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 big title added this week , with Clipped, a 2024 FX docudrama. This tells of the speedy downfall of Donald Sterling, the former owner of the L. A. Clippers, who was banned from the N.B.A. for life in 2014, for racist remarks. Ed O’Neill stars as Sterling, and Laurence Fishburne(!) plays Clippers Coach Doc Rivers. Sterling seems the stereotypical rich white man, oblivious to his prejudices, until his current girl friend V. Stiviano, starts recording his conversation…and releasing them to the press. And when Sterling’s wife, Shelly (Jacki Weaver!), discovers his many transgressions, Sterling has trouble on two fronts, that increases to 3, when the forbearing Coach Rivers finally gets fed up with Sterling’s racism. Cleopatra Coleman stars as V., and Kelly AuCoin, Sheldon Bailey, Clifton Davis(!), J. Alphonse Nicholson and LeVar Burton(!) also star, and there are 4 episodes available now, with more to come. And this series gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Alison Herman of Variety calls it a “fast-paced, fittingly trashy take on the Donald Sterling Scandal,” adding, “O’Neill is deliciously loathsome as a troglodyte whose bigotry and boorishness are so over the top you can’t help laughing.” And i agree, so I’m watching. But Hulu has also added Queenie, a 2024 British series. Based on the book of the same name by Candice Carty-Williams, this tells the tale of Queenie Jenkins, played by Dionne Brown, a 25 year-old Jamaican British woman thrown for a loop after the breakup with her long term boyfriend, Ted. He cites Queenie‘s anger issues as part of the problem- but is it that, or is Queenie just a strong black woman? Still, recognizing she has issues in her life, especially with her mother, Queenie moves in with her grandparents, Veronica (Llewella Gideon) and Wilfred (Joseph Marcell). and while their alarm erupts at queenie’s new ideas about a woman’s place, she begins to come to terms with the childhood trauma that landed her here. Tilly Keeper, Elisha Applebaum, Laura Whitmore, Samuel Adewunmi and Cristale De’Abreu also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. and this series gets a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Ayamede Tinubu of Variety calls it “brilliant, ” adding, “the specificity of “Queenie” makes it one of the most unique narratives about navigating one’s twenties on television. Dismantling the stereotypes generations of Black women have been forced to bear, the show resoundingly declares, as Sylvie voices in the series, “Being brave isn’t the same as being all right.” And I agree, I’m definitely tuning in. Hulu has also added The Real Red Tails, a National Geographic Special. This is a new(much needed)treatment about the Tuskegee Airmen, motivated by the discovery of the wreck of a World War II P-39 airplanes in Lake Huron, Michigan. As this movie digs deeper into the crash, with archaeologists and divers investigating the wreck, and the pilot is identified as Tuskegee pilot Frank Moody. But this movie also delves into the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, and it’s important contribution to a World War II victory. there are amazing interviews with former Tuskegee pilots, and Brian Smith, president and CEO of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum. And its all expertly narrated by Abbott Elementary‘s Sheryl Lee Ralph. And it gets a 6/10 on IMDb, and Julie Nguyen of Snaptaste calls it “a captivating documentary that unearths the astonishing discovery of a WWII-era P-39 airplane…a treasure trove for history buffs, aviation enthusiasts, and war historians alike.” And I agree, I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Hulu has Revenant, a 2023 S. Korean horror series from Disney+. Kim Tae-ri stars as Goo San-Young, here, a young student studying to become a public officer , whose life changes when she inherits a strange relic from her recently deceased father. Soon, mysterious deaths begin to take place around her, and as San-Young feels changes in herself, she gets the help of folklore professor Yeom Hae-sang (Oh Jung-se), who has also experienced tragedy related to the relic. Together, they investigate the object her father gave her, and find a ominous village that could hold all the clues they seek. Hong Gyeong, Kim Hae-sook, Park Ji-Young and Jin Seon-kyu also star, and there are 12 chilling episodes avialble for streaming now. And this series has been nominated for multiple awards in South Korea, and Kim Tae-ri won the Grand Prize, Daesan at the SBS Drama Awards in 2023. And it gets an impressive 7.9/10 on IMDb, and Geoffrey Bunting of Rolling Stone says “don’t sleep on Revenant, a masterful K-Horror series that builds a steady (and stylish) sense of dread that will keep you on edge.” You watch, I’ll be under the bed.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week with Hit Man, the 2024 dark comedy from Richard Linklater(Boyhood, Slackers). This follows Gary Johnson, played by Glen Powell, a quiet philosophy professor who ends up posing as a hit man, to help New Orleans police catch would-be killers. And they are exceptionally successful, until Madison Masters (Adria Arjona) seeks to hire him to knock off her abusive(she says) husband. Gary falls under her spell, and discourages her from her lethal idea, and all is well. Until her husband turns up dead. Retta, Austin Amelio, Molly Bernard and Gralen Bryant Banks also star, and Linklater and Powell co-wrote the script, loosely based on a true story(!). And this movie gets an amazing 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.3/10 on IMDb. And Alissa Wilkinson of the New York Times says “if I see a movie more delightful than Hit Man this year, I’ll be surprised….it’s got the cheeky verve of a 1940s screwball rom-com in a thoroughly contemporary (and slightly racier) package. I’ve seen it twice, and a huge grin plastered itself across my face both times.