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 Such Brave Girls, a 2023 BBC dark comedy series. This chronicles the lives of the dysfunctional family, with Deb and her two daughters, Josie and Billie, under the spotlight. Josie, played by series creator Kat Sadler, has psychiatric issues that have led to multiple hospitalizations that her domineering mother Deb(Louise Brealey)just can’t let her forget, but the whole family is reeling after the kids neglectful and narcissistic father finally leaves. So Josie tries to convince her boyfriend she’s gay, while her sister Billie (Lizzie Davidson) tries to reconnect with her ex. Freddie Meredith, Sam Buchanan, Paul Bazeley, Jude Mack and Carla Woodcock also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets an incredible 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a7.5/10 on IMDb. Dan Fienberg of the Hollywood Reporter calls it a” hilarious slice of family dysfunction, focusing on a trio of women whose only connection is their trauma and, you know, shared DNA,” while Amelia Stout of Slant Mag says it “takes a look at mental illness dead in the eye with a daring grin.” So I’m watching. Accents are awfully thick though, as it takes place near Manchester, England, so I’m turning on the subtitles. Hulu has also added A Historia Delas, a 2023 Brazilian drama series. This tells of Isabel, who finds out that her husband was involved in corruption and that she now has to remain under house arrest at her former housekeeper Marta‘s home in Rio de Janeiro , along with her daughter, Ana Jasmin. but with everyone imprisoned together, employer and employee, tempers rise, their relationships are suddenly turned on their heads. Letícia Spiller, Bia Arantes, Cris Vianna and Ema Araújo also star, and there are 8 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets 6.1/10 on IMDb, and High on Films says it “transcends the realm of mere entertainment; it unfolds as a captivating exploration into the lives of four friends maneuvering the intricacies of adulthood with the elegance of a dancer and the resilience of a warrior.” And I’m tuning in. And, if you need horror even in December, Hulu has R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town, a 2023 horror flick. Dan Aykroyd(!) stars, here, as Len Carver, a renowned but reclusive horror filmmaker who returns to make one last film, but when two teens, Amy (Madi Monroe) and Mike (Marlon Kazadi) , in his home town, secretly watch the movie on Halloween night, they find it turns people into zombies. in fact, it starts to turn all the residents of Carverville into zombies, and Carver himself finds that he must burn all his films to extinguish the curse, if any of them are to survive. Chevy Chase, Brenna Coates, Bruce McCulloch, and Henry Czerny also star, and Peter Lepeniotis directs. And no, this isn’t high art or even mediocre art- it gets only a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 3.9/10 on IMDb. But new adds are short on Hulu this week, and Anne Brodie of What She Said wrote “what a joy to find Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Henry Czerny, Bruce McCulloch, and Scott Thompson together! Positive notes for kids, and warns us to stay out of Egyptian burial chambers in small-town Canada. Stay to the very last post-credits moment.” So you decide. And , finally, Hulu has added Blue Jean, a 2022 award-winning British drama. this takes place in England, 1988, when the Thatcher administration sought to introduce a set of laws banning the “promotion of homosexuality,” supposedly to ‘protect children,’ putting closeted gays like Jean, played by Rosy McEwan, in even more peril. That Jean is a teacher puts her career at risk if anyone discovers her sexuality, and so she endeavors, under increasing pressure, to keep her secret. But as the bias against gays rises in her community, and a local girl begins to feel the hatred, Jean may no longer be able to remain quiet. Kerrie Hayes, Lucy Halliday, Lydia Page, and Aoife Kennan also star, while Georgia Oakley directed. And this film has won numerous awards, including the Giornate Degli Autori‘s People Choice Award at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, and Best Actress for Lucy Halliday at the 2022 Scottish BAFTAs. And it gets an amazing 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7/10 on IMDb. Robert Abele of the L.A. Times called it a “confident, moody and superbly acted debut feature from Georgia Oakley.” And I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has no big titles added this week, but plenty of interesting foreign adds, like 1670, a 2023 Polish historical mockumentary. Here the camera follows the nobleman Jan Pawel Adamczewski, played by Bartłomiej Topa, on his quest to become the most famous person on earth. As he parades his town of Adamczycha and brags of Poland’s superiority, his townspeople are mired in superstition, poverty and ignorance, to which he turns a blind eye. His disdain for suffering lies just below the surface, so his pretense of concern for the poor is hardly convincing. And if this sounds dark to you, just remember, Monty Python and the Holy Grail might well have served as inspiration for this show. Katarzyna Herman, Martyna Byczkowska, Michal Balicki and Michał Sikorski also star, and 8 episodes are available now. And it gets an astounding 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Vikas Yadav of the Midgard Times calls it “a delicate dance of awkwardness and amusement, sex and love, heartbreak and optimism. 