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 an interesting add this week with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a 2022 Nicolas Cage comedy/ action thriller. Cage stars as himself, Nick Cage, a superstar who is out of money and out of work, and left to reliving his past glorries with his former self. So when he gets an offer from his agent to jet to a party in Majorca for his billionaire super fan, Javi Gutierrez, played by Pedro Pascal, he jumps at the chance. But Gutierrez is an arms dealer, and his questionable past has earned him the great interest of the the CIA, and agent Vivian (Tiffany Haddish!), comes to ask for his help in an investigation. which leads to hijinks and chases galore. Ike Barinholtz, Sharon Horgan, and Paco León also star, while Tom Gormican directed. Hulu has also added Asphalt City, the 2023 thriller starring Sean Penn. Here, Penn plays Gene Rutkovsky, a wizened veteran among the paramedics in East New York, Brooklyn. So when rookie Ollie Cross(Tye Sheridan) is paired with him for training, Cross finds his ideals and plans of being a doctor challenged by the chaos and violence omnipresent in the streets where he works. And when his partner investigated for a possible lapse in following procedure, Cross may hold the key to Rutkowsky‘s career. Gbenga Akinnagbe, Raquel Nave and Kali Reis also star, and Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire directed. And this movie was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Frog at the 2023 Camerimage awards. But the script, here, doesn’t really pan out, and so it gets only a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Natalia Winkelman of the New York Times said “[the main characters’] dynamic is familiar at best and dull at worst, particularly for those who long ago tired of the tragedies of toxic machismo.” But you decide. Hulu has also added Child Star, a 2024 documentary. Directed by former child star Demi Lovato and Nicola Marsh, this considers the profits and perils associated with becoming a child star, with many Disney Channel star, included. Lovato herself interviews many former child stars like Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson and Christina Ricci. But also fellow Disney stars like Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa, and Alison Stoner. The performers tell of long hours, and high pressure to appear slim and vital, that led many into drugs and/or eating disorders. Kenan Thompson even tells of a crooked accountant who stole many of his biggest earnings. But it’s not all doom and gloom, with happy memories shared, too. And this movie gets an impressive 7/10 on IMDb, and Arash Nahandian of Gazettely says “Lovato‘s thoughtful exploration of the tough realities of child stardom leaves viewers with greater empathy for the pressures experienced by fame’s youngest subjects while also offering tangible solutions.” So I’m watching. And finally, Hulu has Handling the Undead, a 2024 horror movie from Norway. This begins one quiet summer morning, with weird electrical activity around Oslo, and soon, the dead are awakening, and returning home. Three families are focused on here- one, consisting of Anna, played by Renate Reinsve(The Worst Person in the World!), who grieves her dead son, along with his grandfather, Mahler (Bjorn Sundquist) . Their delight at seeing their love one again is unsullied by questions of what happened to bring them back. And as time goes by, all the families realize that these people are not quite the same, and though it may become dangerous to keep them close, their refusal to give them up yet again seems absolute. Bente Børsum, Anders Danielsen Lie and Bahar Pars also star, while Thea Hvistendahl directs. And this movie premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Original Music. It went on to win Best Feature Film at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, and Best Director at the Riviera International Film Festival. and it gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Nick Schager of the Daily Beast calling it a “zombie film unlike any other, focused less on mayhem than on grief, loss, and the quiet, tragic terror begat by the dead’s return.” So it’s on my list, though its far too scary for me.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week with His Three Daughters, a 2024 drama. This begins with two estranged sisters returning to New York to care for their dying father, Vincent (Jay O. Sanders), cared for by his daughter, Rachel(Natasha Lyonne), who lives with him. Her half-sisters, Katie(Carrie Coon), also from NYC, and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) from California, and as they stay in the same apartment, cramped with memories and beeping medical devices, that bring them to the brink of battle. But as they argue, and drink(or smoke pot), their personal issues rise to the surface, and an intimacy they had never known, develops between them. Rudy Galvan, Jose Febus, and Jovan Adepo also star, while Azazel Jacobs directs. and this movie gets a stunning 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair says it “gradually blooms into one of the most stirring dramas of the year, a sad little family story that concerns a vast universal human experience.” So I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers Missing, a 2024 Japanese drama. After her daughter Miu goes missing while walking one night, her mother Saori, played by Satomi Ishihara, goes into overdrive to find her. Suggestions of kidnapping loom, as Miu‘s brother said there was a van outside before she went out, but all loose ends remain loose. Driven almost to distraction, Saori distributes flyers and attempts to get the attention of the national news. But as new leads arise, online suspicions turn toward the family itself, and the national news may just make that worse. Munetaka Aoki, Yusaku Mori, Tsugumi Arita, Karin Ono and Kazushige Komatsu also star, while Yoshida Keisuke directs. And this movie was nominated for Best Film at the 2024 Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival, and gets a 6.6/10 on IMDb, but a 7.4/10 on MyDramaList. And Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte calls it “Satomi Ishihara is simply fantastic in Missing. Every minute is excruciating and so suffocating to watch. The situation seems helpless and hopeless and the different story points coming together to deliver this realistic and horrifying situation makes for a thrilling and emotional watch through and through.” