Top streams for the week
Siblings who make extra money playing "sims" for wealthy video game players get caught up in a conspiracy when a beat-test of a new sci-fi game turns out to be a real-life military mission in "The Peripheral: Season 1" (TV-MA). Chloe Grace Moretz stars as the sister whose game play operates a drone sent to obtain classified information that makes her and her brother (Jack Reynor) targets. It's adapted from the William Gibson novel by showrunner Scott B. Smith and produced by "Westworld" creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. New episodes on Fridays. (Prime Video)
Six years after the end of the fourth season, "Inside Amy Schumer" (TV-MA) returns for a new season of sketch comedy from creator and star Amy Schumer. Two episodes available, new episodes on Thursdays. (Paramount+)
Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke are "Raymond and Ray" (2022, R), half-brothers reunited at the funeral of their abusive father, where their efforts to put the past to rest only dredges up new complications. Filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia brings a sense of humor to his offbeat family drama as the brothers struggle with the scars of their childhood to find a new way forward. Maribel Verdú and Sophie Okonedo costar. (Apple TV+)
International pick: "Argentina, 1985" (Argentina, 2022, R, with subtitles) tackles the unprecedented civilian prosecution of military leaders for their brutal crimes against citizens during the right-wing dictatorship. Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani star as the real-life prosecutors in the underdog drama, which won a top prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Brad Pitt headlines the comic action thriller "Bullet Train" (2022, R) as an assassin trying to embrace peace while on a mission that pits him against a lethal collection of killers on a fast-moving train. Also on DVD and at Redbox.
A party game at a mansion turns deadly in "Bodies Bodies Bodies" (2022, R), a satirical horror film starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, and Pete Davidson. Also on DVD and at Redbox. Also new:
- family comedy "Easter Sunday" (2022, PG-13) with Jo Koy;
- survival thriller "Fall" (2022, PG-13) set on a remote 2,000 foot radio tower;
- "My Old School" (2022, not rated), a documentary featuring Alan Cumming in dramatic recreations;
- "Three Wishes for Cinderella" (Norway, 2022, not rated, with subtitles) starring Scandinavian pop star Astrid S.
Netflix
Zoe Saldana stars as an American in Italy in "From Scratch" (TV-MA), a limited series romantic drama based on the memoir by Tembi Locke.
The young adult fantasy "The School for Good and Evil" (2022, PG-13), set at a magic academy for future fairy-tale heroes and villains, stars Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, and Michelle Yeoh.
An undercover cop (Joel Edgerton) tries to befriend a murder suspect in the Australian thriller "The Stranger" (2022, TV-MA).
True stories: "Descendant" (2022, PG) looks at the legacy of the final slave ship in the U.S. after ship's remains were discovered off the waters of Alabama. It won the Jury Prize at Sundance.
Reality TV: "28 Days Haunted: Season 1" (TV-MA) sends three teams to haunted homes for a paranormal experiment.
International TV: the limited series "Notre-Dame" (France, TV-14, with subtitles) dramatizes the impact of the 2019 fire of Notre-Dame on Paris firefighters and citizens. Roschdy Zem, Caroline Proust, and Simon Abkarian star in the series, inspired of true accounts from French firefighters. Also new:
- "The Green Glove Gang: Season 1" (Poland, TV-14, with subtitles) about three middle-aged female burglars who hide out in a nursing home;
- "Under the Queen's Umbrella: Season 1" (South Korea, TV-14, with subtitles), a costume drama about a queen attempting to prepare her rowdy sons for the throne.
Stand-up: "Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy Live From Los Angeles" (TV-MA).
Hulu
An advertising executive (Jemima Rooper) crumbling under pressure returns to her rural home and estranged mother (Kate Dickie) to find a dark secret in the folk horror film "Matriarch" (2022, TV-MA).
True stories: "Bitterbrush" (2021, not rated) follows two cattlewomen on their last summer herding cattle in remote Idaho.
The eleventh season of "American Horror Story" (TV-MA) opens with a new story set in New York City.
HBO Max
The documentary "Year One: A Political Odyssey" (2022, TV-14) takes an insider's look at the first year of President Joe Biden's administration. More true stories:
- "The Fastest Woman on Earth" (2022, TV-MA) looks at the efforts of professional racer Jessi Combs to break land speed records;
- "The Vow: Part Two" (TV-MA) follows up the original documentary series on the self-help group-turned-abusive cult NXIVM with new episodes.
Amazon Prime Video
Katey Sagal stars a country music legend visited by two rising artists in "Torn Hearts" (2022), a horror film from Blumhouse. Also streaming on Paramount+.
The complete "American Horror Story: Season 10" (2021, TV-MA) now streams.
Other streams
The tenth and final season "Doc Martin" (TV-14), the popular British medical dramedy starring Martin Clunes as a surly London doctor in rural England, arrives with new episodes on Mondays. (Acorn TV)
An Aboriginal detective follows a case back to the home she left decades ago in the Australian mystery "True Colours: Season 1" (not rated). (AMC+ and Sundance Now)
"V/H/S/99" (2022, not rated) revives the horror anthology franchise with five new short films. (AMC+ and Shudder)
A blind veteran (Stephen Lang) turns the tables on three teenage home invaders who break into his home in "Don't Breathe" (2016, R). (Peacock)
"Documentary Now!: Season 53" (TV-14) revives the parody series created by Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader with new episodes. (AMC+)
New seasons of "Acapulco" (TV-14) and "Ghost Writer" (TV-G) begin this week on Apple TV+.
The 29 films in the "'80s Horror" collection offers a terrific range of films, from Paul Schrader's erotically-charged remake of "Cat People" (1982, R) and John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness" (1987, R) to offbeat cult movies "Basket Case" (1982, not rated) from Frank Henenlotter and "Society" (1989, R) from Brian Yuzna to such international horrors as Dario Argento's "Inferno" (Italy, 1980, R) and Shinya Tsukamoto's cyberpunk nightmare "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (Japan, 1989, not rated, with subtitles). (Criterion Channel)
"Earwig" (2021, not rated), the latest surreal fantasy from filmmaker Lucile Hadzihalilovic, follows the ordeal of a 10-year-old with ice for teeth. (MUBI)
New on disc and at Redbox:
"Bullet Train," "Bodies Bodies Bodies," "Paws of Fury," "Fall," "Easter Sunday," "Orphan: First Kill," "Mack & Rita"
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at https://streamondemandathome.com.
Copyright © 2022 by Sean Axmaker
