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 some good, lesser known adds this week, like Linoleum, a 2022 comedy/drama. This finds Cameron Edwin, played by Jim Gaffigan, a TV host of a kids science show whose life is in (midlife?) crisis, with his job in peril, and his own dreams of being an astronaut, always deferred. Not to mention that his wife, Erin (Rhea Seehorn) and friends think he is too unrealistic, putting a strain on his marriage, so when an old satellite crashes in his front yard, his idea to rebuild it is none too popular. Gabriel Rush, Katelyn Nacon, Michael Ian Black and Tony Shalhoub(!) also star, and Colin West directed. And this movie premiered at last year’s SXSW Festival ,where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Award and it went on to win the Best Narrative Feature Film at the Sun Valley Film Festival, among other awards. And it gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Jared Mobarak of Hey, Have You Seen… calls it “a thrilling, sometimes heavy, drama about love, identity, and individuality that takes you to the ever-expanding universe of us.” And I’m tuning in. Hulu has also added Burial, a 2022 British historical thriller. This takes place in 1945, at the end of WWII, after Hitler’s suicide, as a band of Russian soldiers are tasked with the desperately important job of getting the Fuhrer‘s decaying body back to Moscow. They are led by Brana(Charlotte Vega), a young intelligence officer who pushes the other soldiers through the dense, ominous forests, when they realize there are other forces than uniformed Nazis to worry about- werewolves. Unfortunately, not really supernatural werewolves, but wolf pelt wearing Nazi allies that lurk in the forest, and aim to stop the mission in their tracks. Harriet Walter, David Alexander Parker, Dan Renton Skinner, Bill Millner and Tom Felton also star, while Ben Parker directed. And this movie gets a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service said “it’s brutal and exceedingly bloody, as one would expect from this kind of lean genre picture. But Burial also is packed with meaty philosophical questions about gods, monsters, and men at war, and it’s exceedingly well-executed.” So its on my list. Hulu also offers While You Were Sleeping, a 2017 South Korean supernatural series. No, this isn’t the 1995 romcom starring Sandra Bullock, but a Kdrama that revolves around Nam Hong Joo, played by Bae Suzy, a young woman troubled by her premonitions , who lives with her mother, Yoon Moon Sun, while trying to get work as a reporter. Her neighbor is a prosecutor, Jung Jae Chan (Lee Jong Suk) who doesn’t believe in her abilities, but soon , they end up woring in tandem to solve the crimes or disappearances she dreams of. Shin Jae Hae, Kim So Hyun, Eom Hyo Seop, Lee Sang Yeob and Jung Hae In also star, and Oh Choong Hwan directed all 16 episodes available now. And it has won several Asian awards, including Top Excellence in Acting Award at the SBS Drama Awards. And it gets a stunning 8.3/10 on IMDb, and Jill of kdramalove.com says its a “a pleasant and well acted Korean drama.” I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added See How They Run, the 2022 mystery comedy. This takes place in 1953 London, on the West End, when the obnoxious American director, Leo Köpernick(Adrien Brody!), of Agatha Christie‘s play The Mousetrap, is killed. When the jaded Inspector Stoppard(Sam Rockwell) and his inexperienced movie loving assistant Constable Stalker(Saoirse Ronan!), are called in, they find everyone’s a suspect..unless they become another victim first. David Oyelowo(!),Harris Dickinson, Reece Shearsmith, Sian Clifford and Ruth Wilson(!) also star, and Tom George directed. And it gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Wenlei Ma of news.com.au calls it “a well-paced, intriguing and mischievous set-piece that will enchant Christie fans without challenging the grand dame of mystery’s reign.” And I’m definitely tuning in. I love a mystery.
NETFLIX
Netflix has few big titles added this week, but has added some lesser known gems, like Celebrity, a 2023 K-Drama series. Here, Seo A-ri, played by Park Gyu-young, born rich but ruined by her father’s business failure, accidentally becomes an online influencer, though still not too popular with the a-list crowd she used to hang with. So when she is murdered and comes back from the dead to torture her own tormenters, and maybe, find her own murderer, anything can happen. Kang Min-hyuk, Jun-Ho Lee, Chung-Ah Lee, Dong-geon Lee and Yuuki Luna also star, and Kim Cheol-kyu directs all 12 episodes. And it gets an incredible 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut writes “there is a decent mystery here, and relevant themes – of fame, identity, and the toll the former takes on the latter – are explored through the prism of these characters’ relationships and traumas.” And I’m watching. But Netflix also offers Man To Man, a 2018 romantic spy comedy series. This tells of Kim Seol–woo(Park Hae-Jin), a secret agent known as agent K, who ends up getting fired for disobeying orders, and takes a job as bodyguard to Yeo Woon Gwang (Park Sung Woong). As the two men first clash, but then form a friendship, Seol Woo meets Cha Do Ha (Kim Min Jung), the director of Woon Gwang’s fan club, and is drawn to her. But then Agent K finds himself drawn bac into his old world of spying and away from Do Ha.Yeon Jung Hun, Kang Shin Il, Chae Jung Ah and Chae Jung An also star, and there are 16 episodes available for bingeing now. And Park Hae-Jin won Best Artist Award at the Asia Artist Awards, and the series gets an amazing 7.3/10 on IMDb. Yaroslavna Simdyankina of Silver Petticoat Review calls it a “top-notch spy comedy!” And I’m tuning in. Netflix also has iNumber Number: Jozi Gold, a South African crime caper movie. Here, two cops, Shoes (Presley Chweneyagae) and Chili (S’dumo Mtshali), go on a desperate search through Johannesburg‘s underworld for the gold stolen in a big heist. Having failed once already, the pressure is on, and Chili goes undercover to work with gang responsible, only to find they are refugees, seeking to work as a Robin Hood group, giving to the poor. And they have more heists in mind. Fana Mokoena, Deon Lotz, Noxolo Dlamini, Brenda Ngxoli and Clementine Mosimane also star, and Donovan Marsh directs. And this movie gets