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 a good add this week with Bob Trevino Likes It, the 2024 dramedy. Barbie Ferreira stars as Lily, here, a young woman with a difficult and self-centered dad, Bob Trevino(French Stewart!), who resentfully cuts her off, after raising her. Dejected, she goes looking for him on Facebook, hoping for an (unlikely) reconciliation, when she finds another Bob Trevino(John Leguizamo), who accepts her friend request, as she looks for a familial connection. But when she finds they’re not family, this Bob still likes her comments, and shows a kindness her real father lacks. And so the pair embark on an unusual friendship, with each gleaning the support and love that both their lives previously lacked. Rachel Bay Jones, Lauren “Lolo” Spencer and Ted Welch also star, and Tracie Laymon directed, and wrote the script here, based on her personal experiences. And this movie won numerous awards in, including Narrative Feature at the 2024 Denver Film Festival, Best Feature Narrative Actor for Leguizamo at the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival and Narrative Feature at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival. And it gets an astounding 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.5/10 on IMDb. And Chloe Walker of the AV Club called it a “deeply moving film, and a passionate, uplifting paean to the importance of found family.” So I’m watching. Hulu also offers The Monkey, the 2024 comedy/horror flick. Based on a Stephen King short story, this tells of malevolent toy monkey owned by twin brothers, Hal and Bill, both played by Theo James, which wreaks havoc on those around it. As a child, Hal is mercilessly bullied by his brother Bill, so he tries to turn the monkey onto his brother, with no luck. But they dispose of the monkey(supposedly) and go on with their lives, only for Hal to find it reappear, 25 years later, to visit tragedy upon his family, once again. Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, and Colin O’Brien also star, while Osgood Perkins directs. And it gets a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and David Sims of The Atlantic said “in the hands of another director, the tone could wobble too wildly. Perkins is a specialist in making childhood trauma feel grounded and relatable, however, and that holds true for the loopy scares of his latest movie.” But you know it’s too scary(and gruesome) for me. Luckily, Hulu has also added Stags, a 2024 British comedy/thriller series. Here, a bunch of friends head for South America, to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Stu(Nico Mirallegro). But when one of the party collapses at the airport( at customs, no less), an apparent OD, the whole gang ends up in police custody. And Stu, and his mates like Ryan (Corin Silva) and Ant (Charlie Cooper) are jailed in a notorious prison, with no way out. And so, the gang begins to question if any of them will survive their trip to paradise. Jojo Macari, Cavan Clerkin, Paulina Galvez and Sophie Lenglinger also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And though this series gets a 5.1/10 on IMDb, it gets good reviews, too, like that of Lucy Mangan of the Guardian who called it an ” exhilarating, gorgeous tale of eight idiots.” So I’m watching. And, finally, Hulu has added The Dry, a 2021 Australian thriller. Eric Bana stars here as Aaron Falk, a Melbourne cop who returns home to Kiewarra, after 20 years away, after his friend Luke(Martin Dingle Wall) is supposed committed suicide. But when Luke‘s parents beg him to investigate, Aaron finds that rumors swirl about Luke’s murders being related to the murder of a teenage girl, a murder that people think Luke and Aaron were somehow mixed up in. And so Aaron becomes obsessed with finding the truth about both incidents, even if it brings back old trauma for him , and earns the anger of the locals. Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell, Julia Blake and Bruce Spence also star, and Robert Connolly directed. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2022, and went on to win Cinematographer of the Year for Stefan Duscio at the 2022 Australian Cinematographers Society, and Best Actor for Bana, and Favourite Film at the 2021 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards. And this series gets a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and M.N. Miller of Ready Steady Cut called it “a damn good Australian crime drama and is Eric Bana’s best performance since Munich.” So I’m watching.