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added Grave Torture, a 2024 Indonesian horror film. This finds Sita, played by Faradina Mufti, a cynical nurse, questioning her faith, after her parents were killed by a suicide bomber. But the bomber committed his crime to gain martyrdom, because he feared his former crime of grave torture, or grave defacement, would otherwise doom him. As grave torture is believed a damning crime in Indonesia, Sita seeks to prove it is all untrue, and so plans on committing some grave torture of her own, by being buried with one of the most evil of her patients. Reza Rahadian, Christine Hakim and Widuri Puteri also star, and Joko Anwar directed, along with writing the script. And this movie gets a 6.8/10 on IMDb, and Chad Collins of Dread Central calls it ” admirable in its ambition. That ambition, however, is also its greatest constraint. No different than Sita crawling (quite literally) into the graves of the deceased to capture unqualified proof of the dead’s suffering, Grave Torture is commendable in its biggest swings.” But far too horrific for me. Netflix also offers Not Friends, a 2023 Thai comedy. Anthony Buisseret plays Pae, here, a high school student and loner, wants to go on to technical school, which requires a short film. So , Pae decides to make a film about his late friend Joe, a popular student and all around great guy. But when Pae‘s film begins to get a little more fiction than fact, a fellow student, Bokeh, pushes Pae to tell the truth. Ultimately, Pae hire Bokeh to joins him as an assistant instead, but as they continue with filming, the kids uncover other secrets that just can’t remain hidden. Pisitpol Ekaphongpisit, Tanakorn Tiyanont and Thitiya Jirapornsilp also star, and Atta Hemwadee directed, along with writing the script. And this movie was nominated for Best film at the 2024 Osaka Asian Film Festival, and was selected as the Thai entry for the 96th Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign Film, and gets a fantastic 7.5/10 on IMDb. And High on Films calls it “an uplifting film one must watch during a lonely day.” And, finally, Netflix has The Queen of Villains, a 2024 Japanese drama series. This tells the story of Kaoru, played by Yuriyan Retriever, a girl, who dreamt of becoming a professional wrestler with a heart of gold, in the 70′s. But soon, in the rough and tumble wrestling world with more than enough heroes, she finds herself playing a villain, Dump Matsumoto. And Dump grows to be so hated and reviled in the people of Japan watch her every move. Erika Karata, Ayame Goriki, Ebi-chan, and Kyoka Sumida, and Kazuya Shiraishi directed all 6 episodes available for bingeing now. and it gets an astounding 7.7/10 on IMDb, and Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte calls it “with a moving storyline, the series is a worthy watch, one that you will not be able to put down easily.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a big a this week with Challengers, the 2023 romantic drama. Zendaya(!) stars here, as Tashi Duncan, a retired tennis champ who takes to coaching her husband Art (Mike Faist), as his career begins to decline. So he enters a challenger tournament, where lower ranked players get a chance to play injured, but more highly ranked players. And there they meet up again with Patrick (Josh O’Connor ), an old rival of Art’s both on the court, and for the attention of Tashi. And so she plays one off against the other, both on the court and off. Darnell Appling, Bryan Doo and A. J. Lister also star, while Luca Guadagnino(Call Me By Your Name) directs. And this movie gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Amy Nicholson of the L.A. Times called it a “trim, naughty, ferociously well-acted trifle [that] takes subtlety and restraint and thwacks them over the fence and into the bushes.” So its on my list. But Amazon has also added A Very Royal Scandal, the 2024 drama. this is a dramatized retelling of the fateful 2019 interview between journalist Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew, played by Michael Sheen. The interview was to discuss the many rumors of the Prince‘s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, noted sex offender, and friend of Andrew‘s and in the 3 episodes of this series, we get to see both Prince Andrew‘s preparations for the interview, as well as CBC journo Emily Maitlis, played by Ruth Wilson(!). As Maitlis is discouraged from carrying on with the scheduled interview at all, Andrew dreams of demolishing his interrogator. Needless to say, that does not come to pass, and Prince Andrew is only greeted with more questions, and the loss of much of his income and land holdings as a result of the scandal. Joanna Scanlan, Alex Jennings and Claire Rushbrook also star, and this is the 3rd iteration of Amazon’s Scandal series. And it gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Aramide Tinubu of Variety says “though much of the world has either seen or at least heard of Prince Andrew’s BBC interview, A Very Royal Scandal is still fascinating.” So I’m watching. And, finally, Amazon has The Childe, a 2023 thriller from S. Korea. this follows Marco, played by Kang Tae-Ju, a young Filipino boxer desperately trying to find his absentee father, to get money to pay for his ailing mother’s life-saving surgery. But as soon as he lands in Korea, Marco finds himself beset by a smiling man, the Nobleman(Kim Seon-Ho), who wants to kill him. Add to that any number of strangers chasing him through the streets, with murder on their mind, and it becomes a question whether Marco will survive his visit to S. Korea, not to mention, save his other’s life. Kang-woo Kim, Caroline Magbojos and Go Ara also star, and Park Hoon-jung(Night in Paradise) directs. And Seon-ho Kim was nominated for Best New Actor at the 2024 Grand Bell Awards, and The Childe gets an astounding 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Kate Sánchez of ButWhyTho? calls it ” easily one of the best action films of 2023, and it’s thanks to Kim Seon-ho and his dynamic performance.” And i agree, 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 