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 Infinity Pool, the 2023 horror/thriller. Here, author James Foster, played by Alexander Skarsgård(!), and his partner Em, played by Cleopatra Coleman, go on a vacation at a chic resort in a fictional country, hoping to cure James’ 6 year spell of writer’s block, where they meet the beautiful Gabi (Mia Goth). But when James hits and kills a local man while driving drunk one night, everything changes, when he learns that his sentence will be death. But there is an out that the rich use, that Gabi suggests, creating a clone that will die for him. But that process begins a spiral into a debauched world of unanswered excess and violence that may spell James’ ruin. Jalil Lespert, Thomas Kretschmann,Amanda Brugel, John Ralston and Caroline Boulton also star, and Brandon Cronenberg( son of David Cronenburg). And this movie premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and it gets an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote “the increasingly impressive son of David Cronenberg has made a wildly surreal, unapologetic, violent, and pornographic movie about privilege, morality, and things I couldn’t possibly begin to explain in a review.” But far too gruesome and violent for me. Luckily, Hulu has also added Wildflower, a 2022 coming-of-age drama. Kiernan Shipka(!) stars here, as Bea Johnson, a Las Vegas senior, accepted by the best colleges, but afraid to leave her developmentally delayed parents, Derek (Dash Mihok) and Sharon(Samantha Hyde), because she has cared for them most of her life. Her grandparents, Peg (Jean Smart) and Earl (Brad Garrett), try to help her , as does her H.S. counselor and her teen boyfriend tell her to leave. But her decision is not easy, or without guilt, no matter what her choice. Jacki Weaver(!),Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Josh Plasse, Victor Rasuk and Charlie Plummer also star, and Matt Smukler directed for the first time. And this movie gets a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Lovia Gyarkye of the Hollywood Reporter said it “might not be a radical departure from films of its type, but it does offer buoyant performances from both fresh and familiar faces.” You decide. I’d rather watch The Actress, a 2023 Turkish Disney+ drama series. This tells of Yasemin Derin(Pınar Deniz), a famous actress in Turkey, who leads a unknown second life at night, as a vigilante avenging violence against the women and children around her. But her ruthless violence attracts the attention of the authorities, who are hot on her trail. Uraz Kaygılaroğlu, Ahmet Rıfat Şungar, Şebnem Hassanisoughi, Ipek Çiçek, and Serhat Kılıç also star, and there are 8 exciting episodes available now. And it gets a 6.2/10 on IMDb, and Digital Crush has called it one of the best Turkish TV series of the year. And I love the female protagonist, I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has Race, a 2023 Disney+ K-drama series. This tells the story of Park Yoon-jo (Lee Yeon-hee), a hard-worker at a small PR firm with a weak CV, whose best friend Ryu Jae-min(Hong Jung-hyun) gets her a job at his a-list firm. But that’s not the end of it, other workers hold her weak resume against her, and she may never be able to live it down, even with Ryu‘s help. Jo Han-chul, Kim Ye-eun, U-Know, Moon So Ri and Jun.Q also star, and there are 9 episodes available now, with a 10th arriving in July. And this series gets an amazing 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Arjan Welles of SeriesTotal.com calls it a “fascinating look at South Korean business in which hierarchy and elbow work are the order of the day.” I agree and I’m definitely tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has very few new titles added this week, but still some very intriguing adds, like Sleeping Dog, a 2023 German mystery thriller limited series. Here, we follow Mike Atlas(Max Riemelt), a former police detective now living on the street, horribly traumatized by a past murder case, the exact details of which he cannot remember. But when the man he arrested for that crime(who always claimed his innocence) is found dead in his cell, supposedly a suicide, Atlas is approached by prosecutor Jule Andergast (Luise von Finckh) for help. And his decision to rejoin the case may not only endanger his sanity, but also the life of his daughter, Tinka (Tara Corrigan). Melika Foroutan, Peri Baumeister, Carlo Ljubek, Melodie Wakivuamina, and Antonio Wannek also star, and there are 6 episodes available for bingeing now. And it gets a 6.5/10 on IMDb, and Johnny Loftus of The Decider calls it “a satisfying, intriguing thriller-mystery, with a damaged but noble character at its center and larger observations to make about class and perception in contemporary German society.” And I’m tuning in. But Netflix also has Glamorous, a 2023 dramedy series. This follows gender non-conforming and queer makeup artist Marco Mejia(Miss Benny), stuck working behind a makeup counter, and dreaming of bigger things. So when he bumps into beauty mogul Madolyn Addison(Kim Cattrall!), he is walking on air, until he runs into Madolyn‘s first assistant Venetia(Jade Payton), who expects him to work, and the boss’s son Chad(Zane Phillips), who wants his job. But you know it will all work out. Ayesha Harris, Graham Parkhurst, Diana Maria Riva, Michael Hsu Rosen and Lisa Gilroy also star, and there are 10 episodes available for gorging now. And though this series get only a 5/10 on IMDb so far, it’s early, and critics like Christine Kinori of The Review Geek say “it looks to be a vibrant and enjoyable comedy.” So I’m watching. Netflix also The Perfect Find, a 2023 romcom. Gabrielle Union(!) stars as down and out fashion editor Jenna Jones, ruined by an indiscretion that went wildly viral, and so , after getting kicked out