Jamie Foxx is a former soldier and Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a street cop in "Project Power" (2020, R), an action thriller about dangerous street drug that gives users temporary superpowers. Dominique Fishback is a teenage dealer who teams up with the duo to track the drug, which has deadly side effects. Set and shot in New Orleans, it comes from Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, creators of "Catfish," the documentary and the TV series. (Netflix)
https://youtu.be/xw1vQgVaYNQ
"The One and Only Ivan" (2020, PG) is a circus gorilla (voiced by Sam Rockwell) who lives in a suburban mall with an aging elephant (Angelina Jolie) and other animals in this family drama based on the children's novel by K. A. Applegate. Bryan Cranston and Ariana Greenblatt star and Helen Mirren, Danny DeVito, and Brooklynn Prince provide additional voices in the cast of CGI animals. Original slated for theaters, it debuts on Disney+.
https://youtu.be/I-uIQDRS4a8
"Richard Jewell" (2019, R), Clint Eastwood's drama about the Atlanta security guard (played by Paul Walter Hauser) who was crucified in the media on unfounded charges, earned an Oscar nomination for actor Kathy Bates. Sam Rockwell, Jon Hamm, and Olivia Wilde costar. (All HBO platforms)
https://youtu.be/gSMxBLlA8qY
A surly American teenager (Antonio J. Bell) is shipped off to Lagos, Nigeria, by his immigrant parents to learn his cultural roots in "Nigerian Prince" (2018, TV-MA). Stranded in an impoverished, desperate, thoroughly mercenary world, he turns to scamming with his cousin to earn a plane ticket back home. The American indie drama was produced with support by the Tribeca Film Festival. (Netflix)
https://youtu.be/n7_jlp1_MLg
The sweet indie romantic comedy "Safety Not Guaranteed" (2012, R), starring Aubrey Plaza as reporter looking for a story from a man (Mark Duplass) advertising for a time traveling partner, was shot in and around Seattle and Ocean Shores. It also features a lot of local talent on both sides of the camera (including a nice little bit from the much missed Lynn Shelton). (Netflix)
From the creators of "Survivor" comes "World's Toughest Race: Eco Challenge Fiji" (TV-14), a ten-part series hosted by Bear Grylls and featuring 66 teams from 30 countries competing in an eleven-day race through the rugged terrain of Fiji. (Amazon Prime Video)
https://youtu.be/o4rq5BZIni8
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Debuting direct to VOD is the romantic drama "Endless" (2020, not rated) starring Alexandra Shipp and Nicholas Hamilton as high school graduates in love separated by a tragic car accident.
Netflix
Twin sisters (Maddie Philips and Anjelica Bette Fellini) at an elite Southern high school forge an unlikely new career in "Teenage Bounty Hunters: Season 1" (not rated), an action comedy costarring Mackenzie Astin and Kadeem Hardison.
https://youtu.be/S5cjOh1BjaE
Leslie Bibb and Josh Duhamel star in "The Lost Husband" (2020, not rated), a romantic drama in the Hallmark tradition.
"Nightcrawler" (2014, R), a wicked satire of the tabloid news television with Jake Gyllenhaal as a freelance video journalist who races to crime scenes and accidents to record the freshest, most gruesome footage, earned an Oscar nomination for director Dan Gilroy's screenplay.
Alexandra Daddario and Johnny Knoxville star in the horror film "We Summon the Darkness" (2019, R).
True stories: "(Un)Well: Season 1" (2020, not rated) explores the wellness industry and looks into the accuracy of the claims.
International passport: a 16-year-old girl is entranced by her sexually adventurous cousin in the coming-of-age drama "An Easy Girl" (aka "Une fille facile") (France, 2019, not rated, with subtitles), which plays out over a summer in the South of France. Also new:
- limited series "The Great Heist" (Argentina, not rated, with subtitles), a crime thriller based on the true story of a 1994 bank robbery in Colombia;
- "Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl" (India, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), a drama inspired by the true story of India's first female combat pilot;
- the fourth season of the dystopian thriller "3%" (Brazil, TV-MA, with subtitles).
