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 one big add this week with the arrival of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the 2024 sequel(of the sequel…). This takes place years after the previous movie, with Caesar‘s teachings are warped into a new dogma of hate, by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) and his minions. They target the clan of Noa(Owen Teague) nearly wiping them out, but Noa and his friends escape. Finally, Caesar‘s group take Noa and his human friend Mae(Freya Allen) captive, and ,as they struggle to survive, they also meet other ape captives, and expand their knowledge of the , more peaceable Caesar of the past, and his ideals. William H. Macy(!),Peter Macon and Lydia Peckham also star, and Wes Ball directs. And this movie gets a respectable 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Tomris Laffley of RogerEbert.com said it “[w]alks securely in the footsteps of this recent legacy, wearing the Caesar-centric films’ values like fairness, loyalty and communal solidarity on its sleeve with pride.” And I’m still not interested. Luckily, Hulu also offers Suitable Flesh, a 2023 horror flick. This begins as psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Derby, played by Heather Graham(!), finds herself confined to the psycho ward, after she kills her patient, Asa Waite. But as Elizabeth tells her story, it becomes clear that, besides her ill-advised affair with the young man with personality disorder, something more malignant was involved than mental illness. And if her doctors don’t listen to her, it may mean the end of them all. Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech, and Barbara Crampton also star, and Joe Lynch directs. And this show gets a very respectable 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Rebecca Johnson of Film Focus Online said “with excellent performances from a strong cast, gloriously grim body horror and a cerebral, sexy, body-swapping storyline, Suitable Flesh is a unique watch that’s worth your time.” But you know it’s too scary for me. Luckily, Hulu also has What Comes Around, a 2022 thriller. This has 17 year-old Anna(Grace Van Dien) start a new romance online, and finally meeting Eric (Kyle Gallner) in person , she finds he’s 28 years old. Undeterred, Anna continues her flirtation, until her mom,Beth (Summer Phoenix), sees him, and summarily orders him out. But the problem is not only his age, for Beth, but also the fact that he’s someone from her own past. So while Beth suspects something quite sinister, Anna does not, and the fight between the pair continues, while Eric has plans of his own. Jesse Garcia, Indiana Affleck and Reina Hardesty also star, and Amy Redford directed. But this movie really doesn’t pan out (and wouldn’t even be mentioned here, if Hulu had better adds this week. And so , it gets a mere 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Natalia Winkelman of the New York Times wrote “the story, though neatly plotted, is engaging enough. The trouble lies in its staging.” You decide. And, finally, Hulu has From Tomorrow, a 2024 Spanish sci-fi series. Here, Gabriela (Marta Hazas) moves into her new house, and finds a piece of a strange rock buried beneath the floor. When she touches it , she is thrust into another reality, where she can see through the eyes of others, like her grandmother, and can see the future too. And the future she sees is horrific for her, and so, she ends up working with Detective Andrés (Álex González), to avert the calamitous future. But the mining company GeoCorp that rules the area will do anything to stop them. Valeria Alonso, Núria Herrero and Ramón Barea also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 6/10 on IMDb, and , though I can find few reviews, this new sci-fi show is worth checking out.
NETFLIX
Netflix has an exciting add this week with A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, a 2024 British limited mystery series. Based on the book by Holly Jackson, this finds the village of Little Kilton anxious to move on after the murder of a teenage girl, Andie Bell, five years before. But high school senior Pip Fitz-Amobi, played by Emma Myers, is determined to solve that murder, as her senior project. When Pip interviews the former associates of Andie, she befriends the brother of main suspect, Ravi (Zain Iqbal), who becomes her right hand man. Together, the pair investigate, but Pip doesn’t realize the price she herself will pay for that investigation. Asha Banks, Raiko Gohara, Jude Morgan-Collie and Yali Topol Margalith also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And it gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Margaret Lyons of the New York Times says “Myers’s luminous performance beautifully and poignantly synthesizes this blend of panic, regret, embarrassment, determination, courage, fear and stubbornness.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, the 2024 documentary. This tells the true story of Lhakpa Sherpa, a Nepalese woman determined to make her 10th ascent of Everest, what would be the world record for women. But her life has been a series of challenges, born into poverty and illiteracy in Nepal, dressing as a boy to become a porter on Everest, in her teens. As an adult, she moved to Connecticut with her Romanian climber husband, George Dijmarescu, supposedly leaving trouble behind, but instead suffering abuse at his hands for years. With her return to Nepal for her record climb, she tells her own story, supplemented by her daughter’s insights. And award-winning director Lucy Walker offers breath-taking views of the mountain and it’s harsh environment, but also the heart-stopping risks taken by sherpa and other climbers. And this movie was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and gets a