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 incredible add this week with Interior Chinatown, the 2024 satirical drama series. Charles Yu adapted his own award-wining novel of the same title, here, and tells of Willis Wu(Jimmy O. Yang), a background actor given cookie-cutter roles like Generic Asian Man. But then , Wu goes to the police to get them to investigate his brother’s disappearance, he meets a detective there,Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet), who grabs his attention. And as Wu longs for mystery(and finding a body), he ignores the Chinatown around him, and his family. But when the gang wars begin, he may not be able to disregard Chinatown any more. Lisa Gilroy, Tzi Ma, Archie Kao and Annie Chang also star, and there are 10 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 7/10 on IMDb, and Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times says “there’s an appealing noirish feeling to Interior Chinatown, and it’s often wickedly funny.” So I’m tuning in. But Hulu also offers Alien: Romulus, the latest Alien sequel . This latest sequel(sigh) takes place just few years after the Alien mayhem, this finds 6 mining settlement colonists, who, unwisely, scavenge an abandoned ship for it’s cryosleep chambers, so they can escape the mines. As Rain Carradine(Cailee Spaeny) and her guardian, android Andy(David Jonsson), search the dark cavities of the ship, soon it becomes obvious, the ship was not empty. And the question becomes, can they survive the xenomorph long enough to escape the ship. Isabela Merced, Aileen Wu and Archie Renaux also star, and Fede Alvarez directs. And this movie gets a respectable 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and though some critics call it a mere rehash, some, like Melanie McFarland of Salon.com says “imperfect though Romulus may be, it’s also a solid entry in a slate of films whose original maker has taken the extended story seriously enough to petrify it. Álvarez returns us to the simple sweatiness and anxiety that made Alien magnificent. ” But you know its too scary for me. Luckily, Hulu also offers Firebrand, a 2023 historical drama. This tells the story of Katherine Parr, played by Alicia Vikander(!), King Henry VIII‘s 6th and final wife, who was named Regent while he was fighting in France. But when Henry(Jude Law) returns, more ill and paranoid than ever, Katherine faces new danger, since, in Henry‘s absence, she took part in Revisionist Protestantism, to which her husband was violently opposed. And as Henry’s behavior becomes more unpredictable, and even violent, Katherine sees that her position , and very life, is in jeopardy. Can she escape the tragic end that met so many of the king‘s wives? Eddie Marsan, Simon Russell Beale and Sam Riley also star, and Karim Aïnouz directs. And, this movie premiered for at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or. And it gets a 6.2/10 on IMDb, and Murtada Elfadl of the AV Club called it a “fitting portrait of a woman the film presents as ahead of her time.” And I agree, so I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has also added The Fiery Priest, a 2019 S. Korean crime drama series. This revolves around Father Michael Kim Hae-il(Kim Nam-gil), a former NIS agent who became a priest, after falling under the peaceful influence of Father Lee( Jung Dong Hwan). But when Father Lee is killed, Father Michael goes on the warpath(he has anger management issues) to find the elderly man’s killer. Detective Song Seung Ah (Geum Sae Rok) also investigates the case, along with Prosecutor Park Kyung Sun (Lee Ha Nee) , who is trying to avoid the corruption that has swamped her department. Ahn Chang Hwan, Go Gyu Pil, and Kim Nam Gil also star, and there are 4 episodes available now. And this series was the highest rated miniseries drama in 2019 South Korea, and gets an astounding 8.1/10 on IMDb. and Hallyureviews said “I truly enjoyed every second of The Fiery Priest and I’m so looking forward to the second season.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge (and hilarious) add this week with A Man on the Inside, a 2024 comedy series. Ted Danson(!) stars as Charles, a retired San Francisco professor, still grieving the loss of his wife, Dorothy. Looking for something to do, he answers an ad that leads him to work for P. I.Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada. She needs someone to go undercover in a retirement community, as she investigates a theft there. And though Charles is sometimes inept, and frustrating for his employer, he stays with it, even over the remonstrations of his daughter . Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Stephanie Beatriz and Margaret Avery also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an incredible 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.7/10 on IMDb. And Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com calls it a “delightfully pleasant charmer, a comedy that’s almost calming as it drops into a tumultuous world.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix also offers Piano Lesson, a 2024 drama . Based on a play by August Wilson, this takes place in 1936 Pittsburgh, where Berniece Charles(Danielle Deadwyler) lives with her daughter Maretha (Skylar Aleece Smith) and uncle Doaker Charles (Samuel L. Jackson), and their revered upright piano. That piano has been in the family for decades, and has survived, with them, slavery, freedom, and the traumas they suffered. So when Berniece‘s brother Boy Willie (John David Washington) arrives from Mississippi, and wants to sell that piano, Berniece and her family are thrown into tumult. Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins and Erykah Badu also star, while Malcolm Washington directs. And this movie has won multiple awards this year, like the Directors to Watch at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and 3 awards at the Montclair Film Festival, including the Fiction Feature Award, the Performance Award for John David Washington and the Breakthrough Director Award for Malcolm Washington. And it gets an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Jacob Oller of the AV Club said “In The Piano Lesson, August Wilson‘s ghosts are as tangible as they’ve ever been, and the film barely containing them is as weathered and tense as any family in need of a séance.” So it’s on my list. Netflix also offers JOY – The Birth of IVF, a 2024 British historical drama. This tells the true(and untold) story of the development of IVF, and the pivotal role of a nurse, Jean Purdy(Thomasin McKenzie), in the fruition of the science. Purdy worked with two scientists, Dr. Patrick Steptoe(Bill Nighy!), and Robert Edwards(James Norton) at the laboratories in . As Purdy’s role grows into that of lab manager and clinical embryologist, they faced long hard hours of work, great disappointments, and threats from religious groups. But as protests against their work grew, not only from nuts, but also, from scientists like James Watson, and Purdy‘s own mother, the trio persevered. and finally came up with a process making parenthood possible, where it was only a dream months ago. Joanna Scanlan, Rish Shah, Nikolay Shulik and Adrian Lukis also star, while Ben Taylor directs. And this movie gets an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press says “Joy is not all joy. There is frustration and loss and tears along the way, but it is a triumphant film about the way humans can make the world better and how a baby’s cry can be a priceless gift.” So I’m tuning in. Netflix has also added Invisible Us, a 2024 Japanese thriller series. Here, in the aftermath of a shocking serial crime in Shibuya, Tokyo, gossip reporter Nakagawa Aoi(Fukuhara Haruka) is intrigued by the killer’s MO. As she attends a high school reunion with her old classmates, she begins to suspect one of them might be the killer. But as she digs deeper, and gets closer to the truth, she also risks attracting the attention of the very killer she is trying to catch. Kentarô Itô, Rena Takeda and Daichi Kaneko also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Chowduri of the Midgard Times calls it “a thought-provoking watch.” And I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Netflix has added When the Phone Rings, a K-drama mystery series. The marriage of presidential spokeman Baek Sa Eon( Yoo Yeon-seok) and Hong Hui Joo( Chae Soo-bin), TV interpreter who suffers from selective mutism, is purely one of convenience, with both partners strangers to each other. But when Hui-joo is suddenly kidnapped, Sa-eon realizes how little he knows about his wife. And as he races to save her , rumors swirl about her past, and as he learns more about her, he wonders what he’s gotten himself into. Heo Nam-jun, Im Chul-soo and Oh Hyun-kyung also star, and there are 12 episodes available now. and this series gets a spectacular 9.5/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times says “by intertwining personal stakes with a high-octane crisis, When the Phone Rings ensures its audience is hooked, eager to see how the drama and mystery will unfold.” And I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has added Cruel Intentions, a 2024 remake of the 1999 classic. Here, step-siblings Caroline Merteuil(Sarah Catherine Hook)and Lucien Belmont(Zac Burgess), attend the prestigious Manchester College, hoping to make connections and that will last a life time. But when a shocking incident takes place there, the pair realize they must do anything to hold on to their social standing, there. And as the stakes grow higher , they never fail to descend to the depths, to keep themselves at the top of the pecking order. Savannah Lee Smith, Sara Silva and Brooke Lena Johnson also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. But this series can’t compete with the original movie, and so gets only a 4.7/10 on IMDb. and Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? calls it “a dollar store imitation of a classic.” So I’m not watching. Luckily, Amazon has also added Abigail, the 2024 horror flick. Here, a team of criminals is hired to abduct the 12 year-old daughter of a crime boss, and hold her in an old run-down mansion. But the girl, Abigail(Alisha Weir), is not the average kid she first appears to be, but a vampire, and when the kidnappers begin to get on her nerves, she snaps, and lets them have a taste of her own medicine. Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera and Kevin Durand also star, and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett co-direct. And this movie gets a respectable 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter said “vampire movies are, of course, a dime a dozen, but few are as gleefully anarchic as this one.” But you know I’m not watching! And, finally, Amazon has season 1 of D.I. Ray, a 2022 crime drama series from the PBS Masterpiece channel. This series revolves around British DI Rachita Ray, played by Parminder Nagra, and her sudden appointment to the Homicide team. But when she finds she’s to investigate the murder of a Muslim man, she suspects she was chosen solely because of her ethnicity, being British and Indian. And as she investigates, she finds that she disagrees also with her superiors’ assumption that it was an honor killing. But when she defies their wishes, and continues looking for a different motive (and killer), can she keep her job? Gemma Whelan, Ian Puleston-Davies, Lucky Sanghera and Jamie Bamber also star, and there are 4 episodes available now. And this series was nominated for Best Production at the 2022 Royal Television Society Midlands Awards. And it gets an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Alex Moreland of National World says “it’s a clever blend of thoughtful character study with an engaging police procedural, worth watching for its lead alone.” And I love a mystery, so I’m watching. But be sure to finish all 4 episodes in 8 days, because on December 1, this series goes back to the premium PBS Classic Channel.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 