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 an exciting add this week with Chevalier, the 2022 historical epic. Inspired by the true story of French composer Joseph Bologne, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., born the son of an African slave and a French plantation owner. Left by his (white) father at a musical conservatory, who also tells him to “be excellent,” to overcome the racism that will beleaguer him, and Joseph does just that. He becomes an accomplished violinist, and, after wiping the floor with one man in a fencing match, is named Chevalier by none other than his new admirer, Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton). But with his success in the French court and as the conductor of the Paris Opera, Bologne becomes a bit removed from the struggle that faced many of color, until his mother, Nanon, played by Ronke Adekoluejo, is finally freed and returns to his life. Samara Weaving, Marton Csokas, Alex Fitzalan, and Minnie Driver also star, while Stephen Williams directed. This film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Feature Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival. and it gets a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, and John Serba of The Decider called it a “rock-solid period drama that takes a necessary step toward reclaiming a long-suppressed piece of Black history.” I agree, and I’m definitely tuning in. But Hulu also offers Jagged Mind, a 2023 psychological horror flick. This follows Billy(Maisie Richardson-Sellers), a young woman living in Little Haiti, NYC, concerned about inheriting her mother’s early-onset dementia. But then she meets Alex(Shannon Woodward) in a bar one night, and the new romance that blooms quickly may convince her her luck has changed. And though Alex has real problems with her temper and control issues to boot, Billy keeps seeing her, but when her perception of time seems to deteriorate rapidly, could Alex be responsible for that as well? Rosaline Elbay, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Kate Szekely, Brandi Huzzie and Lamar Usher also star, and Kelley Kali directs. And movie gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote “even without its paranormal elements, Jagged Mind is a powerful portrait of the dissociation that occurs when a person tries to justify the misbehavior of someone they love.” But a bit too scary for me. Luckily, Hulu has also added The Full Monty, the 2023 FX British drama series. But this isn’t a remake, but a return to Sheffield, England, and the once unemployed steelworkers that stripped for fame and fortune, to find most of them still wanting, and looing for a hustle. Gaz (Robert Carlyle) is back, trying to represent a mentally ill artist, Ant (Arnold Oceng), if only he could get him off his meds(?). Horse (Paul Barber), too, returns, now puttering about town in his motorized scooter , while Lomper (Steve Huison) dreams of racing pigeons. But now they have kids to deal with, like Gaz’s daughter Destiny (Talitha Wing), hobbled by her father’s absence. Mark Addy, Tom Wilkinson, Lesley Sharp,Aiden Cook,Halima Alter, and Paul Clayton also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And, no, it’s not quite as uproarious or scandalous as the original movie. But it may be more endearing and human in a world depicting more than just white men, at least for me. And it gets a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Martin Carr of Yahoo Movies says “like a breath of fresh air, The Full Monty circa 2023 hits Disney+, reuniting Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy,Tom Wilkinson , and Paul Barber in another poignant slice of down at heel drama.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has addedd Crazy Love, a 2023 South Korean Disney+ romantic drama series. This tells the story of Noh Go-jin (Kim Jae-wook), star tutor and CEO of GOTOP. a leading Seoul math institute, making him arrogant and insufferable. So, when he gets death threats, he feigns amnesia, and has his seemingly meek secretary Lee Shin-ah (Krystal Jung), protect him, – even pretend to be his wife. But she has had enough of his harsh treatment and criticism, and so plans revenge of her own . Ha Jun, Kim Ki-nam,Baek Joo-hee,Lee Ji-min and Park Han-sol also star, and there are 16 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an amazing 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Amanda Arambulo of The Beau Life calls it a “new underrated fave.” And I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has few big titles added this week, but some gems are to be found, The Surrogacy, a 2023 Mexican drama series. Here, Yeni(Shani Lozano), a young woman born into poverty with a father wrongly imprisoned, is forced into surrogacy for a rich family that promises her father’s freedom in return. Andd so, she goes to live with the couple , Julia and Carlos, until the baby is born, but when that event finally occurs, with an unexpected result, Yeni is again left to deal with the consequences, alone. Luis Ernesto Franco, Vanesa Restrepo, Marcela Guirado, Minnie West, Leticia Calderón also star, and there are 24 episodes available for gorging now. And this series gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb, and Nikita Nath of Sportskeeda says it “provides the audience with an emotionally heavy and highly thought-provoking story that feels striking from the get-go. ” It’s on my list. But Netflix also offers The Village, a Japanese dark thriller movie. This tells of the strange village of Kamonmura, where Yu Katayama(Ryusei Yokohama) is stuck, unable to leave because of an incident in his past. His alcoholic mother has run up debts he must repay, and so he wors in a waste management plant that seems to employ everyone in the village, and to pollute their surrounding environment, as well. But when Yu‘s old friend Misaki Nakai(Kuroki Haru) returns from Toyko, she is determined to extract him from his sorrows, and lighten his load. But will that be enough, when the village around them is poisoned by waste? Arata Furuta, Shido Nakamura, Wataru Ichinose and Sakuma Ryuto also star, and Michihito Fujii directs. And though this movie gets only a 5.8/10on IMDb, it gets a 7.5/10 on My Drama List. Bhavya Kapoor of Sportskeeda calls it “a thought-provoking Japanese film that immerses viewers in the life of Yu Katayama. This film uncovers the harsh realities of a once idyllic village that has now transformed into a sprawling dumpsite, blending ancient traditions with the biting realities of modern times in a manner that is incredibly relevant.” I’m tuning in. Oh, and Netflix has added Muster Dogs, a 2023 Australian limited animal docuseries. Here, five farmers in try to turn Australian Kelpie puppies into the herding dogs they need in just 12 months. People like Queensland farmer Frank Finger are presented with a darling squirmy puppy, affectionately licking at them, to turn into an acute professional cattle or sheep herder. Rancher Aticia Grey runs a half-a-million acre property to manage, and wants to adapt to climate change with something more green, with her new dog as her first step. And we get a drone’s-eye view of the dog and trainer in the field, trying to track and herd the animals together, using teamwork that’s quite extraordinary. And this darling 5-part series has won the Best Factual Television Series at the 2022 ATOM Awards (Australian Teachers of Media Awards) and gets an astounding 8.3/10 on IMDb. Alex McKinnon of the Guardian calls it “the new Australian reality show set to charm the world,” and I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has Oh, Belinda, a 2023 Turkish drama. This has Dilara (Neslihan Atagül Doğulu), an actress in Istanbul, mostly going through the motions in unsatisfying soap opera roles. And a new commercial for Belinda shampoo doesn’t seem any better, playing the role of Handan, a housewife, happily shampooing her hair. But when she wakes up to Handan‘s life, married and expected to care for two children, she is aghast. And she can get none of her friends from her former life to recognize her, or her partner Serkan (Serkan Çayoglu), there seems to be no escape from her now constricted life as a housewife. Necip Memili,Meral Cetinkaya,Beril Pozam,and Efe Tuncer also star, and Deniz Yorulmazer directs. And it gets a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Marshall Shaffer of The Decider says to stream it, adding “finds intrigue in a high-concept story of a conceited actor forced to live literally in her character.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has The Days, a 2023 Japanese drama series. This tells the story of the huge tsunami that hit after a major earthquake, and the horrible aftermath at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. What begins as a normal day finds workers scrambling for cover from the tsunami, then to find the entire facility without power(!), and the plant supervisor, Maewa (Yutaka Takenouchi), unable to communicate with the plant manager,Yasao Yoshida (Koji Yakusho) . As they frantically try to avoid a meltdown, all of Japan watches in dismay, powerless to help. Fumiyo Kohinata plays Prime Minister Azuma, and Ken Mitsuishi, Takuma Otoo, Yuriko Ishida and Kenichi Endo also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets an incredible 7.3/10 on IMDb, with Joel Keller of The Decider calling it “tense and harrowing, just like the days after the Fukushima Daiichi accident were for pretty much the whole population of Japan.” And I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a huge add with Spoiler Alert, the 2022 Amazon original romance. Based on the bestselling 2017 memoir by Michael Ausiello, this tells of the epic romance between Ausiello and his husband, Kit Cowan. Jim Parsons(!) plays Ausiello, and as the story begins, the pair meet in a gay nightclub in 2001, and manage to stay together and build a relationship that withstands their insecurities and pressures. Kit asks Michael to pretend they aren’t gay for his parents, Bob and Marilyn, visit for his appendix surgery, but Marilyn finds out, and is supportive anyway. Which is good, because as their relationship goes into a downward spiral, Kit is diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, and the two reconcile, for what may be his final days. Sally Field, Bill Irwin, Antoni Porowski, Nikki M. James and Jeffery Self also star, and Michael Showalter(The Big Sick!) directed. And it gets an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com said “a delightfully effective melodrama, one that pulls few punches and isn’t afraid of wearing a plethora of emotions out in the open for all to see.”Amazon has also added There’s Something Wrong with the Children, a 2023 horror flick . Here, in another horrifying (gulp) Blumhouse original, Margaret(Alisha Wainwright) and Ben(Zach Gilford) take off for a vacation in the woods with their good friends Ellie(Amanda Crew) and Thomas(Carlos Santos) and their two kids. But after Ben and Margaret agree to watch the children, Lucy (Brielle Guiza) and Spencer (David Mattle), while their parents get some much needed R and R, something goes horribly wrong, and the pair begin to act strangely. And Ben, who has some mental health issues, seems to be the only one to see it, so as the kids become more and more menacing, the question will anyone believe him in time? Ramona Tyler rounds out the small cast, and Roxanne Benjamin directs. And this movie gets a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Christian Zilko of IndieWire says it “punches above its weight by doing all the little things right. T.J. Cimfel and David White’s script is built like a Swiss watch, setting up countless twists without ever wasting a line.” But way too scary for me. And, finally, Amazon offers Season 1 of Murder In…, a French 2014 mystery series. Entitled Meurtres à… in French, each episode here takes place in a different scenic part of France, like the isle of Britany or an abbey in Fresange, where, inevitably, a body is found, and some of France‘s biggest stars, like Thierry Goddard (Spiral), star. Thibault de Montalembert, Vanessa Liautey, Aladin Reibel,Joyce Bibring, Arnaud Binard and France Zobda also star, and there are 9 episodes available now, that disappear back to MHZ Choice in just 14 days. And this series gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, with Neely Swanson of Easy Reader News calling it “comfort food to be consumed at leisure.” And I can’t wait to dig in.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 