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 added Mothers’ Instinct, a 2024 thriller . This takes place in the 60′s, with best friends Alice(Jessica Chastain!) and Celine (Anne Hathaway!), living next door to each other, living seemingly idyllic lives. But Alice wants more, to return to work, while Celine just wants cozy domesticity with her husband , and her son Max. So when Max dies, with Alice a witness, it hits Celine hard, and her jealousy of Alice‘s family, and life, boil over. And as Alice begins to fear her best friend, no one will believe her suspicions. Eamon Patrick O’Connell, Anders Danielsen Lie and Josh Charles also star, while Benoît Delhomme directs. And though it gets a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, Kristy Puchko of Mashable said “spiked with twisted turns, explosive emotions, and a feud that’s frightening and fun to behold, it’s a thriller well worth its gnashed teeth and salty tears.” So I’m tuning in. But Hulu also offers Going Dutch, the 2025 comedy series. Denis Leary stars, here, as the arrogant U.S. Army Colonel Patrick Quinn, who is transferred from Germany to Stroopsdorf, in the Netherlands, after an ugly rant, caught on tape. But Stroopsdorf is not like any other camp- it doesn’t have guns, but it does have a bowling alley, and lavender picking is a regular activity . And Quinn’s estranged daughter Maggie(Taylor Misiak) is in charge. Danny Pudi, Hal Cumpston and Laci Mosely also star, and there is only 1 episode available now, with more to come. And though this series gets only a 5.1/10 on IMDb, it gets an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Joel Keller of the Decider says “there were a couple of chuckleworthy moments where we see soldiers making cheese and other non-military activities, but we know that for Going Dutch to succeed, we’re going to have to explore all the characters beyond what we saw in the pilot.” You decide. Hulu also offers Breaking, a 2022 thriller .This tells the true story of marine war vet Brian Brown- Easley, played by John Boyega(!), suffering PTSD, and experiencing extreme financial hardship. So when he is denied help at the VA, he heads to a bank in Marietta, Ga, and takes hostages. Saying he has a bomb(he doesn’t), Easley proceeds to hold the bank under siege, but not for money, but as a protest. But as the police gather outside, with great military strength, and the hostages panic inside, Easley’s world begins to crumble. Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton and Olivia Washington also star, and Abi Damaris Corbin directs. and this movie won multiple awards in 2022, including Best Ensemble Cast at the Sundance Film Festival , and Best Actor for Boyega and Best Feature Film at the Annapolis Film Festival. And it gets an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News said “Boyega is electrifying, burrowing into the complexity of a shattered man who’s been ground up by an inhumane bureaucratic system.” So I’m tuning in. and, finally, Hulu has Udne Ki Aasha, a 2023 Hindi drama series. This series revolves around Sayali (Neha Harsora), a romantic florist , married to Sachin (Kanwar Dhillon), a taxi driver with anger issues. As Sayali tries to reform her marriage and improve their lives, Sachin puts a fight against change, and finds his anger issues making his life harder. but slowly and surely, they move forward. Sanjay Narvekar, Radhika Vidyasagar and Vaishali Arora also star, and there are 61(!)episodes available for bingeing now. And this series has been nominated for numerous awards in India, and went on to win two Star Parivaar Awards for Neha Harsora and Kanwar Dhillon. And it gets an astounding 8.6/10 on IMDb, and Srividya Rajesh of IWM Buzz says “from powerful and captivating performances to a gripping story and screenplay, it has the perfect blend of all emotions.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has an exciting add this week with Cunk on Life, a 2025 comedy movie. Yes, here, Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) returns , as the most ignorant host asks the most obvious questions, and some ridiculous ones, about life on Earth. Here, she travels the world to interview famous scientists and philosophers like philosophy of religion Douglas Hedley and surgeon Prokar Dasgupta, to ask the tough questions about human life. She even interviews Brian Cox and Jim Al-Khalili, and is aghast when Prof Joyce Harper explains how human reproduction works. Michelle Greenidge, Charles Aitken and Jerry Wilder also star, and Al Campbell directs . And it gets an amazing 7.6/10 on IMDb, aand Lucy Mangan of the Guardian writes “Morgan is peerless, the jokes plentiful and wide-ranging, from the light twistings by people who know exactly what the facts are and how far they can be stretched for comic effect all the way through..” And i am definitely tuning in. Netflix also offers Missing You, a 2025 British thriller limited series. This is another Harlan Coben thriller, which finds Detective Kat Donovan(Rosalind Eleazar) finds herself matched on a dating app with a long disappeared fiancé, Josh Buchanan(Ashley Walters). worse, Josh had left Kat right after the still unsolved murder of her father, which still haunts her. and as she gets a new lead from her father’s supposed killer, she also finds her old flame may be implicated in another disappearance. Richard Armitage, Rudi Dharmalingam, Jackie Knowles and Catherine Ayers also star, and there are 5 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6.2/10 on IMDb, and Joel Keller of the Decider calls it “a solid thriller that may have you shaking your head at some of its twists. But good performances and an But intriguing