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
Unfortunately, Hulu’s biggest title this week is Nutcrackers, a2024 holiday comedy starring Ben Stiller. Here, the life of Michael Maxwell(Stiller!) turned upside down when his sister dies suddenly, in a car accident with her husband. Their 4 near-feral sons, Justice (Homer Janson) Junior (Ulysses Janson), Samuel (Atlas Janson) and Simon (Arlo Janson) need a guardian, and so Mike heads for their farmhouse, leaving Chicago and his real estate business behind. But can the uptight city boy last in the wilds, with 4 animals to look after? Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker and Toby Huss also star, and David Gordon Green directs. But this movie is a lame rehash of bad 80‘s movies, and so gets a mere 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Kristy Puchko of Mashable says it “aims for feel-good comedy but lands more in feel-meh.” And I definitely won’t watch. Luckily, Hulu also offers Drugstore June, a 2024 comedy. Esther Povitsky stars as June, here, a Gen Z-er living at home, and working the register at the local drugstore. But June finds it hard to tune in to real life, instead living online, stalking her ex-boyfriend. So when the drugstore is robbed, and June’s boss is the main suspect, June decides to investigate. But how does someone detached from reality do that? Beverly D’Angelo(!) plays June‘s ever-suffering Mom, and Bobby Lee, James Remar, Brandon Wardell also star, while Nicholaus Goossen directs. And though this movie gets but a 5.3/10 on IMDb, it’s far better than Nutcrackers, and Alexander Harrison of Screen Rant says “even with some inconsistencies, Drugstore June is funny, creatively approaches a deceptively ambitious setup and doesn’t overstay its welcome.” So I’m watching. Hulu has also added Bones of Crows, a 2022 Canadian drama. This tells the story of Aline Spears, played as an adult by Grace Dove, a Cree woman who survived the traumas incurred by the residential school system, to become a WWII Code Talker . After being taken from the arms of her distraught family, Aline and her siblings are confined at the residential school, and subjected to abuse by the staff there. After her release, Aline went on to marry young to another Native American interned at the schools. But upon moving to London, Aline goes on to be a codebreaker, using her Native Cree language to enhance her abilities. Summer Testawich and Carla-Rae also starred as Aline in childhood, and older age, and Phillip Lewitski, Rémy Girard, Karine Vanasse and Alyssa Wapanatâhk also star, and Marie Clements directed, along with writing the script. And this film received five Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, including it Best Original Screenplay for Clements. And it gets an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Aparita Bhandari of the Globe and Mail said “although it’s a difficult film to watch, the loving way in which it depicts Indigenous families and their traditions, including a simple family dinner, offers a perspective often missing from news stories. It’s a gift to watch the largely Indigenous cast bring to life a story that many of them have a personal connection to. ” So I’m definitely tuning in. And, finally, Hulu has High School Return of a Gangster, a 2024 K-drama action/comedy series. Here, middle aged gangster Kim Deuk Pal finds himself reborn in the body of high schooler, Song Yi Heon(Yoon Chan-Young), after Kim dies trying to save the boy from suicide. but the new Song Yi heon finds the kid was being ruthlessly bullied, as well as isolated at school. So, Deuk Pal returns to school as Yi Heon, determined to set things straight for the teen, beginning with meeting his bullies head-on, with fighting techniques from his gangster days. But while making new friends, he may find someone who knows he’s not the real Yi Heon, putting everything at risk. Bong Jae-hyun, Won Tae Min, Seo Tae-hwa and Joo Yun-chan also star, and Lee Seong Taek directs all 8 episodes. And this series gets an outstanding 7.8/10 on IMDb, and Christine Kinori of the Review Geek says its “one entertaining show, and we love it.” So I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has The Madness, a 2024 thriller. Colman Domingo(Rustin!) stars, here, as political consultant-turned- TV pundit Muncie Daniels, on a writer’s retreat in the Poconos, when he discovers the body of a man. but this wasn’t just any man, he was a white supremacist proselytizer, for The Forge, an infamous white terrorist group. And Muncie has been framed for that murder, in what, as time goes on, seems to be a very coordinated plan. As he meets more ominous foes like billionaire Stu Magnusson (Bradley Whitford), his only ally is FBI operative Franco Quiñones (John Ortiz). But will that be enough to keep Muncie Daniels out of the crosshairs, and jail? Farzaneh Soltani, Bahareh Rahmati , Marsha Stephanie Blake and Thaddeus J. Mixson also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And Jeff Ewing of Collider says “anchored by an excellent central performance while allowing its protagonist to be vulnerable, The Madness is one of the year’s finest (and most poignant) thriller shows.” And I am so watching. Netflix has also added The Helicopter Heist, a 2024 limited Swedish crime drama series. Based on a true crime that occurred in 2009, this tells of lifelong friends, Mikail(Ardalan Esmaili) and Rami (Mahmut Suvakci). Rami tried to turn his life in crime around, after prison, but a bad investment brings him to his knees, and so Mikail agrees to help him plan this one last heist. Their plan is to use a helicopter to rob one of Sweden‘s largest cash depots. But, as rumors hit the street of the heist, and the police catch on, and Chief Inspector Leonie Hamsik(Iskra Kostic) is determined to stop the caper before it begins. Johanna Hedberg, Erik Svedberg-Zelman and Dejan Milacic also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets an astonishing 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Tim Bouwhuis of