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 best add this week is The Monk and the Gun, the 2023 award-winning comedy. This takes place in Bhutan, the land of Buddhism and happiness, which is on the cusp of moving to democratic elections after years of monarchy. And monk Tashi, played by Tandin Wangchuk, is ordered, without explanation, by his superior to get some guns. Now that is a major ask in Bhutan, and so Tashi sets out on his long journey. On his way, he meets many people, including many Bhutanese, and one American gun dealer, Ronald Colman(Harry Einhorn). And as Colman is dumbfounded by his experiences with the Bhutanese, the people themselves are perplexed with their new right to vote, so the government offers classes in it. Choeying Jatsho, Kelsang Choejey, Tandin Phubz and Deki Lhamo also star, and Pawo Choyning Dorji directed, along with writing the script. And this charming movie won numerous awards in 2023, including Best Film at the Rome Film Fest and Fribourg International Film Festival and Director’s Choice at the Illuminate Film Festival. And it gets an outstanding 7.2/10 on IMDb, and Manohla Dargis of the New York Times calls it “modestly scaled, lightly comic and blithely ingratiating…” And i am definitely tuning in. Hulu also newly offers Cellphone, a 2024 horror flick. This begins with Wynne (Whitney Rose Pynn), a young woman still haunted by the sudden death of her fiancé, moving to an isolated, old farmhouse to housesit, and recover from an accident. The owner, Bob(Malcolm McDowell) calls intermittently to make sure she’s okay, but Wynne definitely isn’t okay, as she suffers from PTSD, and deep guilt over the accident that killed her fiancé, Liam (Jared Noble). but Wynne is also disturbed by her cellphone, that lights up strangely, and seems to be offering her clues about a horrible fate that awaits her in that house, if she can’t avert it. Justin Malik Jackson and Isaac Versaw also star, and Luke Sommer directs. But this movie is a bit uneven, and so gets a 3.1/10 on IMDb. But Abbie Bernstein of Assignment X says its “uncommonly perceptive in its small details of how people deal with PTSD,..it has its moments, but winds up with too many un-filled-in blanks.” You decide. Hulu has also added Lost Treasures of Egypt, a 2023 docuseries from the National Geographic Channel. This tells of different newer finds in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, like the return of King Tutankhamen’s tomb treasures from Luxor Museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Another episodes deals with the search for Cleopatra the VII’s tomb by archaeologist Kathleen Martinez. And my favorite, features the story of Hatshepsut, the Warrior Queen, and the search for her tomb. And all 7 episodes feature the spectacular and breathtaking beauty of Egypt, as well as the input of famed archaeologists like Salima Ikram and Fathi Yaseen. And this series gets an outrageous 7.7/10 on IMDb, and Leen Awamleh of Desktop Documentary says “I advise everyone to watch this documentary.” And I’ am definitely tuning in. And, finally, Hulu has Land of Tanabata, a2024 Japanese sci-fi series. This tells of Yoji Minamimaru(Kanata Hosoda), also called Namaru, a young college student with telekinetic powers, enabling him to bore holes into paper with his mind. But then his professor Masami Marukami (Hiroshi Mikami), a man with similar abilities, goes missing, supposedly on a fact finding mission in Marukami Village. But when a man in that same village is found dead with a hole in his head, suspicions arise, and it’s up to Namaru to find the truth, and clear his professor’s name. Yui Narumi, Ryoko Fujino and Takayuki Yamada also star, and there are 3 episodes available now. And this series gets a stunning 8.2/10 on IMDb, and Karina “ScreamQueen” Abelgaard of Heaven of Horror said “it’s pretty fascinating in some of its core elements.”
