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 add this week is In Limbo, a 2024 Australian comedy/drama series. this begins with the death of Nate(Bob Morely), the best friend of Charlie(Ryan Corr), and given the circumstances of his friend’s death, Charlie has an especially hard time dealing with his loss. But when Nate pops up in the back seat of Charlie‘s car, it freaks the poor guy out, making it worse by dogging his every step. But it seems Nate has some problems he needs to sort out before moving on to the afterlife, and he needs Charlie‘s help to do so. Emma Harvie, Kamilia Rihani, Shabana Azeez and Phillipa Northeast also star, and there are 6 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets an impressive7.3/10 on IMDb, and Johnny Loftus of the Decider says it “quickly and effectively establishes an ease with its writing that makes the everyday stuff of its adult relationships valuable” So I’m tuning in. Hulu has also added The Killing Kind, a 2023 British thriller series. Here, barrister Ingrid Lewis(Emma Appleton) defends John Webster(Colin Morgan), a young man accused of stalking , only to find him turn his attentions to her after the trial. And when her friend Belinda is killed by a wayward taxi, one rainy night, Ingrid is convinced she was the intended target, and begins a frantic struggle for survival. Nicholas Rowe, Kerr Logan, and Sophie Stanton also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Emma Loffhagen of the Evening Standard calls it “a pretty flawless crime thriller.” And I love a mystery, so I’m watching. Hulu also offers Birth/Rebirth, a 2023 horror/thriller. Judy Reyes stars as Celie, a doting, single mother who suddenly loses her 6 year-old daughter, Lila (A.J. Lister). But after Lila’s death, Celie notices suspicious behavior of a morgue tech, Rose(Marin Ireland), and when Celie follows her home, she finds her daughter there, attached to respirators and other medical equipment. It seems Rose has an obsession with reanimation, and decided that Lily is the perfect candidate. Celie, a nurse, insists on being involved in rebirthing her daughter, against Rose‘s wishes, and the both may live to regret what eventually comes to pass. Breeda Wool, Monique Gabriela Curnen and LaChanze also star, while Laura Moss directed. This movie premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim, and won several awards at other festivals, including Narrative Feature at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. And it gets an stunning 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Katie Walsh of the Tribune News service wrote “in teasing out the complex relationship between life and death in relationship to birth and Frankenstein, Moss presents a provocative existential quandary, and reminds us that horror stories have been women’s stories all along.” But you know it’s too scary for me. And, finally, Hulu has Uncle Samsik, a 2024 Korean historical thriller series. This takes place in the 1960‘s S. Korea, where the young and idealistic Kim San (Byun Yo-han) is driven to bring honesty back into politics. Working in the Ministry of Home Affairs, San meets Uncle Samsik, played by Song Kang-ho(Parasite!), a very corrupt but charismatic political fixer, who sees promise in the newcomer, and wants a piece of his action. But will the naive San realize the ethical price of accepting Uncle Samsik‘s help? Oh Kwang-rok, Jin Ki-joo, and Lee Kyu-hyung also star, and there are 5 episodes available now, with 11 more to come. And this series gets a whopping 8/10 on IMDb, and Sarah Musnicky of But Why Tho? says it “wastes little time diving into its politics at whiplash speed, but its central character intrigues. With a twinkle in his eye belying the survivor beneath, Song Kang-ho’s Samsik is a charismatic enigma keen on crafting a better Korea.” And I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has an exciting add with The 8 Show, a K-drama dark comedy thriller series. This focuses Bae Jin-su(Ryu Jun-yeol), a young man heavily in debt, and so, on the verge of suicide, who suddenly joins 7 other people in a cryptic high rise building. It seems they are to compete in a reality show, vying for the opportunity to get to a higher floor, for more money. Which may be hard, since they don’t even know the rules. All they have is each other, their fellow competitors in a high-stake contest. Chun Woo-Hee,Park Jeong-Min, Lee Yul-Eum, Park Hae-Joon, Lee Joo-Young, Moon Jeong–Hee and Bae Sung-Woo also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. and this series gets an impressive 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Dais Johnston of Inverse says “between its distinct style, clear allegory, and rich characters, The 8 Show has what it takes to become the next global dystopian fascination… if audiences have the stomach to reach the end.” So I’m tuning in. But Netflix also offers Upgrade, a 2018 Australian sci-fi movie. This takes place in the near-future, where new tech is making everything possible, so it seems. So when Grey Trace, played by Logan Marshall-Green, is severely beaten and immobilized by thugs who killed his wife, he is offered an advanced chip, Stem, which will make him able to walk again. But Trace has less than lofty ambitions with this miracle cure, namely to go after the men who killed his wife. Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen, Abby Craden and Harrison Gilbertson also star, while Leigh Whannell directed, along with writing the script. And this gory movie won several awards in 2019, including the Midnighters Award at SWSX. And it gets an incredible 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com wrote “the key to enjoying Upgrade is relishing its over-the-top characterizations, plot twists, and cheesiness. [It] may not be a capital-G Good film, but it can be a very enjoyable one.” But it’s just too dumb and gross for me. Netflix also has Power, a 2024 documentary. This is an investigation of the power and brutality of police force in the U.S., and how we got to the point of police departments using weapons of war and war tactics when dealing with average American citizens. Award-winning director Yance Ford describes how policing began in this country, as an effort to control indigenous peoples, slaves and the working class poor, without regard for their rights or well being. Ford also includes interviews with police, current and retired, historians and civil rights experts, which leads to a measured and level-headed description of what many of us see as a problem in this country. And it premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for several awards this year, including the Human Rights Award at the CPH:DOX awards. And it gets an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes with Robert Abele of the L.A. Times saying “could just as easily have benefited from the docuseries treatment, but even at less than 90 minutes, it lands plenty of hard truths and harder questions.