Before "Hamilton," Lin-Manuel Miranda created a
Tony-winning stage musical set in the predominantly Latino Manhattan
neighborhood of Washington Heights. "Crazy Rich Asians"
director Jon M. Chu takes "In
the Heights" (2021, PG-13) to the screen with
Anthony Ramos taking the lead as the first generation
Dominican-American torn between his two cultures. Miranda costars
along with a mix of newcomers and original Broadway cast members
reprising their roles. The release was delayed by a year and now
streams June 10, the same day it opens in theaters, for only 31 days.
(HBO Max)
"Infinite" (2021, PG-13) stars Mark Wahlberg as a man who discovers that his hallucinations are actually memories of past lives. Armed with the skills of previous identities, he joins others to save the world from a conspiracy hatched by one of their own (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Toby Jones, and Dylan O’Brien costar in the action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua. Originally slated for theaters, it now debuts as a streaming exclusive. (Paramount+)
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as the Norse god of mischief in the small screen series "Loki: Season 1" (TV-14), which finds the MCU villain drafted by a secret organization to help protect the timeline that Loki himself disrupted in "Avengers: Endgame." Owen Wilson gives the scene-stealing character a run for his money as the agent in charge and Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard E. Grant costar. New episodes on Wednesdays. (Disney+)
The wait is over: "Lupin" (France, TV-MA, with subtitles), the sleeper caper hit about a master thief (Omay Sy) who uses his skills to take revenge on the crooked industrialist who framed his father, returns with new episodes. (Netflix)
Kid stuff: the animated sequel "The Croods: A New Age" (2020, PG) finds the cave-dwelling family meeting a more evolved tribe on their odyssey to find a new home. Features the voices Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds. (Hulu)
International passport: "Pinocchio" (Italy, 2020, PG-13, with subtitles), a live-action version of the classic story starring Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, was nominated for two Academy Awards. Cannes Film Festival award winning filmmaker Roberto Garrone directs. (Amazon Prime)
Cult pick: the Asian new wave western "Tears of the Black Tiger" (Thailand, 2007, not rated, with subtitles) is an exuberantly excessive pop-art confection that both spoofs and celebrates the crazy conventions of movie melodramas and genre clichés. (Amazon Prime)
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
"Queen Bees" (2021, PG-13) stars Ellen Burstyn as a fiercely independent senior who clashes with a clique of bullying retired women and finds romance in a retirement community. James Caan, Ann-Margret, Jane Curtin, Christopher Lloyd, and Loretta Devine costar. Also new:
"Holler" (2021, not rated), a drama about a high school girl (Jessica Barden) in a dying town who takes a dangerous job for college money;
"To the Ends of the Earth" (Japan, 2019, with subtitles), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's drama about an alienated young Japanese TV host adrift in Uzbekistan.
Netflix
Gina Rodriguez stars in "Awake" (2021, TV-MA), a science fiction thriller about a global event that stops the world from sleeping. Francis Fisher and Jennifer Jason Leigh costar.
"Wish Dragon" (2021, PG) is a family friendly animated fantasy about a teenager in China who inadvertently conjures a dragon with genie-like powers.
True stories: "Kitty Love: An Homage to Cats" (Netherlands, TV-14) follows the daily lives of a group of Dutch felines.
Foodie fun: food critic Daym Drops hosts "Fresh, Fried & Crispy: Season 1" (TV-PG).
International passport: a teenager in rural India battles sexism to compete in the national skateboarding championship in "Skater Girl" (India, 2021, PG, with subtitles).
Amazon Prime Video
"The Odyssey" (France, 2018, not rated, with subtitles) dramatizes the story of how Jacques Cousteau financed his research through TV documentaries that made himself a household name. Lambert Wilson and Audrey Tautou star.
Streaming TV: Anna Paquin returns as a ruthless publicist in "Flack: Season 2" (TV-14) and Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti star in "Billions: Season 4" (2019, TV-MA).
Kid stuff: the animated escape comedy "Chicken Run" (2000, G) come from the creators of "Wallace and Gromit."
Hulu
Sam Neill and Michael Caton are feuding brother sheep farmers in "Rams" (2021, PG-13), the Australian remake of the Icelandic comedy,
True stories: "Legion of Brothers" (2017, TV-14) follows teams of Green Berets over 15 years of combat in Afghanistan.
HBO Max
"Starstruck: Season 1" (TV-14) stars New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo as a millennial in London whose life is upended after a one-night-stand with a movie star. Also new:
episodes of "Betty: Season 2" (TV-MA) arrive on Friday nights;
TNT crime procedural "Rizzoli & Isles: Complete Series" (2010-2016, TV-14) with Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander;
"Billy on the Street: Complete Series" (2011-2017, TV-14) with Billy Eichner.
Disney+
Hugh Jackman stars in the superhero prequel "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009, PG-13) and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009, PG) is the third film in the prehistoric animated franchise.
Other streams
"Timewasters:
Complete Series" (TV-PG), a British comedy
about a jazz combo that stumbles into a time machine, makes its
stateside debut streaming free with ads on IMDbTV.
In the fantasy thriller "Moloch: Season 1" (France, not rated, with subtitles), a journalist (Marine Vacth) and psychiatrist (Olivier Gourmet) investigate when citizens of a seaside town spontaneously combust. All six episodes available. (Sundance Now)
The second season of the colorful Australian series "Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries" brings new episodes every Tuesday. (Acorn TV)
The limited series documentary "The Kings" (TV-MA) profiles Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard: four champions who ushered in a boxing renaissance. All four episodes now streaming. (Showtime)
Premiering on Saturday night is the World War II drama "A Call to Spy" (2020, PG-13) about a trio of British female spies (Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic, Radhika Apte) in occupied France. (Showtime)
The sports documentary "The Greatest Race" (2021, not rated) looks back at the swimming events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Peacock)
"The Amusement Park" (1973/2019) follows an elderly, disoriented man through a crowded theme park as an allegory for aging in America. Directed by horror movie legend George Romero in 1973 but never released, it was recently rediscovered and restored. (Shudder and AMC+)
"The Middleman" (France, 2019, not rated, with subtitles), starring Mathieu Amalric as a divorced real estate agent who takes advice from a talking goldfish, is a surreal limited comedy series created by Israeli author Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen. It makes its stateside debut on Criterion Channel. Also new:
"Mädchen in Uniform" (Germany, 1931, with subtitles), a landmark of queer cinema that was banned by the Nazis (presented with optional commentary);
swashbuckler "The Mark of Zorro" (1940) with Tyrone Power;
ten films celebrating "Carole Lombard: First Lady of Screwball," including two of her greatest, "My Man Godfrey" (1936) with William Powell and "To Be or Not to Be" (1942) with Jack Benny;
six films "Starring Judy Holliday," from the dramedy "The Marrying Kind" (1952) to the musical "Bells Are Ringing" (1960) with Dean Martin.
New on disc and at Redbox: "City of Lies," "Flashback"
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at https://streamondemandathome.com.
