Yes, its late again, and high 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 an exciting add this week with English Teacher, a2024 comedy series from FX. Brian Jordan Alvarez stars, here, as Evan Marquez, a high school teacher in Austin, Texas, intent on teaching his students to be good people, along with their basic English skills. But Evan is gay, in a school where the adults often react with less tolerance and grace than his teen students. Markie Hillridge(Sean Patton), the gym teacher, is one of the worst offenders, often making lame jokes about fruit, while Evan’s best friend, Gwen Sanders(Stephanie Koenig), makes everything better, Enrico Colantoni, Carmen Christopher and Jordan Firstman also star, and there are 6 episodes available now, with 2 more to come. and this series gets a smashing 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and James Poniewozik of the New York Times says “amid its broad-strokes zeitgeist gags, it has enough quirk and complexity to capture the weirdness of adolescents and the people in charge of them.” So I’m watching. Hulu has also added Mothering Sunday, a 2021 British drama. This follows Jane Fairchild, as a young woman, played by Odessa Young(and Glenda Jackson as an older woman!). As she meanders through life, orphaned early on, she finds work as a maid, for a wealthy family, the Nivens. As she begins an affair with the wealthy Paul Sherringhan(Josh O’Connor), Jane still longs for something, and upon Paul‘s marriage to a fittingly wealthy woman, she finds herself detached from purpose. But later in life, when her husband, Donald (Sopé Dìrísù), encourages her to write, she finds an outlet for her sorrows, and joys, too. Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Olivia Colman and Nathan Chester Reeve also star and Eva Husson directed. And this movie gets a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Robert Abele of the L.A. Times said it “shimmers with confident filmmaking, fine performances and a belief in the melancholic resonance of a lovers’ sanctuary as something difficult to let go.” So it’s on my list. Hulu has also added The Duke, the 2020 British comedy drama. Based on a true story, this tells of Kempton Bunton, played by Jim Broadbent(!), a taxi driver, who, in 1961, stole a painting by Goya from then National Gallery. But this was not an ordinary burglary but a form of protest against the BBC television tax. For the British government had spent £120,000 for the Goya painting of the Duke of Wellington, while pensioners had to pay a tax for tv. But while Kempton plans to hold the painting for ransom, his crafty wife, Dorothy Bunton (Helen Mirren!), has more lucrative ( and perhaps criminal)plans for the masterpiece. Fionn Whitehead, Aimee Kelly, and Craig Conway also star, and Roger Michell(Notting Hill!) directed. And this movie gets an outstanding 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Anthony Lane of the New Yorker said “the film confirms that one of Michell’s enduring themes was exasperation—an unglamorous emotion, familiar to us all but, unlike rage, seldom given its cinematic due.” And I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Hulu has The Secret Romantic Guesthouse, a 2024 historical drama series. This takes place in the fifteenth century of the old Joseon Kingdom era, with students congregating at the inn of noblewoman Yoon Dan-O (Shin Ye Eun), preparing for their civil exams. But soon they find themselves distracted in the stories of the murder of Dan’O’s parents and the intrigues involved in them. One of these students, Kang San (Ryeo Un), with a mysterious past of his own, teaches Dan-O to protect herself from her debtors. but when Dan-O hears she may lose her inn permanently to her creditors, all bets are off. Kang Hoon, Jung Gun-joo and Oh Man-seok also star, and there are 18 episodes available now. And this series gets an epic 7.3/10 on IMDb, and KDramaLove.com calls it “a very special historical drama with lots of amiability, intrigue, romance, sweetness, and humor.” So I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
The big title on Netflix this week has to be The Perfect Couple, a 2024 thriller limited series starring Nicole Kidman(!). Based on a novel of the same name by Elin Hilderbrand , this finds the ultra-rich Winbury family preparing for the wedding of Benji(Billy Howle)on plush Nantucket. Benji’s mom Greer Garrison Winbury(Kidman) earns the big money in the family as a mystery writer, while her husband, Tag (Liev Schreiber), drinks and smokes his time away. As Benji’s fiancé Amelia( Eve Hewson), a working woman, comes for the wedding she is shocked at the lifestyle she witnesses. Even more shocking is the body hat turns up on the beach the next day, and the skeletons dug up by the police investigation that follows. Meghann Fahy, Dakota Fanning(!)and Jack Reynor also star, while Susanne Bier directs. and there are 6 episodes available now. And though it gets only a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, Benji Wilson of the Daily Telegraph calls it trash but it is top-notch trash, a show aiming only for sugar-hit moreishness and hitting the mark in almost every scene.” So its on my list. But Netflix has also added I Used to Be Funny, a 2024 dramedy. Rachel Sennott stars, here, as Sam Cowell, an aspiring stand-up comic homebound, with PTSD and other issues, who finds that the girl she once cared for , Brook(Olga Petsa), has gone missing. And so Sam forces herself out of the house, and into the world again, to find, as she said “the only person who doesn’t pity me.” Jason Jones, Sabrina Jalees and Caleb Hearon also star, while Ally Pankiw directed. and this charming movie was nominated for multiple award last year, with three at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, including the One to Watch for Pankiw. And it gets an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com said “Pankiw and Sennott bring Sam’s story to life with an inventive yet sensitive approach, creating a sympathetic portrait of someone learning to cope with the tragedies of life and embrace their funny side despite it all.” And that’s why I’m watching. Also new on Netflix is Apollo 13: Survival, a 2024 documentary. This tells the story of the 1970 flight of Apollo 13, that went so terribly wrong, with the explosion an oxygen tank that left 3 astronauts, James A. Lovell, John L. “Jack” Swigert and Fred W. Haise, stranded in space. Worse, if they could not correct their course in time, they would veer off