a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, but rave reviews like the one from Indrayudh Talukdhar of Film Fugitive, that says it a “sleeper hit coming from the streets of South Africa [that] delivers an exciting and thrilling ride, full of gold robberies, the ol’ switcheroo, and high-speed car chases.” And I’m definitely watching. Netflix has also added Run, Rabbit, Run, a 2023 Australian horror flick starring Sarah Snook(!). Snook(Succession!) plays Sarah, a fertility doctor who becomes increasingly worried about her 7 year-old daughter, Mia (Lily LaTorre), who is withdrawing and acting strangely. Mia talks of Sarah‘s sister Alice, who disappeared at Mia‘s age, and even becomes obsessed with rabbits, an obsession Alice had, adopting a rabbit and finally going around in a rabbit mask. As Sarah tries to save her daughter, she is forced back to her childhood, her sister’s disappearance, and her mother, Joan (Greta Scacchi), suffering from dementia.Damon Herriman, Trevor Jamieson, Georgina Naidu, Shabana Azeez and Julia Davis also star, and Daina Reid directs. And though this movie gets a mere 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, it gets a 5.1/10 on IMDb, and good reviews from critics like Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com who calls it “a solid, spooky tale without anything too flashy like a Babadook to haunt our dreams and memes but chilling enough to make us sit up in our chairs and scan the screen for the next sign of danger.” But it’s way too scary for me.And, finally, Netflix has added Doom at Your Service, a 2023 South Korean series. This tells the story of Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young), a young editor who finds that she has a glioblastoma, a fatal brain tumor, at the same time she learns her boyfriend is married, and a father-to-be. So she drunkenly wishes on a star that the World be doomed, and, unbeknownst to her, Myul Mang (Seo In-guk) or Doom, a god who brings destruction with him everywhere, hears her. Unhappy himself, he decides to fulfill her wish, and so descends to Earth to sign a contract with her. But as the pair grow closer, they form a fast bond, and Dong-kyung begins to regret her wish, but may have to pay with her life to save the world. Lee Soo–Hyuk, Kang Tae Oh, Shin Do-hyun, Jung Ji-so and Woo Hee-Jin also star, and there are 16 episodes available now. And this series gets an incredible 8/10 on IMDb, and Vanshita of the Movie Culture says its “a wonderful drama with an emotional storyline, good acting by the main leads, and amazing cinematography.” And I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a big add this week with M3GAN, the 2022 horror flick. This tells the story of 8-year-old , Cady(Violet McGraw), orphaned in a horrible crash that took her parents lives, and her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), a roboticist that takes her in. Feeling overwhelmed and pitying for her charge, Gemma decides to introduce her to her new prototype M3gan, a robotic doll that is not only a playmate, but a protector, for a child. As Gemma’s boss rushes M3gan through beta testing(?), Gemma and Cady bring the robot home and what starts as a beautiful friendship becomes something more horrific as M3gan starts to attack those who attack Cady, and chases a bully out into the street in front of a car, for starters. But even those at home, like Gemma, become targets, and as her programming runs amok, M3gan becomes a murderous threat that cannot be stopped. Amie Donald, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jenna Davis and Jen Van Epps also star, and Gerard Johnstone directed. And this movie gets a surprising 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Philip De Semlyen of Time Out said it “rollicks along with all the slickness and shocks you’d expect from a film produced by Insidious’s James Wan. It always keeps you in on the joke — and it’s a killer joke.” But it’s still too terrifying for me. Amazon has also added The Captain, a 2018 German war drama. Based on a true story, this follows a young deserter from Luftwaffe, Willi Herold, played by Max Hubacher, as he tries desperately to escape the military police and execution in the Spring of 1945. When he finds the uniform of a decorated Luftwaffe captain in an abandoned car, he impersonates a captain, taking stragglers under his command as he promises to decrease looting in the area, but becomes increasingly despotic and lethal to those under his command. When his troops, the Kampfgruppe Herold, ironically takes over a camp full of deserters, the ‘captain‘ orders the execution of dozens of prisoners, and becomes increasingly tyrannical and dangerous. Milan Peschel, Frederick Lau, Bernd Hölscher, Waldemar Kobus and Alexander Fehling also star, and Robert Schwentke directs. This movie premiered, in glorious black and white, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and went on to win numerous awards, including Best Young Actor for Hubacher at the Bavarian Film Awards and Best Actor(Hubacher), Best Supporting Actor(Fehling) and Best Film at the CinEuphoria Awards(along with 7 other awards there). And it gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.3/10 on IMDb. And Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said “what a chilling performance from Hubacher.” And I agree. It’s a horrifying movie. Too horrifying for me. And, finally, Amazon has added House of Hummingbird, a 2018 S. Korean coming-of-age drama. This takes place in1994 Seoul, where 14 year-old Eun-hee(Ji-hu Park) grapples loneliness and neglect by her hard-working parents, who appear to favor her older brother, who beats his sister from time to time. She bristles at school, where her drawing talents are not appreciated, and rich children belittle her. Her only solace is best friend, Ji-Suk (Seo-yoon Park), and other friends. Lee Seungyeon, Jeong Ingi, Son Sangyeon, Bak Suyeon, Hye-in Seol and Yoon-seo Jeong also star, and Bora Kim directed. And this film gets a stupendous 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nina Li Coomes of the Chicago Reader wrote “with an easy, lingering tempo and stunning frames shot through with light, this South Korean drama leaves the viewer with a sense of contemplative midsummer lassitude.” And I’m definitely watching.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 