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, surprisingly, has no notable adds this week, but a couple of passable ones, like All Fun and Games, a 2023 horror flick. This takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where Jonah, played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, finds an old (cursed)knife, and brings it home for all of the family to see. But soon, his big sister, (Natalia Dyer!) and friends, home alone, find the knife is holds a sinister spirit, named Daniel, and it takes over her older brother ,Marcus (Asa Butterfield), with murderous results. Annabeth Gish, Keith David, Laurel Marsden and Kolton Stewart also star, and Eren Celeboglu and Ari Costa co-directed. And this movie was produced by the Russo Brothers’ company AGBO, so even though it gets a mere 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a good cast and pedigree. And Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media said “refreshingly lean, this horror movie tells a familiar story, but its strength lies in its vivid character relationships, its haunted location, and the real-world consequences for actions taken.” You decide. Luckily, Hulu also has Irresistible, a 2023 Disney+ French comedy series. This has predicament when podcaster Adèle (Camélia Jordana) finally falling for Arthur (Théo Navarro-Mussy), a mathematician who studies the probabilities of love. but they find their trouble are just beginning, when Adèle starts to suffer dizzy spells and a host of other symptoms when around Arthur. And when a doctor diagnoses her disorder as Post-traumatic love shock, all the rules change, and all that remains is whether Arthur wants to play the game. Corentin Fila, Salomé Dewaels, Simon Ehrlacher and Zoé Schellenberg also star, and there are 6 episodes available for streaming now. And this series was nominated for the La Rochelle TV Award at the Festival de la Fiction TV and it gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb. Hulu also offers The Unusual Suspects, a 2021 Australian comedy mini-series. Miranda Otto(!) stars, here, as Sara Beasley, a woman desperate to succeed at her wellness business and website, as she fails her husband, friends and family. But when she is threatened with blackmail for a marital indiscretion, she, her nanny, Evie(Aina Dumlao) and three other friends decide to steal a $16 million necklace, and stick it to all the rich people they’ve been trying to keep up with. Michelle Vergara Moore, Heather Mitchell, and Lena Cruz also star, and there are 4 episodes available for streaming now. and this series has been nominated for numerous awards in Australia, including the ADG Award at the Australian Directors Guild Awards, and the Best Miniseries or Telefeature at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards. And it gets a 6.9/10 on IMDb, and Viklas Yadav of the Midgard Times called it “gleefully chaotic…[and] it moves with high-octane energy, which the actors, too, dispense through their acting.” so I’m tuning in.And, finally, Hulu has The Golden Spoon, a 2023 Disney+ K-drama fantasy series. This takes place at Jaeil High School in Seoul, where only rich ‘golden spoons’ go, but Lee Seung-cheon (Yook Sung-jae), a ‘dirt spoon,’ as they are called manages to get in. Because he met a mysterious old woman who told him a magical way to switch places with a son of the richest of the rich, he is living the life of his dreams. But will he be able to live with the guilt of what he has done, and those he left behind? Jung Chae-yeon, Yeonwoo, Choi Dae-chul, Seungyoo and Han Chae-ah also star, and there are 16 episodes available for bingeing now. and this series gets a remarkable 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Tanu I. Raj of NME says it “spins a riveting tale of class warfare.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
The biggest new title on Netflix this week has to be Elvis, the 2022 Baz Luhrmann film. Aaron Butler stars, in the title role, but the story begins with Chaydon Jay playing the Presley, ridiculed by others for being different, while being brought up in poverty by his doting mother, Gladys (Helen Thomson). But everything changes when Charlie Parker(Tom Hanks) hears him singing That’s All Right on Beale Sreet one night. As the singer rises to unbelievable heights, he tries to free himself from Parker, while marrying the teenaged Priscilla(Olivia DeJonge), and fearing fearing for his legacy. Natasha Bassett, Richard Roxburgh, Luke Bracey and Kelvin Harrison Jr. also star, and Luhrmann wrote the script with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner, along with directing. And it gets a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com wrote it “certainly works as a jukebox, and it does deliver exactly what you’d expect from a Luhrmann movie. But it never gets close to Presley; it never deals with the knotty man inside the jumpsuit; it never grapples with the complications in his legacy. It’s overstuffed, bloated, and succumbs to trite biopic decisions,” and I agree. I won’t be tuning in. I’d rather watch The Brothers Sun, the 2024 thriller series. Bruce (Sam Song Li) lives a normal life with his mom Eileen (Michelle Yeoh!), in L.A., until his long lost brother, Charles(Justin Chien) shows up, wanting to save their lives. It seems their family is the head of the Taiwan gang , the Jade Dragons, and if Bruce wants to survive, he’s going to have to step up his gangster game. Unfortunately, Bruce isn’t a natural gangster, but his mother Eileen, might be tough enough to save them all. Highdee Kuan, Joon Lee, Madison Hu, Alice Hewkin, Jenny Yang and Jon Xue Zhang also star, and there are 8 exciting episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Aramide Tinubu of Variety says it “has the perfect mix of comedy and drama. It’s a narrative about what’s expected, what can be endured and how much we are willing to give up so others can live out their dreams.” All that and Michelle Yeoh, too. I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added Fool Me Once, a 2023 British mystery limited series. the latest in Netflix’ Harlen Coben adaptations, this finds ex-soldier Maya Stern, played by Michelle Keegan, witness the death of her husband, Joe(Richard Armitage), first hand, only to glimpse him on her child’s nanny cam, days after his funeral. But when she confronts her nanny Izabella (Natalia Kostrzewa) about it , she gets a face full of pepper spray, and starts to investigate, beginning with her powerful mother-in-law(and employer of her nanny)Judith (Joanna Lumley!). And while Judith tries to distract Maya, even trying to wrest custody of Maya’s daughter Lily away from her, DS Sami Kierce (Adeel Akhtar) and Maya try to find the truth, before calamity strikes her again. Thea Taylor-Morgan, Emmett J Scanlan, Dino Fetscher and Hattie Morahan also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7/10 on IMDb. And Ed Power of the Daily Telegraph(UK) writes “if Lumley doesn’t quite act Keegan off-screen, she is nonetheless fantastically formidable. Throw in a plot that moves like a slinky on steroids and you have a post-Christmas thriller to cherish.” