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 exciting add this week with Cuckoo, the 2024 horror thriller. This finds a grieving American teenager Gretchen(Hunter Schafer) after her mom’s death, sent to Germany to live with her father, Luis(Marton Csokas), stepmother Beth, and mute half-sister Alma. But, as the family arrives to help build a new hotel in the Bavarian Alps, and Gretchen gets a job at the hotel desk, strange things start to happen. Women start to get sick in the hotel, and Gretchen has a close encounter of the creepy kind in the woods. But as things become more ominous, Gretchen plans her getaway with a local boy, but it may not be soon enough. Dan Stevens(!), Jan Bluthardt, and Jessica Henwick also star, while Tilman Singer directs. This movie premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Film, and won the Silver Raven at the 2024 Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film. And it gets a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Sergio Burstein of the Los Angeles Times said “the best of all is Schafer, fully effective in the development of a character who initially seems to be a scared bunny, but who gradually shows their claws.” So I’m tuning in. Hulu has also added Blink, a 2024 documentary from Nat. Geographic. This documents the family trip taken by Pelletiers , when parents, Edith and Sébastien, learned three of their four children had inherited a rare eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, that will eventually end in blindness. So the family leaves their home in Montreal, and travels the world, hoping to install visual memories, that will last a lifetime. And while they visit places like Mongolia, Namibia, Egypt and Nepal, they also build bonds that will help with them face any hradship in the future. Daniel Roher(Navalny) and Edmund Stenson co-direct this beautifully shot film, that showcases many of the most beautiful places in the world, while also offering an intimacy to the journey. And this movie gets an impressive 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Nicolas Rapold of the New York Times says “life comes at you fast, after all, and Blink reminds us to look at each day as if it might be the last.” So I’m watching. Hulu has also added The Inheritance, a 2024 horror flick. Here, billionaire Charles Abernathy(Bob Gunton) marks his 75th birthday by inviting his estranged children home. But he is motivated by fear, certain he is going to die before midnight. So he holes up with his 4 kids, asking security to leave, so his children will be required to protect him, and earn a generous inheritance if they do. But as his offspring plan to gain the loot for themselves, a sinister inhabits the estate. Peyton List, Briana Middleton, Rachel Nichols and Austin Stowell also star, and Alejandro Brugués directs. But this movie gets only a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 4.7/10 on IMDb. And Ferdosa Abdi of Screen Rant said “despite its derivative nature, The Inheritance could have been very enjoyable if the script was stronger.” So, not for me. And, finally, Hulu has Double Crossed: Sooner or Later, You’ll Pay the Price, a 2024 Disney+ Brazilian crime drama series. This finds Raimundo(Thomás Aquino) wanting to retire from his life of crime in Rio de Janeiro. But his boss, Bruna (Juliana Paes), doesn’t allow retirement, so when Raimundo and his partner Serginho(Rodrigo Simas), try to carry out a robbery without Bruna’s knowledge, the consequences could be lethal. Larissa Nunes, Otávio Müller and Larissa Bracher also star, and there are 4 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 6.8/10 on IMDb, and Ana Beatriz Furtado of Culturagenial says “if you are looking for a series that defies your expectations and offers a dark and fascinating vision of the world of crime, Double Crossed is your choice.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has some incredible adds this week, starting with Between The Temples, a 2024comedy/drama. Here, Jason Schwartzman stars as cantor Ben Gottlieb, suffering from grief over his wife’s death, but also a crisis of faith, that renders him unable to sing. After moving in with his moms, Meira and Judith, he seems to have hit bottom, when he meets his old music teacher, Carla Kessler, played by Carol Kane(!). And it turns out that Carla still wants to have her Bat Mitzvah, that she couldn’t have when she was 13, so Ben sets out to help her finally have it. But , as the pair become closer friends, both families object, and it seems the friendship that saved Ben, Bat Mitzvah itself , may be imperiled. Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel, Madeline Weinstein, Matthew Shear, and Dolly de Leon also star, while Nathan Silver directs. And this film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and has won multiple awrds this year, including Prix de la Critique and Best Director for Silver at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, and Best Supporting Actress for Kane, at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. And it gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service said “singing in its own key, there might not be a more authentic and purely entertaining film this year.” So I a definitely watching. But Netflix has also added The Six Triple Eight, the WWII epic drama. This tells the true(ish) story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black and all-female battalion, during WWII. Kerry Washington(!) stars, as the Battalion leader Major Charity Adams, who led the team’s effort to clear a backlog of 17 million letters, destined for GIs. But while the group worked to clean and repair the rat infested, moldery letters and packages, they also had to deal with the inherent racism and sexism that surrounded them at that time. Ebony Obsidian, Pepi Sonuga, Moriah Brown, Susan Sarandon(!), Sam Waterston(!) and Oprah Winfrey(!) also star, while Tyler Perry directed , along with writing the script. And this movie gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb, and Lisa Kennedy of the New York Times calls it “Perry’s best