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix also offers Adagio, a 2023 Italian crime drama. This tells of the young Manuel, played by Gianmarco Franchini, saddled with the difficulties of any teen in Rome, but also with an ailing father(and former gangster), Daytona(Toni Servillo), who suffers from dementia. And Manuel is also being blackmailed, after doing some undercover work for the carabinieri, and desperately needs help. And he gets it from former colleagues of his father, which pulls him into a whirlpool of violence and corruption he is not likely to escape. Pierfrancesco Favino,Lorenzo Adorni, Silvia Salvatori and Valerio Mastandrea also star, while Stefano Sollima directs. And this movie premiered at the 2023 Venice film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Film, and went on to win Best Soundtrack, and Best New Young Actor for Franchini there. And it gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, with Lee Marshall of Screen International saying “it should… be embraced by global audiences with an appetite for classy Italian genre fare, at least those prepared to accept that a homophobic undercurrent is justified by the fact that Adagio is about a culture of toxic Roman masculinity.” And i agree, I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has Signal, a 2024 K-drama crime drama series. Lee Je hoon stars as Park Hae-young, a criminal profiler in the present day, who gets help solving (real) cold crimes, with the help of an old walkie talkie. That radio connects the modern day detective with Detective Lee Jae Han from 1999, and, together Det. Cha Soo-hyun (Kim Hye-soo), they solve some very cold crimes. Cho Jin-woong, Kim Won-hae and Jang Hyun Sung also star, and there are 16 episodes to binge on now. And this series has won numerous awards in Asia, including Best Actress for Kim Hye-su, and Best Drama at the 2016 Baek Sang Art Awards, among others. And it gets an outstanding 8.5/10 on IMDb, with Kerine Wint of A Good Show to Watch says “s an exhilarating series that seamlessly weaves together gripping crime thriller elements with an intriguing touch of supernatural.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a huge add this week with American Fiction, the award-winning 2023 comedy/drama. Jeffrey Wright(!) stars, here, as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an author and college professor, fed up with ‘black’ novels with packed with ‘stereotypical’ characters outselling his own, well-written work, so he decides to write a joke novel. Calling it My Pafology, by under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh(an escaped con!), the novel takes off at his publishing house, and everyone there wants to mentor the surely underprivileged writer. As Monk tries to deal with his disgust and play his ex-con as a lampoon of every black cliche, he also has to grapple with his mom (Leslie Uggams!) diagnosis of dementia, and Dr. Lisa Ellison (Tracee Ellis Ross!) financial difficulties, his brother Clifford‘s imperiled marriage. Erika Alexander, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Okieriete Onaodowan and Issa Rae(!) also star, while Cord Jefferson directs. And this movie won tons of awards last season, including Best Lead Performance for Wright at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and a BAFTA and an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jefferson, and Best Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. And it gets an astounding 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.5/10 on IMDb. And D. Williams of Salon.com “this brilliant film not only destroys the single Black narrative, it obliterates it — and puts pressure on every single film dealing with race that will come after.” And so funny, too. I’m definitely tuning in. Amazon has also added The Portrait, a 2023 British gothic thriller movie. This tells the tale of Sofia (Natalia Córdova-Buckley), caring for her husband ,Alex Debose (Ryan Kwanten), catatonic after an accident she feels responsible for. Instead of hospitalizing him as people recommend, Sofia takes him to his childhood home, a sprawling mansion. But in the attic there, she finds a violent painting from the 30‘s, depicting a man remarkably like Alex, by his great-grandfather, Calvin Bebose. Transfixed by the painting and others by Debose, Sofia seeks more information and gets it from Alex’ cousin, Mags (Virginia Madsen). But there is little comfort in her words, and soon, Sofia wonders if the painting and house are haunted, or if she is simply going mad. Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Isidora Goreshter, Emree Franklin and Steffie Baik also star, while Simon Ross directs. And this movie was nominated for numerous awards, including 5 Terror in the Bay Film Festival Awards, where it went on to win Best Feature Film. And it gets a respectable 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Keri O’Shea of Warped Perspective writes “akin to lots of the very best ghost stories then, events move slowly, always casting doubt on what is happening, hinting at the contextual problems at play here: families; family legacies; the toxic effects of privilege; the lives of women.” So I’ll be watching, if only from under the bed. And, finally, Amazon has Boiling Point, a 2023 award-winning British drama. this takes place on one hectic night in a top London restaurant, under the charge of head chef Andy Jones (Stephen Graham). It’s one of their busiest nights, already marred by mistakes, with Andy‘s former partner Alistair Skye (Jason Flemyng), now a celebrity chef, and his date, a food critic, are due to show up. Then the hostess, Beth, accepts an off menu order from Instagram influencers that cause chaos, and sous chef Carly (Vinette Robinson) lets loose on the foolish woman. Alice Feetham, Hannah Walters, Lauryn Ajufo and Lourdes Faberes also star, while Philip Barantini directed. And this film was nominated for 5 BAFTAs and 11 British Independent Film Awards, where it went on to win Best Cinematography for Matthew Lewis, and Best Casting for Carolyn McLeod, and Best Supporting Actress for Robinson. And it gets an astounding 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nick De Semlyen of Empire Mag calls it a “fast-paced and hectic kitchen thriller that, though it tries to spin a few too many plates, pulls you deep into a fascinating, detailed world most of us know little about.” 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 