In 1964, four legends met up on the night that Cassius Clay became heavyweight champion of the world. "One Night in Miami" (2020, R) imagines what transpired that night between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Clay (Eli Goree) before he became Mohammad Ali. Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Regina King makes her directorial debut in this powerful drama that tackles civil rights and personal responsibility at a turning point in American history. (Amazon Prime Video)
https://youtu.be/K8vf_Cmh9nY
Tom Hanks stars in "News of the World" (2020, PG-13) as a Civil War veteran and widower in Northern Texas who takes a traumatized young orphan (Helena Zengel), raised by Kiowas, through hostile territory to find her only living relatives. This western from director Paul Greengrass is a touching drama set against the violence and lawlessness of Texas after the Civil War. Comes to VOD and Cable On Demand after a brief run in theaters.
https://youtu.be/zTZDb_iKooI
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their big screen roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision in "WandaVision: Season 1" (TV-PG), a comic book show reimagined through the lens of classic TV sitcoms, with the superhero couple living a seemingly idealized suburban life. It's the first original series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe created for Disney+. New episodes each Friday. (Disney+)
https://youtu.be/UBhlqe2OTt4
The documentary "Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy" (TV-MA) takes a hard look at the politics behind the drug that became the focus of the war on drugs in the 1980s and its impact on the poor and communities of color. (Netflix)
The two-part documentary "Tiger" (TV-MA) looks beyond the headlines to offer a portrait of the rise, fall, and redemption of golf superstar Tiger Woods, who became an uncomfortable celebrity and battled his demons publically. The first part now streaming, part two arrives Sunday. (All HBO platforms)
https://youtu.be/CT-dTVVY8XM
Last chance: The month-long window of "Wonder Woman: 1984" (2020, PG-13) closes next week, so if you have been meaning to stream the film, now is the time. (HBO Max)
Free picks: The YouTube channel "Fear: The Home of Horror" streams seven classic horror films free for a week, starting with the original "Dracula" (1931) and "The Mummy" (1932). Arriving Saturday is "Frankenstein" (1931) and "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) and on Sunday, "The Invisible Man" (1933), "The Wolf Man" (1941), and horror comedy "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) begin. If you've never seen them, this is your chance to see where American horror cinema began.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Carey Mulligan is the "Promising Young Woman" (2020, R) of this drama that uses black comedy and revenge thriller conventions to confront the trauma of sexual assault. Bo Burnham and Alison Brie costar in the feature directorial debut of actor/writer Emerald Ferrell. On VOD and Cable On Demand.
https://youtu.be/we5yV7Gc9rY
Netflix
A drone pilot (Damson Idris) teams up with an android soldier (Anthony Mackie) to locate a doomsday device hidden in the deadly militarized zone in "Outside the Wire" (2021, R), a science fiction action thriller set in the future. Pilou Asbaek costars and Mikael Håfström directs.
https://youtu.be/u8ZsUivELbs
The latest true-crime documentary from Netflix, "Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer" (TV-MA) is a four-part limited series that looks back at investigation of the serial killer that terrorized Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 1980s.
https://youtu.be/Mva2nGveYss
Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and James Franco star in Harmony Korine's day-glo crime romp "Spring Breakers" (2012, R).
Streaming TV: "Disenchantment: Part 3" (TV-MA) continues the animated fantasy spook created by Matt Groening. Also new:
- "Last Tango in Halifax: Season 4" (TV-MA) with Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid;
- "The Magicians: Season 5" (TV-MA), the final season of the young adult fantasy series based on the Lev Grossman novels.
True stories: the reality series "Bling Empire: Season 1" (not rated) follows a wealthy group of Asian and Asian American friends in Los Angeles.
International passport: "The Intouchables" (2011, R) stars Omar Sy as a brash ex-con who becomes caregiver to a rich and cultured paralyzed man (François Cluzet).
Kid stuff: think of the animated "Penguins of Madagascar" (2014, PG) as the minions of the "Madagascar" movies.
Stand-up: "Chris Rock: Total Blackout" (2018, TV-MA) is an extended cut of his 2018 stand-up special "The Tamborine."
Amazon Prime Video
The lavish historical drama "El Cid: Season 1" (Spain, 2020, TV-MA, with subtitles) retells the story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the nobleman and warrior in Medieval Spain who became a national hero.
https://youtu.be/_3dEat5Q61s
Hulu
In "The Ultimate Playlist of Noise" (2021, TV-MA), a high school senior (Keean Johnson) about to lose his hearing meets a struggling musician (Madeline Brewer) who helps him create his bucket list of favorite sounds.
