Carey Mulligan is the "Promising
Young Woman" (2020, R) of this sharp 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, which
has been nominated for five Oscars, including best picture, best
director, and Mulligan for best actress. Previously available at a
premium price, it is now on VOD, Cable On Demand, Blu-ray, and DVD.
Four high school teachers embrace alcohol as a way to unleash their creative potential in "Another Round" (Denmark, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), a mid-life crisis comedy starring Mads Mikkelson. It earned Academy Award nominations for foreign language film and director Thomas Vinterberg and won five Danish Film Awards and four European Film Awards. (Hulu)
"Zack Snyder's Justice League" (2021, R) is more than just a director's cut of the 2017 superhero spectacle, an attempt at a DCU superteam version of "The Avengers" featuring Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), who team up to save the world from an alien threat after the death of Superman (Henry Cavill). This is a four-hour epic featuring newly-shot scenes, expanded storylines, additional characters, and a darker tone than the original theatrical release, which was completed by Joss Whedon. Snyder, who battled the studio over the direction of the original film, spent an additional $70 million to realize his vision. It debuts on HBO Max same day as theaters. (HBO Max)
Marvel brings big screen values to the small screen in "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: Season 1" (TV-14), the second Disney series to expand the Marvel superhero universe through a streaming show. It follows the partnership of the two Avengers heroes (played by Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan) in wake of "Avengers: Endgame" and a world without Captain America. New episodes each Friday. (Disney+)
The documentary "Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal" (2021, R) focuses on Rick Singer, the man who arranged the scam and took payoffs from wealthy parents to place their kinds into top American universities. Matthew Modine plays Singer in dramatic recreations. (Netflix)
Pay-Per-View
/ Video on Demand
Joel
McHale and Kerry Bishé star in "Happily"
(2021, R), a romantic comedy with a dark twist.
A
young college student in Dublin confronts the mother who gave her up
for adoption in the drama "Rose
Plays Julie" (2021, not rated). Also
new:
"Enforcement" (Denmark, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), a crime drama following two police officers trapped in a maze of buildings by violent rioters;
"Jumbo" (France, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), a drama about a shy young woman (Noémie Merlant) who believes that an amusement park ride is communicating with her;
"Food Club" (Denmark, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), an uplifting comic drama about three lifelong friends who travel to Italy for a cooking course.
Netflix
Katharine McPhee is an aspiring country singer who becomes a nanny for a cowboy (Eddie Cibrian) and his five children in the family friendly "Country Comfort: Season 1" (TV-PG).
Steven
Spielberg directs "The
BFG" (2016, PG), the feature version of the
Roald Dahl fantasy starring Mark Rylance the big friendly giant.
Three
women (Verónica Sanchez, Lali Espósito, and Yany Prado) hit the
road to escape sex traffickers in "Sky
Rojo: Season 1" (Spain, TV-MA, with
subtitles), a pulpy adventure thriller from the creators of "Money
Heist."
Streaming
TV: the family drama "Zero
Chill: Season 1" (TV-G) follows a high school
figure skater and her hockey-playing twin brother who leave Canada
for England.
True
stories: "Audrey"
(2020, TV-14) profiles Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn. Also new:
"The Last Blockbuster" (2020, TV-14), about the last standing branch of the once-mighty video story chain;
limited series documentary/docudrama hybrid "The Lost Pirate Kingdom" (TV-MA) on the pirate culture of the 18th century Caribbean.
True
crime: "Under
Suspicion: Uncovering the Wesphael Case"
(Belgium, TV-14, with subtitles) follows the high-profile court case
of Belgian politician Bernard Wesphael, who was accused of murdering
his wife in 2013.
International
passport: mismatched cops from different states are forced to work
together in "Get
the Goat" (Brazil, 2021, TV-14, with
subtitles), a buddy cop comedy. Also new is "Abla
Fahita, Drama Queen: Season 1" (Egypt, TV-14,
with subtitles), a mix of puppet comedy mixed with live action
melodrama.
Kid
stuff: "Waffles
+ Mochi: Season 1" (TV-Y) is a puppet show
that explores food and culture around the world.
