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‘s big title this week is Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, the historical drama series from Ryan Murphy. This is the story of Truman Capote, exquisitely played by Tom Hollander and his publication an excerpt of his novel La Cote Basque, 1965 was published in Esquire magazine. Unfortunately, the piece properly skewered his high society female friends, including Jackie O’s sister, Lee Radziwill(Calista Flockhart!),Slim Keith(Diane Lane!) and Babe Paley(Naomi Watts!), wife of CBS magnate, William Paley(Treat Williams!). And, of course, even though Capote changed their names, the women were not forgiving, and focused on ruining him in the next few years. and, indeed, Capote‘s alcoholism, depression and drug abuse spiraled out of control, ending only with his death in 1984. Demi Moore(!) , Molly Ringwald(!), Joe Mantello and Russell Tovey also star, and Gus Van Sant(!) directed 5 of 7 episodes here. And there are 2 episodes available now, with more to come. And this series gets a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.4/10 on IMDb. Graeme Blundell of The Australian calls it “beautifully directed and acted with high intelligence and style.” and I’m watching. Hulu also has Genius: MLK/X, the 2024 series from the National Geographic channel. Based on Jeff Stetson’s play The Meeting this follows Martin Luther King Jr.(Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X(Aaron Pierre) during their formative years, as their lives briefly intersect, and then, each going on their own trajectory through history. We begin in March 26, 1964, with their first and only meeting , then shift back to their boyhood, with each being raised by strong fathers, Malcom X by his father, Earl Little(Gbenga Akinnagbe), Dr. King by his dad, (Lennie James).Then, as we arrive in the 60‘s again, we can see why each man followed the path they did, with Malcolm X choosing black Nationalism, and Martin Luther King choosing a more pacifistic route. We even get insights, in the 5th episode Matriarchs, into Coretta Scott King(Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz(Jayme Lawson), Malcom X’s wife, with their childhoods covered. Erica Tazel, Griffin Matthews, Ja’Quan Monroe-Henderson and Karina Willis also star, and there are 4 episodes available for viewing now, with 4 more to come. And this series gets a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Ronda Racha Penrice of the Wrap says “tracks each man’s genius without ignoring or excusing his faults.” And I’m tuning in. Hulu also offers Oh, Jerome, No, a 2019 FX comedy series. This tells the story of Jerome, played by Mamoudou Athie, a young man who’s far too sensitive, sympathetic and emotional to be living and dating in N.Y.C.. his tendency to break down in tears on a date definitely turns women off, not to mention his gullibility with street vendors. And so he decides to attend a seminar to ‘toughen up,’ but of course, all does not go according to plan.Suzanne Cryer, Avital Ash, Olli Haaskivi, Georgina Campbell and Camrus Johnson also star, and there are 8 hilarious half hour episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an amazing 7.8/10 on IMDb and Steve Greene of Indiewire calls it “relatably funny.” And i am definitely tuning in. And, finally, Hulu has If You Wish Upon Me, a 2022 K-drama series. this tells of Yoon Gyeo-ree(Ji Chang-wook), a young man whose life was filled with sorrow, from abuse as a child ,to a youth detention center, finally ordered by a court to serve his community service at a hospice. and there, he meets Kang Tae Sik (Sung Dong Il) a middle aged worker who never tires of his job on Team Genie, which helps fulfill the final wishes of the terminally ill patients there, no matter what. he also meets nurse Seo Yeon Ju(Choi Sooyoung), who works to give her patients solace and Yoon finds that his life may have meaning after all. Won Jian, Nam Tae-hoon, Yang Hee-kyung and Gil Hae-yeon also star, and there are episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets an outstanding 8/10 on IMDb, and Ruby C. of NME says it’s “an empathetic, down-to-earth offering.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has few big titles added this week, the biggest being Shortcomings, the 2023 movie directed by Randall Park. This tells of Ben(Justin H. Min), a young filmmaker in Berkeley, California, and living with his girlfriend, Miko(Ally Maki), a film snob, even as a failed film student. And when Miko gets an internship in New York City, he decides to play the field, first with one woman, then another. But when he’s left in the lurch the, he begins to realize he’s not the hot item he thought he was. Tavi Gevinson, Debby Ryan, Sherry Cola and Sonoya Mizuno also star, and this movie was based on the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine. This movie premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. And it gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Claudia Puig of FilmWeek called it “engaging and likable romantic comedy that doesn’t follow the formula of a romantic comedy — which is a good thing.” So I’m watching. But Netflix also offers The Last Wife, a 2024 Vietnamese movie. This takes place during the feudal 19th century Nguyen Dynasty, in Northern Vietnam, when Linh, played by Kaity Nguyễn, forced to marry the older (infertile)provincial governor, over her impoverished suitor, Nhân (Thuận Nguyễn). But as her husband viciously beats her, and his other two wives, superior to her, abuse her, Linh loses all hope for the future. Until she sees Nhân again, but as they begin a covert affair, they risk being discovered by any number of her powerful husband’s household, and the torture or even death that that discovery could bring. Kim Oanh, Dinh Ngọc Diep, and Quang Tháng also star, and award-winning Victor Vu directs. And this movie gets a 6.6/10 on IMDb, and Joshua Polanski of In Review Online calls “a sharp film with a level of dramatic consequence that one normally won’t find in historical romances of comparable popular appeal with their algorithmically designed and tidy happy endings.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added Waves, the 2019 drama.Kelvin Harrison Jr.