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 excellent add this week with In the Summers, a 2024 drama. This finds California siblings Violeta and Eva travelling to Las Cruces, New Mexico, every summer, to visit their dad, Vincente. But problems arise with the visits, as Vincente begins drinking heavily, with his daughters, unsuccessfully, trying to intercede. Finally, when he drives while drunk, with the girls in the car, and caroms off the road, injuring Violeta, their relationship is wounded. But can they find a way to bridge that gap, after years of trauma and distance? Sasha Calle, Lio Mehiel, Dreya Castillo, Residente and Luciana Quinonez also star, and Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio directed. And this film won multiple awards in 2024, including the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic and the U.S. Dramatic Award for Directing, Screenwriting and Editing at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Grand Special Prize, and the Revelations Prize at the 2024 Deauville Film Festival. And it gets a sparkling 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter called it “a visual poem, an enveloping four-stanza ode to experiences shared by a man and his daughters.” Hulu has also added Winner, the 2024 biographical drama. Emilia Jones stars, here, as Reality Winner, a young woman from Texas, questions everything around her, and world politics. So when she joins the Air Force, hoping to become a translator in Afghanistan, she’s disappointed when she is, instead, assigned to the NSA. Disillusioned with her work there, and the corruption of the governments involved, she finally leaks some of the information she handles. And finds the powers that be tumble down on her. Connie Britton(!), Zach Galifianakis(!), Kathryn Newton and Leah Gibson also star and Susanna Fogel directed. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2024, including Best Feature at the Jerusalem Film Festival, and went on to win Best Feature at the 2024 ReFrame awards. And this movie gets a 6.4/10 on IMDb, and Adrian Horton of the Guardian said “as far as zeitgeisty nonfiction goes, Winner is one of the better ones, at once entertaining and illuminative.” So I’m watching. Hulu has also added Kill, a 2023 Disney+ Indian thriller. This finds army commando Amrit (Lakshya) and his best friend Biresh, take a train to Delhi to stop the forced marriage of the woman he loves, Tulika, also on the train. But when bandits, or dacoits, take over the train, armed with knives and other weapons, robbing and attacking the riders, Amrit moves into action. And bloody mayhem ensues. Tanya Maniktala, Raghav Juyal, Harsh Chhaya and Abhishek Chauhan also star, and directs. And this movie gets an astounding 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times says “manipulative to the max, Kill is dizzyingly impressive and punishingly vicious.” But far too violent for me. Finally, Hulu has added Fresh Kills, a 2023 crime drama. This tells of Rose(Emily Bader), one of the daughters of her mobbed up father,Joe Larusso (Domenick Lombardozzi), and unhappy with her lot in life. But when she begins to question her father, and what he’s done, she is, in turn, questioned by the other members of her family, especially her older sister, Connie (Odessa D’Azion). And as Connie, and others, become more threatening, and the family roils in chaos, the question is, can any of them escape? Odessa A’zion, Jennifer Esposito, Annabella Sciorra and Mina Sundwall also star, and Jennifer Esposito directed. And this movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and went on to win Artistic Director’s Award at the San Diego International Film Festival and Excellence in Narrative Filmmaking and Best Narrative Feature Hamptons International Film Festival. And it gets a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com said it “stands tall alongside the best post-“Godfather” gangster movies, and it stands apart because of how it focuses on the wives, girlfriends, and daughters of organized crime in a genre that more often pushes them to the margins.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
Netflix has an exciting add with Apple Cider Vinegar, a 2025 limited series from Australia. Based on a true story, this tells of health influencer Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever).Gibson built a wellness app, cookbook, and health empire on her nutritional approach to life, all to stay healthy and fight her brain cancer. But the fact was, she didn’t have brain cancer, unlike her competitor, health blogger Milla Blake( Alycia Debnam-Carey). As their rivalry amped up, with Blake and others questioning Gibson’s claims, until her lie was found out. And then, it all came crashing down. Catherine McClements, Aisha Dee and Mark Coles Smith also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets an impressive 7/10 on IMDb, and Kelly Lawler of USA Today says “with a quartet of superb actresses to tell the tale, led by Kaitlyn Dever as Belle, sharp scripts and a middle finger pointed at Belle and her ilk, “Vinegar” stumbles onto something very emotional and profound.” So I’m tuning in. Netflix also offers Kinda Pregnant, a 2025 comedy starring Amy Shumer(!). Shumer plays Lainy, here, a teacher who feels her chances for being a mother are running out, especially after a break up with her boyfriend. So when her best friend Kate(Jillian Bell!), finds she‘s pregnant, Lainy loses it, and finds herself, inadvertently, wearing a fake foam baby bump in public. But, when so many people finally accept her to the mother club, that she keeps it up. But then, she can’t figure out how to get out of her lie. Damon Wayans Jr, Will Forte, Brianne Howey and Lizze Broadway also star, while Tyler Spindel directs. And while this gets a mere 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, Jake Coyle of the Associated Press says “if we bought Some Like it Hot and Mrs. Doubtfire, I see no reason to quibble with the set-up of “Kinda Pregnant, a funny and often perceptive satire on