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, a comedy drama follow-up. Yes, Detroit cop Axel Foley, played by Eddie Murphy(!), finally returns to L.A. after his sometimes disastrous forays decades ago, responding to a call from his old pal, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold!). It seems Billy thinks Axel’s estranged daughter Jane(Taylour Paige), is in trouble (she is), but Axel only manages to get imprisoned for his troubles. When he calls Jane with his one allotted call, she’s irate, and his attempt to help seems thwarted, but then he meets Jane’s old boyfriend, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and with his help and Billy’s, the mystery may be solved. Kevin Bacon, John Ashton and Paul Reiser(!)also star, while Mark Molloy directs. And though this sequel gets only a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, Olly Richards of Empire Mag says “Eddie Murphy’s on his best form in years in a sequel that recaptures some of the joy of the original.” And I agree, this is one of the few sequels I have really liked in a long time. So I’m watching. Netflix has also added About Antoine, a 2024 French-Canadian comedy/drama series. Here, Julie , an actress in Montreal, played by Cathleen Rouleau, finds herself taken with Marc(Claude Legault), an older man from . So, though she knows little about him, and already has a boyfriend, she starts dating her mystery man. But when she finds he has a son, Antoine Fenouillard (Antoine Parent-Bédard), everything changes, because Antoine has multiple physical and intellectual problems. But instead of becoming a problem, Julie finds a new rapport with Antoine, and a magical experience with her new family. Édouard B. Larocque, Micheline Bernard, and Fanny Mallette also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. And this series won the TV Excellence Award for Representation of disability at the 2023 MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards, and gets a whopping 7.4/10 on IMDb. So though I can (as yet) find no reviews for this show, I’m tuning in. It’s warm and funny, and very truly represents people with disabilities as just regular people. Also new on Netflix is Public Affairs Office in the Sky, a 2023 Japanese series. TV Director Rika Inaba, played by Yui Aragaki, of the Teito Television Broadcasting Company, is demoted to work public affairs at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. There, she meets pilot Daisuke Sorai(Go Ayano), unhappy with his own demotion to the public relations desk, after hurting his leg. As the pair warm to each other, they disagree on about everything else, and find themselves arguing interminably. Still, they each know the pain of loss and disappointment, and that may be enough to bind them together. Miki Mizuno, Jun Kaname, Tsutomu Takahashi and Tsuyoshi Muro also star, and there are 11 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a positive 6.7/10 on IMDb, so , though I can find no reviews for this one, I’m watching. Netflix has also added Goyo, an Argentinian rom/com. Nicolas Furtado stars in the title role, here, as Goyo, a museum guide and painter, working at an art museum, and living with his talented pianist sister, Saula (Soledad Villamil). Goyo soon encounters a co-worker, Eva, played by Nancy Duplaa, and is enraptured with her, painting her portrait. But their potential relationship has multiple roadblocks, Goyo’s autism, Eva’s age(she’s 20 years older than him), and her husband. Then there’s her children, who don’t approve, and Goyo‘s sister, too. Still love may find a way. Pablo Rago, Diego Alonso, Zeus Milo and Balthazar Murillo also star, and Marcos Carnevale directed, and wrote the script, too. And this movie gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb, and Guillermo Courau of La Nacion calls it “a deep and enjoyable love story.” So I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has added The Double, a 2024 Chinese historical drama series. Here, Zue Fengfei , played by Jinyan Wu, is framed and disgraced by her husband. Impoverished , she pretends to be Jiang Li, the daughter of an influential official, and fights for Justice and the right of others. But, soon, with the help of Duke Xiao Heng (Wang Xingyue), she will avenge herself against all those who wronged her. Xinhai Chen, Meng Li and Yongqi Liang also star, and there are 40 episodes available for streaming now. This is the highest-grossing of the 2024 Chinese dramas, and gets an whopping 7.9/10 on IMDb. And Vic of Drama Panda calls it ” a drama that has you hooked from the start.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
The biggest new title on Amazon this week is The Beekeeper, the 2024 action thriller. Jason Statham stars, here, as a beekeeper, Adam Clay, a retired army man(anyone surprised?), who now keeps bees, and keeps a low profile. Which includes befriending his retired neighbor, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad!), who gets taken by tele-scammers, and comes to a tragic end. And, so, of course, Clay goes after the phishers with a vengeance, and blows everyone to kingdom come….or worse. Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor James and Minnie Driver also star, and David Ayer directed. But this hyper-violent movie gets a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, and such is the scarcity of new adds on Amazon, I had to mention it. And Soren Anderson of the Seattle Times says “time and again he’s surrounded by hordes of SWAT guys, Secret Service agents, cops, mercenaries, you name it. And time and again they’re all laid low. It’s nuts. It’s funny.” So you decide, I’d rather watch paint dry. Luckily, Amazon has also added Molli and Max in the Future, a 2023 sci-fi movie. This takes place far in the future, where space travel is common, where Molli (Zosia Mamet!) and Max(Aristotle Athari) meet when their spaceships nearly collide, and build an instant rapport. But they go their separate ways, only to meet again and again over the years, in the back of cabs, at parties, etc. Okieriete Onaodowan, Erin Darke, Grace Kuhlenschmidt and Arturo Castro also star, while Michael Lukk Litwak directed, along with writing the script. And this movie was nominated for many awards last year, and went on to win Best Film at the Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, and Prix D’or- Best of Fest at the Lower East Side Film Festival. And it gets an incredible 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times writes “Michael Lukk Litwak’s clever and sweet and funny Molli and Max in the Future comes down to this: It’s When Harry Met Sally…in outer space…” And I’m watchng in. And, finally, Amazon offers season 1 of Tatort: Lindholm, a 2017 German crime drama. This follows detective Charlotte Lindholm(Maria Furtwängler) as she investigates crimes in Saxony, Germany. Crimes like a man mummified in the salt mines, after being missing for months. Or an arson case, that results in a woman’s death. Or Lindholm‘s own car accident, where she runs into a tree, to avoid hitting someone that appears in the dark, out of nowhere. And though she saw a body on the ground after she stopped, her rescuers reported no one there. Ingo Naukoks, Tarik Can Bas and Kathrin Ackermann also star, and there are 12 absorbing episodes, available now, but only through July 31. On August 1, they return to premium MHz Choice territory. And this series gets a 7/10 on IMDb, so though I can find no reviews for this show, I am definitely tuning in. I love a mystery.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 