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 a huge add this week with Suncoast, the 2024 award-winning drama. This follows Doris, played by Nico Parker(The Last of Us!), a teenager beset with troubles, as her brother, Max, is dying, and her mother Kristine(Laura Linney!) is convinced Doris isn’t suffering enough. Doris wants to enjoy her life a little, socialize with friends, etc, but when Max is moved into hospice, and her mom goes with him, Doris is obliged to spend more time in the waiting game there. But she also happens to meet activist Paul Warren(Woody Harrelson!) there, too, as he is working on behalf of Terry Schiavo, on her famous right-to-die case. As she and Paul become friends, Doris finds support, and new friends, as she opens up her now empty house to for partying. to the indignation of her mom. Cree Kawa, Amarr, Matt Walsh and Ariel Martin also star, while Laura Chinn makes her directorial debut, here. this movie created a big splash at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival last month, where it was nominated for Grand Jury Prize and won the Breakthrough Performance Award for Nico Parker. And it gets a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Amy Nicholson of the New York Times said “with commendable wit and zero self-pity, Chinn sketches the daily surreality of her teenage analogue, Doris (Nico Parker), and mother, Kristine (Laura Linney), navigating a gantlet of protesters who call the hospice an execution chamber.” So I*’m watching. And Hulu has a 2023 Sundance selection, Cat Person, a 2023 psychological thriller. this finds college sophomore Margot, played by Emilia Jones(CODA!), who works in a theater, deciding to go out with an older guy Robert(Nicholas Braun), she met one night. True, he’s not handsome or typically attractive, but he said he likes cats, and so, seemed harmless. But after an heavily regretted night spent with Robert, Margot breaks it off, only to find Robert is not as nice as he seemed, and won’t take no for an answer. Geraldine Viswanathan plays Margot‘s bestie, Taylor, and Hope Davis, Christopher Shyer and Isabella Rossellini(!) also star, and directed. And this movie gets a 6/10 on IMDb, and Stephen Romei of the Australian called it “a highly intelligent, finely-acted, astutely-written and directed, well-shot (cinematographer Manuel Billeter) film that will leave questions in your mind well after the credits roll.” so I’m watching…if it’s not too scary. Luckily, Hulu (and Disney+) have also added Nai Nai and Wai Po, an award-winning 2023 short documentary. Here, director Sean Wang gives us an up close and personal look at his two grandmothers, Zhang Li Hua– at 83, the youngster of the pair, who says she feels like she’s 20, and Yi Yan Fuei– who at 93 says she feels 100. Navigating their old age together, they spend their time arm-wrestling, dancing, and talking about their farts, as they also wrestle with the heavier issues of life and death. And this movie has won numerous awards already, like the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2023 SXSW, and Best Short Film Award at the Seattle Film Festival. And is nominated for Best Documentary Short at this year’s Oscars, which are March 10(!). And it gets an exemplary 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News wrote it “puts a gigantic smile on your face and a boulder-sized lump in your throat.” I agree. I’m watching twice. And, finally, Hulu has added How to Be a Carioca, a 2023 Brazilian comedy series. This considers five newcomers to Rio de Janeiro; Irene , Matthias , Nabil , Laila and Karima, who experience difficulty on their arrival in the new land. Luckily, they all meet Francisco, played by Seu Jorge, a carioca( a resident of Rio who embraces the Rio lifestyle). And as he helps a different immigrant each episode, and in the final one, they help Francisco, in return. Débora Nascimento , Swell Ariel Or, Peter Ketnath, Malu Mader and Douglas Silva also star, and there are 6 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an amazing 8/10 on IMDb, Gabriel van Eekelen of Serie Totaal “an impressive drama with plenty of room to breathe.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a big title added this week with One Day, a 2024 romance series. based on the book by David Nicholls, this tells of Emma(Ambika Mod) and Dexter(Leo Woodall), who meet at their college graduation on St Swithin’s Day(or July 15th), in 1989, but let a romance slip through their fingers. And so when the pair meet through the years on July 15th, we see them progress through life, with success, tragedy and failure, and wonder if the two opposites will ever get together. Amber Grappy, Joss Weldon, Brendan Quinn, Eleanor Tomlinson and Toby Stephens(!) also star, and there are 10 episodes available now, with 3 more to come. and this series gets an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Hugo Rifkind of the Times(UK) says “it’s all perfect. If you’ve any heart at all, you’ll love this to bits.” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added Bhakshak, a 2024 Hindi crime thriller. Based on real incidents, this has journalist Vaishali Singh, played by Bhumi Pednekar, investigate the abuses of young girls in a shelter in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Though the government has gotten a report on the abuse of the girls, no action has been taken place, which leads Singh to the (correct) assumption, that the owner of the home, Bansu Sahu (Aditya Srivastava), has strong political connections. And as Singh gets closer and closer to the truth and reports on it on her small tv station, her life is threatened, and her husband and family resent her dangerous work. Her only help is her colleague Baskar Sinha (Sanjay Mishra), and the pair race against time to save the girls, and their own lives. Sai Tamhankar, Aditya Srivastava, and Surya Sharma also star, and Pulkit directs. And this movie gets an outstanding 7.4/10 on IMDb, and South First calls it “the perfect