Stand-up:
"Nate
Bargatze: The Greatest Average American"
(TV-G) and "RebellComedy:
Straight Outta the Zoo" (Germany, TV-MA, with
subtitles),
Amazon Prime Video
An introspective high school student (Charlie Plummer) tries to hide his diagnosis of mental illness in "Words on Bathroom Walls" (2020, PG-13), based on the young adult novel by Julia Walton.
A
man tormented by evil forces goes on a killing spree in "The
Dead Center" (2019, NC-17), an imaginative
mix of psychological thriller and supernatural horror
Streaming
TV: "Little
Mosque on the Prairie: Complete Series"
(2007-2012, TV-PG), a Canadian comedy about a Muslim community living
in small town in Saskatchewan, became a hit as it used humor to
bridge the cultural divide.
Hulu
A
trapper (Devon Sawa) leaves his family to hunt a rogue wolf in
"Hunter
Hunter" (2020, not rated), a survival
thriller that tips into a paranoia when the wife (Camille Sullivan)
takes a wounded stranger (Nick Stahl) into their remote cabin.
The
second season of "Staged"
(not rated), the lockdown comedy starring David Tennant and
Michael Sheen as actors working virtually, features guest stars
Whoopi Goldberg, Cate Blanchett, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Christoph
Waltz, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
A
small screen spin-off with big production value, "Terminator
– The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Complete Series"
(2008-2010, TV-14) stars Lena Headey as Sarah Connor and Summer Glau
("Firefly") as the next generation of Terminator bodyguard
sent back in time to protect the once and future savior of the human
race John Conner (Thomas Dekker). It only lasted two seasons but it
delivered smart science fiction and gritty, spectacular action. More
streaming TV:
"People of Earth: Complete Series" (2016-2017, TV-MA), a comedy starring Wyatt Cenac;
Carla Gugino and Luke Wilson in "Roadies: Complete Series" (2016, TV-MA), created by Cameron Crowe for Showtime.
HBO
Max
"Superman:
The Animated Series" (1996-2000, not
rated), featuring the voices of Tim Daly as Clark Kent and Superman
and Dana Delany as Lois Lane, is the colorful follow-up to the
shadowy, film noir-inflected animated "Batman series." Now
streaming in remastered HD edition.
Peacock
The SyFy Channel comedy "Resident Alien: Season 1" (TV-14), starring Alan Tudyk as a crash-landed alien awkwardly masquerading as a human, is now rolling out on Peacock. Three episodes available, new episodes arrive on Fridays.
WWE
moves to Peacock Premium, which will be the exclusive
home for all World Wrestling Entertainment programs when the WWE
Network shuts down on April 4. Subscribers will received all new and
archived programs plus free access to past and upcoming pay-per-view
specials.
Other
streams
"Bloodlands:
Season 1" (not rated), a British crime
thriller from creator Jed Mercurio ("The Bodyguard"), stars
James Nesbitt plays a Northern Ireland police detective who connects
a murder to his wife's unsolved disappearance 20 years earlier. New
episodes each Monday. (Acorn TV)
The
anthology series "Calls:
Season 1" (TV-MA) dramatizes short stories in
12-minute phone conversations accompanied by abstracts imagery. All
nine episodes available. (Apple TV+)
The eight films in
the "Directed
by Preston Sturges" collection represent the
greatest works of the American comedy genius, including his two
brilliant romantic comedies, "The
Lady Eve" (1941) with Barbara Stanwyck and
Henry Fonda and "The
Palm Beach Story" (1942) with Claudette
Colbert and Joel McCrea. (Criterion Collection). Also new:
"Charlie Chaplin: The Mutual Comedies," all twelve short comic masterpieces from "The Floorwalker" (1916) to "The Adventurer" (1917) (all silent with music scores);
four films "Directed by Nelly Kaplan," including her celebrated debut feature "A Very Curious Girl" (France, 1969, not rated, with subtitles);
George Stevens’ majestic western "Shane" (1953) with Alan Ladd.
Sean
Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming
movies and TV can be found at https://streamondemandathome.com.
