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 big title added this week with Flamin’ Hot, a 2023 Hulu original comedy/drama. This movie tells the true(ish) story of Richard Montañez, played by Jesse Garcia, a Frito Lay janitor who put his Mexican American heritage to use, when he came up with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He started experimenting while working in California at the plant, and came up with the idea based on his wife’s elote, and then went to Fritos president, Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub!). Dennis Haysbert(!), Annie Gonzalez, Matt Walsh and Emilio Rivera also star, and Eva Longoria(!) directs.But, unfortunately, the story told here isn’t quite as hot(nor as true) as it should be, and so it gets only a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Alison Willmore of Vulture says “what makes Flamin’ Hot such a depressing offering isn’t the relative truthiness of its source material, but the qualities it holds aloft as inspiring.” Agreed, I’m not watching. But, luckily Hulu has a much better offering in Somewhere Boy, a 2023 British drama series. This revolves around Danny, played by Lewis Gribben, a teen held prisoner in his own house by his father, Steve (Rory Keenan) for most of his life, to protect him from ‘the monsters,’ outside. Until the shocking day his dad is gone, and Danny must venture into the real world, and so he is sent to live with his Aunt Sue, and her own teen, Aaron (Samuel Bottomley), and so learns of the real world, and adult life, from Aaron. he also learns of what really went on with his dad, and the world he thought he knew, before. Lisa McGrillis Johann Myers,Jamie Michie, Ibinabo Jack, Austinn Haynes and Samuel Mckenna also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an outstanding 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.3/10 on IMDb. Camilla Long of the Times (UK) wrote “in someone else’s hands, this might have been a tale of anger and frustration — the usual teenage meltdown. But actually it is a story of tenderness, hope and redemption etched out on the smallest of canvases: a cul-de-sac in suburban Yorkshire.” And I’m definitely watching. Also new on Hulu is Family: The Unbreakable Bond, a 2023 Korean comedy action thriller. This finds husband and father Kwon Do-Hoon (Jang Hyuk), trying hard to eep his secret from his family, e.g. that he’s an agent for the NIS (National Intelligence Service), and a sniper, too. But his wife, Yu-ra, doesn’t like secrets, and knows that her husband is being less than honest, and she has some secrets of her own that might help her search for the truth. Jeong-an Chae, Kim Kang Min,Soon-jae Lee, Shin Ga Bi and Kim Nam-Hee also star, and there are 12 episodes now available on Hulu. And this series gets a 6.5/10 on IMDb, and Christine Kinori of the Review Geek says it “gets off to a great start. It’s a perfect mix of comedy and crime drama..” So it’s on my list. And, finally, Hulu has added Atom’s Last Shot, a 2022 Japanese drama series. This tells of the Atom Toy Store, on the brink of collapse, and so they decide to go into video games, and in search of Nayuta (Kento Yamazaki), an infamous developer, who is also anonymous, and so called the ‘Banksy of video games.’ But can they find him in time? Yukino Kishii, HyunriTsutomu, Yamazaki, Joe Odagiri, Naho Toda, Denden, Shuntarô Yanagi,and Yukino Kishii also star, and there are 9 episodes available now. And this series gets an astounding 7.3/10 on IMDb, and, so, though I can find no reviews at this time, I’m giving it a shot.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge title added with Living, the 2022 award-winning British drama. Adapted by Kazuo Ishiguro from Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1952 film Ikiru(To Live), this tells of Mr. Williams, played by Bill Nighy(!), a restrained widower living a restrained life as a bureaucrat in 50’s London, who suddenly receives a lethal cancer diagnosis. An so he decides to look for some meaning in life, first going on a pub crawl, but then getting involved with an optimistic woman at work, Margaret, who call him ‘the zombie.’ And in the end, he may find a reason to live. Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton and Oliver Chris star, while Oliver Hermanus directed. And this film was nominated for many awards last year, with Bill Nighy being nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars this year, and he went on to win Best Lead Performance at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, British/Irish Actor of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. And it gets an amazing 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.3/10 on IMDb. Tim Cogshell of Filmweek said “I love this film. Probably one of my favorites of the year.” And I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers Barracuda Queens, a 2023 Swedish thriller series. This takes place in 1995, in Djursholm, Stockholm, where a group of young women, friends since childhood known as the Barracuda Queens, are crippled by the debts they’ve run up and so decide to get in on a little theft. As they are rich, and resentful of some of the leering older men in their parents crowd, it’s easy to manage a little appropriation of some of their nicer things. But as they are successful, their petty larcenies grow into major felonies, and fine artwork all around them is no longer safe. And the police are hot on their trail. Alva Bratt, Tindra Monsen, Tea Stjärne , Sarah Gustafsson and Carsten Bjørnlund also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6.1/ 10 on IMDb and Arnav Srivastav of High on Film calls it “a delightful, crisp, and inconsistent miniseries on Netflix.” I’m watching. Netflix also offers The Wonder Weeks, a 2023 Dutch comedy. This movie considers the ‘wonder weeks’ babies go through, usually preceded by irritability that can drive parents nuts. But