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added Good Grief, a 2023 drama. Dan Levy(!) stars, here, as Marc, a painter and illustrator, whose life revolves around his husband, bestselling-author, Oliver (Luke Evans) . So when Oliver suddenly dies, Marc‘s life is turned upside down , and as he becomes more depressed, he opts for a trip to Paris with his two best friends. Unfortunately, while there, he discovers secrets about Oliver that makes things more complicated, and everything changes, again. Ruth Negga(!) , Himesh Patel, Celia Imrie, David Bradley and Arnaud Valois also star, and Daniel Levy directs for the first time, along with writing the script. And this movie gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times calls it a “showcase of sadness, humor and beauty.” So it’s on my list. And, finally, Netflix has Society of the Snow , the 2023 Spanish thriller. This dramatizes a infamous Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 accident in 1972, with more then half members of a Uruguayan rugby team killed on impact. For the survivors, though, the agony was just beginning, as they were trapped high in the Andes, with little food and water. As the food ran out, group leaders Nando Parrado (Agustín Pardella) and Roberto (Matías Recalt), were forced to comfort their friends through death, and then eat their flesh to survive. As the pair make an harrowing hike to find help, their desperation palpable. Enzo Vogrincic plays our narrator, Numa Turcatti, and Esteban Kukuriczka, Tomas Wolf, Diego Vegezzi and Esteban Bigliardi also star, while master Spanish director J.A. Bayona(The Orphanage) directs. And this movie is Spain‘s Oscar contender for Best International Film, and it gets a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roxana Hadadi of the New York Times says “not since Martin Scorsese’s Silence has a film so effectively asked us to consider whether faith is benevolence or a blight.” But it’s far too harrowing for me.
AMAZON
Amazon has a major title added this week with Foe, the 2023 sci drama. This takes place in 2065, on an earth decimated by overpopulation and climate change, and so Henrietta, or Hen, (Saoirse Ronan!) and Junior (Paul Mescal) are isolated on their scorched and isolated farm in the Midwest. But then a stranger arrives, Terrance (Aaron Pierre), with an offer for Junior, to join the off-planet colonization effort. The stranger will have to move in with them, to ‘observe’ Junior‘s every move, and if chosen, Hen will be supplied with a replica of her husband, to keep her company. But neither partner is pleased with the plan, and as tensions rise, anything is possible. Jordan Chodziesner, William Freeman, Jalen Ong, David Woods and Shannon Berry also star, and Garth Davis directed. But, even though Mescal was been nominated for British/Irish Performer of the Year at the 2024 London Critics Circle Film Awards, Foe (based on a 2018 novel by author Iain Reid) doesn’t pan out. And so it gets only a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, although David Stratton of the Australian did write “overall, the film must be counted as a disappointment, though there are interesting elements to this futuristic drama.” So you decide. Luckily, Amazon also offers Dhootha, a 2023 Indian horror/thriller series. Here, Sagar Varma Avudhuri(Naga Chaitanya Akkineni) starts to receive strange newspaper clippings with cartoons that predict the deaths of those around him, that actually come to pass. As he investigates, the threat creep closer to those around him. And when the life of his pregnant wife Priya(Priya Bhavani Shankar) is threatened, he tries to extricate himself from the inquiry, but finds that may be impossible to do. Naga Chaitanya, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Prachi Desai, Gnaneswari Kandregula, Anish Kuruvilla, Tharun Bhascker and Rohini also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets an astounding 7.8/10 on IMDb, and Farhad Dalal of Popcorn Reviews calls it “a decently compelling thriller with good performance[s] and a relevant message at the end.” But far too scary for me. And, finally, Amazon also offers Escort Boys, a 2023 French comedy series. This tells of four friends in Camargue, France, desperate to keep their failing bee-keeping business afloat, and so, they decide to put their efforts into the escort business. When Ben(Guillaume Labbé) first hears his sister Charley’s idea, he and his friends are appalled, and skeptical, but as their problems snowball, they feel they have no choice. So they exercise, and try to prepare, but when they enter the field, it is clear that only some of them are naturals. And even success brings big problems , with their families and significant others paying a price. Marysole Fertard, Thibaut Evrard, Simon Ehrlacher, Corentin Fila and Nadia Roz also star, and there are 6 episodes available now for viewing. And, loosely based on the Israeli series Johnny and the Knights of the Galilee, this series is a big hit in France, and gets a 7/10 on IMDb. Crouhana of PeachZ says “one of those easy to watch shows that attracts you for a reason, and then gives you much more,”and yes, it is sexually explicit, but so much more, with comedy and relationships well in the mix. So its 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 