example of how to make a hard-hitting drama. Do take time for it.” So I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers Ashes, a 2024 Turkish romantic fantasy. Here we find Gökçe (Funda Eryigit), married for ten years to publisher Kenan(Mehmet Günsür), who he has read his incoming manuscripts for him. But one day, when she reads Ashes, she is swept up in the romance, and falls for the main character. Her obsession with the book grows, and she begins looking in real life for book’s protagonist, cryptically called only M, and finds a carpenter, Metin (Alperen Duymaz), that fits the bill to a Tee. As they begin a torrid affair, Gökçe’s husband becomes suspicious, and as he seeks to catch the pair, his wife begins to wonder what is real and what is fantasy. Gökçe Eyüboglu , and Ulas Tucek also star, and Erdem Tepegöz directs. And this movie has few ratings yet, and gets a 5.8/10 on IMDb, but Romey Norton of Ready Steady Cut calls it “an elegant romance film, with unexpected twists and turns, and one that should be watched by all book lovers, film lovers, and romance fans.” And the cinematography is wonderful, so I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers La Luna, a 2023 Singaporean-Malaysian Malay romcom. this takes place in the small town of Kampong Bras Basah, where Salihin Arshad or Hanie(Sharifah Amani), opens a lingerie store named La Luna. Although some love the shop, devout Muslims, like town leader, Tok Hassan(Wan Hanafi Su), heartily disapprove, and seek to close it in any way possible. Police officer Salihin Arshad(Shaheizy Sam) is called in to keep the peace, and suddenly finds himself favoring the shop and it’s owner, thanks to the influence of his more progressive daughter, Azura. Syumaira Salihin, Iedil Dzuhrie, Nadiya Nisaa and Hisyam Hamid also star, while Raihan Halim directed and wrote the script. This movie premiered at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam, and was nominated for Best Film at the 2023 Tokyo International Film Festival. and it gets a stunning 7.7/10 on IMDb, and Aidil Rusli of the Malay Mail calls it “a bold, entertaining and refreshing surprise.” And I am definitely watching. And, finally, Netflix has added A Killer Paradox, a 2024 K-drama crime drama series. Based on a famed Korean webtoon of the same name, this finds college student Lee Tang, played by Choi Woo-shik, who finds himself doggedly pursued by Detective Nan-gam (Son Suk-ku), after he unintentionally kills a bully in a dark alley. But as Tang is overwhelmed by guilt and fear of being caught, he slowly begins a transformation. He begins to see a world full of bullies, and unpunished crimes, so maybe he could be the great avenger. But the police detectives hot on his trail have something else in mind. Hyeon Bong-sik, Lee Hee-joon, and Kim Yo-han also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an incredible 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nuha Hassan of Nuha Hassan writes “one of the best aspects of A Killer Paradox is the cinematography. The show features visually stunning images of Tang’s hallucinatory scenes, where the killers haunt him in his dreams.” So it’s on my list. but it is very dark and violent, so definitely not for the kiddos.
AMAZON
Amazon has one big title added this week with Upgraded, a 2024 romcom. Camila Mendes stars here, as Ana, an aspiring art curator, living with her sister, and desperate for a break. when she gets a job with art gallery owner Claire (Marisa Tomei), and then, a trip with her to London, she thinks her dreams are on their way. But then Ana‘s upgraded from Economy to First Class on her way to London, and meets Will (Archie Renaux) in the seta next to her. And as she is taken with him, she tells a few lies, upgrading her life, thinking she’ll never see him again. But, of course, that is not to be, and when they meet again, and they go out on a date, she finds her lies may come back to haunt her. Lena Olin, Gregory Montel, Rachel Matthews and Fola Evans Akingbola also star, while Carlson Young directs. And this movie gets a respectable 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Carlson Young of Variety says “heartening themes involving holding on tight to one’s dreams and not devaluing one’s self-worth make for an encouraging upgrade from the norm. It’s even better since there are capable filmmakers piloting this transformative journey.” So it’s on my list. Amazon also offers The Silent Service Season One – The Battle of Tokyo Bay, a 2024 epic war series. Based on a Japanese manga series, this follows Captain Kaieda(Takao Ohsawa), captain of the Yamanami submarine, who takes a U.S. nuclear sub, the Seabat, hostage. Kaieda then creates an independent nation, Yamato, hoping to form an alliance with Japan, but as he taunts the U.S. with his new nuclear sub, tensions rise. And as political hostilities between the U.S. and Japan erupt, a calamitous war might be at hand. Hiroshi Tamaki, Aya Ueto, Yusuke Santamaria, and Tomoya Nakamura also star, and Kohei Yoshino directs all 6 episodes available for streaming now. and it gets an 7/10 on IMDb, and Ricky Valero of Ready Steady Cut calls it “one of the best war-based series I’ve seen in a long time.” But a bit too intense for me. And, finally Amazon has season 1 of Tatort: Vienna, a 2023 German crime drama series from MHZ choice. this follows Moritz Eisner(Harald Krassnitzer), and his former vice squad partner, Bibi Fellner(Adele Neuhauser), as they investigate crimes in Vienna. Each week, the pair set out to solve a different murder, (or murders), like episode 1,wth a young Turkish woman found hanged, or episode 4, where a number of young people are murdered. Rasa Weber, Harald Schrott, Tanja Raunig and Aglaia Szyszkowitz also star, and there are 11 episodes available now. And this dark series gets a respectable 6.7/10 on IMDb, and of calls it “crime thriller is also visually stunning.” And I love a mystery, so I’m tuning in.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 