A pair of horror films arrive: "Alone" (2020, R), a remake of the Swedish thriller "Gone" from director John Hyams, and "Lights Out" (2016, PG-13) with Theresa Palmer as a young woman whose family is terrorized by a supernatural entity who attacks in the dark.
Streaming TV: the crowd-funded comedy "Everyone is Doing Great: Season 1" (not rated) features James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti as the stars of a TV vampire show dealing with life after fame. Also new is "Endlings: Season 2" (TV-PG).
More new network shows are now streaming, including the debut of the empty nester sitcom "Call Your Mother" with Kyra Sedgwick, plus new seasons of crime thriller "Prodigal Son" (TV-14), medical drama "The Resident" (TV-14), and "A Little Late with Lilly Singh" (TV-14). All available to stream a day after respective network debuts.
HBO Max
Pete Davidson stars as a charming but self-pitying screw up in "The King of Staten Island" (2020, R), comedy drawn in part from the comic's own life. Judd Apatow directs and cowrites the screenplay with Davidson. (All HBO platforms)
https://youtu.be/azkVr0VUSTA
"Search Party" (TV-MA), the popular mystery comedy created for TBS, moves to HBO Max for its fourth season. New episodes each Thursday.
The new season of the political talk show "Real Time with Bill Maher" (TV-MA) is back with new episodes Friday nights. (All HBO platforms)
More streaming TV: the comedy "Miracle Workers: Season 2" (TV-MA) with Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan reimagines the cast as characters in a medieval village. Also new:
- historical mystery thriller "The Alienist: Angel of Darkness (Season 2)" (TV-MA) with Daniel Brühl and Dakota Fanning;
- "Roots" (1977), the Emmy Award-winning landmark miniseries that dramatizes the lineage of author Alex Haley from his African ancestors through slavery and beyond.
International passport: in the dark comedy "Arthur's Law: Season 1" (Germany, TV-MA, with subtitles), an unemployed sad sack attempts to kill his wife for the insurance money and ends up creating a cascade of disasters.
More movies: "Tender Mercies" (1983, PG) earned Academy Awards for actor Robert Duvall and writer Horton Foote. Also new:
- drama "The Visitor" (2007, PG-13) with Richard Jenkins;
- suburban horror film "Poltergeist" (1982, PG) from director Tobe Hooper and producer Steven Spielberg;
- Oscar-winning juggernaut "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975, R) with Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher;
- John Huston's "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975, PG) with Sean Connery and Michael Caine;
- British gangster classic "Get Carter" (1971, R) with Michael Caine.
Disney+
"Mary Poppins Returns" (2018, PG) stars Emily Blunt as England's most famous nanny, who floats back into the lives of the now-grown Jane and Michael Banks (Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw) to help with Michael's children. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep costar in the musical sequel.
https://youtu.be/-3jsfXDZLIY
"Isle of Dogs" (2018, PG-13), Wes Anderson's playful fantasy adventure, uses stop-motion animation to tell the story of a boy's searching for his missing dog in a near-future Japan.
Other streams
"A Discovery of Witches: Season 2" (TV-MA), the romantic drama set in a world filled with magic and supernatural beings, sends its lovers (Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode) back in time to Elizabethan England. New episodes each Saturday. (Sundance Now and Shudder)
https://youtu.be/_3yMVR1LUfc
The third season of "American Gods" (TV-MA), which launches with yet another new showrunner and more cast upheavals, pulls the quasi-mortal Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) back into the between the old Gods (led by Ian McShane's Odin) and the new. New episodes each Sunday. (Starz)
New seasons of "Dickinson" (TV-14), starring Hailee Steinfeld as a very modern Emily Dickinson, and the horror series "Servant" (TV-MA) produced by M. Night Shyamalan are now rolling out on Apple TV+. New episodes each Friday.
Peacock launches the new "LIT Entertainment News" channel, which features light 24-hour coverage.
Criterion Channel presents thirteen films "Starring Jane Fonda" from "Walk on the Wild Side" (1962) with Laurence Harvey and Barbara Stanwyck and the western comedy "Cat Ballou" (1965) with Lee Marvin to dramas "The China Syndrome" (1979) with Jack Lemmon and "The Morning After" (1986) with Jeff Bridges. My pick for the collection highlight is "Klute" (1971, R), the gritty New York thriller that earned Fonda her first Academy Award.
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at https://streamondemandathome.com.
