchi) who, at 16, set out to become maiko(apprentice geisha) in Kyoto. But while things go well for Sumire, who is a natural for the job, iyo’s mistakes endanger her apprenticeship, but she finds herself attracted to the makanai, who do the cooking for the maiko. Ai Hashimoto stars as the outstanding geiko(Geisha in the Kyoto dialect) Momoko, and Takako Tokiwa, Aju Makita, Keiko Matsuzaka and Mayu Matsuoka also star. And there are 9 episodes available to gorge on now. And this series gets an astounding 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Diego Batlle of Otroscines.com calls it “subtle, contemplative, melancholic, beautiful, intimate, sensible and decidedly tender, through all its episodes The Makanai perserves Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s minimalist and austere brand.” It’s on my list. And finally, Netflix has added Stealing Raden Saleh, a 2022 Indonesian crime caper. Here, master forger Piko (Iqbaal Dhiafakhri Ramadhan) wants desperately to free his father from police custody, and so he accepts the offer of crooked ex-president Permadi (Tio Pakusadewo) to replicate Raden Saleh‘s classic The Arrest of Pangeran Diponegoro painting, and replace it with the one hanging in the presidential palace. He has to assemble a tema, of course, and so he gathers his friend Ucup, his brother Tuktuk(Ari Irham) for the getaway driver and his girlfriend Sarah Goraf(Aghniny Haque) as the mechanic. But things don’t go as planned, and the only question becomes whether the team members will survive. Angga Yunanda, Rachel Amanda, Andrea Dian and Ganindra Bimo also star, and Angga Dwimas Sasongko directs. And this film was nominated for 9 awards at the 2022 Festival Film Indonesia, and gets an astounding 7.6/10 on IMDb. Vikas Yadav of the Midgard Times writes “is easy on the eyes and senses when it proceeds with lightness and liveliness. Sasongko has all the right skills to help him confidently recycle the wheel. The twists work, the story grabs your attention, and the experience is quite enjoyable.” And I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has no good movies added this week, and few additions of interest except in it’s television to sample area where it has intriguing series like Wilder, a 2019 Swiss mystery series. This features the adventures of Rosa Wilder, played by Sarah Spale, a police detective who returns to her hometown of Oberweis to commemorate her brother’s accidental death, years before, when a murder occurs in town, and she investigates. And ends up staying. Marcus Signer, Andreas Matti,Manuela Biedermann, Ruth Schwegler, Ercan Durmatz and Julian Koechlin also star, and there are 2 seasons available now to watch, with 12 episodes in total. And this series has won Best Leading Actor for Signer, Best Supporting Actress for Manuela Biedermann and Special Jury Prize for Sarah Spale in three years at the Schweizer Fernsehfilmpreis, and gets an incredible 7.4/10 on IMDb. And I love a mystery. I’m tuning in. Amazon also offers Season 1 of Luna + Sophie, a 2020 German crime drama series. Also called SOKO Potsdam, this focuses on two detectives in Potsdam, best friends and yet, total opposites; Luna(Caroline Erikson), more naïve and strong willed than Sophie(Katrin Jaehne), who is more mature, but also desirous of harmony and fairness, but together they make the perfect team They’re aided by Officer Bernhard Henschel(Michael Lott) and medical examiner Thomas Brandner(Yung Ngo), and Bernd Stegemann, Anja Pahl, Sönke Schnitzer and Hendrik von Bültzingslöwen also star. There are 6 episodes to soak in before February 1, when they all go back to MHZ Choice. And this series gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb, and there’s mystery and humor, which I love. I’m tuning in. And, finally, Amazon has added Season 1 of A Discovery of Witches, the 2019 fantasy series from AMC+. Adapted from the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, this tells of historian Diana Bishop, played by Teresa Palmer, who(a former witch) is forced to return to the world of witchcraft after finding an old manuscript at the Bodleian Library, and she is unexpectedly aided by the mysterious Matthew Clairmont, played by Matthew Goode(Downton Abbey), who happens to also be a vampire(!). Edward Bluemel, Malin Buska, Louise Brealey, Aiysha Hart, Owen Teale and Alex Kingston(Doctor Who!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available for gorging until February 1, when it all returns to the AMC+ premium channel. And this first season gets an 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.6/10(!) on IMDb. And though it’s not to my tastes, Marc Silver of the Washington Post wrote “the on-location shots of beautiful ancient buildings and bridges, of the shimmering River Thames and tranquil Venetian canals, really do sweep the viewer into another world, casting a spell more powerful than any witch’s incantation.” You decide.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 