SerieTotaal calls it “entertaining viewing material for late at night, where knowledge of the events and the outcome does not necessarily have to destroy the striking tension arc…. a fine piece of television.” And I’m tuning in. Netflix has also added Transmitzvah, a 2024 dramedy from Argentina. This begins with Rubén Singman and his scheduled Bar Mitzvah, for when he turned 13. But Rubén didn’t want a Bar Mitzvah, instead he wanted a Bat mitzvah, since they now identified as female. And when his father Arón(Alejandro Awada ) refused him, Rubén ran away, and didn’t return for decades. Instead they became the renowned singer Mumy Singer (Penelope Guerrero), famed for singing Yiddish and Hebrew songs, while living in Madrid. But when Mumy returns home to Buenos Aires to perform there, they decide to finally hold that Bat Mitzvah, and have fun, while doing so. Gustavo Bassani , Juan Minujín and Alejandra Flechner also star, while Daniel Burman directs, along with co-writing the script with Ariel Gurevich. And this movie gets a misleading 4.7/10 on IMDb, because it also gets rave reviews, like that of Jason Flatt of But Why Tho? A Geek Community, who says “no matter how many strange twists or turns the movie takes, Transmitzvah is a coming-of-age journey well worth taking.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix also offers Lucky Baskhar, a 2024 Indian crime thriller. Dulquer Salmaan plays Baskhar Kumar, a middle class bank worker in 1980‘s in colaba , India. Frustrated with living hand to mouth, Baskhar longs for more. So when he finally comes up with a (less than honest) method for making money, all his problems seem to be solved. But as he accrues fancy cars, and sumptuous living quarters, his ego grows too. And his wife, Sumathi, played by Meenaakshi Chaudhary, confronts him with the truth of what is he and what he has done. Tinnu Anand, Sudha and Ramki also star, while Venky Atluri directs, along with writing the script. And this movie gets a stunning 8.3/10 on IMDb, and Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India calls it “a captivating period crime thriller, blending a nostalgic backdrop with a tale of human ambition and resilience.” And I’m tuning in. And, finally , Netflix has added The Trunk, a 2024 K-drama thriller series. This tells of Han Jeong-won(Gong Yoo), a composer and heir , whose ex-wife, Seo Yeon (Jung Yun-ha), just can’t stand his addiction to pills and paranoia any more. so she hires Noh In-ji(Seo Hyun-jin) to engage in a 1 year marriage contract with him, hoping she will guard him, and promising Jeong-won they’ll remarry after the year is up. But then a trunk is found on the beach, and the contents lead to chaos and mystery for the couple and for the town, in general. Choi Young-joon, Kim Dong-won and Jo Yi-gun also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets a whopping 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Lopa K of The Review Geek calls it “an impeccable romantic thriller.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has no big titles added this week, but they do have The Source, a 2024 French crime drama series. this finds Driss (Adam Bessa), living in the suburbs of Paris, suddenly forced to stop his studies in Political Science, and take over the family business. But that business is cannabis trafficking and the arrest of Driss‘ older brother, Moussa ( Salim Kechiouche), has brought the heat on the family, and Driss, himself. And as police like William(Noham Edje) hover, and investigate, Driss reluctantly takes the helm. And so, his life devolves into violence and chaos. Salim Kéchiouche, Slimane Dazi, Booba and Sawsan Abès also star, and there are 7 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6.5/10 on IMDb, and Herpai Gergely of the Geek Games calls it a “gritty thriller series, dark and ruthless …” So I’m watching. Amazon also has The Listener, a 2024 drama. Tessa Thompson stars as ‘Beth‘, here, the listener, who volunteers on a helpline, answering phone calls through the night. And all night long, she talks to people in need, distraught, or just lonely. And numerous noted actors star as some of those callers, like Rebecca Hall and Alia Shawkat, sometimes desperate and sometimes just needing to talk. But always given recognition. Logan Marshall-Green, Derek Cecil, Margaret Cho and Blu del Barrio also star, and Steve Buscemi directs. and this movie was nominated for the Grand Jury Fiction Award at The Hague Movies that Matter Festival, and gets a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com writes while it ” has the feel of a one-act play, that’s easily forgiven when the performer on the stage is this refined, and the filmmaking here is solid without ever being showy.” So its on my list. And, finally, Amazon has added She and Her Perfect Husband, a 2022 Chinese drama series. Here, lawyer Qin Shi(Mi Yang) has always concentrated on her career, at the expense of her personal life. But when a prestigious but biased firm, Cheng & Hui, requires employees to be married, she wants to apply, and her older brother(unbeknownst to her) creates a husband for her online. And so Qin makes up a whole background story for her imaginary husband, and picks out a social media photo of Yang Hua(Xu Kai) to illustrate her story. But when Yang Hua suddenly walks into her life, and the company, with another woman, a crisis is just barely averted. And so the couple agree to a pretend marriage, hoping to maintain the facade, and keep her conservative employers from finding her out. Yang Mi, Tang Jing Mei, Wang Zi Xuan and Ma Wen Zhong also star, and there are 40 episodes available now. And this series was an award winner in 2023 including VIP’s Favorite Drama of the Year at the Tencent Video TV And Movie Award, and Breakthrough Actor of the Year for Kai Xu at the Weibo Awards Ceremony. And it gets an amazing 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Drama Addict of Drama Slot calls it “refreshing and unique.” So I’m watching.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 