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 big title this week is Rivals, a 2024 British Disney+ drama series. this is based on the novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper, which tells of 1980s franchise-based regional television, and the vicious fight between two rivals. One of them, Lord Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant(!), is super rich, and wanting to improve his franchise’s standing, but also to beat his equally rich nemesis, Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). Others get pulled into the fray, like Taggie O’Hara (Bella Maclean), daughter of one of Baddingham‘s TV personalities, as she is romanced by Campbell-Black. And as the machinations increase between the two huge egos, anyone could get hurt. Aidan Turner, Nafessa Williams, Catriona Chandle and Rufus Jones(!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this soapy watch gets an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Lucy Baugher of Paste Magazine calls it a “scandalous, uninhibited romp from its very first scenes, its story is full of betrayal, ambition, greed, and excess in all the best possible ways.” but too soapy for me. Luckily, Hulu has also added Pancho Villa: The Centaur of the North, a 2023 historical drama series. This tells the story of Doroteo Arango, played by Jorge A. Jimenez, who started his life as a bandito, stealing for his family and his poor village, but ended up becoming General Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution. As he left his disreputable past behind, Villa and his troops push north toward Chihuahua, and finally toward Texas. But his fortune turns once again, and when discord seizes revolutionary army leaders, Villa is murdered. Dagoberto Gama, Juan Medina, Armando Hernández and Leonardo Alonso also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. And this series was nominated for Best Biographical series at the 2024 PRODU Awards, and gets an exceptional 7.2/10 on IMDb. And Stefanie Cook of Serietotaal calls it “a beautifully made, exciting chronicle full of action, drama and bloodshed.” So I’m definitely tuning in. Hulu has added Nemesis, a 2024 Dutch Disney+ thriller series. This finds public prosecutor and detective at the Revenue Service FIOD , Sylvia van Maele(Lies Visschedijk) working to find criminals by following their tax records. She and her partner, investigator Lars van Deumen(Romana Vrede) find evidence of a trust office that is a shelter for all kinds of criminal activity in the area. But they also gain the dangerous attention of the criminals they’re targeting , and so as the threats to their lives grow, the investigators race to find the proof they need to shut them down. Romana Vrede, Peter Blok, Florian Regtien and Jade Olieberg also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a impressive 6.8/10 on IMDb, and Arjan Welles of SerieTotaal says “it has enough twists and turns to keep you captivated until the end. The series is watchable like an exciting detective reads itself.” So I’m tuning in. And, finally , Hulu has added Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born, a 2024 K-drama series. This tells the story of Jeong-nyeon, played by Kim Tae-ri, who grows up in poverty in the village of Mokpo in 1950, but who dreams of being a singer. Though she is discouraged by her mother(Moon So-ri), Jeong-nyeon has a talent that is noticed by others. So when she hears of an opening at a local theater, she attends and is enchanted. But when her mother learns of her plans to audition, she locks her in the barn, and Jeong-nyeon knows she must leave home, to become a performer in Gukgeuk, or female only, theater. And so, she sets off for Seoul. Jung Eun-chae, Shin Ye-eun, Ra Mi-ran, Oh Kyung-hwa and Kim Yoon-hye also star, and there are 2 episodes available for streaming now, with 6 more to come. And this series gets an amazing 8.1/10 on MyDramaList, and mistyisles of Drama Beans calls it “stirring, cinematic, and featuring an excellent female-led cast.” And I’m definitely watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week with Woman of the Hour, a 2024 thriller. This takes place in 1978 L.A., where struggling actor Sheryl Bradshaw, played by Anna Kendrick(!), desperately in need of work, accepts a gig on The Dating Game. But the bachelor she chooses, Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovato) is actually a serial killer, who has already murdered 5 women in the city. But as Sheryl becomes suspicious of the (creepy) guy, she has nowhere to go, and no officials will believe her. Kathryn Gallagher, Nicolette Robinson and Tony Hale also star, and Anna Kendrick directs for the first time, here. And Kendrick has already won the Directors to Watch award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and her movie gets an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Kevin Maher of the Times (UK) calls it a “fiercely committed depiction of murder and misogyny in 1970s America.” And I’m definitely watching. Netflix has also added Outside, a Filipino horror movie. This finds the family of Francis (Sid Lucero) and Iris(Beauty Gonzalez) Abel rushing for safety to Francis’ father’s isolated farm. They seek protection from a zombie virus that has hit the Philippines, with a single bite leading to death. Francis‘ father has chosen suicide to escape, but Francis and Iris begin to set up house on the property. But that property has dangers of its own, and Francis seems to be changed for the worse by the house. Iris see the peril in her husband, and as her son Joshua tells of another safe haven, miles away, they both realize they must also escape Francis , if they are to survive. Marco Masa, Aiden Tyler Patdu, Joel Torre and James Blanco also star, while Carlo Ledesma directs, along with writing the script. And, though it gets a 5.1/10 on IMDb, it gets good reviews, like Suvo Pyne of High on Films who calls it “a dense psychological drama set in the quickfire world of the zombie apocalypse.” Because I know you need horror. But its far too scary for me. Luckily, Netflix has also added Yintah, a 2024 docutmentary. This tells the story of two indigenous women ,Howilhkat Freda Huson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham, and their Wet’suwet’en Nation , as they fight to stop