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 Quiz Lady, a 2023 comedy. Awkwafina stars here, as Anne, a introverted CPA beset with troubles when her mom takes off from the Sunnyvale Rest home, leaving her to cover her $80,000 in debt to gangster Ken(Jon Park) . But when Ken steal’s Anne’s beloved dog, her sister kooky Jenny (Sandra Oh)steps in to help her save him, and the only hope seems to be Anne‘s appearing on her favorite trivia show, and winning tons of money. And so, a frantic road trip is in order. Will Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Jason Schwartzman and Paul Reubens(!) also star, while Jessica Yu directs. This movie premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Lori C. of Ready Steady Cut says its “hilariously charming. The film mixes up elements of slapstick and situational comedy without falling into the trap of being too ridiculous.” I agree, and I’m definitely watching. But Hulu also offers A Haunting in Venice, the 2023 Kenneth Branagh mystery. Here, Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot, the famous Agatha Christie detective, now retired and living in post-WWII Venice. And when he reluctantly attends a seance there, and a murder inevitably occurs, it’s up to him to save the remaining attendees from a similar fate. Tina Fey(!), Michelle Yeoh(!), Rowan Robinson, Jamie Dornan, Emma Laird and Camille Cottin also star, and Michael Green(Logan) wrote the script. But abandon all hope a true Christie tale here, as so much has been changed- location, time, storyline, etc. – that little of that her great artistry remains. The only way to enjoy this money maker is to forget Agatha Christie(especially for uber-fans like me), and call it a Branagh creation. And it gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes , with Farah Cheded of A Good Movie To Watch writing “it’s not the same kind of reliable guilty pleasure we expect these vehicles to be […] but this outing of Branagh’s Poirot is at least an interesting experiment in expanding these stories’ usual limits.” But I won’t be watching this sacrilege. Luckily, Hulu also offers Somewhere in Queens, the 2023 comedy directed by Ray Romano. Romano plays Leo Russo, here, an Italian American living in Queens, whose life revolves around the high school basketball games of his son, Matthew “Sticks” (Jacob Ward). So when his son shows exceptional talent, and gets offered a scholarship, and a chance to avoid his father’s fate of working for the family construction firm, Leo goes out of his way to help him succeed. Even when Matthew loses heart and determination after breaking up with his girlfriend, his dad goes to the girl to fix things up, leading Leo‘s wife, Angela (Laurie Metcalf!), to bristle and begin to see her husband may not be too happy with his own life. Tony Lo Bianco , Sadie Stanley, Jennifer Esposito, Karen Lynn Gorney and Sebastian Maniscalco also star, while Romano not only directed this (his first feature) , but co-wrote the script with Mark Stegemann. And this movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, and gets a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly said its “quiet and charming and has some beautiful, if also familiar things to say about fathers and sons, and the question of legacy.” and I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added Black Cake, a 2023 drama series. Based on Charmaine Wilkerson’s best selling novel of the same name, this begins with the death of Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung), whose estranged children , Byron (Ashley Thomas) and Benny (Adrienne Warren), are summoned by her lawyer, but instead of just paperwork, they are given a flash drive with their mother’s narration of her life. There unfolds an hither -to unknown tale of her life in Jamaica, and the vibrant young woman she was, Covey Lin Cook(Mia Isaac), and a mystery, as well. Faith Alabi, Glynn Turman, Ahmed Elhah and Simon Wan also star, and there are 4 lush episodes available now, with 4 more to come. Oprah Winfrey serves as executive producer of this series that gets an amazing 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Aramide Tinubu of Variety says it “explores a mysterious family tree. It tactfully handles a family uncovering their mother’s complicated and often tragic past after her death with layered thought.” And I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week with All the Light we Cannot See, a 2023 historical drama limited series. Based on the Anthony Doerr 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, this takes place in WWII occupied St Malo, in France, with former Parisienne Marie-Laure LeBlanc(Aria Mia Loberti) hosting an illegal radio show(in code) to help the allies. Her father, Daniel(Mark Ruffalo!), a former curator of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, now lives to help and protect his daughter, as she is blind, but the girl manages to meet Werner (Louis Hofmann), a Nazi radio tech tasked with finding her, and the pair fall in love. Hugh Laurie plays Marie-Laure‘s agoraphobic uncle Etienne, and Lars Eidinger, Marion Bailey, Luna Wedler and Jakob Diehl also star, and Shawn Levy directed all 4 episodes. But this series does little service to Doerr‘s incredible book, and so gets only a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. Peter Travers of ABC News writes “Anthony Doerr‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of wartime courage under fire has been turned into a botch job of epic proportions, a shockingly shallow drama series that dims the light of everyone involved in its misbegotten creation.” I won’t be watching. Luckily, Netflix has another big add with Nyad, the 2023 biopic starring Annette Benning. Based on Nyad’s memoir Find A Way, Benning plays the long-distance swimming phenom Diana Nyad, who, at the age of 60, swam from 112 miles from Cuba to Florida. This film tells of the boredom and ennui Nyad felt after her retirement at 29, after failing in first attempt at the Cuba to Florida swim, and her decision to try again. Her best friend Bonnie (Jodie Foster!) is dubious and tries to talk her out of it, but, of course, ends up backing her all the way and becomes her trainer for the monumental task . And, finally, her navigator, John (Rhys Ifans) maps the dangerous ocean currents as Nyad endures jellyfish stings, fish bites, extreme sunbrun and hallucinations of past trauma and abuse. But she persists. Anne Marie Kempf, Carolyn McCormick, Marcos Diaz and Eric T. Miller also star, while former award-winning documentarians Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) co-direct. And this movie had its premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in September, 2023, and won the Variety Screenwriters to Watch for Julia Cox, and it looks to be nominated for at least a few awards at next years Oscars. And it gets an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com says “what elevates Nyad above the expected terrain are the performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, both individually and with each other.” I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix also offers Cigarette Girl, a 2023 Indonesian historical drama series. Also known as Gadis Kretek, this tells two stories- of Dasiyah, aka Jeng Yah, played by Dian Sastrowardoyo, whose father runs a cigarette stand in the 1960′s, and of the present day search for Dasyah by an older man- Soeraja (Ario Bayu). He asks his son to search for Jeng Yah, the woman he met in the 60′s, who had the courage to buck the culture and misogyny of her day by avoiding an arranged marriage, and making her way into business, instead. Arya Saloka, Putri Marino, Ibnu Jamil and Tissa Biani Azzahra also star, and there are 5 episodes available to devour now. and it gets an 8.1/10 on IMDb, and Pooja Darade of LeisureByte calls it “a must-watch…a slow-burn series, but the riveting screenplay and performances will keep you engrossed, and you might binge-watch it.” I’m definitely watching. Netflix also has Tore, a 2023 Swedish drama series. This tells of mortuary assistant Tore, played by William Spetz, an immature and insensitive 27 year-old still living with his dad, Bosse (Peter Haber), who gently pushes him to move out and be more independent. Tore resists, until tragedy forces him to move out into the world alone, but his reluctance to deal with his pain and reality in general, leads him to a world of nightclubs and drugs. But the young man slowly stumbles his way to becoming a more sensitive adult, with the help of new love and his best friend Linn (Sanna Sundqvist).Hannes Fohlin, Per Svensson, Karin Bertling, Doreen Ndagire and Gisela Nilsson also star, and there are 6 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series, that star William Spetz also created and wrote, gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut calls it a “can’t-miss wrenchingly poignant exploration exploration of grief and loss.” But don’t worry, its funny, too. I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has added Daily Dose of Sunshine, a 2023 S. Korean drama series. Based on the autobiographical book Morning Comes To Psychiatric Wards by Lee Ra-ha, a former nurse finds third-year nurse Jung Da-eun(Park Bo-young ) transferred from Internal Medicine to the Psychiatric Department at the Myongshin University Hospital. Da-eun, constantly asked why she transferred from internal medicine, tries to connect emotionally with her patients, and deal with them on a human level. As she tries to help her patients deal with their problems, she is helped by her best friend, Song Yoo-chan (Jang Dong-yoon) and the doctors in the ward. Yeon Woo Jin, Victoria Grace, Lee Jung-eun and Harrison Xu also star, and all 12 episodes are directed by Lee Jae Gyoo. And this show gets an astounding 8.8/10 on IMDb, and Sarah Musnicky of But Why Tho? writes “with its balanced tone – not too dark but not too frivolously light – and its honest approach to starting a conversation around mental illness… Daily Dose of Sunshine gives plenty to hope for and learn about.” And I agree, I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has added Sebastian Fitzek’s Therapy, a 2023 German thriller series. Based on the book by Sebastian Fitzek, apparently a bestseller in Germany, this tale finds Berlin psychiatrist Viktor Larenz anguishing over the anniversary of his teen daughter Josy’s disappearance, when he meets a strange woman, Anna Spiegel(Emma Bading), who seems to know more about it than he does. That the woman is troubled by schizophrenia makes him dubious of how factual her words are, yet he goes on a trip down the rabbit hole find the truth about what happened to his daughter. Helena Zengel, Andrea Osvártto, Samir Fuchs, Trystan Pütter and Martina Eitner also star, and there are 5 intriguing episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Joel Keller of the Decider says “there’s a good thriller at the center of Therapy, and we see the elements of what’s going to be going into that central story…” So I’m watching. Amazon has Harlen Coben’s Shelter, a 2023 teen thriller series. The story here revolves around Mickey Bolitar(Jaden Michael), a teen whose father’s tragic death leaves him alone and rattled, and so he goes to live with his estranged aunt Shira (Constance Zimmer) in New Jersey. There he befriends fellow newbie Ashley Kent (Samantha Bugliaro), but when she suddenly goes missing, Mickey feels the need to investigate, with the help of two other friends, Arthur “Spoon” Spindell (Adrian Greensmith) and Ema Winslow(Abby Corrigan). But he finds that his past and Ashley‘s troubles may be intertwined. Narci Regina, Missi Pyle, Lee Aaron Rosen, Carter Gill and Tovah Feldshuh(!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Geordie Gray of The Australian says “no self-respecting adult plans to get sucked into a YA-thriller, but its hard to resist a show as ludicrously twisty and jam-packed with storylines as Shelter.” And I agree, so I’m watching. And, finally, Amazon has The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a 2023 Australian mystery thriller series. This tells of Alice Hart, a 9 year-old when we begin and played by Alyla Browne, orphaned after a tragic fire at their family home, who is then sent to live with her grandmother, June(Sigourney Weaver!) on her flower farm, which is also a sanctuary for abused women. But there are neighbors who don’t approve of the sanctuary or the child’s staying there, and as troubles rise over the controversy, Alice‘s past haunts her. When she seeks to escape the farm as a young adult, now played by Alycia Debnam-Carey, the question of whether she is safe away from home, with her past ghosts following her, worries June. Leah Purcell plays June‘s wife Twig, and Sebastián Zurita, Asher Keddie, Frankie Adams and Alexander England also star, and there are 7 episodes available for gorging on now. And this series gets an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Robert Lloyd of the L.A. Times writing ” the series, which is sensitively written, expertly performed by actors young and old, and beautifully shot, is in no rush to give up its mysteries, and by drawing out the drama, what’s obvious in the story comes off as proportionally more subtle.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 