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 exciting add this week with Boston Strangler, a 2023 crime thriller. But this isn’t your average crime drama centering on the serial killer, but one that tells the true(ish) story of the reporters who found the killer, Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole , is told. Keira Knightley plays McLaughlin, a lifestyle reporter for the Record-American newspaper who works with her partner Cole, played by Carrie Coon, and when the pair were the fist to discover a connection between the victims of the murderer, but find they actually have to shame the Boston police into acting upon this information. And when McLaughlin herself is then contacted by the killer, it becomes clear her own life may be in danger. Alessandro Nivola, Morgan Spector, Robert John Burke, David Dastmalchian and Chris Cooper(!) also star, while Matt Ruskin directs. And this movie gets a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Kevin Maher of the Times (UK) says it “has almost everything you could possibly want from a sharp revisionist thriller.” And I’m watching. Hulu has also added Spin Me Round, the 2022 comedy. Alison Brie(!) stars as Amber, an average manager of an Italian Tuscan Grove chain restaurant in Bakersfield, CA , who is suddenly offered the opportunity by the chain to go to Florence for a training on Italian food. Needless to say, it’s not as romantic as Amber had hoped, with trainees put up in a cheap motel, and given a curfew, but when she catches the eye of the chain owner Nick (Alessandro Nivola), she also catches the sinister attention of his jealous right-hand woman Kat( Aubrey Plaza!).Fred Armisen(!), Tim Heidecker, Tricia Helfer, Ayden Mayeri and Molly Shannon(!)also star, and Jeff Baena directs. But an uneven script hampers this film, and so it gets only a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sheila O’Malley of RogerEbert.com said “every scene is interesting, and the film is often quite funny, but Nick‘s world is so seemingly dark and twisted, it’s difficult to reconcile the two halves.” You decide. Luckily, Hulu also offers Wreck, a 2022 Irish sci fi horror series. This has 19-year-old Jamie, played by Oscar Kennedy, signing up for a job on the ship, the MS Sacramentum, to discover what happened to his sister Pippa (Jodie Tyack), who disappeared on the ship 3 months earlier. But Jamie uses a false identity and enough subterfuge to cause plenty of problems, and meanwhile, murders continue on the ship. Thaddea Graham plays his new friend Vivian, and Peter Claffey, Jack Rowan, Louis Boyer, Louise Parker and Amber Grappy also star, and Chris Baugh directs all 6 episodes. And though this series gets only a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, it gets some very enthusiastic reviews, as well. Alex Moreland of National World calls it “atmospheric and lively, buoyed by a ship-shape ensemble cast – impressive across the board, really.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added Official Competition, the 2022 satire. Here, famous edgy director Lola Cuevas, played by Penelope Cruz(!) is approached by a millionaire, Humberto Suárez (José Luis Gómez), who wants to leave a legacy of his own, and so has bought the rights to a literary masterpiece(he hasn’t read) and wants legendary actors in it. So Cuevas hires stars Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas!) and Iván Torres (Oscar Martinez) to play the story’s two brothers riven by tragedy, and they all set off for 9 days of rehearsal and role-playing. But what they get is egos clashing and outlandish method acting, all the while Cuevas‘ manipulations put her actors through the wringer. Carlos Hipólito, Irene Escolar, Nagore Aranburu, Pilar Castro and Manolo Solo also star, and Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat co-directed. This was nominated for numerous awards , like the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, and went on to win Best Film: Comedy at the 2023 Feroz Awards and Best Supporting Actress for Cruz at the 2022 Film Club’s The Lost Weekend. And it gets an outstanding 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.1/10 on IMDb. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh of the metro.co.uk called it “witty, intelligent and saved from potentially unbearable navel-gazing by the warmth, talent and sheer charismatic chemistry of Cruz and Banderas.” And I’m tuning in
NETFLIX
Netflix has few big adds this week, but still plenty of diversion, like Maestro in Blue, a 2023 Greek mystery series. Here, musician Orestes , played by Christoforos Papakaliatis, travels to the seemingly idyllic island of Paxos, to teach and to set up a music festival. And when he finds romance with Klelia (Klelia Andriolatou), daughter of the powerful business man who hired Orestis, Fanis (Fanis Mouratidis), all seems well, but Klelia‘s unhappiness awakens Orestis to the grim reality of the island, and violence ensues. Haris Alexiou, Maria Kavoyianni, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Giannis Tsortekis and Orestis Chalkias also star, and there are 9 episodes now available for streaming. And this first Greek series(!) has few ratings yet, but it has a 100% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Joel Keller of The Decider says to stream it, adding “the chemistry between the leads and the spectacular Mediterranean scenery will keep your eyes on Maestro In Blue.” I’m watching. Netflix also offers Sir(Vaathi), a 2022 Indian drama. Dhanush stars, here, as Balamurugan ‘Bala’ Sir, a private school maths teacher in the late 1990s,who defies the push for privatization of schools in India, led by greedy businessman named Thirupathi (played by Samuthirakani). So Bala goes to a small public school to teach along with some friends, and meets the biology teacher Meenakshi (played by Samyuktha), while earning the wrath of Thirupathi, who is bent on raising tuition, and resorting to violence to do so. Sha Ra, Hyper