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 a huge add this week with Saint X, it’s in-house thriller/mystery series. Based on Alexis Schaitkin’s 2020 novel of the same name, this tells of a family vacation to the Caribbean gone very wrong, when the Thomas family gets set to head home, when daughter Alison(West Duchovny) never returns from a last night partying. And though her body washes ashore, her murderer is never found, and a dual timeline tells of her little sister Claire, going by the name Emily (Alycia Debnam-Carey) 20 years later, as she tries to live her life in Brooklyn, though her family never really dealt with the crime. But when she sees a picture of one of the suspects in her sister’s death, Gogo, Emily begins a cat and mouse game, trying to find the real murderer, without really knowing what really going on. Josh Bonzie, Jayden Elijah, Betsy Brandt, Michael Park and Kenlee Anaya Townsend also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. But the promising material(and cast) never really pans out on this production, and so it gets only a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. Candice Frederick of the Huffington Post writes “What happened to Alison? Did Gogo and Edwin have anything to do with it? Once you get to the end of this hollow story, you’ll be upset that you even asked these questions.”I won’t be watching. Luckily, Hulu has also added Clock, a 2023 horror flick. This tells the tale of Dianna Agron (Shiva Baby!), a happily married woman who emphatically tells family, friends and doctors she doesn’t want children, to no avail. The constant pressure from everyone, especially her father, Joseph(Saul Rubinek) and her best friend, Shuna, finally has an impact on her, and so she heads to a clinic especially for women fighting to get their biological clock to afford them more children, run by Dr. Elizabeth Simmons(Melora Hardin), who will do almost anything to make a woman fertile, including drugs and devices. And Dianna begins a horrific, psychedelic ordeal, hoping only to survive. Jay Ali, Grace Porter, Rosa Gilmore and Alexis Jacknow also star, while Alexis Jacknow wrote and directed, here, too. And this movie gets a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Courtney Howard of Variety says “writer-director Alexis Jacknow amps up the anxiety by blending science and religion into paranoia-soaked mayhem, conjuring resonant emotion and haunting menace in this psychological horror film.”I’m watching… from under the bed. Hulu has also added There There, a 2022 romantic dramedy. Here, we get a glimpse at seven characters looing for love or just connection in the modern world. Lili Taylor and Lennie James plays our first unnamed characters, fresh off of a hook up, with James’ character blissfully open about his commitment to more time with her, whereupon Taylor panics, and starts foolishly babbling. Then we move on to Taylor meeting with her AA sponsor, played by Annie LaGanga, who has to hear Taylor happily gab about her new love, and LaGanga then meets up with her son’s teacher. This movie was filmed on an iphone during Covid, and so, features each actor alone on screen at a time. Avi Nash, Jason Schwartzman, Roy Nathanson, and Molly Gordon also star, and Andrew Bujalski(Support the Girls) wrote the script and directed this piece. And it premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, and won Best Screenplay at the Mar del Plata Film Festival that year. And so, even though it gets a mere 5.4/10 on IMDb, it’s experimental nature and its great cast make it worth seeing. Like Nicolas Rapold of the New York Times wrote “as was once said of Boston weather, if you don’t like what you’re seeing, just wait a minute. But what’s not to like?” I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added Sam: A Saxon, a 2023 German biographical drama series from Disney+. This tells the true story of Sam Meffire, played by Malick Bauer, who was the first German black man on the police force in East Germany, the GDR. An aspiring football played who was approached by the police to improve their image, Meffire soon became frustrated with the reality of the racism and violence in East Germany, especially with reunification, and so moved into the private security game, but ended up working for a crime boss. And so as Meffire‘s life devolved into crime, he involved in a robbery, and in the end, served 7 years in prison. Svenja Jung, Luise von Finckh, Roman Schomburg, Paula Essam and Nyamandi Adrian also star, and there are 7 absorbing episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an astounding 7.2/10 on IMDb, and Manjima Das of LeisureByte calls it “a treat to watch because of the valuable knowledge and perspective it has to offer.” I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix doesn’t have any huge titles added this week, but still has lots of good stuff, like The Patients of Dr. García, a 2023 historical drama series. Based on Almudena Grandes’ novel of the same name, this takes place in Madrid, in 1936, where Dr. Guillermo Garcia Medina, played by Javier Rey, tries to help all his patients , during the Spanish Civil War. But after he treats a Republican diplomat, Manuel Arroyo(Tamar Novas), Garcia becomes involved in a clandestine effort to infiltrate Fascist groups in Spain. Verónica Echegui, Carmen Molinar, Raúl Jiménez , Iñaki Miramón and Eva Llorach also star, and there are 10 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets an amazing 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Poulami Nanda of Film Fugitive writes “each period has been masterfully portrayed with aesthetically pleasing visuals.” I’m watching. But Netflix also offers The Nurse, a 2023 Danish thriller limited series. Based on a true story, and a book by Kristian Corfixen, this has Pernille Larsen(Fanny Louise Bernth) moving to a new town, Falster, in Denmark, to be closer to her dad, and nervously starting her first nursing job in the ER of the hospital there. So, of course, she is grateful for the support and friendship from her mentor there, Christina Hansen(Josephine Park). And though she’s delighted with her new partnership, the pair are even called the ‘Dream Team‘ by a doctor there, Pernille begins to notice unexplained deaths at the hospital, and a syringe with a suspicious substance in one of the deceased rooms. And so she investigates, even if it means her friend could be the culprit behind the deaths, and even if she endangers