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 amazing add this week with The Quiet Girl, the 2022 Irish award-winning drama. This tells the story of a neglected child, nine-year-old Cait, played by Catherine Clinch, sent to live with relatives in 1981 rural Ireland, away from her dysfunctional and ever growing family, who call her ‘the wanderer.’ Sent to live with her Mam’s childless cousin Eibhlin Cinnsealach(Carrie Crowley), and her husband, Sean, Cait says little, but wanders from them, too, only receive a much different response. Andrew Bennett, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Michael Patric and Joan Sheehy also star, and Colm Bairéad directed. And this movie, based on the short story The Foster, and nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, won numerous awards last year, including Foreign Language Film of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and Best Feature Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. And it gets an incredible 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.7/10 on IMDb. Odie Henderson of the Boston Globe called it “as beautiful as it is devastating.” And I’m definitely watching. Hulu‘s other adds are sparse, but include Un Padre No Tan Padre , a 2017 comedy. This finds Don Servando Villegas (Héctor Bonilla), at 86, forced to move in with his estranged son, Francisco (Benny Ibarra de Llano), after being evicted from his retirement home for assaulting a waiter there. But Francisco‘s new age style of communally living with his girlfriend and 8 other people does not sit well with Don Servando, and there are so many other bones of contention between them, that chances of survival of everyone seems bleak. But things can change, and people, too. Jacqueline Bracamontes, Rafael Simón, Camila Selser, Arturo Barba and Zamia Fandiño also star, and Raúl Martínez directed. And this movie was nominated for 2 awards by the Mexican Cinema Journalists, including Best Male Newcomer, and gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru said its “tender, warm, witty and refreshingly honest. Hector Bonilla gives a bravura performance.” I’m watching. Hulu also offers Today’s Webtoon, a 2023 K-drama comedy series. Here, a member of the National Judo Team, On Ma Eum(Kim Se Jeong), finds her life crashing around her ears when she injures her ankle, permanently ending her career. So she searches for a job with few sellable skills, only to find one as an editor of a webtoon, although struggling to work in an office without using her formidable fighting techniques. Choi Daniel, Nam Yoo-su, Im Chul-soo, Ha Yul-Ri and Bo-ra Nam also star, and there are 16 episodes available now. And this series gets an impressive 7.2/10 on IMDb, and Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post calls it a “bright office drama [that] ends on a satisfying note,” and I’m definitely watching. And finally, Hulu has added Melancholia, a 2021 drama series. Im Soo-Jung plays Yoon-soo, a math teacher at a private school, who finds the introverted student Seung-yoo(Lee Do-Hyun), and directs him toward mathematics, for which he has a great affinity. But rumors swarm about the pair, and they gain an enemy in their school’s director, Noh Jung-ah (Jin Kyung). So when they meet four years later, they find a way to go after the corruption and cheating at their old school, and a relationship they could not have had earlier. Lee Do-hyeon, Choi Dae-hoon, Oh Kwang-rok and Baek Ji-won also star, and there are 16 episodes available to devour now. And this series gets an outstanding 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Shalini_A i of Soompi calls it “A guilt-free ride with a ton of heart. ” And it’s on my list.
NETFLIX
Netflix has few big titles added this week, it’s biggest being The Out-Laws, a crime caper comedy. Adam Devine plays Owen Browning, a staid bank manager, who is to meet the parents of his fiancé Parker(Nina Dobrev),for the first time. But Billy and Lilly McDermott(Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin!) are far more flashy that he expected, and his bank is robbed, he gathers from little clues that it’s them. And when he learns they’re the infamous Ghost Bandits, and they are in desperate need of money, the only polite thing he can do is help out, as a banking expert .Julie Hagerty(!), Richard Kind(!),Michael Rooker, Lil Rel Howery, and Poorna Jagannathan also star, and Tyler Spindel directs. But even a great cast can’t save this predictable movie, and so it gets only a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com says its “derivative and desperate and, at the same time, bizarrely pleased with itself.” So probably don’t bother. I certainly won’t. Luckily, Netflix has also added Gold Brick, the 2023 French heist comedy series. This takes place in the town of Chartres, where most people are forced to abandon their dreams and work at the perfume giant Breuil and Sons, where Daniel Sauveur(Antoine Gouy) reluctantly toils. But soon he hits upon a plan to make himself rich, instead of someone else, and together with his friend Scania(Igor Gotesman), as they decide to lift a few bottles a week, worth 500 euro each, never to be missed, to sell online. As the pair make money hand over fist, and more and more workers join the plot, the only thing that could go wrong does, as the plant managers notice the shortage. Agathe Rousselle, Grégoire Colin, Raphaël Quenard and Nina Meurisse also star, and Jérémie Rozan directs. And though this film gets a 5.5/10 on IMDb, it also gains the praise of many critics. Poulami Nanda of Film Fugitives calls it ” a Netflix must watch [that] succeeds in shedding light on pressing social issues and offering thought-provoking commentary, making us reflect on the oppressive structures that govern our lives