premise will make some of those silly twists easier to take.” So I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers Number 24, a Norwegian WWII period drama. This tells the story of a real WWII resistance fighter Gunnar Sønsteby, played by Sjur Vatne Brean, who began publishing anti-Nazi tracts, and then, became a full fledged spy, using the code name Number 24. As students hear his story, in a lecture give by an older Sønsteby(Erik Hivju), he retells of his past work, though questioned by some students as to the morality of his work. As he and his comrades stealthily attack weapons factories, also Sønsteby single-handedly kills other individuals, while rarely questioning the morality of what he was doing. August Wittgenstein, Lisa Loven Kongsli, and Ines Høysæter Asserson also star, while John Andreas Andersen directs. And this movie gets a stunning 7.9/10 on IMDb, and Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com calls it “a sturdy, handsomely mounted period piece depicting the emotional toll required for freedom.” So its on my list. Netflix also offers Seven Figures, a Israeli dramedy series. Here, six lottery winners find that they have to complete an mandatory course on how to manage their millions, before they can claim them. This causes some chagrin on the behalf of some of the winners, but the money itself, too, causes problems, with family rifts appearing. And as some struggle to acclimate themselves to their new status, others fight to just receive their money and run. Shlomo Bar Aba, Leora Rivlin, Ofer Hayoun, Shani Klein, Rotem Keinan, Elisha Banai and Roni Daloomi also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series won seven awards from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, including Best Comedy Series, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Director. And it gets a smashing 7.8/10 on IMDb, so even though I can’t find any reviews for this online yet, I’m watching.And, finally, Netflix has added The Black Swindler, a 2022 Japanese crime drama series. This Kurosagi(Shô Hirano), whose family was destroyed by a swindler, when he was fifteen. As an adult, Kurosagi resolves to take revenge on conmen and the like, even if it takes becoming a conman himself. And as he takes revenge and millions from the fraudsters around him, he lives in isolation, unable to trust anyone enough to get close. Yuina Kuroshima, Kai Inowaki, Yuri Nakamura, Koji Yamamoto and Rikako Yagi also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. and this series gets a fabulous 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times calls it “a captivating series that offers a fresh take on the crime drama genre. With its clever plots, strong performances, and visual appeal, it’s a show that entertains and provokes thought.” And I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a big title added this week with A Quiet Place: Day One, the 2024 horror prequel. this origin story for A Quiet Place begins in New York City, with poet Samira , played by Lupita Nyong’o(!), suffering from painful cancer, and living in a hospice with her support cat, Frodo. Then ‘meteors’ hit the city, and with it, the aliens come, who require sound for their human hunting technique. When Samira must have a pizza, she and Frodo set out, meet up with Eric (Joseph Quinn) and seek to escape the creatures, and find safety, somewhere. Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thara Schöön and Eliane Umuhire also star, while Michael Sarnoski directed. And this movie won Best Horror at the 2024 Astra Midseason Movie Awards gets an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Wendy Ide of the Guardian calls it “a stylish and satisfying prequel that elegantly integrates Sam’s poet’s sensibility into the storytelling.” But it’s far too scary for me. Amazon also offers The Fall Guy, the 2024 action thriller. Ryan Gosling stars as stuntman Colt Seavers, who quit the field after a 12 story fall nearly killed him. And his ex, Jody Moreno(Emily Blunt!),is angry with him for ruining the production of her first directing job, on a sci-fi epic. So Jody’s producer Gail Meyer(Hannah Waddingham!) to work on the film, but when a murder occurs, Colt is the main suspect. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu and Lee Majors(!) also star, while David Leitch directed. But the story is really lacking here, so the action is really the only reason to tune in. Still, it gets a (surprising) 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post said “your cat could write this movie.” So I’m not watching. And, finally, Amazon has added Population 11, a 2024 Australian comedic mystery series. Loosely based on a true story, this tells of Ohio bank teller Andy Pruden, played by Ben Feldman, who travels to the tiny town of Bidgeegud in the outback, when his estranged UFO enthusiast father, Hugo, disappears. Though most of the 12 townspeople eye Andy suspiciously, Cassie Crick(Perry Mooney) comes to his aid, and helps him look into his father’s disappearance. But this puts them both in danger , and as the attempts on their lives increase, everyone is a suspect.Katrina Milosevic, Chai Hansen and Darren Gilshenan also star, and there are 12 episodes available now. And this series has already been nominated for multiple awards this year, including Comedy Drama & Sitcom at the Rose d’Or Awards, and Best Scripted Comedy and Best Lead Actor in a Comedy at the Logie Awards. it gets an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Margaret Lyons of the New York Times calls it “a fun and clever watch, buoyed by a few well-timed and energetic twists.”
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 