(See Genius: MLK/X above) plays Tyler, a promising young teen wrestler, in a proud suburban Florida family, led by his driven(and hard-driving ) father,Ronald (Sterling K. Brown!). But when Tyler goes on wrestling with an injury, and ends up wounded to badly for his senior year team, and finds his girlfriend Alexis, things go bad quickly. And when Tyler ends up going to prison for decades, the family starts showing the strain of division that has always been there. Lucas Hedges, Alexa Demie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Taylor Russell also star, while this movie was written and directed by Trey Edward Shults. And this film won numerous awards in 2019/2020, including Best Breakthrough Performance at the New York Film Critics, Online, and being named one of the Top Ten Films of 2019 by the Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA. And it gets a stunning 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Brian T. Carney of the Washington Blade says it a “visceral exploration of an affluent African American family in crisis by Trey Edward Shults.” and I’m watching. Netflix also has Baby Bandito, a 2023 Chilean thriller series. In a fictionalized story of a real heist, this tells of Kevin Tapia(Nicolás Contreras), a skateboarder living in poverty, with his mother in debt, while his father was in prison. Finally, when he meets Genesis(Francisca Armstrong), a rich girl , he turns to crime to impress her, and save his family. And as he learns of a shop owner’s planned heist, Kevin decides take advantage of his luck, and carry out the heist himself. But, though the heist is successful, the thieves may out run the authorities, but not the mob leaders, from whom they stole the plan. Carmen Zabala,Pablo Macaya, Francisca Imboden and Paulina Urrutia also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 6.2/10 on IMDb, and Shabnam Jahan of LeisureByte says “Nicolás Contreras and Francisca Armstrong deliver standout performances, bringing depth and relatability to their characters….The show is definitely worth giving a try.” so it’s on my list. And, finally, Netflix has added Will, a 2023 Dutch historical drama. This takes place in 1942 Nazi-occupied Antwerp, during World War II, when Will Willforts(Stef Aerts) joins the Antwerp police force, told by his superior to ‘stand aside,’ while the Nazis are in charge, if he wants to survive. But when Will and his partner Lode(Matteo Simoni) find a Nazi officer , known as a Feldgendarm, wanting their assistance to arrest a Jewish family, and refuse, Lode ends up killing the officer. As the pair hide the family, they find their trust in each other, and those around them decaying, as they try to save the Jewish family, as well. And as Will joins a quasi-resistance group and falls for Lode’s sister, Yvette , he may find that saving himself, while maintaining his ethics and morals, may be impossible. Annelore Crollet, Jan Bijvoet, Gene Bervoets, Sofie Decleir and Kevin Janssens also star, while Tim Mielants directs. And this movie gets an impressive 7.2/10 on IMDb, and Lori Meek of Ready Steady Cut says “Mielants offers us nuance and a beyond-surface-level character study while presenting a time in history so horrific many can only bring themselves to examine it in terms of absolute good vs. absolute evil.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a huge title added with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a 2024 thriller series. Here, John (Donald Glover) and Jane Smith(Maya Erskine) meet for the first time in their brownstone’s elevator, legally married, but strangers, working for ‘the company.’ Not knowing what they’re job will entail, or that they would be ‘married,’ their mission starts off with a mysterious package, and a bomb, but that’s just the beginning, and being thrown off kilter seems to be a part of their relationship. they meet different baddies, and just trying to stay alive seems the order of the day, not maintaining a relationship. But somehow, it becomes more and more important. John Turturro(!), Ron Perlman(!), Sharon Horgan Billy Campbell and Sarah Paulson(!) are just some of the fabulous guest stars, and there are 6 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly calls it “the rare reboot that gets it right… an asset worth holding on to.” I agree, so I’m watching. Amazon has also added Surrounded, a 2023 western thriller. Letitia Wright(!) stars, here, as Moses ‘Mo’ Washington, a woman who disguised herself as a man in order to gain her freedom by joining the buffalo Soldiers. But, 5 years after the end of the Civil War, she is Colorado-bound in a stagecoach, looking for the ‘promised land,’ and a place to be free. But when their stagecoach is attacked by marauders, and Mo helps in their capture, she finds she must remain, still in disguise, with their leader, Tommy Walsh (Jamie Bell), until help arrives. Brett Gelman, Michael K. Williams and Augusta-Allen Jones also star, and Anthony Mandler directed. And this movie gets a 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Joe Leydon of Variety called it “An exceptionally well-crafted Western that spins a gripping, racially charged tale of suspicion, deception and survival in post-Civil War New Mexico.” So I’m tuning in . And, finally, Amazon has added season 1 of Happily Married, a 2020 Canadian dark comedy series. This tells the somewhat true tale takes place in the suburbs of Quebec City in the 70‘s, with two married couples trying to survive their boredom with their partner. First, they try swinging a bit, switching partners, but when that do the trick, they try a little crime. Actually, a lot of crime, with robbery and murder included, but their incompetence leads them to become known as some of the worst criminals in history. François Létourneau, Patrice Robitaille, Marilyn Castonguay, Karine Gonthier-Hyndman and Sophie Desmarais also star, and there are 10 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series won 4 Prix Gémeaux in 2020, and the Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content at the Banff World Media Festival in 2021. And it gets an outstanding 8.4/10 on IMDb, and Film Dienst calls it “overall it offers good entertainment as a crime comedy.” And it is funny, so 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 