NETFLIX
The big add on Netflix this week has to be season 2 of Wednesday, the Tim Burton horror series. Jenna Ortega returns as Wednesday Addams, here, who returns to Nevermore Academy for her sophomore year. But this season has the other Addams family members getting involved at school, too, including her parents, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzmán). Even her Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen), pops into the story line. And another murder takes place, so Wednesday has another mystery to solve. Joanna Lumley(!), Emma Myers, Isaac Ordonez and Steve Buscemi(!) also star, and there are 4 episodes available now. And this series gets a roaring 8/10 on IMDb, and Kelly Lawler of USA Today says “the story this time is far more streamlined and, quite honestly, interesting.” So I’m tuning in. But Netflix also offers Glass Heart, a 2025 Japanese musical drama series. This series follows Akane Saijo(Yu Miyazaki), a college student and drummer, who is abruptly ousted from her band. Akane is dejected, but then she happens to meet Naoki Fujitani(Takeru Satoh), a star composer/musician and finds herself playing in his band TENBLANK, along with guitarist Sho Takaoka (Keita Machida) and pianist Kazushi Sakamoto (Jun Shison). But as Akane blossoms creatively with the band, she also witnesses the power struggles and battles of ego that rock the group constantly, and may, finally, destroy the band. And, she also might find herself falling in love with the difficult Fujitani. Suda Masaki, Karata Erika, Takaishi Akari and Takehara Pistol also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. And this series gets a stunning 8.1/10 on IMDb, and Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times calls it a “music-drama that pulses with passion and rivalry.” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added Titans: The Rise of Hollywood, a 2025 docuseries. This series covers the rise of the great movie companies of Hollywood, beginning with entrepreneur Carl Laemmle, who had to fight tooth and nail with inventor Thomas Edison, over the patent rights. Driven out of New York City, the group then moves to Cuba(!), then they finally alight in California, where Laemmle builds Universal City. And as Hollywood grows into a bustling city, other big players rise to the top, like Adolph Zukor and Louis B. Mayer, and they fight to get the biggest actors, and highest earnings in town. David Davino, James M. Reilly and Christina Leonardi play some of the main characters, in dramatized sections, and Grant Master narrates this series from Curiosity Stream, with 6 episodes available now. And this series gets an impressive 7.5/10 on IMDb, so, though I can find no online reviews, I’m watching. Netflix also offers Oho Enthan Baby, a 2025 Tamil romcom. Here, aspiring filmmaker Ashin(Rudra), is told that his love story has no real edge to it, and so he remakes his movie, using his own life for material. The girl of his dreams is Meera(Mithila Palkar), but their relationship was not successful the first time. As they meet later in life, as adults, they finds a time to flourish, but still can’t stay together. And so, Ashin decides he wants his movie to have a happy ending, and proceeds to try to make it so. Anju Kurian, Mysskin, Vishnu Vishal and Redin Kingsley also star, and Krishnakumar Ramakumar directs. And this movie gets an astounding 8.1/10 on IMDb, and M. Suganth of the Times of India says the “charming cast makes this romcom click.” So it’s on my list. And, finally, Netflix has added Beyond the Bar, a 2025 K-drama courtroom drama series. This follows rookie lawyer Kang Hyo-min(Jung Chae-yeon), who has just joined the prestigious Yullim Law Firm, but finds the social aspects of her job tough to adapt to. Luckily, she gets help from the seemingly stern senior partner, Seok-hoon(Lee Jin-wook), who helps her adjust to her high pressure job, and show the firm what heights she can really achieve. Kim Kang-min, Lee Hak-joo and Jeon Hye-bin also star, and there are 2 episodes available now, with 10 more to come. And this series gets a rousing 8.2/10 on IMDb, and Ben Carter of Gazettely says it’s “guilty of being excellent.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon’s big title added this week is The Pickup, a 2025 action comedy starring Eddie Murphy(!). Murphy stars, here, as Russell, an armored truck driver dreaming of retirement, who works with rookie Travis (Pete Davidson!). But then, on the day of Russell‘s 25th wedding anniversary, the pair are ambushed on the road, by Zoe (Keke Palmer!), and the chaos begins. And all bets are off as to whether the two can reach their destination, dead or alive. Eva Longoria(!), Jack Kesy and Ismael Cruz Cordova also star, and Tim Story directs. But this movie gets only a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 5.4/10 on IMDb. Still, Glenn Kenny of the New York Times says “even as they find themselves running out of things to do, each actor hangs on to his or her charisma and manages to land a line every now and then.” You decide. But Amazon has also added Quisling – The Final Days, a 2024 historical drama. This begins at the end of WWII, in 1945, with Vidkun Quisling (Gard B. Eidsvold) jailed and awaiting his sentence for treason in Norway. As Minister President of Norway, Quisling was an admitted collaborator with the Nazis, and viewed by many as the worst traitor imaginable, with some calling for the death sentence. So pastor Peder Olsen (Anders Danielsen Lie) is sent to counsel him, and help him find his peace. But Quisling is anything but repentant, and as the two argue the reasoning of his actions, the end Quisling’s trial looms, and his sentence awaits. Arthur Hakalathi, Lasse Kolsrud, Øyvind Brandtzæg and Lisa Loven Kongsli also star, while Erik Poppe directs. And this movie is nominated for 4 Amanda Awards(to be awarded next week), and gets an astonishing 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.1/10 on IMDb. And Alissa Simon of Variety said “with its terrifyingly topical look into the complicated mind of an autocratic leader, tour de force performances by the two leads, striking cinematography and notable period production design, this is a gripping cinematic experience.” And I’m so tuning in. And, finally, Amazon has season 1 of Consuelo, a 2024 Mexican dramedy series. This takes place in 1955, with Consuelo(Cassandra Sánchez Navarro) dedicated to her husband Carlos (Lincoln Palomeque) and her children. but when Carlos walks out on her, without warning, she is left with the dilemma of paying the bills, especially for the wedding of her daughter, Martha Patricia (Sofía Monarrez). Without an income, she panics for funds, so when she gets a chance to sell sex toys for women, she opts in. But her conservative neighbors are up in arms with the sales in the area, and determined to find out who is involved. Erick Chapa, Catherine Siachoque, Eileen Yáñez and Yuri Vargas also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. And this series was nominated for 3 Produ Awards last year, and went on to win Best Comedy Drama Series. And it gets a whopping 8.1/10 on IMDb, and Miguel A. Reina of en primera fila said it “manages to break new ground regarding the representation of female protagonists, through a simple comedy that has achieved enough success to be about to premiere its second season…” So I’m definitely watching.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 