motherhood, both real and pretend.” So i might watch. But Netflix has added The Åre Murders, a2025 Swedish crime drama series. Based on a series of books by Viveca Sten, this follows Hanna Ahlander(Carla Sehn), a cop who moves to Åre , after being troubles in Stockholm. But the usually quiet resort town has erupted in excitement, after a young woman goes missing , and a vigorous search begins. And so Hanna joins local police officer Daniel Lindskog in the hunt for the girl, and for the clues to her disappearance. Amalia Holm, Kardo Razzazi and Charlie Gustafsson also star, and there are 5 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and Johnny Loftus of the Decider says to stream it, adding it “features all the hallmarks of the Nordic Noir genre as it turns two differently-wired cops loose on the mystery of a teen’s disappearance. Throw in some fantastic location shots of Sweden’s mountainous north, and we’re all the way in on this investigation.” And I love a mystery, and could use a vacation, so I’m watching. Netflix also offers Cassandra, a 2025 German sci-fi thriller series. Here, Samira and her family move into a 70‘s smart house in Germany, that has been vacant for decades, since the mysterious deaths of its occupants. But when they move in, they unintentionally activate the house’s virtual assistant, Casandra, voiced by Lavinia Wilson, who is, seemingly, helpful . And while Sam and her husband, David, try to deal with marital difficulties, their kids Fynn and Juno deal with problems of their own. But while Fynn investigates the house, its history and its secret room in the basement, Cassandra becomes more and more malevolent in her actions, and the family wonders if they can escape. Joshua Kantara, Filip Schnack and Michael Klammer also star, and Benjamin Gutsche directs, along with writing the script. And this movie gets a respectable 6.3/10 on IMDb, and Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times calls it “a thought-provoking addition to Netflix’s lineup. It combines elements of suspense, drama, and science ion to craft a narrative that is both entertaining and reflective.” And, finally, Netflix has added Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle?, a 2025 crime drama series. Here, university student Komugi Yamashita(Suzu Hirose) is upended by the murder of her ex-cop father on Christmas Eve, but later finds an enigmatic note that leads her to Yoshiteru Matsukaze (Kenichi Matsuyama), a criminal lawyer. Together, they try to untangle the web of lies and deceit that will lead them to the reason for her father’s death, and the corruption that led to it. Yoshi Sakô, Win Morisaki and Lily Franky also star, and there is 3 episodes available now, with 7 more to come. And this series gets a whopping 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times calls it a “riveting drama that masterfully blends mystery, emotion, and suspense.” And I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has an incredible add this week with Didi, the2024 award-winning comedy/drama. this takes place in 2008, Fremont, Calif, where 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy Didi, (Izaac Wang), is growing up, leading the typical life of a boy his age. He tries to impress the girl he likes, Madi(Michaela Park), with sometimes embarrassing results, makes prank videos for YouTube, and tries to learn to skateboard. All while arguing incessantly with his big sister Vivian, and dealing with his mom, Chungsing(Joan Chen) and her mother-in-law, Nai Nai, at home. Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua and Raul Dial also star, and Sean Wang directed, along with writing the script. And this movie premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble. And it went on to win multiple other awards, like Career Achievement Award for Joan Chen at the Denver Film Festival, and the Adolph Zukor Prize for Sean Wang at the CineFest – Miskolc International Film Festival. And it gets a stunning 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nick Schager of The Daily Beast called it “superb coming-of-age saga that lives in the intersection of youthful euphoria, despair, insecurity, irresponsibility, and fearlessness.” So I’m watching. But Amazon has also added Clean Slate, the 2025 comedy series from Norman Lear(!). This series finds N.Y.C art gallery owner Desiree Slate(Laverne Cox), forced to return home to her dad, Harry Slate(George Wallace) in Alabama , after going broke. The trouble is, they’ve been estranged for years, and her dad doesn’t know Desiree has transitioned to female, since they last met. But Harry’s willing to make a go of it, and though he may get some pronouns mixed up, he always defend Desiree when others voice criticism. Jay Wilkison, Keith Arthur Bolden and DK Uzoukwu also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. and this series gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Leila Latif of the Guardian says “sweet, cosy and very funny. ” And I am so tuning in. And, finally, Amazon has added Sivarapalli, a 2025 Indian comedy series. This tells of engineering graduate, Shyam Kumar (Rag Mayur) who leaves Hyderabad, to take a job as a village Panchayat Secretary in the remote town of Sivarapalli. Shyam had dreamed of going to the U.S. or Britain after graduation, but his grades weren’t good enough. And so he reluctantly ‘settles’ for the rural village, while preparing for a test that may yet get him a ticket out. But as he gets to know the people of the village and the countryside itself, he could change his plans. Muralidhar Goud, Roopa Lakshmi and Sunny Palle also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. and this series gets an impressive 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Paul Nicodemus of the Times of India calls it “a charming exploration of rural life, underscored by stellar performances and authentic storytelling. For viewers seeking a light-hearted yet profound narrative, Sivarapalli could be a delightful watch.” So 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 