yet at balancing his entertainer gifts with his artistic aspirations.” So I’m tuning in. But Netflix has also added Barbie, the 2023 blockbuster comedy. Margot Robbie stars as the iconic doll, Barbie, running everything in Barbieland, until she leaves her seemingly perfect domain, with Ken(Ryan Gosling) hitching a ride, to tend to the real world, where girls haven’t realized true equality. But as Barbie sets out to help rectify the world’s injustices, Ken discovers the patriarchy. But can Barbie save the world, before she returns to her home? Issa Rae, America Ferrera and Helen Mirren also star, while Greta Gerwig(!) directs, along with co-writing the script with Noah Baumbach. And this movie won multiple awards last year, including Best Actress for Robbie at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Ryan Gosling won Best Supporting Actor at the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards and , of course, Best Original Song at the 2024 Academy Awards. And it gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Dana Stevens of Slate called it “an earnest feminist manifesto inside a barbed social satire inside an effervescent musical comedy, all designed in colors and textures so sumptuous they make 1950s Technicolor look desaturated.” And I am watching. Netflix also offers 1992, a Spanish mystery thriller series. this follows the efforts of Amparo (Marian Álvarez) after the death of her husband, Alvaro Garcia, in an explosion. After the police call it an accident, Amparo goes to her friend Richi(Fernando Valdivielso), a heavy drinker, down on his luck after the death of his family. But as a former police detective, Richi is energized by the case, and goes to his friend police commissioner, Robledo (Gorka Lasaosa) for help. And all they have to go on is a figurine Amparo saw, at the scene of the crime, of Curro, the mascot for the 1992 World Expo in Seville. Paz Vega, Carlos Santos and Mona Martínez also star, and there are 6 episodes available for streaming now. And, though it gets a mere 5.6/10 on IMDb, Joel Keller of the Decider says to stream it, adding its “just audacious enough, especially with its use of a cartoon rooster mascot, to make it watchable.” And I love a mystery, so I’m tuning in. And, finally, Netflix has The Confidence Man JP, a 2019 Japanese comedy crime drama. This tells of Dako (Masami Nagasawa), a con artist who scams the rich and crooked, like yakuza bosses and businessmen, out of millions of yen. She works with colleagues Boku-chan (Masahiro Higashide) and Richard (Fumiyo Kohinata) as they go to great lengths to level the playing field. There’s always adventure and intrgue in every case, including some close calls. Eiji Takigawa, Ryô and Fumiyo Kohinata also star, and Ryo Tanaka directs all 10 episodes available now. And this series gets a smashing 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Watching Asia called it “a light-hearted, funny, and fast-paced drama.” And I love a good con, so I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon also offers Bang Bang Baby, a Italian drama series. This takes place in 1980′s Italy, where the aimless teen Alice(Arianna Becheroni) tries to find meaning in life. When Alice discovers her father is still alive, though Alice’s mom, Gabriella (Lucia Mascino), said he was killed years ago in a shooting. And she enlists her friend Jimbo (Pietro Paschini) to help find him in Milan. But her father ,Santo Barone (Adriano Giannini), is in the Calabrian mob, and when Alice goes to find him, she finds his whole side of the family, including her grandmother Lina(Dora Romano), is mobbed up. And Alice is sucked in. And this series gets a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Johnny Loftus of the Decider says to stream it, adding “with evocative lighting, music, and a sense of the fantastic, Bang Bang Baby is led by a terrific performance from newcomer Arianna Becheroni and promises plenty of family and mafia family drama.” So I’m watching. Amazon also offers Just the Two of Us, a 2023 French psychological thriller. Here, when Blanche(Virginie Efira) meets the charismatic Gregoire(Melvil Poupaud) at a party, instant attraction strikes them both. When they marry quickly, neither wanting to wait, beginning what seems to be a storybook life. Gregoire is not only taken with her, but he’s a banker, and more than willing to pay for everything. But the veneer of perfection soon crumbles from their lives, as Gregoire begins calling his wife constantly, even while she’s teaching, and expects her always to answer. And, as he becomes more and more rigid, he also becomes more menacing, even following her, as their troubles grow. And when Blanche consults a divorce lawyer (Dominique Reymond), about her predicament, she is warned, a long battle will ensue. Romane Bohringer, Virginie Ledoyen, Marie Rivière and Guang Huo also star, and Valérie Donzelli directs. And this film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for 4 César Awards, and went on to win Best Adapted Screenplay there. And it gets a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Guy Lodge of Variety calls it a “nervy, finely acted domestic thriller.” And I am so tuning in. And, finally, Amazon offers Freezing Embrace, a 2021 Finnish crime drama series. Based on the mysteries by Christian Rönnbacka, this series tells of Chief Inspector Antti Hautalehto(Mikko Leppilampi), and his dilemma while investigating the recent strange drownings of young men. For when he investigates and finds the culprit may be a policeman himself, he realizes he can’t trust those around him , or the very clues he examines. Iikka Forss, Oona Airola, Antti Reini and Onni Parviainen also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets a impressive 7.2/10 on IMDb, and SBS Australia calls it “clever and compelling, [it] takes its viewers on an intriguing journey, entwining a classic crime drama narrative with a thoughtful examination of the prejudices and complex questions that can surround mental health and family ties.” And I love a mystery, 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 