1670 is worth your attention.” And I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers The Golden Hour, a 2023 Dutch crime thriller series. Nasrdin Dchar stars, here, as Mardik, a Dutch detective investigating a terrorist attack, who fears an old Afghan friend might be involved. At the same time, Mardik himself is distrusted by other governmental officials, like AIVD agent Joëlle (Ellen Parren) and soon, the detective becomes a prime suspect in her eyes. Abbas Fasaei, Nabil Mallat, Yannick de Waal and Sophie Veldhuizen also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series won the Best non-English Drama Series Award at the World Media Festival in Canada and gets an outlandish 7.5/10 on IMDb. Karina “ScreamQueen” Adelgaard of Heaven of Horror said “just six episodes, ….. and you’ll want to keep watching. Especially the backstory seen in flashbacks managed to pull me in immediately.” And I’m tuning in. Netflix has also added Carol & The End Of The World, a 2023 animated adult comedy series. This finds Carol(Martha Kelly) finding herself stunned and at loose ends, with the impending doom for Earth coming in seven months. A huge (mysterious) planet looms in the sky, due soon to impact and destroy the world, so most earthlings are off living their bucket list, travelling the world, or skydiving or ..something. But Carol is caught in her melancholy, not sure what to do, so she visits her nudist parents, goes to work, or deserted stores, the usual. But somehow, over time, she connects with other outsiders, and begins to bloom, before our eyes. Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Bridget Everett, Mel Rodriguez, Beth Grant and Lawrence Pressman also star, and there are 10 episodes available to enjoy now. And there is plenty to enjoy, with plenty of comedy and life, along with the apocalyptic overtones. And this series gests a stunning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Belen Edwards of Mashable says “Carol & the End of the World is the kind of TV gem that will simultaneously acknowledge and alleviate your existential dread.” that’s why I’m watching. Netflix also offers Sesham Mike-il Fathima, a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language comedy/drama. This tells the tale of Fathima Noorjahan, played by Kalyani Priyadarshan, a young woman in Malappuram, who wants to be a football(read soccer here) commentator. Unfortunately, not only does she have to contend societal norms and mores , but also her conservative Muslim family, who only want her to get married. Luckily, she has her friend Ramya(Femina George), a journalist, in her corner, who might be able to help her make her dream come true. Sudheesh, Aneesh Menon, Femina Jacob, Sabumon, Sarasa Balussery, Shaheen Siddique and Jayaraj Calicut also star, while Manu C Kumar directs. and this movie gets a 6.8/10 on IMDb, and Athira M of the Hindu says “Kalyani Priyadarshan shines in this feel-good entertainer.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has added Yu Yu Hakusho, a 2023 Japanese fantasy series. Based on a famous manga series, this 17 year-old delinquent Yusuke or Yu Yu, played by Takumi Kitamura, being picked to become a Spirit Detective after he dies trying to sav a child. He must fight the behemoth Yokai, that entered the Human world to kill thousands, but first he must survive his training and his demanding mentors. Jun Shison, Kanata Hongô, Shûhei Uesugi, Ai Mikami and Sei Shiraishi also star, and there are 5 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an alarming 7.7/10 on IMDb, and Erik Massoto of Collider says it “packs a real punch. “
AMAZON
Amazon has a great add this week with Asteroid City, Wes Anderson‘s 2023 comedy/drama. Here, presented as a 50‘s tv stage play, we find a small southwestern town, Asteroid City, windblown and deserted, until our players arrive, like war photographer Augie Steenbeck(Jason Schwartzman), Hollywood star Midge Campbell(Scarlett Johansson), all to celebrate the initial arrival of the asteroid, some 5,000 years ago(!). Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton and Ed Norton also star, and Anderson and Roman Coppola co-wrote the script. and this movie has been nominated for plenty of awards already this year, and is predicted to get at least a few nods at the Oscars. And it gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Katie Walsh of the Tribune New Service said “Anderson hasn’t just delivered his best film in years, he’s also managed to capture the zeitgeist in his own unique way.” So I’m definitely tuning in. Amazon also offers The Courtship, a 2022 Hungarian romance, on the Freebie channel. Also titled Ida Regénye, and based on the classic Géza Gárdonyi‘s novel of the same name, this tells of Ida, played by Júlia Mentes who reluctantly returns to her father after being educated by nuns most of her life. He is less than pleased with her return, and so promptly advertises for a suitor for her, in the classifieds. With the promise of a hefty dowry, Csaba Balogh(Barnabás Rohonyi) shows up, but Ida is, naturally, less than pleased with his motives, and Csaba thinks she must be less than desirable, if an advertisement was necessary. This movie was nominated for the Golden Nymph at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival, and went on to win the Hungarian Motion Picture Award at the Hungarian Motion Picture Awards 2022. And it gets a whopping 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Krisztina Goda of Euro Channel wrote “what truly sets this movie apart is the outstanding performances by Júlia Mentes and Barnabás Rohonyi in the lead roles. Together, they breathe life into the characters, painting a vivid portrait of love’s transformative power.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Amazon is offering season 1 of Queens, an 2018 Israeli crime drama, from MHZ Choice. Also called Malkot in Israel, this tells of the women of the Malka crime family, and how they survive after all the adult male members of their clan are knocked off in a mob hit. Dori Malka (Rita) takes the reins at first, desperate to save the lives of her family and others, even if she has no idea exactly how to do it. Her young son looks on incredulously as she offers him a gun to take to school, and Dori and her aunt try frantically to get rid of a grenade she was using as a threat, before it explodes. Dana Ivgy, Mali Levi, Lihi Kornowski, Igal Noor and Orly Silbersatz also star, and there are 11 episodes available to enjoy now. this series was 3 nominations at the 2018 Awards of the Israeli Television Academy , including Best Comedy Series, and it gets an outstanding 7.5/10 on IMDb. Mark Glass of We Are Movie Geeks calls it “an action and character drama that works pretty well,” but it’s the humor that makes it a golden pick. I’m definitely tuning in. But remember to finish before January 1, when it all disappears back to MHZ Choice.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 