of her parents’ house, she has to start anew. So she goes to an old rival , Darcy (Gina Torres) and asks for a job, and is grateful to get it. But then, she runs into Darcy’s son, Eric (Keith Powers), and when the sparks fly, she realizes trouble is back, in spades. Aisha Hinds, La La Anthony, D.B. Woodside and Janet Hubert also star, while Numa Perrier directs. And this pleasant romcom gets a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Times says its “saved by two fleet-footed leads who have mastered the two steps forward, one step back dance at the heart of romantic comedy.” And it’s on my list. Netflix also offers Make Me Believe, a 2023 Turkish romcom. Here, magazine editor Sahra(Ayça Ayşin Turan) rushes to her grandmother’s house for what she thinks is a medical emergency, only to meet her old childhood friend and adult enemy Deniz(Ekin Koç) there, worried about her granny and his too, who have both faked this medical emergency to get the pair to meet. But that is a tough ask, as the pair harbor major resentments from their past, and more physical fights arise between them than any romantic interludes. But somewhere along the line, between jailtime and other adventures, things might get smoothed out. Yildiz Kültür, Çagri Çitanak, Cagla Irmak and Zerrin Sumer also star, and Evren Karabiyik Günaydin and Murat Saraçoglu co-direct. And this beautiful movie gets a 6.1/10 on IMDb, and rave reviews from critics like Susan Hill of Martin Cid Magazine who calls it “just beautiful!” And I’m tuning in. And, finally, Netflix has added King the Land, a 2023 Korean romcom series. Here, Cheon Sa-rang(Lin Yoon-a) has worked her way up at the King Hotel the hard way, only to find she has put up with the boss’s son Goo Won(Lee Jun-ho), intent on taking over the hotel, after his ignominious firing years ago. But he and Sa-rang get on each other’s nerves, and his older sister Gu Hwa-ran (Kim Seon-young) doesn’t appreciate her younger brother’s competition for the job of running the hotel. Go Won-hee, Kim Ga-eun, Im Yoon-ah and Son Byong-ho also star, and there are 3 episodes available now, with 15 more to come. And this series gets a stunning 8/10 on IMDb, and Nathan Sartain of Ready Steady Cut calls it a “light, refreshing romantic comedy.” And I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has a huge add with I am a Virgo, a 2023 coming of age comedy series. Brought to us by Boots Riley(Sorry to Bother You!), this series tells the story of Cootie, played by Jharrel Jerome, a young man kept secret in his family’s Oakland home, due to the fact that he’s 13-feet-tall. His Aunt Lafrancine( Carmen Egojo) and Uncle Martisse(Mike Epps) mean well, but their over-protective intentions backfire, when Cootie escapes, with little knowledge of the outside world. Cootie makes lots of friends, and Flora (Olivia Washington), but he also finds a violently racist and unfair world around him. Ari Frenkel, Walton Goggins, Brett Gray, Kara Young and Allius Barnes also star, and there are 7 half-hour episodes available to gorge on now. And this series gets an outstanding 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peyton Robinson of RogerEbert.com calls it a “laugh riot, a pulsing social document, and an empathetic character study.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Amazon also has Armageddon Time, the 2022 award-winning drama. This takes place in Queens, New York, in 1980, where 12-year-old Paul Graff(Banks Repeta) struggles against the more rigid conservative ideas of his seemingly liberal parents. His father, Irving (Jeremy Strong) and mother, Esther (Anne Hathaway) are aghast at the Reagan presidency, and yet when Paul befriends Johnny Davis(Jaylin Webb), who, by the way is black, it causes shockwaves that rives the family, but opens Paul’s eyes to racism and inequality. And as he gets sent to a conservative private school, his only savior is his grandfather, Aaron (Anthony Hopkins). Andrew Polk, Jessica Chastain, Ryan Sell, John Diehl and Tovah Feldshuh(!) also star, and James Gray directed. This film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and went on to win the Virtuoso Award for Jeremy Strong at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Best Youth Performance Award for Jaylin Webb at the 2023 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards. And it gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com says it “creates a vivid and evocative sense of its time and place.” And it’s on my list. And, finally, Amazon has added Ash Is Purest White, the award-winning 2018 Chinese crime drama/romance. This tells the story of Qiao (Tao Zhao), a dancer in 2001 who naively for gangster Bin (Fan Liao), and is quickly drawn into his world. When his life is threatened, she fires a gun, and , unwilling to squeal on him, she is sent to jail for 5 years. When she is released, Bin is nowhere to be found, and when he continues to evade her, she goes on an amazing journey to find him and set things straight, using every duplicity she has learned along the way. Yi’nan Diao, Xiaogang Feng, Casper Liang , Zheng Xu and Diao Yinan also star, and Zhang-Ke Jia(Where Has the Time Gone) directed. And this movie was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and went on to win numerous other awards, including Best Actress for Tao Zhao at the Chicago International Film Festival and at the To Ten Chinese Films Festival, where Fan Liao won Best Actor, and Zhangke Jia won Best Director and Outstanding Film. And it gets an incredible 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and Ian Freer of Empire Magazine said its “engrossing, surprising and affecting, held together by a towering performance from Tao – her gaze alone should carry a licence to kill.” And I’m watching..twice.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 