and challenging us to consider the possibility of breaking free from these constraints.” And I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers Back to 15, a 2023 Brazilian comedy series. This finds 30 year-old Anita(Camila Queiroz), unhappy and living in São Paulo, sent back to the past she idealizes after her sister’s wedding, and finds all was not perfect as she remembered. And so, in the guise of 15 year-old Anita(Maisa Silva), the adult Anita sees to fix her past injustices, and set everyone straight, which works well with bullies, not always so well with friends. Pedro Vinicius, João Guilherme, Mariana Rios, Breno Ferreira and Yana Sardenberg also star, and there are 12 episodes in 2 seasons available for bingeing now. And it gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and Joel Keller of The Decider says to stream it, adding its “a light, entertaining show about a woman trying to change her life by using her knowledge as an adult to change how things went for her as a teenager.” And I agree, I’m watching. But Netflix also offers Unknown: The Lost Pyramid, a 2023 science doc. Here, in the desert of Saqqara, where Egypt‘s oldest pyramids, like the famed Step Pyramid, have been found, renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass(!) and his protégé and rival, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, search for more ancient remains, maybe even another pyramid. But what was found was earthshaking, a necropolis that blew archaeologists‘ minds, with mummies dating to the Old Kingdom, 2700 BC to 2200 BC. And we get to see not only the contest between the pair, but also the explosive reaction when the announcements were made, just a few months ago. And narration from Hawass and Waziri makes it even more exciting. And it gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and Rohan Naahar of the India Times says “enlightening and entertaining, Netflix’s new documentary is a must-watch for history nerds, and a great alternative to the disappointing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” I agree, watch this instead. And, finally, Netflix has added The Longest Promise, a 2023 Chinese fantasy romance series . This takes place in China’s distant past, where Shi Ying(Xiao Zhan), a haughty young prince of the Red Clan, banished to Jiu Yi Mountain, and who has to take up tutoring in order to survive. But when he feels attracted to one of his students, Zhu Yan(Ren Min), princess of the Chi Yi Tribe, he cannot profess his feelings, or act on them, not only for propriety’s sake, but also the fact that they are on opposite factions of power . Wang Churan, Alen Fang, Han Dong and Wang Zi Qi also star, and there are 14 episodes available for gorging now. And this series gets an astounding 9.7/10 on IMDb, and, though I’ve found no reviews as yet, the special effects are outstanding, and the cast great. I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has added the 2023 Blumhouse horror series, The Horror of Dolores Roach. Justina Machado stars in the title role as Dolores Roach, released after 15 years in prison with few options and forced to work as a masseuse in her friend’s basement in Washington Heights . But things soon go awry , and soon Dolores has killed one of her obnoxious clients,(Marc Maron!) with no safe way to dispose of the body. So the empanada shop of her friend Luis(Alejandro Hernandez) seems to offer the perfect solution. Maureen Cassidy, K. Todd Freeman, Kita Updike, Judy Reyes and Cyndi Lauper(!) also star, and there are 6 episodes available to eat up now(sorry). And it gets a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.2/10 on IMDb. Cristina Escobar of Rogerbert.com says its “a playful show about a serial killer, The Horror of Dolores Roach gets its frights by not taking itself too seriously.” And I’m watching. Amazon has also added 80 For Brady, the 2023 comedy. Here, 4 friends, played by Rita Moreno(!), Jane Fonda(!), Sally Field(!) and Lily Tomlin(!) , travel to the 2017 Super Bowl LI after winning 4 tickets on a sports-talk TV show. And ,of course, there are hijinks galore, as they have all kinds of fun and adventures. Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, Harry Hamlin and Bob Balaban also star, with Kyle Marvin directing. And, no, this isn’t the movie such a stellar cast deserves, but it still gets a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, and though some critics panned it, Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com said “it’s pure joy to see these women we have loved and grown with over the decades. They still give their considerable best to make us laugh, dream of our own adventures, and wish they could be around for another two centuries.” You decide. And, finally, Amazon has added The Initiated, a 2023 dystopian scifi thriller. This takes place in a future Bogota, Colombia, where water is in short supply, only to be subjected to a constant rain that is toxic to drink. Here, disgraced journalist Frank (Andres Parra) notices a rising disappearance rate among the residents of the Kasbah, a rundown area of town. When his friend Monica ( LoMaasBello) disappears, supposed to have committed suicide, Frank investigates, and seems to have found a sinister plan to murder the citizens of the Kasbah, but he is bipolar and off his meds, so will anyone believe him? Aria Jara, Jorge Cao, Francisco Denis and Juan Pablo Urrego also star, and Juan Felipe Orozco directed. And this film gets a oustanding 7/10 on IMDb, and Johnny Loftus of The Decider says to stream it , adding “here are interesting, suspenseful elements drifting between the incessant raindrops in Los Iniciados, just enough to outlast its dour vibe and slow to develop plotting.” And it’s on my list.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 