stunning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Caryn James of the Hollywood Reporter says it “includes dazzling footage of Lhakpa on Everest, sometimes in snow and ferocious wind. But this engaging, modest and fiercely determined woman’s life is the real point here.” And I’m definitely watching. Netflix also offers Borderless Fog, a 2024 Indonesian mystery/thriller. Putri Marino stars as Inspector Sanja Arunika, sent from Jakarta to the Indonesia-Malaysia border, to investigate a murder. But as the murders multiply, the Inspector deals with sexism and distrust to discover the human trafficking rife in the area, which may be at the heart of the violence. But she must overcome her own past, and outwit the murderer, if she is to solve (and survive) the crimes. Yoga Pratama, Lukman Sardi and Kiki Narendra also star, and the award-winning Edwin directs. So though this movie gets a 5.4/10 on IMDb, Ruchika Bhat of DMT calls it “a breath of fresh air..an entertaining mix of folklore, local culture, and detective work that keeps your cogs turning from start to finish.” So I’m definitely tuning in. And Netflix has also added Love of My Life, a 2024 Colombian Spanish-language romantic drama series. This follows Carolina Azcarate, played by Paula Castaño, the daughter of a rich landowner in the 1970’s, who falls for Joaquín(Jair Romero) , a man of color, who works on their cotton plantation. But when Carolina‘s father finds out, and then Carolina discovers she’s pregnant, violence erupts, and an attempt is made on Joaquín’s life. As Carolina doesn’t know if her child has survived a difficult birth, she moves on, but always looking backward . As the decades pass, Joaquín plans for vengeance, while Carolina moves on, never forgetting what might have been. Nikolás Rincón, Modesto Lacen and Sergio Herrera also star, and there are 60(!) episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a whopping 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times say its a “a visually stunning series with strong character development and thoughtful social commentary.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has Eve, the 2022 K-drama revenge thriller series. This tells of Lee Ra-el, played by Seo Ye-ji, a young woman whose family was ruined, and her father killed, by the powerful Han Pro-ra family in. So, years later, when a beautiful mystery woman, Kim Sun-bin, insinuates herself into the family’s affections, the viewer realizes Ra-el’s plan, while the Han Pro-ra family does not. But will Ra-el continue with her plan for total devastation of the family, or will she be change her mind along the way? Lee Il-hwa, Park Byeong-eun and So Hee-jung also star, and there are 16 episodes available now. And this series gets an impressive 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times called it “a compelling and emotionally charged series that showcases the talents of its actors and the intricacies of its storyline.” So I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has an exciting add of their own this week, with Lisa Frankenstein, the 2023 horror/romantic comedy. Kathryn Newton stars, here, as the title character, Lisa , an 80’s teen forever the outsider in school, who isn’t interested in high school boys, but a teen buried in the nearby cemetery. so when the creature, Cole Sprouse, comes to life, Lisa is delighted, but of course, he needs some new body parts to tide him over. And so, violence ensues. Jenna Davis, Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino and Jennifer Pierce Mathus also star, while Zelda Williams directed. And Diablo Cody wrote the script!! And this movie was nominated for 2 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, including Best Lead Performance for Newton. So, though it gets just a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, Lex Briscuso of the Wrap said “it’s clear Williams knows how to tell a story and with Lisa Frankenstein as her first wacky and wonderful calling card, there’s no denying she is a filmmaker to watch.” And it’s funny, too, so I’m watching. Amazon has also added Murder They Hope, a 2022 British comedy series. This revolves around two inept murder enthusiasts, Gemma (Sian Gibson) and Terry(Johnny Vegas), who encounter murder almost everywhere they go. Of course, the murders are a bit more ridiculous than the usual, and the couple is forever on their way to get married, which seems just beyond their reach. But in the end, they always catch their culprit. Hugh Dennis, Tamzin Outhwaite, and Nicola Duffett also star, and there are 3 episodes available now. And each of these 2nd season episodes gets above a 7 on IMDb, so though I can find no reviews online, I’m tuning in. I love a mystery. And, finally, Amazon has added 2 seasons of Troppo, the 2022 Australian crime series. This features the North Queensland adventures of former pet detective(and former murderer, too) Amanda Pharrell(Nicole Chamoun ), who enlists the help of ex-cop, Ted Conkaffey(Thomas Jane!), to solve her first missing human case. Hired by Yoon Sun(Sun Park) to find her tech millionaire husband Jong Min, the pair encounter some truly weird clues, and threats to their lives. And while they try to solve the intriguing case, they both also try to right their own lives, which have suffered deep injury over time. Kate Beahan, Radha Mitchell(!) and Simon Lindon also star, and there are 2 seasons with 16 total episodes, available now. And this series gets a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Johnny Loftus of the Decider said “watching these two proud but very damaged people sort out their respective baggage as they stand together against all the local adversity in this dusty Queensland town is the allure at the center of Troppo…” And , of course, 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 