her own life by doing so. Peter Zandersen, Dick Kaysø, Amalie Lindegård, Selma Kjær Kuscu and Sofia Cukic also star, and there are 4 episodes available for bingeing now. And this gripping series gets a 6.9/10 on IMDb, and Smriti Kannan of Film Fugitives calls it “excellent watch from the start till the end because it does not lag in the pacing department, and in just four episodes, it gives us one of the most gripping tales of true crime that took place in Denmark. A must-watch.” I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added The Matchmaker, a 2023 Saudi suspenseful mystery. This deals with the controversial subject of ‘temporary marriages‘ or misyar, in Saudi Arabia, where the new ‘wife’ waives all typical wedding rights. Here, married tech worker Tariq(Hussam Alharthy), chases after intern Salma (Nour Alkhadra) to a desert retreat, only to find a palace inhabited by zombified husbands from which he may never return. Reem Alhabib,Rahaf Ibraheem, Asim Al Awwad, Nadia Almotery and Naif Abdulrahman also star, and Abdulmohsin Aldabaan(Last Visit) directs. And this was entirely filmed at UNESCO World Heritage site AlUla, with an ancient city and beautiful scenery. And John Serba of the Decider says to ‘stream it,’ calling it “an understated and intriguing thriller.” I’m watching. Netflix also offers Wave Makers, a 2023 Taiwanese political drama series. This has to do with the women involved in politics in Taiwan, namely, Weng Wen-fang (Hsieh Ying-hsuan), who, after losing an election, decides to put her effort into getting Lin Yue-zhen (Tammy Lai Pei-hsia) elected as president. But she has opposition in Chang Ya-ching (Gingle Wang Ching), a consultant for Yue-zhen‘s opponent, who will use old sexist ideas and even rumor against her. And the new Vice President Chao Chang-ze (Leon Dai Li-jen) has some skeletons in his own closet that could bring him down. Huang Jag, Kao Ying-hsuan, Aviis Zhong, Ada Pan and Hu Wei-jie also star, and there are 8 episodes available now for streaming. And this series gets a stunning 8.1/10 on IMDb, and Nupur Bosmiya of Leisure Byte calls it “fresh, the execution was fantastic, and the ending was also deeply satisfying.” I am tuning in.And, finally, Netflix has The Good Bad Mother, a 2023 South Korean dramedy series. This tells the story of Jin Young-soon(Ra Mi-ran), a single mom who raised her son, Oh Tae-soo(Jung Woong-in), by working hard on her pig farm, but always pressuring him too much to succeed at his job as prosecutor. So when Kang-ho suffers amnesia after being struck by a motorbike, and returns to a child’s mentality, it may actually be a chance for redemption for his mother, and his chance for a new happier existence. Ahn Eun-jin, Yoo In-soo, Choi Moo-sung, Kim Won-hae, Kang Mal-geum and Cho Jin-woong also star, and there are 2 episodes available now, with 2 more added each Wednesday and Thursday, with 14 in all. And this series gets an astonishing 8.8/10 on IMDb, and Vikas Yadav of the Midgard Times says its “yet another fascinating show that will leave you wanting more.” And I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has a buzzy title added this week with Citadel, a 2023 sci-fi thriller series. In a near future world, Citadel agents Mason Kane(Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh(Priyanka Chopra Jonas) had their memories wiped clean, and went on to live semi-normal lives, never suspecting their past lives in espionage. But 8 years later, Kane is approached by his former boss Bernard Orlick, played by Stanley Tucci(!), and told of his past life, and the pair are brought back into action. But they are hunted by the rival spy agency, Manticore, run by Dahlia Archer (Lesley Manville!). Ashleigh Cummings, Caoilinn Springall, Roland Møller, Osy Ikhile and Moira Kelly also star, and there are 2 episodes available now, with 4 more yet to come. But this series doesn’t pan out, with a spectacular budget, but little story. And so it gets only a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peter Travers of ABC News says “Prime Video broke the bank on this high-octane action series without an original thought in its empty head. But you might not notice given the sexual sparks flying between Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas as amnesiac spies on a zippy thrill ride.” I won’t bother. Amazon has also added Greek Salad, a 2022 French dramedy series. Here, young adult siblings Tom(Aliocha Schneider) and Mia(Megan Northam) inherit an apartment building in Athens(!) from their grandfather, but while Tom wants to sell it to benefit his start-up, Mia is done with capitalism and just wants to help refugees and squatters in the very building her brother wants to sell. As the pair get reacquainted, we get to see Athens in all it’s glory, and the culture and lifestyle that make it unique. Romain Duris, Aggy K. Adams, Amir Baylly, Amro Ahmad Jamous and Anna Kameníková also star, and there are 8 delightful episodes available to enjoy now. And this series gets an impressive 7.2/10 on IMDb. Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times calls it “a beautiful and captivating series that is well worth your time. Its exploration of contemporary issues through the lens of Greek culture and history is both refreshing and engaging…..” And I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Golden Voices, a 2019 Israeli-Russian comedy/drama. This finds Raya (Maria Belkin) and Victor Frenkel(Vladimir Friedman), the Soviet Union‘s most beloved film dubbers, who, being Jewish, find themselves emigrating to Israel with the collapse of the USSR in 1990. But in Tel Aviv, there is little demand for dubbers of the Russian language, and so they set off to learn English, find work and maybe reinvent themselves, in the process. Evelin Hagoel, Uri Klauzner, Elizabeth Kon, and Nadia Kucher also star, and Evgeny Ruman directed. And this movie was nominated for numerous awards in 2019 & 2020 and went on to win the Best Film Award at the 2020 UK Jewish Film Festival, and Best Film and Best Script at the 2019 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. And this film gets an astounding 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7/10 on IMDb. Gary Goldstein of the L.A. Times said “his evocative tale is worth experiencing for Belkin‘s lovely, lived-in turn as a woman of a certain age trying to find her place in a world not of her making.” So I’m tuning in.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 