Kid stuff: a teenage video gamer is left to babysit a trio of superpowered infants from space in "Fearless" (2020, not rated), an animated comedy from the director of "Hoodwinked."
Stand-up: "Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids" (2020, not rated).
Amazon Prime Video
Actor/producer Diego Luna and chef Enrique Olvera engage in conversation with a series of guests on topical issues in the Mexican talk show "Pan y Circo" (Mexico, 16+, with subtitles).
The four-part documentary "War Women" (2020, 13+) surveys the history of women in the war effort across the ages, from the home front to the front lines.
Two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) swaps homes (a lavish Los Angeles home and a cozy cottage in rural England) and find romance in "The Holiday" (2006, PG-13), costarring Jude Law and Jack Black.
Cult: Nicolas Cage is a sweet-hearted punk in love with "Valley Girl" (1983, R) Deborah Foreman in the eighties romantic comedy with a killer soundtrack.
Hulu
"Alive and Kicking" (2016, not rated) puts the spotlight in the swing dancing revival and the culture of competition dancers.
Streaming TV: the second season of the British thriller "Trust Me" (2019, TV-14) features a new cast and setting: a series of mysterious deaths in a modern hospital where a paralyzed veteran (Alfred Enoch) tries to suss out the killer.
HBO / HBO Max
True stories: "Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn" (2020, TV-MA) looks back at the 1989 murder of a black teenager by a group of young white men that sparked outrage and ignited protests. (All HBO platforms)
Streaming TV: Selena Gomez hosts "Selena + Chef: Season 1" (TV-14), a shelter-at-home cooking show featuring world renowned chefs. Three episodes available, new episodes each Thursday. (HBO Max only)
Other streams
Adam Devine is a magician who returns to "Magic Camp" (2020, PG) as a counsellor in the Disney+ original family movie costarring Jeffrey Tambor and Gillian Jacobs. Also new:
https://youtu.be/GAmcupYhwKA
- Marvel superhero adventure comedy "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018, PG-13) with Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly;
- musical "The Greatest Showman" (2017, PG) starring Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams.
The Apple TV+ comedy "Ted Lasso: Season 1" (TV-MA) stars Jason Sudeikis as an American Football coach hired to manage a London soccer, club despite the fact he knows nothing about English football. Also new is "Boys State" (2020, PG-13), a documentary about teenage boys in Texas creating a representative government from the ground up. It won the Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance.
From Australia comes "Five Bedrooms: Season 1" (2019, not rated), a drama about five singles who purchase a large house together and then figure out how to live together. (Peacock)
Eve Myles and Babou Ceesay are conflicted detectives chasing a pair of young killers in the British crime thriller "We Hunt Together: Season 1" (TV-MA). New episodes each Sunday. (Showtime Anytime)
When a husband and father dies at his surprise birthday party, his wife and daughter discover he had another family in the British sitcom "The Other One: Season 1" (2020, not rated). The two twentysomething daughters are thrilled to connect; the mothers are less enthusiastic. (Acorn TV)
Vin Diesel plays a soldier brought back from the dead in the comic book action thriller "Bloodshot" (2020, PG-13) costarring Eiza Gonzalez and Guy Pearce. (Starz)
Criterion Channel presents twelve films "Starring Alain Delon," from the Luchino Visconti classic "Rocco and His Brothers" (Italy, 1960, with subtitles) to lighthearted caper "Any Number Can Win" (France, 1963, with subtitles) with Jean Gabin to Joseph Losey's existential thriller "Mr. Klein" (France, 1976, not rated, with subtitles). Also new:
- three films by French director Mia Hansen-Løve including "Things to Come" (France, 2016, not rated, with subtitles) with Isabelle Huppert;
- three by American independent filmmaker Bill Gunn including the rare "Personal Problems" (1980, not rated) Bill Gunn;
- Terry Gilliam's cult masterpiece "Brazil" (1985, R), presented with documentaries and featurettes from the lavish Criterion special edition disc release.
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at http://streamondemandathome.com.