here, three pairs of parents in a ‘mamas club’ are considered; Anne and Barry, with Anne having to return to work quickly, Kim and Roos, a gay couple, and Isle and Sabri. They are all preparing for childbirth, and the heck that goes with it, but despite all their preparations, none are ready for the huge adjustment’s they and others have to make to achieve their goals. Sallie Harmsen, Soy Kroon, Lous Talpe, Katja Schuurman and Yolantha Cabau also star, while Appie Boudellah directs. And though this only gets a 5.6/10 on IMDb, Amanda Guarragi of ReadySteadyCut calls it “an endearing film about the journey of pregnancy with three couples,” and I agree. I’m tuning in. Also new on Netflix is Bloodhounds, a 2023 Korean action thriller series. Here, two young boxers, Kim Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) join forces to fight a mean and vengeful loan shark , Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong). Myeong-gil has been intimidating the small business owners in their Seoul neighborhood during through violence, because he wants to open a casino on their land. But there is a good guy billionaire who offers help, if the duo , in turn, will help his granddaughter, Hyeon-ju (Kim Sae-ron). But can they defeat Myeong-gil‘s legion of thugs? Huh Joon-ho, Joon-ho Huh, Jo Wan-ki ,Yoon Yoo-sun and Harrison Xu also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And it gets an incredible 8/10 on IMDb, and Vikas Yadavof the Midgard Times calls it “An exciting, rip-roaring action show.” It’s definitely on my list. And, finally, Netflix has added Scoop, a 2023 Indian drama series. Adapted from the memoir by former crime reporter Jigna Vora, Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, with names changed, this takes place in Mumbai where deputy bureau chief Jagruti Pathak(Karishma Tanna)is framed for the murder of a rival crime reporter. But the pair were both investigating gangland shooting in Mumbai that killed dozens, with no action from the police, thought to be gang related. But if the mob set up Pathak, can she ever get out from under that frame? Inayat Sood, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Jaimini Pathak also star, and there are 6 gripping episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets an astounding 7.7/10 on IMDb. Joel Keller of the Decider says to stream it, adding its “a gritty drama with good performances, and will definitely open viewers’ eyes about how newspaper wars used to be in every city on the planet.” I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a big title added this week with Creed III, the 2023 action film. Michael B. Jordan returns to play the title character, Adonis Creed, now the best fighter in the world and his family intact and happy, with nothing to hold them bac. Until Diamond Damian Anderson(Jonathan Majors) shows up at his doorstep, fresh out of prison, telling Creed of his wish to fight, knowing of the debt he is owed by the prizefighter. But as a match is set up, and training begins, Creed can’t back down, and as the intensity increases, his protective mother Mary Anne(Phylicia Rashad!) still hovers, fearful of the potentially evil influence of the old friend. Tessa Thompson, Thaddeus J. Mixon, Spence Moore II and Wood Harris also star, and Michael B. Jordan directed, along with co-writing the script. And it gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes , and D. Watkins of Salon.com said it”is promoted as a boxing movie, but is really a tale of pain, regret and the power of brotherhood.” Still, not my kind of movie. But Amazon has also added Tár, the 2022 drama. Here, Cate Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, the prominent conductor of a German orchestra, but difficult, abrasive and sometimes cruel to her detractors. And her world is torn apart with an email from her ill-treated assistant Francesca (Noémie Merlant), and there seems to be nowhere to go but down. Nina Hoss, Mila Bogojevic, Allan Corduner and Mark Strong also star, and Todd Fields(Little Children) directed. And this movie was nominated for tons of awards last year, and won 70(!), including Best Leading Actress for Blanchett at the 2022 BAFTAs and Best Actress for Blanchett and Film of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. And it gets an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, but , with an unlikable character at it’s heart, it’s a difficult movie to enjoy. And it can be a bit pretentious and preachy doesn’t help. Wenlei Ma of News.com.au wrote “much like Lydia herself, Tar is a skillful, polished and fascinating piece of work, but it’s missing a beating heart.” I probably won’t watch. And, finally, Amazon has added Season 1 of The New Nurses, a 2018 Danish drama series. This takes place in 1952 Copenhagen, with nurses still in short supply after WWII, and so Fredenslund Hospital, and its matron Margrethe Lund (Benedikte Hansen), decides to open a coed nursing program. But with accepting male students along with female ones in 50’s Denmark brought fears of the unseemly shenanigans that could come with such an open program, and so, the superiors are very watchful. And the chief surgeon and department head Bent Neergaard (Jens Jørn Spottag) and head nurse Ruth Madsen (Anette Støvelbæk) strive to make the program as difficult and as unaccommodating for trouble as possible. And still the students somehow ae it through, and have some fun along the way. Molly Blixt Egelind, Mikkel Hilgart, Morten Hee Andersen, and Mikael Birkkjær also star, and 6 episodes available to enjoy now. And this series has gotten 7 Danish Film Awards (Robert) nominations in the past few years, in addition to being a nominee for the 2019 Nordic Film & TV Fond Prize and Prix Europa award, and it gets a stunning 7.5/10 on IMDb. And though I can find no online reviews, it has been compared to Call the Midwife, 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 