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix also offers Hierarchy, a 2024 K-drama limited series. This tells of the super elite Jooshin High School, where only the top students from the most prestigious families in South Korea go, and where bullying rules. So when scholarship student, Kang Ha (Lee Chae-min) begins there, we know he has his work cut out for him, especially with a school pecking order that requires deference to rich students like Kim Ri-an(Kim Jae-won). But when it appears that kids like Ri-an may have a violent (or even criminal) past, and Ha is determined to uncover it, it could threaten his very existence. Harrison Xu, No Jeong-ee, and Ji Hye-Won also star, and there are 7 episodes available now. an this series gets a 6.6/10 on IMDb, and Deepti Chadha of the Feast of Legends says it “will have you hooked from start to finish, and if you love K-drama, then this series is right up your alley.” So it’s on my list. Netflix has also added Under Paris, a 2024 French thriller. Here, massive pollution in the Mediterranean has driven a shark, Lillith, into the Seine, and now she’s suping on Parisiennes. And an environmental activist and scientist, Sophia, played by Bérénice Bejo(The Artist!), may be the only ones able to prevent a bloodbath in Paris, as the Triathlon is set to begin imminently, with contestants swimming in, you guessed it, the Seine. Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, Anaïs Parello, and Anne Marivin also star, and Xavier Gens directs. And this movie gets a63% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Michael Nordine of Variety calls it “at last, a Shark Movie worthy of swimming in the wake of Jaws” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added Simón, a 2023 Venezuelan drama. Christian McGaffney plays the title character, here, Simón, once a political activist and freedom fighter in Venezuela, and now, a refugee in Miami. But obtaining official political asylum is an onerous task, and the fact that he cannot return home after obtaining that status weigh heavily on the young man. As an American pre-law student, Melissa (Jana Nawartschi), tries to help him, Vincent begins to realize the enormity of his decision, and the indelible repercussions it will have. Luis Silva, Roberto Jaramillo and Prakriti Maduro also star, while Diego Vicentini directed, along with writing the script, here. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2023, and went on to win Best Film at the Bogota Film Festival, and won 6 awards at the Festival del Cine Venezolano, including Best Director for Vicentini, and Best Film. And it gets a whopping 7.8/10 on IMDb, and Morgan Rojas of Cinemacy called it “a gripping, emotionally taxing portrait of a young asylum-seeker who faces a war of worlds, forced to decide if the safety of the U.S. outweighs the guilt of leaving Venezuela.” And I’m tuning in. And, finally, Netflix has Antihero, a 2024 Japanese courtroom drama series. Hiroki Hasegawa plays lawyer Akizumi Masaki, a highly successful defense attorney in a country where most are found guilty, who will go to any length to absolve his clients. even if he goes to extreme lengths, flouting the law, himself. Takumi Kitamura plays his fellow lawyer, Akamine Shuto, and Hotta Mayu, Oshima Yuko , Kondo Hana and Inoue Hajime also star and there are 10 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an astounding 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Ayasa Malick of the Midgard Times says “if law and suspense are your genres, then this one should be seen by you.” So I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has a major title added this week, too, with Mean Girls, the 2024 remake. This iteration is based on the 2017 Broadway musical(based on the 2004 movie) and takes place at North Shore High. Angourie Rice plays the Lohan character, Cady Heron, a new girl who is befriended by misfits , Damian (Jaquel Spivey) and Janis (Auli’i Cravalho), who are on a mission to destroy The Plastics, the popular girls. Reneé Rapp, Avantika Vandanapu and Tina Fey(!) also star, while directed. And Tina Fey wrote the script, which adds an enjoyable edge. And though this gets only a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, Catherine Bray of Empire Magazine calls it “sharp, funny and strongest when it stands on its own two perfectly manicured feet, this snappy musical successfully updates the original Mean Girls template for a fresh audience.” So I’m tuning in. Amazon has also added Cat Daddies, a 2022 documentary. This tells of the different men in America who have defied cultural stereotypes about masculinity, and embraced their love of cats. Filmed during the early days of Covid, director Mye Hoang travelled the country, and interviewed a diverse group, including a firefighter, a truck driver, a Hollywood stunt man, an ad exec turned cat rescuer, a police officer, and a homeless man in N.Y.C. And Hoang makes an impactful and beautiful statement of what pets can do to bolster our emotional and physical health, and sometimes , even save our life. And this movie won several awards in 2021 & 2022, including the Excellence in the Art of Filmmaking Award for Hoang at the Tallgrass International Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the San Francisco Indiefest. And it gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an impressive 7.1/10 on IMDb. And Frank Swietek of One Guy’s Opinion says its “sweet but not saccharine…even those who prefer canines should find it a charming, sometimes touching, survey of nine men and their cats.” So I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Amazon offers season 1 of The Wagner Method, a 2020 French crime drama series, from PBS Masterpiece. This focuses on Police Captain Cesar Wagner, transferred to Strasbourg, trying to adjust to his new team, and all that involves. But the fact that his mother is mayor of Strasbourg adds a layer of difficulty, with people assuming his job is just another gift of nepotism. Add to that his idiosyncrasies and the fact that he is an intense hypochondriac, and his adjustment to his new position is made all the more difficult. Olivia Côte , Etienne Diallo, Fanny Cottençon and Antonia de Rendinger also star, and there are 5 episodes available for gorging now, before they disappear on July 1. And, though, I can find no reviews of this French series, it gets n impressive 7/10 on IMDb, so that’s enough for me. And it’s funny, too, so I’m definitely 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 