the construction , and the destruction that comes with it, of yet another a Natural Gas pipeline in B.C. , Canada. As they and tribal leaders and elders try to stop the illegal invasion of Witsuwit’en land with legal actions and peaceful demonstrations, the police, of course, force their way onto the land. And in the end, with the coming of Covid, police and Canadian authorities allow gas line workers to continue their efforts, and so further endanger the Wet’suwet’en with outbreaks of Covid common among them. Toledano, Jennifer Wickham, and Brenda Michell co-direct this stunning movie, with plenty of drama, including their own risks of arrest. And Yintah, which means Land, has won multiple awards this year, including the Elevate Award and the The Colin Low Award for Canadian Documentary at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival, and the Land Sky Sea Award and the 2024 Rogers Audience Choice Award at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. And it gets an astounding 8.4/10 on IMDb, and Tarushi Patali of The Feast of Legends calls it “a thought-provoking and essential watch that highlights the urgency of addressing environmental justice and indigenous sovereignty ..a must watch!” So I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers The Shadow Strays, a 2024 Indonesian action thriller. Aurora Ribero plays Agent 13, here, a nameless assassin sidelined by her employer, The Shadows, after a misstep by the agent. Surprisingly, she is consoled by her young neighbor, Monji (Ali Fikry), and when the boy’s mom is killed by her pimp, 13 takes him in. But when Monji disappears, 13 explodes in anger, and vows vengeance against the criminal group, while she hopes to find the boy alive. Hana Malasan, Taskya Namya and Jesyca Marlein also star, and Timo Tjahjanto directed, along with writing the script. and it gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Jonathan Wilson of Ready Steady Cut says “Tjahjanto is a dynamite filmmaker who makes very specific movies for a very specific audience, and I’m happy to say that I’m it.” Me, too, so I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has Light of My Lion, a 2024 Japanese drama series. This finds the quiet lives of two brothers, Hiroto Komori(Yuya Yagira) and Michito (Ryôta Bandô), as Hiroto, a social services worker, tries to maintain a quiet home life for his younger brother Michito, who has autism. But when a young boy shows up, only calling himself Lion, the two brothers have a problem. As they look for his parents, they find bruises on the boy’s body that worry them about the safety of his past homelife. And then when the boy disappears, panic ensues, and Hiroto and Michito try desperately to find the boy that has lit up their lives. Yuki Sakurai, Denden and Masaaki Hirai also star, and there are 2 episodes available now, with ten more to come. And this series gets a whopping 8.2/10 on IMDb, and Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times calls it “a well-crafted series with emotional depth and strong performances.” and I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a big title added this week with Brothers, a 2024 action/comedy. The brothers in question are Moke Munger (Josh Brolin), a reformed thief trying desperately to stay out of trouble, and his identical twin, Jady (Peter Dinklage), who’s trying to get his brother to help him with one last big job. It seems Jady got an early release from prison contingent upon telling a crooked Judge Farful (Emmet Walsh)he’d retrieve some emeralds for him. As the judge‘s son, James(Brendan Fraser) To make matters worse, their long absent(and crooked) mom, Cath( Glenn Close), reappears to add to the trouble. Marisa Tomei, Taylour Paige, and Jen Landon also star, while Max Barbakow directs. But we’ve all seen this before, so despite the A-list cast, the hammy script doesn’t clear the fences. And so it gets only 46% a on Rotten Tomatoes and Justin Lowe of the Hollywood Reporter says “Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play mismatched siblings with heavy jaws in Barbakow’s second feature, which finds him trading the subtler comic shadings of Palm Springs for ham-fisted humor, to disappointingly diminishing effect.” And I’m so not watching. But Amazon has also added The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, a 2024 comedy series from writer Vijal Patel. This tells the story of the immigrant family , the Pradeeps, and their first two years in Pittsburgh. They begin telling their story in the immigration office, it seems there have been incidents like a house burning down, etc. Mom and surgeon Sudha (Sindhu Vee) begins to tell their story, with her husband Mahesh(Naveen Andrews) wanting to come to America, to a job at SpaceX, but Sudha worries about unhealthy food, and weight problems Her youngest son Vinod (Ashwin Sakthivel) wants desperately to become a garbage man, and her only daughter Bhanu (Sahana Srinivasan) may go wild with the freedoms of a different culture. And the whole family deals with living in a sea of whiteness, while their neighbor Janice says “I don’t even see color,” says Janice, “to me everyone’s white.” Ashwin Sakthivel, Arjun Sriram, and Sahana Srinivasan also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an outstanding 7/10 on IMDb, and Robert Lloyd of the L.A. Times calls it “a funny, splendid, oddball new series. ” And I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Amazon has added Monkey Man, the 2024 thriller .Dev Patel(!) stars, here, as the Kid, an unnamed young man, who grew up in poverty to work in a fight club, in India. The Kid witnesses poverty and abuse every night, and endures much in the ring, but he has a plan for vengeance, based on the tales of his childhood hero, the White Monkey or Hanuman, from Hindu mythology. And there’s a bloodbath that follows. Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher and Sobhita Dhulipala also star, while Dev Patel directs for the first time. And it gets an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Lovia Gyarkye of the Hollywood Reporter says “Patel makes a fine hero. The actor is a consistently charming presence whose capabilities have only grown since Skins and his breakthrough role in Slumdog.” And 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 