into space, lost forever. British director Peter Middleton expertly combines archival footage, archival news reports, and press conferences with pale, seemingly shocked NASA experts, as well as newer interviews. Its riveting stuff, that gets a 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Jeff Spry of Space.com calls “a superb examination of NASA’s finest hour….an impressive achievement in the documentary art form and one that instantly becomes the new gold standard of Apollo 13 accounts and a rare treat for Apollo-era enthusiasts” And I’m watching. Netflix also offers GG Precinct, a 2024 Taiwanese comedy crime series. In a follow-up to last year’s Marry My Dead Body, the members of the GG Precinct return to investigate strange murders, associated with Chengyu characters, in Chinese. Greg Hsu returns as Detective Wu Ming-han, as does Lin Tzu-ching(Gingle Wang), as they hunt for a copycat of the infamous Chinese Idiom Killer, a serial killer. As the detectives examine the crime scenes, they find the victims are laid out to make up Chinese characters, known as idiom characters, in a grisly fashion. and if they don’t figure out the killer’s cryptic clues, with the help of the first Idiom Killer, the murders will go on terrorizing the city. Ma Nien-hsien, Wu Yang-lin and Flower Chen also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a 5.7/10 on IMDb, it was nominated for the Best OTT Original at the Asia Contents Awards. And Joel Keller of the Decider says “while GG Precinct isn’t gut-grabbing hilarious, its broad characters, paired with the weird, supernatural-adjacent mystery the detectives have to solve, make for an entertaining show.” So I’m definitely tuning in. And, finally, Netflix has added Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist, a 2024 K-drama historical drama series. This tells of Yoo Se-yeop, played by Kim Min-jae, a young and prosperous acupuncturist for the royal family, who is expelled after a terrible mistake in treatment. Humiliated, he wanders the country, and finds himself in the little village of Gyesu where he mmeets the local doctor, Gye Ji-han(Kim Sang-kyung). He also meets a suicidal widow, Seo Eun-woo (Kim Hyang-gi), who is interesting and helpful. And as the trio help the people of Gyesu, they find new meaning in their lives, and the young doctor finds there is more than prestige to be found in practicing medicine. Oh Kyung-Joo, Kim Su-an, and Jang Sun also star, and there are 2 seasons, with 22 episodes, available now. And this series gets a notable 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Carmen Chin of NME says its “shaping up to be one of the year’s most watchable and well-executed period dramas.” So I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has some exciting adds this week, like The American Society of Magical Negroes, the 2024 satirical comedy. Justice Smith stars as, Aren, here, a young and promising Black artist who is constantly impaired by American society’s reaction to a black man. When he tries to help a young white woman with an ATM, he is mistaken for a robber, and threatened by a group of (white) men. The same mysterious man saves him from this threatening situation (and others), is Roger, played by David Alan Grier(!). And it seems Roger belongs to The American Society of Magical Negroes, a group of Black people who repeatedly appease white society (with magic), thereby safeguarding Black people. When he recruits Aren, he is delighted, and when Aren meets Lizzie, a woman of multi-ethnic heritage, he is on cloud nine. But when he is told by Roger that he must sacrifice his relationship with Lizzie for a white man who also likes her, Aren gets fed up and speaks his mind. But the society may have had enough of him, too. An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver and Nicole Byer also star, and Kobi Libii directed, along with writing the script. And this premiered at last February’s Sundance Film Festival, and won the Directors to Watch for Libii at the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival. So, though it gets only a 3.2/10 on IMDb, I’m still watching. And Nicolas Rapold of the New York Times said “Smith’s nimble performance is such a pleasure to watch that it almost doesn’t matter, but it’s fair to say that this film could have gone even further with its bold scenario.” I’m still tuning in. Amazon has also added Snack Shack, a 2024 teen comedy. this takes place in 1991 Nebraska , where two friends, A.J. (Conor Sherry)and Moose(Gabriel LaBelle, have to find work within a week, after getting into big trouble. So, when they see the Snack Shack at the local pool, they decide to put in an offer for it $3,000. AS their parents explode, the boys know they need to make a big success to stay out of reform school, and so, they give it their all. But of course, things don’t go as planned, and they may end up far worse than they began, with their friendship finished. Mika Abdalla, Nick Robinson and David Costabile also star, and Adam Rehmeier directed. And, this movie gets a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and J. Kim Murphy of Variety said “armed with a talented cast, writer-director Adam Rehmeier’s 1991-set feature happily squares itself in a tradition of teenage hedonism and broad learning opportunities, settling into a generic but warm glow.” But definitely not for me. And, finally, Amazon has added The Crime is Mine, a 2023 French mystery. This takes place in Paris in the 30′s, with 2 roommates, dead broke, and struggling to pay the long overdue rent. And then Madeleine (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) is accused of killing a lecherous producer, Montferrand. So when Madeleine is charged, her roommate, and best friend, Pauline(Rebecca Marder), an out of work lawyer, decides to turn their bad luck to their advantage. They decide to capitalize on Madeleine‘s fame, and portray her as a beautiful actress, beleaguered by a disgusting lech, and victim a misogynistic system. Which works out well, for a while, until the real killer approaches the pair. Isabelle Huppert(!), Fabrice Luchini and Dany Boon also star, while François Ozon directs. And this movie was nominated for 2 awards last year, and gets a stunning 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and Anthony Lane of the New Yorker said “Ozon, as ever, is not just having fun. He is also making mischief with the sexual politics of the plot.” Which is why I’m watching twice!
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 