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 finally has the highly anticipated award-winning Anatomy of a Fall, the 2023 French thriller. This finds Samuel(Swann Arlaud) dead, after a fall at his home high in the French Alps, with only his wife, Sandra, played by Sandra Hüller at home. But what seems an innocuous fall at first begins to appear more sinister, as police interview people, including Sandra. When investigators learn of a heated argument between the pair, the day before their son, Daniel, left for a walk, only to come home and find his father dead. And Sandra’s coldness and inscrutability doesn’t help her case with police. Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz, and Samuel Theis also star, while Justine Triet directed. And this movie won numerous awards this year, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival , and the best Original Screenplay Oscar, at the Academy Awards, two weeks ago. And it gets a stunning 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.8/10 on IMDb. And David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter says its “an intricately layered, surgically controlled drama that operates as both a courtroom thriller and an investigation of the mysterious recesses of domestic life, the film is as chilly as its French Alpine setting yet never distancing.” So I’m definitely tuning in. Unfortunately, that’s Hulu‘s only good add this week, though they have also added Paint, the 2023 dramedy. Owen Wilson(!) stars, here, as Carl Nargle, world famous PBS artist(like Bob Ross?) who lives a perfect life in Vermont, until someone younger comes along to fill his shoes. when his station hires Ambrosia(Ciara Renée) to spice things up, Carl‘s stock there goes down, and soon he finds himself out of a job. Too depressed to paint, Carl’s ex and true love Katherine(Michaela Watkins)might come to the rescue just in time to save him. Lusia Strus, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Lucy Freyer also star, while Brit McAdams directed, along with writing the script. But the script is lacking here, and so Paint gets a mere 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. Dana Stevens of Slate said it “could have been the setup for a terrific workplace comedy if McAdams’ script didn’t seem at every turn to blunt the edge of its own satire.” And I agree, so I’m not watching. Luckily, Hulu also offers Coppola, the Agent, a 2024 comedy series. This tells the story of Guillermo Coppola, played by Juan Minujín, the famous agent of the even more famous soccer player, Diego Maradona. And so Coppola must go through great machinations to get Maradona to his games, and keep him out of trouble. All the while managing to lead an outrageous life himself, always in the fast lane. Mónica Antonopulos, Mayte Rodríguez, Joaquín Ferreira, and Alan Sabbagh also star, and there are 6 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Isabella Endrinal of A Good Movie to Watch calls it a “comedic, fast-paced miniseries about the fast-talking, charismatic sports agent”. So I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has Blue Birthday, a 2021 K-drama romantic thriller series. Kim Ye-rim stars as Oh Ha-Rin, a young woman whose heart was broken ten years before, on her birthday, when her first love, Ji Seo-jun(Yang Hong-seok), died by suicide. When she finds herself transported back that day, by magical chance, Ha-rin is determined to find out what happened, and to save Seo-jun from whatever took his life that day. Lee Sang-jun, Kim Yi-seo, Park Joo-hyun and Song Min–hyung also star, and there are 16 episodes available now. And this series gets an outstanding 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Annalisa Perales of the South Texan calls it “a thrilling mystery, adding its “Back to the Future meets Sherlock Holmes.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix, too, has a huge add this week with 3 Body Problem, the 2024 sci-fi series. based on the 2008 sci-fi classic by Liu Cixin, this story has dual timelines, one, takes place in the 60‘s, with China shaken by the Cultural Revolution, and a young woman shaken to the core by its violence. the second takes place in the present day, where outstanding physicists are committing suicide, but also bedeviled by visions that plague them beforehand. Jess Hong plays one of those physicists, Jin Cheng, who investigates after the suicide of her friend, that doesn’t make sense , and Da Shi(Benedict Wong) investigates for some(or many) governments. but when they find the cause for the suicides, and the chaos that has hit the world of physics, will it be an end to the problem, or just the beginning? Eiza González, Jovan Adepo, Marlo Kelly and Jonathan Pryce(!) also star, and there are 6 episodes available for gorging now. And this series gets an incredible 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Eric Deggans of NPR says “as the characters in 3 Body Problem lurch toward answers, we all get to bask in an ambitious narrative fueling an ultimately impressive tale. Just remember to be patient as the series sets the stage early on.” And Deggans also says this sci-fi series is rooted in ‘real science.’ And that’s why I’m definitely tuning in. But Netflix has also added Shirley, the 2024 biopic. Regina King(!) stars as the wonderful Shirley Chisholm, the first woman to run for the Democratic nomination for President in the U.S., and the first black woman in the House, as well as co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus. Our story begins with Chisholm’s arrival in congress, and then quickly jumps to her announcement of her decision to run for President in 1972, with her husband Conrad (Michael Cherrie), by her side. But she encountered a chorus of naysayers from the outset, and only those who knew Chisholm’s resolve, would know she wouldn’t quit. Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Amirah Vann also star, while John Ridley(12 Years a Slave!) directed, along with writing the script. And this movie gets a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Christy Lemire of Filmweek calls it “a very solidly made, well-cast, well-acted biopic.” And King is great, so I’m watching. Netflix has also offers The Persian Version, the 2023 comedy.This tells the story of Leila, played by Layla Mohammed, a daughter of Shireen (Niousha Noor) and Ali Reza(Bijan Daneshmand), and sister to 8 brothers. Leila has been bristling at her more traditional upbringing since childhood, but her gay identity really threw her parents for a loop. Add her failed marriage to a woman to the mix, along with Leila’s being a screenwriter, and you have the ingredients for family upheaval. but then a health crisis brings everyone back to earth again. Bella Warda, Tom Byrne, Chiara Stella and Kamand Shafieisabet also star, while Maryam Keshavarz directed(and wrote the script, too). And this movie gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Roxana Hadadi of Vulture mag says it “tells an affecting and painful story about what womanhood demands and imagines, and about how someone can step forward into a life they sculpt for themselves at any age and in any place.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added Andragogy, a 2023 Indonesian drama. Sha Ine Febriyanti stars, here, as Prani, a high school guidance counselor whose reputation is ruined when a video of her yelling in public goes viral. As the video is misinterpreted more and more, public fury grows, and Prani is in danger of losing her job, with her kids fighting for her reputation, while trying to keep all of the news from their dad, who suffers from Depression. Angga Yunanda, Prilly Latuconsina, Dwi Sasono, Omara N. Esteghlal, Ari Lesmana and Annisa Hertami also star, and Wregas Bhanuteja directed. And this movie won acclaim at the 43rd Indonesian Film Festival, where it got seventeen nominations, including Best Picture, and won two awards – Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. And it gets an incredible 8.2/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times wrote it “stands as a poignant reminder of the need for empathy, understanding, and critical thinking in the face of the ever-present social media. It is a rallying cry for greater compassion and nuance in our online interactions, lest we be consumed by the very forces we seek to navigate.” So I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has added Queen of Tears, a 2024 K-drama romcom series. This finds Baek Hyun-woo(Kim Soo-hyun) and Hong Hae-in(Kim Ji-won) find themselves in crisis, in the third year of what was to be the perfect marriage. Hae-in is the CEO of the powerful Queens Group Department store, and Hyun-woo is the head of the legal department, but as their third anniversary approaches, the unequal power dynamic in their marriage stresses Hyun-woo. And then an old suitor of his wife reenters her life, and divorce looms. Kwak Dong-yeon, Na Young-Hee, Park Sung-Hoon and Lee Mi-sook also star, and there are 5 episodes available now, with 11 more to come by the end of April. And this series gets an outlandish 8.4/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times calls it “an exhilarating journey that promises to keep you enthralled for many weekends to come.”
AMAZONl
Amazon‘s big title added this week is Road House, the remake of 1989 Swayze flick. Here, Jake Gyllenhaal takes on the Swayze role of Elwood Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter, working as a bouncer at a road house in the Florida Keys. So when villains, like Ben Brandt ( Billy Magnussen), want to shut the place down, to develop the valuable land it sits on, guess who steps in to save the day? Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor, Joaquim de Almeida and Jessica Williams also star, while Doug Liman directs. And this schlockfest gets an ridiculously high 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Peter Travers of ABC says “Jake Gyllenhaal and director Doug Liman huff and puff to reimagine the bawdy B-movie punch of the 1989 original with Patrick Swayze, but despite putting a fresh coat of paint on this rickety old jalopy, there’s still nothing under the hood” And i definitely won’t be watching. Amazon also has Concerned Citizen, a 2023 Israeli satirical drama. Here, a progressive couple, Ben and Raz (real life couple Shlomi Bertonov and Ariel Wolf) find themselves in a wonderful but cheaper apartment in Tel Aviv. Cheaper because of it’s a poorer, immigrant neighborhood, which Ben quickly sets out to improve, by doing things like planting a tree. But when he sees an Eritrean neighbor leaning on it, he argues with the man, and has him leave it alone, but when he sees him doing it again, he calls the cops, even misrepresenting the issue to get them out there. But when the police do come, they savagely beat one of the men, maybe even killing him. And Ben is left with the thought that he might not be as progressive as he thought. Lena Fraifeld, Uriah Jablonowsky, and Yshelu Gebremkiel also star, and Idan Haguel directs. And this film was nominated for numerous awards in 2023, and even won the Yossi Molla Award for Music for Zoe Polanski at the Jerusalem Film Festival. And it gets an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Manuel Betancourt of Variety said “with its piercing, probing final moments, which turn self-flagellating into thorny cathartic territory, Haguel has crafted an intimate portrait of privilege that’s as damning as it is discomfiting.” so I’m watching. And, finally, Amazon has added Boat Story, a 2024 British crime thriller series, on Freevee. This finds Samuel (Paterson Joseph), a solicitor, and Janet (Daisy Haggard), a factory worker as they come upon very good, or very bad, fortune. They find a wrecked boat washed up on shore of a British coastal town, and inside, find a dead man…and millions of pounds’ worth of cocaine. Janet wants to call the police, but Samuel convinces her the world owes her more, especially after she’s lost several fingers in an accident at work, with no compensation. And so, they keep the cocaine, but it’s clear it will come at a high price, especially since the real owners of the coke, including the Tailor(Tchéky Karyo) want it back, badly. And on the other side, the police suspect the pair of stealing the drugs. Joanna Scanlan, Michele Austin, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and Phil Daniels also star, and there are 6 episodes available for bingeing now. and it gets an amazing 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Lucy Mangan of the Guardian compares this to the work of the Coen brothers, adding it “juggles a perilous number of balls, but keeps them aloft without showing any strain. It’s a triumph of sense, sensibility and style. I love it. We can have nice things.” So I’ll watch.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 