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 A Complete Unknown, the award-winning 2024 Dylan biopic. Timothée Chalamet(!) stars as the young Bob Dylan, newly arrived in 1961 New York City, intent upon becoming a folk singer. Along the way, he meets Sylvie (Elle Fanning) and begins a romance, while performing in cafes and nightclubs. As Dylan becomes more and more popular, he becomes disillusioned with the music industry, and finds himself tangling with his agent, and even Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), with whom he partnered in performing, and in private life. And so he soared in the folk music world, until, in 1965, he performed with an electric guitar, finally alienating his former allies. Boyd Holbrook, Joshua Henry, Dan Fogler and Norbert Leo Butz also star, while James Mangold directed. And this movie was nominated numerous awards, and went on to win many, including Best Actor for Chalamet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, along with being named Film of the Year at the AFI Awards. Oh, and it was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, as well. And it gest an impressive 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Manohla Dargis of the New York Times said “the most pleasant surprise in “A Complete Unknown,” and why it works as well as it does, is that even as it builds a realistic world with sweep and detail — the sickly institutional gray-green paint in Woody’s hospital alone will teleport older viewers straight back to the 1960s — it doesn’t try to make Bob palatable, nice or, finally, comprehensible in the usual dreary biopic fashion.” So I’m watching. Hulu has also added Mid-Century Modern, a 2025 comedy series. This focuses on three older men, centrally, Bunny Schneiderman(Nathan Lane!!), after the death of a dear friend. Shaken, Bunny , Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) and Jerry (Matt Bomer) decide to move in together, after too many years apart. Oh, and Bunny‘s mom, Sybil (the late Linda Lavin!) is included in the household.And together they weather the storms of life, and have quite a bit of fun, too. Pamela Adlon, Clinton Leupp, Judd Hirsch(!) and Richard Kind (!) also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. And this series gets an incredible 7.8/10 on IMDb, and Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times says “it’s funny and good-natured; has some excellent guest appearances… and gives Judd Hirsch to Lavin as a final scene partner — and also grants her a song to sing — in as sweet and well-played an encounter as might be wished.” And I’m definitely tuning in. Hulu also offers Wildflower, a 2023 dramedy. Kiernan Shipka, stars, here as Bea Johnson, a teen born to two parents with developmentally disabilities in Las Vegas. As Bea looks back on her life, while in a coma in the hospital, she remembers working to care for her parents and herself. But, being a bright student, she faces the dilemma of college, as she can’t imagine leaving her parents to fend for themselves for four years. And so she wrestles with the problem of living her own life, or caring for those she loves. Dash Mihok, Charlie Plummer, Alexandra Daddario and Brad Garrett also star, and Matt Smukler directed. And this movie won the Authentic Representation Award from the 2024 Ruderman Family Foundation Seal of Authentic Representation. And it gets a 6.8/10 on IMDb, and William Bibbiani of TheWrap called it ” sweet yet straightforward coming of age drama.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added Hyper Knife, a 2025 S. Korean thriller series. This revolves around Jong Se-ok (Park Eun-bin), once an esteemed surgeon , disgraced by her mentor Dr. Choi Deok-hee(Sol Kyung-gu). Her career ruined, Se-ok works in a pharmacy during the day, but performing surgery(illegally) at night. But when Kyung-gu needs lifesaving surgery himself, he goes to Se-ok, hoping she will save his life. But what he doesn’t know is that Se-ok has already intentionally killed with her scalpel. And whether she will allow him to survive remains unknown .Park Byeong-eun, Yoon Chan-young and Victoria Grace also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an outrageous 8.2/10 on IMDb, and Carmen Chin of NME calls it “great in its own right. If you have the stomach for it, Hyper Knife will put your own morbid curiosity about the limits of the human body to the test – but the urge to peel your eyes away from the screen is somehow always overcome by a sordid intrigue about the places this wild tale will end up.” And I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has added yet another Harlen Coben adaptation, with Caught, a 2025 Argentinian thriller series. This finds reporter Ema Garay (Soledad Villamil), renowned for her video series Caught, and her ability to find criminals. so when teenage girls start disappearing in the Patagoinian city of Bariloche , where she lives, she investigates. But when she comes to realize the culprit maybe someone close to her, can she turn them in? Soledad Villamil, Alberto Ammann, Juan Minujín, Matías Recalt, Carmela Rivero and Fernán Mirás also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series a 6.4/10 on IMDb, and some admittedly bad reviews, but Emiliano Basile of EscribiendoCine called it “a profound and well-executed thriller that manages to combine tension, social reflection, and character development in an outstanding way.” So you decide. Luckily, Netflix also offers Dead Talents Society, a 2024 Taiwanese comedy. This imagines an afterlife where ghosts have to compete to be the most scary for humans, in reality show-like competitions. But then The Rookie (Gingle Wang!) enters the picture, without any idea of what to do to gain popularity among the other ghosts, like Catherine(Sandrine Pinna), the most popular of the spirits. In fact, The Rookie begins to sputter in and out of visibility , and finds she must start haunting(and get the required haunting license) in 30 days, or disappear completely. And she finds the talent agent Makoto (Bo-lin Chen), who just might be able to make a terror out of her. Ching-I Pai, Eleven Yao and Soso Tseng also star, and John Hsu directed. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2024, and went on to win Best Feature Film at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, and 5 awards at the 2024 Golden Horse Film Festival, including Art Direction, Best Action Choreography and Best Visual Effects. And it gets a 7.3/10 on IMDb, and Katie Rife of IndieWire calls it “an affectionate ode to East Asian horror cinema, and its earnestness — and silliness — are key to its appeal.” And it’s funny, too, so I’m watching. But if you ant something truly terrifying, Netflix has also added Talk to Me, a 2022 Australian horror movie. This takes place in world in the grips of a new social media trend , a ceramic encased human hand that can enable people to see dead people, and commune with ghosts. Who would want to do this, you ask? Teens(!), of course, and so Mia (Sophie Wilde)and Jade (Alexandra Jensen) get in on the fad. but when Jade’s younger brother Riley (Joe Bird) is seemingly possessed, and taken over by a spirit claiming to be Mia‘s mom, who died by suicide, it all becomes too real. And as Mia tries to keep her mom’s spirit close, Jade and the others worry they’ll lose their friend to the spirit world forever. Ari McCarthy, Hamish Phillips, Kit Erhart-Bruce and Miranda Otto(!) also star, and Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou co-direct. And this movie was nominated for numerous awards in 2024, and Wilde went onto win Best Actress at the Australian Film Critics Association Awards, while the film won Best Horror Film at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA and the St. Louis Film Critics Association awards, among others. And it gets an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com called it “a lot of unsettling fun. The Philippous show tremendous promise, and Wilde has the entrancing screen presence to become a major star sooner rather than later.” But you know it’s too scary for me. Netflix also offers The Lady’s Companion, a 2025 Spanish period drama comic/romance series. this is set in set in 1880s Madrid, where Elena Bianda(Nadia de Santiago) works as a highly esteemed chaperone, charged with finding the correct match for right eligible young women. But when she is hired by Pedro Mencía (Tristán Ulloathe) to match his 3 daughters, she finds she may have bitten off more than she can chew. The eldest, Cristina, is already in love, but with an unsuitable man and Sara wants to be a doctor, which is totally unacceptable. And the youngest ,Carlota, may not want to marry at all. But when she and one of the Mencía daughters fall for the same man, it may mean the end of her career. Álvaro Mel, Isa Montalbán, Zoe Bonafonte and Iratxe Emparán also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets a 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times says “with stunning period costumes, engaging storytelling, and a cast that brings their characters to life with passion and charm, The Lady’s Companion is a must-watch for fans of historical romance and strong female-driven narratives.” And it’s funny, too, so I’m definitely tuning in. And finally, Netflix has added Weak Hero, a 2025 K-drama series. Here, Yeon Si-eun(Park Ji-Hoon), a brilliant student, who is terribly bullied in school. So he decides to put some of best theories in physics and psychology to work for him, to fight them. And he gets help from Ahn Su-ho (Choi Hyun-wook) and Oh Beom-seok (Hong Kyung), friends at school. But as the fighting intensifies, the stakes rise, and the boys may finds their very lives at risk. Lee Yeon, Shin Seung-ho and Jo Han-chul also star, and there are 8 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets a whopping 8.5/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times says its “a must-watch. It offers gripping action, layered character development, and a brutally honest look at the realities of school violence.” And I’m watching.
AMAZON
Amazon’s big title this week is Holland, a 2025 thriller. Nicole Kidman(!) stars , here, as Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher and mom living in 2000’s Holland, Michigan, a kitschy Dutch tourist town. But while Nancy seems contented with her life, as she tells her story, here, things are not quite as perfect as they seem. Nancy’s husband, Fred (Matthew Macfadyen), is definitely up to something, and it may not end at seeing other women. And as she becomes more suspicious, Nancy may discover something much more dangerous than adultery. Gael García Bernal(!), Jude Hill and Rachel Sennott also star, while Mimi Cave directs. But this movie went straight to video(never a good sign), and gets only a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Katie Rife of
IGN Movies says “although Holland takes place in a unique setting full of kitschy Midwestern details, even Nicole Kidman in frustrated-housewife mode can’t sustain the sloppily plotted thriller.” So I’m not tuning in. But Amazon also offers Tollbooth , a 2022 comic crime drama . Here a reclusive man, Brendan, (Michael Smiley), works in a tollbooth in the middle of nowhere in rural Pembrokeshire , intentionally isolated from the rest of the world. Known only as Tollbooth, he quietly lives his life until he is recognized by a London gangster (Gary Beadle), that spells trouble for him, and the town. It seems Tollbooth has a past, and as toughs descend on the town, trouble is brewing. And local cop Catrin (Annes Elwy) tries to decipher the odd occurrences in town, and stop the violence that seems sure to happen. Iwan Rheon, Evelyn Mok and Julian Glover also star, and Ryan Andrew Hooper directs. And this movie gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Tom Shone of the Sunday Times(UK) said “it has the right sort of wit and mordancy, along with a core of seriousness.” So I’m watching. And, finally, Amazon has The Paragon, a 2024 New Zealand sci-fi farce. This sci-fi spoof takes place in Auckland, where Dutch (Benedict Wall of What We Do In the Shadows! ) is still bitter about a hit and run accident that left him unable to walk alone, and ruined his tennis career. Bent on revenge, he sees a flyer for psychic Lyra (Florence Noble), who will train him in telelocation, so he can find the Toyota Corolla that left him for dead, and its driver. The trouble is, Dutch doesn’t believe in psychic bunk, and makes his opinion quite clear. But as the pair bungle through his training, they may find their lives imperiled by beings from another time. Jonny Brugh, Jessica Grace Smith, Shadon Meredith, and Michelle Ang also star, and Michael Duignan directed. And this movie won the Prix spécial du jury at the 2024 La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival, and gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Isaac Feldberg of RogerEbert.com called it ” an offbeat, low-stakes original that casts a simple, surprising spell.” so I’m 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 