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 few notable adds this week, but they do have The Order, a 2024 thriller. Based on an (unfortunately) true story, this begins with a string of violence in the Pacific Northwest, at the hands of a white supremacist group named the Order. FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law!) is called in to investigate, zeroing in on the group, led by neo-Nazi leader Bob Mathews(Nicholas Hoult). As the violence rachets up, including the horrific killing of radio host Alan Berg(Marc Maron), Husk gets closer to the ringleader. As he hopes to finally to end the violence, and mend his own life, as well. Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett,Odessa Young and Alison Oliver also star, and Justin Kurzel directed. And this movie was nominated for the Golden Lion at the2024 Venice Film Festival, and went on to win the Best Body of Work award for Hoult at the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards. And it gets an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Bilge Ebiri of Vulture said “Justin Kurzel’s The Order is an absorbing, beautifully shot, impressively acted crime thriller of the kind we don’t see much on our theater screens anymore.” But it’s far too violent for me. Luckily, Hulu also offers Maria: The Outlaw Legend, a 2025 Brazilian historical drama series. This is based on the Brazilian folk hero, Maria Déia(Clebia Sousa), or Maria Bonita, who joined the resistance in the 1930‘s , with Lampião gang. As they stole food, and guns from the police, they always sought refuge in the caatinga, the desert shrublands of northeastern Brazil. this series focuses on the last years of her life, as she tries to stay in the gang, while missing her daughter. And finally her betrayal, leading to her predictably tragic end. Jorge Paz, Zé Maria and Ana Paula Bouzas also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6.3/10 on IMDb, so though I can find no reviews for this series as yet, I’m digging in to this new historical tale. Hulu has also added Oddity, a 2024 horror flick. This begins with the murder of Dani, and the later visit of her widower, Ted, to Dani’s sightless twin sister, Darcy(Carolyn Bracken). Ted brings Darcy a glass eye, the only thing left after the crime, and Darcy has special abilities to ‘see’ things from what she touches. But Ted has already moved on, dating a woman named Yana, and not really interested in finding the murderer of his wife. But when Darcy pays him a visit, with the eye, in his country home, where Yana is visiting, only trouble, and perhaps even terror, can result. Gwilym Lee, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton and Steve Wall also star, and Damian McCarthy directed. and this movie gets an incredible 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times said “coolly executed and seductively simple, Oddity, the second feature from Damian McCarthy, is a fun, back-to-basics supernatural thriller that cares more about making us jump than making us cringe.” So you know I’m not watching. And ,finally, Hulu has Kishkindha Kaandam, a 2024 Indian psychological thriller. Here, Aparna(Aparna Balamurali), and her husband Ajayan (Asif Ali), move in with his father, Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan), after their wedding. In his house surrounded by a lush forest reserve filled with monkeys, Aparna begins to explore, but notices the inherent tension in her father-in-law’s household. Ruling with an iron fist of an ex-military man, Pillai is subject to explosive behavior, and searches anxiously for his missing gun, while attracting the attention of the police. And as Aparna searches for the history of the clan, including her husband’s missing son, she may dig too deeply to survive the outcome. Jagadish, Nizhalgal Ravi and Nishan also star, while Dinjith Ayyathan directed. And this movie gets an astounding 8/10 on IMDb, and Anjali M. of High on Films called it “one of the smartest written mystery dramas from Malayalam language cinema ever. It is undeniably one of the best Indian films of the year.” So I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week with The Room Next Door, a 2024 drama from Pedro Almodóvar. based on Sigrid Nunez’s 2020 novel What Are You Going Through, this tells of Ingrid(Julianne Moore), an author, who learns her old friend Martha (Tilda Swinton) has cancer. As the pair reconnect, after years apart, Ingrid realizes Martha is, in fact, dying, and she accepts Martha‘s request to move in to the room next door , in the remote house she’s renting. As Martha plans her own death, with a pill to end her life, she depends upon her friend to help her see that plan through. And so, Ingrid agrees, with trepidation, though her husband, Damian (John Turturro!), fearslegal and ethical complications. But Ingrid follows through, and the two friends spend Martha’s last days, together, in the house in the woods. Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto and Victoria Luengo also star, and Almodovar wrote the script, here, along with directing. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards last year, and went on to win Best Director at the 2024 Feroz Awards, and the Golden Lion and the Brian Award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, among others. And it gets an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian said “as extravagant and engrossing and doggedly mysterious as anything he has done recently, with luxuriously self-aware performances from Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, and an undertow of darkness often overlooked by yeasayers and naysayers.” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added The Glass Dome, a 2025 Swedish crime drama series. This follows Criminologist Lejla Ness(Léonie Vincent), as she goes home to the Swedish village of Granås, after a death in the family. But Lejla’s traumatic teen kidnapping haunts her in her hometown, where everyone knows and remembers of the incident. And when her friend, Louise, is murdered and her daughter Alicia (Minoo Andacheh) taken, Lejla knows she must act, despite the cost on her part. And she comes to suspect there is a connection between her own kidnapping, and Alicia‘s, if only she can tie the pieces together. Gina-Lee Fahlén Ronander, Johan Hedenberg, Johan Rheborg, Farzad Farzaneh and Cecilia Nilsson also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Samuel R. Murrian of Collider calls it “a taut, often quite gripping psychological thriller, ” adding, “this enterprise certainly gets the job done as a whodunit, but it’s more tantalizing as a character study; it’s at its most gripping when we’re in Lejla’s head.” And i love a mystery, so I’m tuning in. But Netflix has also added Istanbul Encyclopedia, a 2025 Turkish drama series. Here, Zehra(Helin Kandemir) moves from her small town to Istanbul, to go to university and pursue her dreams. But she gets some tough breaks, so she moves in with an old friend of her mother’s, Nesrin(Canan Ergüder). But Nesrin is hoping to leave Istanbul, and begin a new chapter of her own life. And so the two get off to a rough start, but soon give each other new perspectives of an ancient city. Kaan Miraç Sezen, Tolga Tekin, Nezaket Erden and Ecem Sena Bayr also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 6.1/10 on IMDb, and Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times says “a compelling and introspective Turkish series that weaves a richly emotional tale of two women—Zehra and Nesrin—each navigating life from opposite ends of generational and cultural spectrums.” So I’m tuning in. Netflix also has Two Husbands One Wife, a 2025 Japanese drama series. Here, Yanoguchi Mia, is presented with a dilemma when her boyfriend Satomura Shinpei, suggests he will only marry if there are 3 people involved. So she takes him to meet to her ex boyfriend, Mitsuda Takuzo. And though Takuzo is definitely not interested, and rejects the idea, slowly he becomes intrigued, and spends more time with the couple. But as their relationship grows, and friends and family are shocked and disapproving, the trio try to find the balance that could make it work. Kodai Asaka, Aki Asakura, Taiga Suzuki, Karen Miyama, Natsume Mito and Utano Aoi and there are 2 episodes available now, with more to come. So, though it has no rating on IMDb, yet, Neerja Choudhuri of the Midgard Times calls it “a bold and refreshing take on modern relationships. It challenges the audience to reconsider their definitions of love and commitment while delivering an engaging and emotionally resonant story.” So I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has Court– State vs. A Nobody, a 2025 Indian legal drama . Here , a junior legal partner Surya Teja(Priyadarshi Pulikonda) takes a chance, when he opts to defend a poor young man, Mettu Chandrashakar(Harsh Roshan) , wrongly charged with sexual abuse. For Chandrashakar merely fell in love with Jabilli(Shridevi), a rich girl who returns his affection. But her enraged elitist family managed to bring charges against the teen, to halt the affair. But can Teja win a case against the powers that be? Rajasekhar Aningi, Sivaji, and Sai Kumar also star, and Ram Jagadeesh directs. And this movie gets an astounding 8/10 on IMDb, and Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu said it’s “is not groundbreaking. But it is an absorbing drama where the most applause-worthy moments stem from thoughtful writing and sharp dialogues. Ram Jagadeesh is certainly a director to watch.” So I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has an exciting add with #1 Happy Family USA, an adult animated series from Ramy Youssef(!). This tells of the Hussein family, living in New Jersey, whose lives totally change after Sept 11, 2001, with hostility toward innocent Arab Americans ramping up. Ramy Youssef plays the tween Rumi, trying to fit in at school, and impress his teacher, in a xenophobic world. But his dad(also voiced by Youssef) is fully committed to assimilating, no matter what the cost. Even when an FBI man with a drinking problem moves next door. Salma Hindy, Mandy Moore(!), Alia Shawkat(!) and Timothy Olyphant(!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Hannah Davies of the Guardian calls it “a truly special comedy that’s packed with 00s nostalgia.” And I am so tuning in. Amazon also offers Season 1 of The Silence, a 2024 Croatian crime drama series from MHz Choice. This takes place in Osjek, Croatia, where 3 young women have turned up dead, and so Detectives Vladimir Kovac (Darko Milas ) and Vesna Horak ( Sandra Loncaric ) begin to investigate. As they dig, a investigative reporter Stribor Kralj ( Goran Bogdan), joins them in that effort. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Olga (Kseniya Mishina), the wife of a politician, finds her niece is missing, too, with no real search ensuing. So she begins to search for clues with the retired police officer Nikolaj(Viktor Saraykin). Zlatko Buric, Iryna Ostrovska and Mijo Jurisic also star, and there are 6 episodes available for streaming now. And this series was nominated for 4 awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival, and won Best Cinematography in TV Series award at the 2024 Croatian Cinematographers Society Award. And it gets a whopping 7.6/10 on IMDb, and Heidi Shepler of Film Festival Today says “is not an easy series to watch; there are several moments that are incredibly disturbing, even if they’re not graphic. However, it is an incredibly well-made series. The characterization is realistic and the plot is dark, but not hopeless. The price of speaking truth to power may be high, the show tells us, but the price of silence is higher.” And I agree, so I’m watching. But remember, this series, itself, disappears in 12 days, on May 1, and goes back to the premium MHz Choice Channel. And, finally, Amazon has added The Narrow Road to the Deep North, a-Australian historical epic series. Based on the award-winning book of the same name, by Richard Flanagan, this tells the story of Dorrigo Evans, who remembers being WWII POW. We look back, with the young Evans(Jacob Elordi), an Australian medical student about to ship out, experiences the horrors of war, and then, is captured by the Japanese. As they are forced to work on the Burma Railway, on the edge of starvation, many of the POWs die, and trauma is a daily reality. And, though he survives to return home to Australia, and becomes a successful surgeon, Evans struggles with guilt and remorse. Ciarán Hinds plays the elder Evans, and Simon Baker, Heather Mitchell, Taki Abe and Essie Davis(!) also star, and there are 5 episodes available now. And this series gets a stunning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian calls it “big, bold and deeply pleasurable. ” And 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 