Aadi, Samyuktha Menon, Tanikella Bharani and P. Sai Kumar also star, and Venky Atluri directed, along with writing the script. And this movie gets an astounding 7.6/10 on IMDb, and of the Midgard Times says its “more than just a cinematic experience. It’s a powerful call to action that challenges society’s status quo on education and the rights of underprivileged students.” I’m tuning in. Netflix has also added Noise, the 2023 Belgian thriller. This has Instagram influencer Matthias(Ward Kerremans) moving home with his girlfriend Liv, and their baby, Julius to help his ailing father Pol (Johan Leysen), seemingly suffering from dementia. Looming nearby is a rundown factory, where tragedy took place that rocked Pol‘s family, and may have more to do with his mental condition than any physical disease. But can Matthias himself escape the same fate? Sallie Harmsen stars as Liv, and Jennifer Heylen, George Kluger, Simon D’Huyvetter,Io Marivoet and Jesse Mensah also star, and Steffen Geypens directs. And yes, it gets only a 4/10 on IMDb, but it’s early yet, and Marshall Shaffer of The Decider calls it “a quietly building Sonic thriller.” So it’s on my list. Netflix also has Still Time, a 2023 Italian dramedy. This has overworked businessman Dante, played by Edoardo Leo, suddenly waking up every morning to find another whole year has passed, waking one morning to find his wife pregnant, another to find he has a child. Still, he finds it hard to make time for them, having made his way to being named his company’s director. But when he discovers with a new year, that his wife has left, due to his (unknown to him) affair with his secretary, Dante finally vows to change and stop taking everything and everyone for granted. But is it too late to change, and finally escape his time loop?Andrea Purgatori, Barbara Ronchi, Mario Sgueglia and Massimo Wertmüller also star, and Alessandro Aronadio directs. And this film gets a respectable 6.4/10 on IMDb, and Jessica Fontaine of Ready Steady Cut calls it “both heartfelt and heartbreaking, teaching us that life is short, so we must appreciate what we have.” It’s on my list. And, finally, Netflix has added Informa, a 2023 Japanese crime-thriller series. This tells the story of tabloid journalist Mishima Kanji(Reo Sano), tired of the sleaze he covers and wishing for a real story to come his way. So when he meets informer and ex-yakusa Keijiro Kihara(Kiritani Kenta), he finally gets his chance, and the unlikely duo end up solving a series of murders in Tokyo. Morita Go, Fuchikami Yasushi, Takayuki Hamatsu, Kita Kana and Tajima Ryo also star,and there are 9 suspenseful episodes available for bingeing now. And this violent series gets an amazing 7.2/10 on IMDb, with Hrishita Das of Leisurebyte calling it “thrilling and manages to create enough suspense to keep us hooked and asking for more.” I’m watching, but remember it is contains some brutally violent scenes.
AMAZON
Amazon has a huge add this week with Swarm, a 2023 psychological horror series from Donald Glover(!) and Janine Nabers. The story here revolves around Dre, played by Dominique Fishback(Judas and the Black Messiah!), a young woman fascinated with her pop idol Ni’Jah(Nirine S. Brown), whose absorption with her hero becomes pathological after she suffers a tragic loss. As Dre tries anything to get into Ni’jah‘s concerts, and her fanbase called the Swarm, Dre becomes more and more ruthlessly determined to achieve her ends, and deaths begin to occur around her. Damon Idris, Chloe Bailey, Karen Rodriguez,Kiersey Clemons, Heather Sims and Billie Eilish(in a cameo) also star, and there are 7 episodes now available. And this series gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com writes its “satire is all the more heartbreaking and compulsively watchable because of Fishback‘s dedication to every facet of Dre.” I’m watching. Amazon has also added Class of ’07, a 2023 Australian Apocalyptic comedy. Emily Browning stars as Zoe, a young woman who drinks her way through a disastrous ten year school girls’ school reunion, only to have an epic inundation strike, leaving the women marooned together on a tiny island of land. So the group of young women, bound only by their animosity for each other, have to learn to survive without many essentials, like food, while dealing with the secrets of their past that keep popping up. Megan Smart, Caitlin Stasey, Claire Lovering, Steph Tisdell and Chi Nguyen also star, and there are 8 delightful episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets a stunning 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut calls it “a very funny, very Aussie take on the survivalist genre.” And I’m definitely tuning in. And, finally, Amazon has added Sunset Song, the 2016 Scottish historical drama. Based on a 1932 classic novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon,this tells the story of Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), a young Scottish woman growing up on the highlands just before WWI, who deals with endless hardship, like a suicidal mother,(Daniela Nardini), an abusive father, John (Peter Mullan), and the relentless push to get her married. Chris finally becomes a schoolteacher and marries, only to be pushed to abandon her job for the family farm, and have her husband Ewan (Kevin Guthrie), called off to war. Jack Greenlees, Daniela Nardini, Ian Pirie, Hugh Ross and Emily-Jane Boyle also star, while the great Terence Davies(Benediction) directs. This film was nominated for multiple awards in 2016, like Best Feature Film at the Scottish BAFTA Awards, and went on to win Best Non-U.S. Release at the Online Film Critics Society Awards. And it gets an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times said “it blooms with moments of astonishing beauty: a yellow frenzy of springtime trees; a still room where the light slants in the window like a reaching hand; a desolate landscape, impossibly green.” 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 